EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA COURSEWARE IN TEACHING CARE MANAGEMENT

The effectiveness of multimedia courseware optimizes teaching care management will provide knowledge in the global world. The progress of students’ rights and civilization is acceptable and is universal and effective in influencing the standard quality of learning among the care management students. The study identifies the effectiveness of interactive multimedia courseware in teaching care management and aims to know its importance, effectiveness and enhancement of students' learning process. The study employed the qualitative and quantitative descriptive approach which is a mixed-method to identify the effectiveness of interactive multimedia courseware in care management practices, using the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) among the Clinical Instructors who have the capacity and ability to analyze the effectiveness of interactive multimedia courseware for the improvement program of the care management students. Purposive sampling is utilized in the study which closely resembled and synthesized the objectives of the study. The study comprised (90) respondents only. Results show that interactive multimedia courseware enhances the difference from teaching traditional to high-tech of teaching which is interesting for the students inside the classroom and it shows that multimedia courseware enhances students in their learning process through exposure to technology, innovation and promotion, concept and control, and its effectiveness in the improved and delivery of course outline and output. Findings show that is a significant correlation on the interactive multimedia courseware in teaching care management as observed by the respondents.  Article visualizations

Design and Development of an Incident Reporting Mobile Application

Reporting actual incidents through short messaging systems and telephone calls are tedious,prone to errors and misinterpretations. Developing a mobile application that can be utilized totransmit incident type, location, and images among other details can provide assistance inemergency situations. The software development method followed in this study was theprototyping model, where initial versions of the software were shown to the end users for it tobe refined to their needs. The target users of the mobile application are a group of 38Adventist motorcycle riders from Silang, Cavite, Philippines who are trained to be firstresponders. Interviews with end users and benchmarking on related systems were conductedto meet results. The end users’ feedback on the developed application can be summarized ashaving high accuracy, less prone to errors, and ease-of-use. Through Global PositioningSystems available on modern smart phones, reporting a specific incident location can be asaccurate as within five meters. The report receiver can view the location in a map.Minimizing text entry and utilizing control elements not only improve reporting time but alsoreduce chances of committing errors. Further, the application can provide map location andcontact information of the emergency facilities near the incident site. Reported information isalso centrally stored for references to improve response processes. Once substantial data isgathered from this system, it can be data-mined to predict possible hotspots, peak times andother information on the occurrences of incidents. To implement the system to a largergeographical territory, the proponents suggest employing artificial intelligence which canautomatically identify and request help from the nearest possible medical facilities

Design and Development of RC Railed Robot for Coffee Nursery Logistics

The Remote Controlled (RC) Railed Robot was designed and developed to transfer polybags from manual operation to an automated logistic system. Gizduino microcontroller was used to read and interpret commands sent and received by the transceivers to the robot and a remote to command instructions to the robot.The project was tested and evaluated at the Coffee Nursery of Cavite State University by determining the speed of the robot, the effectiveness of the remote control and the accuracy of the robot to lift a pallet and place it into an empty space.Results showed that the robot was able to receive and interpret commands provided by the remote control as well as perform the tasks successfully.The most significant recommendation was to use a counterweight at the rear side of the robot to avoid unnecessary derailments of the robot if lifting heavier or greater number of pallets is desired

Vancomycin therapy in critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy; are we doing enough?

AbstractBackgroundRecommendations regarding vancomycin dosing and monitoring in critically ill patients on continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) are limited. This is a retrospective study to assess the adequacy of current vancomycin dosing and monitoring practice for patients on CRRT in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.MethodsA retrospective chart review of adult patients admitted between 1 April 2011 and 30 March 2013 to critical care and received intravenous vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT was performed.ResultsA total of 68 patients received intravenous vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT, of which 32 met the inclusion criteria. Fifty-one percent were males and median (range) age was 62.5 (19 – 90) years. Median APACHE II score was 33.5 (22–43) and median Charlson Comorbidity Score was 4 (0–8). The mean (±standard deviation) dose of vancomycin was 879.9mg (±281.2mg) for an average duration of 5.9days (±3.7days). All patients received continuous veno-venous haemofiltration (CVVH). A total of 55 vancomycin level readings were available from the study population, ranging from 6.6 to 41.3, with wide variations within the same sampling time frames. Vancomycin levels of>15mg/L or were achieved at least once in 24 patients (75.0%), but only 11 patients (34.3%) had 2 or more serum vancomycin level readings of 15mg/L or more.ConclusionTherapeutic vancomycin levels are difficult to maintain in critically ill patients who are receiving IV vancomycin therapy whilst on CRRT. Aggressive dosing schedules and frequent monitoring are required to ensure adequate vancomycin therapy in this setting

A cross-sectional study on the burden and impact of migraine on work productivity and quality of life in selected workplaces in the Philippines

Background Migraine imposes a substantial personal and economic burden to many working age individuals. This study aimed to evaluate the burden and impact of migraine on work productivity in selected workplaces in the Philippines. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among employees suspected or diagnosed with migraine February to May 2020. Volunteer employees were screened for migraine using the ID-Migraine™ test. Eligible employees were tested for migraine severity and impact on work productivity using the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) questionnaire. Quality of life was measured using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire and additional questions on triggers, coping mechanisms, workplace assistance, and health care utilization were asked. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify significant predictors of migraine disability (high – MIDAS Grade III/IV vs. low – MIDAS Grade I/II). Differences in quality of life scores by migraine disability were measured using multiple linear regression. Productivity costs lost to migraine disability were calculated as the number of days lost to migraine multiplied by the self-reported wage rate, and costs according to migraine severity were measured using a two-part generalized linear model. Results From around 24,000 employees who were invited to participate in the survey, 954 respondents provided consent and attempted to respond to the survey resulting to a response rate of around 4.1%. A total of 511 positive migraine screens were included in the final sample. Females comprised two-thirds of all positive migraine screens and were more likely to have high migraine disability (odds ratio: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.03–2.49) than males. Those with high migraine disability scored lower on role limitations compared to those with low migraine disability. Stress and looking at computer screens were cited as the top trigger for migraine, while sleeping enough hours and getting a massage were cited as top coping mechanisms. Three in four (77%) visited their company clinic within the past 3 months, which meant that most doctors seen for migraine-related symptoms were general practitioners. Five in six (85%) took medication for migraine, almost all of which were over-the-counter medications. Mean annual productivity costs lost due to migraine disability were PHP27 794 (USD556) per person. Conclusion Migraine poses a significant threat to work productivity in the Philippines. Many opportunities, such as disease management and introduction of alternative options for migraine treatment, may be introduced to help address these issues. Introduction Migraine is a neurological disorder recognized as one of the leading causes of disability in the world, estimated to impact anywhere between one in ten [1] and one in six individuals [2]. While several population-level studies on migraine have been conducted in the past few years, there remain countries with little information on the burden of migraine, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region [2]. A systematic review and meta-analysis on chronic migraine found only seven population-level studies in the Asia-Pacific region estimating chronic migraine prevalence to be approximately 6–17 people per 1000 population [3]. In the Philippines, the last known national-level migraine prevalence survey was in 2003, which found that 7.9% of the population screened positive for migraine [4]. However, in 2017, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reports that headache disorders which include migraine has a prevalence estimate of about 17.3% [5]. Migraine is associated with significant impact on daily living, such as work, school, and personal activities [6]. Migraine patients consistently report poorer quality of life scores than healthy individuals on aspects of physical well-being, while chronic migraine patients consistently report poorer quality of life scores than episodic migraine patients on aspects of emotional well-being [7]. Additionally, the expectation of worry on the next migraine attack is in itself negatively affecting work productivity and quality of life [8]. Sex and age are significantly associated with migraine burden, with females at least twice as likely to report having migraine [1] and working-age individuals more likely to report having migraine than younger or older individuals [9]. This implies that migraine poses a significant economic burden and various studies in the past have tried to quantify the economic impacts of migraine. The European Eurolight project estimated that more than 90% of economic losses associated with migraine were attributable to indirect costs such as sick days and reduced work productivity as compared to less than 10% of direct costs such as medicines and outpatient consultation [10]. A systematic review from the United States found that on average around 2 to 3 workdays per month were lost due to migraine, with women reporting twice more workdays affected than men [11]. A Malaysian study found similar results with mean days affected by migraine being 5.6 days over the past 3 months among banking sector employees, with monetary losses potentially reaching as much as USD3000 annually for those with the most severe forms of migraine [12]. In a literature search, this was the only published study found to present data on the burden of migraine in the Asia Pacific region. Given this, the present study assessed the burden and impact of migraine and work productivity and daily activities in selected workplaces in the Philippines. Focusing on those having migraine, this study explored the migraine patient journey regarding the frequency and severity of migraine attacks, triggers in the workplace, workplace assistance programs, availability and utilization of health care services, and quality of life. Finally, this study also measured monetary estimates on lost productivity

Evidence update on prevention of surgical site infection

Purpose of review: surgical site infection (SSI) is a common health care associated infection and complicates up to 10-20% of operations with considerable health care resources. Apart from the widely adopted use of appropriate hair removal, antibiotic prophylaxis, avoidance of hypothermia and peri-operative glycaemic control to reduce SSIs this review has considered new research and systematic reviews, and whether their findings should be included in guidelines. Recent findings: The efficacy of preoperative bathing/showering, antibiotic prophylaxis for clean surgery and perioperative oxygen supplementation to reduce the risk of SSI is still in doubt. By contrast, the use of 2% chlorhexidine in alcohol skin preparation, postoperative negative pressure wound therapy and antiseptic surgical dressings do show promise. Antimicrobial sutures in independent meta-analyses were found to reduce the risk of SSI after all classes of surgery (except dirty) whereas the use of wound guards, or diathermy skin incision (compared with scalpel incision), did not. Summary: The incidence of SSI after surgery is not falling. Based on this review of published trials and evidence-based systematic reviews some advances might be included into these care bundles. More research is needed together with improved compliance with care bundles

STRUCTURAL DOMAIN OF LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGIES IN THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

The study aims to describe the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender, educational attainment, and number of years in teaching and to understand the structural domain of learning among the students in their academic performance in the area of cognitive domain of learning, affective domain of learning, and psychomotor domain of learning to include the approach on the teaching strategies of the students in their school achievement along the area of analysis and comprehension level, attitude towards the lesson, and academic performance. The quantitative research design is utilized in the study because it attempts to quantify and collect the statistical analysis on the various measures set in the research questions in the study. The purposive sampling technique is utilized in the study. This type of sampling is non-probability which is very effective in the domain of learning and expert knowledge on the needs of the study. The study comprised thirty (30) respondents only. Results show that structural cognitive domain of learning reveals the ability to construct meaning from their lesson as to function and activities in their module, structural affective domain of learning reveals that students have the active attention and proper motivation to learn, willingness to respond, and feeling of satisfaction, and students have the attitude of worth, beliefs, acceptance, preference, and commitment to values, and structural psychomotor domain of learning reveals that students can express their learning through gestures, posture, facial expression, and/or creative movement. On the other hand, approach to teaching strategies as to comprehension and analysis levels shows innovation, creativity, competition, and have the ability to present concepts in their outline lesson, approach to teaching strategies as to the attitude of students toward the lesson shows that students display strict compliance toward their lessons and activities, and approach to teaching strategies as to academic performance shows that students focus on their lessons and provides output in the learning process, and students pay close attention to the direction in their lesson set up by. Findings of the study show that there is no significant agreement between the structural domain of learning among the students in their academic performance and the approach on the teaching strategies of the students in their school achievement among the respondents.  Article visualizations

CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE MULTICULTURAL PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR NURSING STUDENTS

The purpose  of this study was to examine  the validity, particularly the construct  validity and reliability of Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; van der Zee, van Oudenhoven, Ponterotto, Fietzer, 2013) and further  determined the significant difference when tested across the personal characteristics of nursing students. The original MPQ scale consists of five factors: cultural empathy, flexibility, social initiative, open- mindedness, flexibility and emotional stability. The MPQ was administered to a total of 122 nursing students (national (59.8%), Filipino-American (7.21%), and international (32.99%) nursing students. The study showed that four factors were generated  using confirmatory factor analysis. The 78-item MPQ was reduced to 21 items. The four factors included cultural empathy, social initiative, open-mindedness, and emotional stability. Flexibility was one of the factors in the original version of the five-factor scale of MPQ but not evident it in this study. The analysis of the data resulted in a reasonably good fit and a satisfactory Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient for each factor. The overall Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient (α) of the scale is .713;  .861, .806, .717, and .663 for cultural empathy, social initiative, open-mindedness,  and emotional stability with a percent of variance accounted for of 25.12%,  11.91%, 11.79%, and 8.26%, respectively. Significant differences were found in some factors of MPQ considering the personal characteristics of nursing students. The results indicated that the MPQ could serve as a valuable tool to measure the multicultural personality of nursing students from the Philippines

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis use and infection prevalence in non-cosmetic breast surgery procedures at a tertiary hospital in Western Australia—a retrospective study

Copyright 2018 Lavers et al. Background. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a common complication following breast surgery procedures, despite being considered a clean surgery. The prevalence of SSIs can be minimised with the appropriate use of antibiotic prophylaxis as outlined in the Australian Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG). The aims of this study were to evaluate adherence to the eTG for antibiotic prophylaxis in breast surgery procedures at a Western Australian teaching hospital following an update of the guidelines in 2014 and examine the impact of prophylactic antibiotics on SSI incidence and length of hospital stay. Method. A retrospective cross-sectional study which reviewed medical records from a random sample of 250 patients selected from 973 patients who underwent breast surgical procedures between February 2015 and March 2017. Results. Overall adherence to current eTG occurred in 49.2% (123/250) of operations. Pre-operative and post-operative antibiotics were prescribed in 98.4% (246/250) and 11.2% (28/250) operations respectively. Adherence rates to three specific elements of the eTG (drug prescribed, drug dosage and timing of administration) were 91.6% (229/250), 53.6% (134/250) and 86.4% (216/250) respectively. For the 14.4% (36/250) patients with relevant drug allergies, there was zero adherence to the eTG. Overall recorded SSI prevalence was low at 5.2% (13/250). The mean length of stay in patients (2.3 ± 1.7 days) was not influenced by level of eTG adherence (p = 0.131) or SSIs (p = 0.306). Conclusion.These data demonstrate a significant improvement in overall adherence to the eTG from 13.3% to 49.2% (p = < 0.001). The level of detected SSIs in this study was low. Further improvement is necessary with respect to prescribing appropriate antibiotic dosages and for those with allergies