Disaster management: identifying knowledge of emergency nurses and community health nurses and its predictors in Malaysia

As a front-liner in healthcare services, nurses play an important role in managing disaster victims. Thus, it is crucial for nurses to be prepared when facing disaster. The aim of this paper is to determine the knowledge of emergency nurses (EN) and community health nurses (CHN) with respect to disaster management, as well as identify predictor factors. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between October and November 2011. The 17-items of the self-developed questionnaire in assessing knowledge towards disaster management were distributed to randomly selected nurses from 10 emergency and trauma departments (132 respondents) and 8 health clinics (264 respondents) in one of the state in Malaysia. The results showed that both groups had a comparable median score on knowledge, 58.82 with interquartile range (IQR) = 52.94-70.58 for EN and IQR = 48.53-69.12 for CHN. No significant difference in knowledge was identified within these groups, with approximately 59.1% having inadequate knowledge of disaster management. Attending disaster-related education/training was identified as a predictor factor for adequacy of knowledge among EN with significant value of p < 0.01, (AOR) of 3.807, 95% (CI) of 1.584-9.153) and CHN (p < 0.001, AOR = 3.511, 95% CI = 2.097-5.881). As conclusion, emergency and community health nurses have inadequate knowledge with regard to disaster management, and it has been demonstrated statistically that adequacy of knowledge is driven by attending disaster-related education/training, which predicts knowledge level. Therefore, it is paramount for organizations to conduct disaster-related education/training to improve nurses' knowledge

Effect of Vocal Anesthesia on Adult Dental Patients during Covid-19 pandemic period

BACKGROUND: Pain is as a major concern with dental patients. The dentist-patient interaction can reveal the presence of anxiety and fear, which may result in rise of pain. This study aimed to assess vocabulary communication as support to dental anesthesia on the adult dental patient. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective, randomized clinical study, conducted from February 2020 through March 2021. Two hundred individuals (112 males, 88 females) of the age range (16 to 84 years) were separated into two groups for testing the level of pain during dental local anesthesia, with vocal communication and without vocal communication. RESULTS: While the control group showed no difference between males and females, there was a difference between the sexes in the experimental group with past dental visits, VAS and injection type having less anxiety (p=0.0001) while with education/VAS having (p£0.01) as appear in sex to age (p£0.05). There was no difference when data were compared by age, or type of anesthesia (inferior alveolar nerve block or infiltration technique). CONCLUSION: Dental anxiety can be alleviated by talking to the patients before the procedure, which could reduce the amount of pain

Predictors of Detected Organophosphorus Pesticides Among Orang Asli Children Living in Malaysia

BackgroundIncreasing use of pesticides in agriculture to control pest may result in permanent damage to the environment and consequently cause harmful health problems especially among infant and children. Due to pesticide's natural toxicity and its widespread use, it causes a serious threat to public health especially to this vulnerable group.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine the organophosphorus pesticide urinary metabolite levels and its predictors among Orang Asli children of the Mah Meri tribe living in an agricultural island in Kuala Langat, Selangor.MethodsData collection was carried out at an island in Kuala Langat, Selangor, where a total of 180 Orang Asli children of the Mah Meri tribe voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected via a validated, modified questionnaire. Urinary organophosphate metabolites, namely dimethylphosphate, diethylphosphate, dimethylthiophosphate, dimethyldithiophosphate, diethylthiophosphate, and diethyldithiophosphate were measured to assess organophosphate pesticide exposure in children.FindingsEighty-four (46.7%) of the respondents were positive for urine dialkyl phosphate metabolites. In multivariable analysis, children who frequently consumed apples had 4 times higher risk of pesticide detection than those who consumed apple less frequently. In addition, those who frequently ate cucumbers had 4 times higher risk for pesticide detection than those who ate cucumbers less frequently. Children with a father whose occupation involved high exposure to pesticides (agriculture) had 3 times higher risk of pesticide detection than those with a father in a low-risk occupation (nonagriculture).ConclusionsAlmost half of the children (46.7%) in the study area tested positive for urinary dialkyl phosphate metabolite levels. Most of the metabolite levels were equal to or higher than that reported in other previous studies. Major factors associated with pesticide detection in children in this study were frequent intake of apple and cucumber and fathers who are working in an agricultural area

Malnutrition among 3 to 5 Years Old Children in Baghdad City, Iraq: A Cross-sectional Study

The unstable geopolitical situation in Iraq since 2003 still affects the health of people, especially children. Several factors may indirectly affect a child\u2019s nutritional status. The main aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to malnutrition among 3 to 5 years old children in Baghdad city, Iraq. Two hundred twenty children aged 3 to 5 years were chosen randomly from four kindergartens in Baghdad city according to the cross-sectional design. The nutritional status of the children was assessed using a weight-for-age z-score based on the World Health Organization 2007 cutoff points, in which any child with a z-score of &lt;-2 is considered to be malnourished. The overall prevalence rate of underweight children was 18.2%. There was no significant difference in the prevalence rate between males and females (p=0.797). However, the percentage of underweight children was slightly higher among females (18.9%) compared to males (17.6%). There was no association between parents\u2019 educational level or employment status and childhood malnutrition. There was no association between a family\u2019s movement from their house and childhood malnutrition (p=0.322). Living in an unsafe neighbourhood and having a family member killed during the past five years were significantly associated with childhood malnutrition (p=0.016 and 0.018 respectively). Childhood malnutrition is still a public-health concern in Baghdad city, especially after the war of 2003. Malnutrition is significantly associated with living in unsafe neighbourhoods and at least one family member having been killed during the past five years

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs related to drugs among Pahang Matriculation students in Malaysia

Introduction Drug abuse has been a global threat not only in Malaysia but worldwide, especially among adolescents. This is alarming issue had been a serious public health problem worldwide. The aim of the study is to access the knowledge and attitude on drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students in 2016. Methods A cross¬-sectional study was conducted involving 217 matriculation students. A self-determined questionnaire was distributed among the students regarding knowledge and attitude about drugs. Results The prevalence of good knowledge on drug abuse was (82.03%). The prevalence of students’ attitude on drug abuse has higher number of good attitude with the sum of 182 (83.9 %). Only gender showed a significant association with students’ knowledge (P= 0.046). Conclusion The knowledge, attitude, and practice of drug abuse among Pahang Matriculation students are good

Indoor Particulate Matters, Microbial Count Assessments, and Wheezing Symptoms among Toddlers in Urban Day Care Centers in the District of Seremban, Malaysia

Introduction: Indoor air quality in day care centers (DCCs) is an emerging research topic nowadays. Indoor air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM) and microbes have been linked to respiratory health effects in children, particularly asthma-related symptoms such as night coughs and wheezing due to early exposure to indoor air contaminants. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association between wheezing symptoms among toddlers attending DCCs and indoor particulate matter, PM10, PM2.5, and microbial count level in urban DCCs in the District of Seremban, Malaysia. Methods: Data collection was carried out at 10 DCCs located in the urban area of Seremban. Modified validated questionnaires were distributed to parents to obtain their children’s health symptoms. The parameters measured were indoor PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, total bacteria count, total fungus count, temperature, air velocity, and relative humidity using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health analytical method. Results: All 10 DCCs investigated had at least one indoor air quality parameter exceeding the acceptable level of standard guidelines. The prevalence of toddlers having wheezing symptoms was 18.9%. There was a significant different in mean concentration of PM2.5 and total bacteria count between those with and those without wheezing symptoms ('P' = 0.02, 'P' = 0.006). Conclusions: Urban DCCs are exposed to many air pollutants that may enter their buildings from various adjacent sources. The particle concentrations and presence of microbes in DCCs might increase the risk of exposed children for respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, in their later life

A cross sectional study on factors associated with job performance among nurses in a tertiary hospital

Nurses’ job performance is defined as the effectiveness of a person in carrying out his or her duties related to patient care. Aim of this study is to measure job performance among nurses in a tertiary hospital and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses selected from four departments, which were Obstetrics & Gynecology (O&G), medical, surgical and Cardiac Care Unit (CCU)/High Dependency Unit (HDU). A Malay validated Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (6-DSNP) questionnaire was used to measure job performance. Nurses who have one child more compared to other nurses had significantly lower total mean score of job performance by -0.06 (95% CI 0.11, 0.01). Nurses working in medical department [adj.β=0.16 (95% CI 0.01, 0.30)] and CCU/HDU [adj.β= 0.33(95% CI: 0.17, 0.50)] had significantly higher total mean scores of jobs performance compared to O&G department. Effective strategies and re-examining work conditions are imperative for better job performance

Animal Reservoirs for Leptospira spp. In South-East Asia: A Meta-Analysis

Background and Aim: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease responsible for high morbidity worldwide. This review is intended to identify other possible animal reservoirs of Leptospira spp. within human surroundings, which may improve the prevention and control of the disease. Methods: A systematic search was performed for the relevant titles, abstracts and keywords in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar in March 2018 based on the PICO strategy; which returned 1226 studies. Screening of abstracts had shortlisted 71 studies and data extraction was conducted for 15 studies which had been accepted after review of the full text. Only studies done in South-East Asia were considered. Meta-analysis of the accepted studies was done to compute the composite prevalence of each animal group using random effects model. Results: The articles were analysed from the viewpoint of the study settings and the prevalence of Leptospira spp. in types of animal with the animals being grouped into five major groups, based on taxonomy and likelihood of human contact. It was found that all animal groups have statistically significant value of pooled prevalence, with a range between 8.17% (95% CI: 4.80% - 12.39%) for sheep and goats, to as high as 27.28% (95% CI: 1.24% - 69.69%) for carnivores. The prevalence for other animal groups are 17.95% (95% CI: 7.77% - 31.18%) for rodents, 19.24% (95% CI: 10.65% - 29.65%) for pigs, and 24.90% (95% CI: 15.45% - 35.71%) for ruminants. Conclusion: Meta-analysis showed that other groups of animals, particularly carnivores, pigs, and large ruminants are just as culpable as rodents in being the reservoir for Leptospira spp. These other groups of animals may also play a vital role in the transmission and overall dynamics of human leptospirosis

Acceptance Factors of Pneumococcal Vaccination among Adult Population: A Systematic Review

Received 20 July 2018 Accepted 24 August 2018 Introduction Pneumococcal disease causes considerable morbidity and mortality, including among adults. Adult pneumococcal vaccines help to prevent these burdens, yet, they are underutilized. Our objective is to systematically collect and summarize the available evidence on the potential factors that lead to pneumococcal vaccination acceptance among of adult community. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted involving studies published from January 1999 to December 2015. The studies were identified by searching electronic resources (PubMed/MEDLINE and Pro Quest database) and manual searches of references. The keywords “vaccine/ immunization”, “uptake/ coverage”, “determinant/ factor”, and “Streptococcus pneumoniae/ pneumococcus/ pneumococcal” were used. Final studies result and data were reviewed by two independent authors. Disagreement was resolved through discussion and consensus. Results A total of 171 studies were identified, only 17 studies were included in final discussion with 10 domains identified in the paper. 7 studies (41%) had reported that the provider domain, patients’ perception and socio-demographic factor have had the most effect on the pneumococcal vaccination acceptance rate. In addition, only 18% (3) of reviewed papers had highlighted that socio-economic was a factor influenced the pneumococcal vaccination acceptance while 24% (4 studies) were attributed to the comorbid domains. Conclusions Healthcare provider and patients’ perception about pneumococcal vaccination for adult population are significant domains which influence the acceptance towards vaccination. Strong recommendations from healthcare provider for pneumococcal vaccination would be an important step to increase vaccination acceptance among the population