Knowledge and practice of sunscreen use among medical students at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal

Introduction: Sunscreen is essential in preventing skin damage caused by harmful ultraviolet radiation. Regular and appropriate sunscreen application delays photoaging and reduces skin cancer risk. This study aims to assess the general knowledge and practice of sunscreen among medical undergraduates in Nepal. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted among medical students in Nepal, after obtaining ethical approval. The census sampling method was used among all currently enrolled medical students, N=328. Data regarding knowledge and practice of sunscreen were collected through an electronic survey. A descriptive analysis of the number and frequencies was done. The knowledge scoring and chi-square test were done to see the difference in knowledge between male and female students. Result: More than half of the students (52.6%) showed poor knowledge about sunscreen. Among them, female students and those who had completed their dermatology posting had higher knowledge than their counterparts (p=<0.001). Although those who had dermatological posting exhibited good knowledge, still 1/3rd of them needed better knowledge scores only 47% of them applied it every day. When 90% of them applied sunscreen on their face, only 8.5% applied it on all exposed areas, and only 20% used it with the correct timing before sun exposure. Conclusion: This study found that most medical students needed more knowledge about sunscreen, highlighting the need for proper education about sunscreen and its appropriate application among medical students. To better equip future healthcare providers with this education, incorporating a focused education into their curricula could aid in better preparing them

Knowledge and practice of personal hygiene among secondary school students of grade nine and ten

Introductions: Personal hygiene deficiency have been found to be a serious public health problem and people often affected are school children. These have been attributed to inadequate knowledge of personal hygiene and its practices. This study was designed to explore the existing knowledge and practices of personal hygiene among the students studying at secondary level schools in Bhaktapur district, Nepal. Methods: This study was a cross- sectional study to investigate personal hygiene knowledge and practices of secondary level, grades nine and ten school children, Bhaktapur district, Kathmandu valley, Nepal. Pre-tested, self- administered questionnaire were used. Data were collated and analyzed descriptively. Results: The result showed that the secondary school students who participated in the study were evenly distributed by gender (50.4% males and 49.6% females), most of the respondents (78.8%) were in the 15-16 year age bracket. Majority of the respondents (88.5%) had good knowledge level on personal hygiene. Female students were found having more knowledge level than male students. Conversely, majority of them were noted with moderate to poor level of hygiene practices. Conclusion: Secondary school students of Bhaktapur have good knowledge on personal hygiene while lot more improvement is required in terms of practices. Integrated approach by parents, school and social media to enhance hygiene practices could be useful. Keywords: knowledge, personal hygiene; practices, student

Evidence-based practice at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal: knowledge, attitude, behavior and barriers

Introduction: Evidence based practice (EBP) is the use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The aim of this study was to explore the practices, attitudes, knowledge and perceived barriers in relation to EBP among faculty members at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Nepal. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study. Participants were faculty members (both clinical and non-clinical) at PAHS. The main outcomes were attitude towards the usefulness of EBP, the frequency of use of EBP in practice, and the barriers to carrying out EBP. Results: One hundred and seventy-two faculty members participated in this survey. Ninety five percent knew it was used for clinical decision making and the majority used it for teaching. Senior faculty spent more time on searching for evidence and reading compared to junior faculty. There was no difference between clinical and non-clinical departments. The main barriers to EBP were inadequate teaching learning support by 49% (85/172) followed by inadequate time 30% (52/172). Conclusions: The study showed that faculty at PAHS had a generally positive attitude towards EBP. EBP could be better facilitated by proper teaching and allocation of dedicated time. Keywords: evidence-based practice, faculties, health sciences, attitude- knowledge-behavio