Quality of life and its demographic predictors among workers at a plastic factory in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Quality of life (QOL) is an individualized measure that reflects a person’s subjective feelings towards the different aspects of his or her life and incorporates them into his overall health evaluation. The WHOQOL-BREF is a QOL measurement tool that has been validated in worldwide and local studies, with good reliability and sensitivity. WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire was used to evaluate the QOL of 89 workers at a plastic factory in Selangor, Malaysia. These were compared using t-test and Spearman’s bivariate correlation test to assess for significant correlations and predictors of performance in the different domains. The performance of the sample, both overall and for individual domains, was significantly lower than reported in previous studies. Local workers, highly educated workers, workers with shorter employment, and workers who did not take overtime performed significantly better than their respective counterparts. Also, lower education, foreign nationality, longer employment at the factory, overtime, and crushing jobs were associated with lower QOL scores. Studies evaluating QOL in industrial workers in Malaysia are scarce. Our sample is more diverse than the previous similar studies from Malaysia, and hence it offers new insights into the QOL of plastic industrial workers in the country

Maternal mortality in the Gaza strip: a look at causes and solutions

Background: Maternal mortality is an important health indicator for the overall health of a population. This study assessed the causes and contributing factors to maternal mortality that occurred in the Gaza-Strip between July 2014 and June 2015. Methods: This is a retrospective study that used both quantitative and qualitative data. The data were collected from available medical records, investigation reports, death certificates, and field interviews with healthcare professionals as well as families. Results: A total of 18 maternal mortalities occurred in Gaza between 1st July 2014 and June 30th 2015. Age at time of death ranged from 18 to 44 years, with 44.4% occurring before the age of 35 years. About 22.2% were primiparous, while 55.6% were grand multiparous women. The most common causes of death were sepsis, postpartum haemorrhage, and pulmonary embolism. The most striking deficiency was very poor medical documentation which was observed in 17 cases (94%). In addition, poor communication between doctors and women and their families or among healthcare teams was noticed in nine cases (50%). These were repeatedly described by families during interviews. Further aspects surfacing in many interviews were distrust by families towards clinicians and poor understanding of health conditions by women. Other factors included socioeconomic conditions, poor antenatal attendance and the impact of the 2014 war. Low morale among medical staff was expressed by most interviewed clinicians, as well as the fear of being blamed by families and management in case of adverse events. Substandard care and lack of appropriate supervision were also found in some cases. Conclusions: This study revealed deficiencies in maternity care, some of which were linked to the socioeconomic situation and the 2014 war. Others show poor implementation of clinical guidelines and lack of professional skills in communication and teamwork. Specialised training should be offered for clinicians in order to improve these aspects. However, the most striking deficiency was the extremely poor documentation, reflecting a lack of awareness among clinicians regarding its importance. Local policymakers should focus on systematic application of quality improvement strategies in order to achieve greater patient safety and further reductions in the maternal mortality rate.Background: Maternal mortality is an important health indicator for the overall health of a population. This study assessed the causes and contributing factors to maternal mortality that occurred in the Gaza-Strip between July 2014 and June 2015. Methods: This is a retrospective study that used both quantitative and qualitative data. The data were collected from available medical records, investigation reports, death certificates, and field interviews with healthcare professionals as well as families. Results: A total of 18 maternal mortalities occurred in Gaza between 1st July 2014 and June 30th 2015. Age at time of death ranged from 18 to 44 years, with 44.4% occurring before the age of 35 years. About 22.2% were primiparous, while 55.6% were grand multiparous women. The most common causes of death were sepsis, postpartum haemorrhage, and pulmonary embolism. The most striking deficiency was very poor medical documentation which was observed in 17 cases (94%). In addition, poor communication between doctors and women and their families or among healthcare teams was noticed in nine cases (50%). These were repeatedly described by families during interviews. Further aspects surfacing in many interviews were distrust by families towards clinicians and poor understanding of health conditions by women. Other factors included socioeconomic conditions, poor antenatal attendance and the impact of the 2014 war. Low morale among medical staff was expressed by most interviewed clinicians, as well as the fear of being blamed by families and management in case of adverse events. Substandard care and lack of appropriate supervision were also found in some cases. Conclusions: This study revealed deficiencies in maternity care, some of which were linked to the socioeconomic situation and the 2014 war. Others show poor implementation of clinical guidelines and lack of professional skills in communication and teamwork. Specialised training should be offered for clinicians in order to improve these aspects. However, the most striking deficiency was the extremely poor documentation, reflecting a lack of awareness among clinicians regarding its importance. Local policymakers should focus on systematic application of quality improvement strategies in order to achieve greater patient safety and further reductions in the maternal mortality rate

Impact of the Israeli attacks at 2014 on incidence of STEMI in Gaza

For 51 days, Gaza was pummeled down by the Israeli military in a war known as Operation Protective Edge. During the 50 days (7-7-204 to 28-8-2014) of the Israeli campaign, 2104 Palestinians were killed, including 253 women (12%) and 495 children (24%). According to the UN, at least 69% of Palestinians killed were civilians. It is estimated that 10,224 Palestinians, including 3,106 children (30%) and 1,970 women (19%) were injured. Preliminary estimates indicate that up to 1,000 of the children injured will have a permanent disability and up to 1,500 orphaned children will need sustained support from the child protection and welfare sectors, 17,200 homes destroyed or severely damaged, 58 hospitals and clinics damaged [1]. Major stressful events are well documented to increase the incidence of acute cardiac events [2]. Cardiovascular complications more than doubled during the FIFA World Cup games of 2006 [3]. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, significantly more patients presented with acute myocardial infarction to the hospitals in Brooklyn [4] and New Jersey [5]. We were able to examine the effects of the Isreli attacks on acute STEMI presentations in Gaza city

Maternal mortality in the Gaza strip: a look at causes and solutions

Abstract Background Maternal mortality is an important health indicator for the overall health of a population. This study assessed the causes and contributing factors to maternal mortality that occurred in the Gaza-Strip between July 2014 and June 2015. Methods This is a retrospective study that used both quantitative and qualitative data. The data were collected from available medical records, investigation reports, death certificates, and field interviews with healthcare professionals as well as families. Results A total of 18 maternal mortalities occurred in Gaza between 1st July 2014 and June 30th 2015. Age at time of death ranged from 18 to 44 years, with 44.4% occurring before the age of 35 years. About 22.2% were primiparous, while 55.6% were grand multiparous women. The most common causes of death were sepsis, postpartum haemorrhage, and pulmonary embolism. The most striking deficiency was very poor medical documentation which was observed in 17 cases (94%). In addition, poor communication between doctors and women and their families or among healthcare teams was noticed in nine cases (50%). These were repeatedly described by families during interviews. Further aspects surfacing in many interviews were distrust by families towards clinicians and poor understanding of health conditions by women. Other factors included socioeconomic conditions, poor antenatal attendance and the impact of the 2014 war. Low morale among medical staff was expressed by most interviewed clinicians, as well as the fear of being blamed by families and management in case of adverse events. Substandard care and lack of appropriate supervision were also found in some cases. Conclusions This study revealed deficiencies in maternity care, some of which were linked to the socioeconomic situation and the 2014 war. Others show poor implementation of clinical guidelines and lack of professional skills in communication and teamwork. Specialised training should be offered for clinicians in order to improve these aspects. However, the most striking deficiency was the extremely poor documentation, reflecting a lack of awareness among clinicians regarding its importance. Local policymakers should focus on systematic application of quality improvement strategies in order to achieve greater patient safety and further reductions in the maternal mortality rate

Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Predictors of Disability in a Cohort of Jordanian Patients with the First Ischemic Stroke

Objective. To identify the risk factors, etiologies, length of stay, severity, and predictors of disability among patients with the first ischemic stroke in Jordan. Methods. A retrospective cohort study of 142 patients who were admitted to the Neurology Department at King Abdullah University Hospital between July/2017 and March/2018 with a first ischemic stroke. Etiology was classified according to the TOAST criteria. Severity was represented by NIHSS score, disability by mRS score, and prolonged length of stay as hospitalizations more than 75th percentile of the cohort’s median length of stay. Analysis of the sample demographics and descriptive statistics were done, including frequencies of prevalence of independent variables (risk factors) and frequencies of stroke and etiology work-up. Chi-square and univariate analysis of variance “ANOVA” were used to investigate the relationship between risk factors and type of stroke. Finally, logistic regression analysis was used to measure the contribution of each of the independent variables. IRB approval was obtained as necessary. Results. The mean age for the cohort was 66.5 years. The most common risk factors were hypertension (78.8%), diabetes mellitus (60.5%), and ischemic heart disease (29.4%). The most common stroke etiology was small-vessel occlusion (54.2%). Median length of stay was 4 days. Prolonged length of stay was observed in 23.23% of patients, which was associated with several factors, the most common of which were persistent dysphagia (57.5%), nosocomial infection (39.3%), and combined dysphagia and nosocomial infection (21.2%). The mean admission NIHSS score was 7.94, and on discharge was 5.76. In-hospital mortality was 2.81%, while 50% of patients had a favorable outcome on discharge (mRS score between 0-2). The mean discharge mRS score for the cohort was 2.47 (SD±1.79). Large artery atherosclerosis was associated with the highest residual disability with a mean score of 3.67 (SD±1.88), while the stroke of undetermined etiology was associated with the lowest residual disability with a mean score of 1.60 (SD±1.78). Significant predictors of mRS score were smoking (t 3.24, P<0.001), age (t 1.98, P<0.049), and NIHSS score (t 9.979, P 0.000). Conclusion. Ischemic strokes have different etiologies that are associated with different levels of impact on the patient’s clinical status and prognosis. Large artery atherosclerosis was associated with the highest residual disability. Regarding predictors of prognosis, current smoking status, age above 50, gender, and NIHSS on admission appear to be the strongest predictors of prognosis. Finally, higher NIHSS score on admission resulted in a longer hospital stay

Knowledge, attitude, and practice among medical students in gaza strip towards voluntary blood donation: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background A major component of emergency medical care is blood. The Gaza Strip has faced repeated wars over the last few years, emphasizing the importance of blood donation even more. This study aims to assess medical students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding voluntary blood donation in Gaza (VBD). Methods This cross-sectional study used stratified sampling method to survey medical students at Gaza’s two medical schools, Al-Azhar and Islamic Universities, between March and April 2022. A 35-item self-administered questionnaire with four sections: demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice, was used. The data were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results A total of 329 students were surveyed (response rate of 89.6%). The median age was 20 (IQR = 3). Males made up 44.7% of the sample. Overall, 54.7% were found to have good knowledge about VBD, 68.1% did not know the time-to-wait between each whole blood donation, and in terms of blood donation criteria, only 30.7%, 25.2% were aware of the appropriate age and weight for donating. Moreover, school was the source of most information (66.6%). Meanwhile, 73.3% of participants expressed a positive attitude toward VBD. Only (17,6%) did not show a willingness to donate blood regardless of their relationship with the recipient. The vast majority (83.3%) had never donated blood before, and 12.5% had no plans to do so in the future. The two most common reasons for this were the lack of opportunity and health issues (31.0%, 11.9%, respectively). Conclusion The sampled medical students had a positive attitude toward VBD, but there were deficiencies in their knowledge of blood donation criteria, and most had not donated blood. Adequate awareness campaigns are required to increase awareness about this universally and locally important subject

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Palestinian Healthcare Workers in the Gaza Strip towards Hepatitis B: A cross-sectional survey

Objectives: Healthcare workers are at a high potential risk of Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV). This survey aims to identify gaps and strengths in the knowledge, cultural perceptions, and practices of healthcare workers towards HBV in order to drive appropriate health interventions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2022. We surveyed a convenience sample of three at-risk healthcare providers from the major health facilities in Gaza. A 40-item, self-administered questionnaire was used. Statistical data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25 to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics via various nonparametric, correlation, and regression tests (with p&lt;0.05). Results: 447 healthcare workers participated in the study. Overall, 105 (23.5%) demonstrated poor knowledge (under 14\20 points), 284 (63.5%) had moderate knowledge (14-17 points), and 58 (13%) showed good knowledge about HBV. The majority (367, 82.1%) expressed an excellent attitude. Finally, 287 (64.2%) demonstrated a good level of practice toward HBV infection. A history of needle stick injury was reported by 233 (52.1%) participants, of whom 170 (73.3%) reported taking appropriate preventive actions after exposure. Conclusion: The majority of participants demonstrated overall good knowledge regarding HBV infection. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in the different aspects of the KAP construct, which require appropriate awareness campaigns to further limit the spread of this preventable viral infection. Keywords: Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Attitude of Health Personnel; Hepatitis B; Epidemiology; prevention and control; Health Personnel; Cross-Sectional Studies