Workplace Violence Against Staff Working in the Emergency Department in West Bank, Palestine

Workplace violence against staff in emergency departments (EDs) has reached catastrophic proportions, and has become an endemic problem affecting nurses in all settings. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of violence experienced by Palestinian staff in EDs, the types of violence, its sources, and factors affecting violence experiences, and reporting the incidence. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between Jan and May 2016 in the emergency department of four hospitals in West Bank, Palestine. Data were collected from 91 staff working in various emergency settings. The instrument was a 42-item questionnaire on types of violence, its sources, feelings, and ways to cope with violent behaviors. Descriptive statistics and chisquare tests were used for data analysis. The results showed 74.7% of participants had been exposed to at least one kind of violence: 26.4% to physical assault, 60.4% to verbal abuse, and 13.2% to both (physical and verbal). Patients’ family (79.4%) was identified as the primary perpetrators of violence. The most common coping method among participants (61.2%) for violence was to report to a manager. Based on results of the study, Workplace violence against nurses is a significant problem in Palestine. The impatience that accompanies waiting times may have a cultural element. Lessening waiting times and providing more information to patients and families could reduce the rate of violence, Policy and decision-makers are urged to use study findings for policy and practice interventions to create safe work environments conducive to nurses’ productivity and retention.The author thanks all the nurses who provided the information necessary for completion of the study. He also acknowledges the fourth year nursing students for data collection and data entry

Consanguineous Marriage and Its Effect on Offspring Congenital Malformation: A Study among Palestinian Rural Community

Objective: Consanguineous marriage is a long-standing socially accepted practice among Palestinian population. It is proposed that consanguineous marriages increase the risk of congenital malformations and genetic disorders. This study aimed to determine the health consequences of consanguinity on congenital malformations in Yata rural population, Hebron, Palestine. Methods: A cross-sectional household-survey study was conducted on 500 married women. All the women were interviewed personally using a structured questionnaire. A family pedigree was constructed to study the type of consanguineous marriages. Results: The prevalence rate of consanguineous marriages in the present study was 61%, where first-cousin marriages representing 34.8% of all marriages. The genitourinary system was the most common malformation, where was reported by 17.4% of the 305 consanguineous married parents, and 15.2% of the 105 non-consanguineous married parents. The gastrointestinal system defects was the second most affected anatomical system in frequency in 6.2% of the 305 consanguineous married parents, and 13.3% of the 105 non-consanguineous married parents. Conclusion: The study revealed that consanguinity has adverse health consequences on offspring of consanguineous couples. There is a need for genetic counseling to increase the awareness of the health consequences of consanguineous marriages.The authors of this paper would like to thank the School of Public Health, Al Quds University in Palestine. As well as, the authors would like to thank both the all participants of this study, the field workers, the Municipality of Yatta, and the higher education ethical committee of Al Quds University

Knowledge of Palestinian University Women Employees About Heart Disease: Across-Sectional Study

Heart disease is the first leading cause of death and disability for women worldwide, yet the condition is largely preventable and few women perceive themselves at risk. Evidence in the literature supports diminished awareness of heart disease among women and limited data as to provider knowledge of the current guidelines for the prevention of heart disease in women. The purpose of this study was to examine the current knowledge levels, personal risk factors related to heart disease among selected university female employees, and to identify variables that best predict health-promoting behaviors among university female employees. A descriptive crosssectional research design was utilized. A stratified sample of 320 Palestinian university females aged 20-58 years completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher to assess their knowledge of heart disease and to assess the heart disease risk factors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results: The sample had an average knowledge score of 45.9% out of a maximum correct score of 100%. Results from data analysis revealed general knowledge of heart disease was relatively low. The risk factors prevalent among them included: hypertension (14.6%), diabetes (11.8%), dyslipidemia (11.1%), overweight (21.8%), smoking (19.6%), and physically inactive (55.4%). Conclusion: Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Palestinians. In this study, Palestinian university women had poor knowledge of heart disease, and many reported having risk factors. Evaluation of baseline knowledge of heart disease and specific risk factors is helpful and can guide tailoring of health prevention strategies to be more effective. Early screening targeting the younger generation is also important to help detect the risk factors in their earliest stages. The screening results may also induce individuals to take action.The authors of this paper would like to thank the Faculty of Health Professions and the Department of Nursing, Al Quds University. As well as, the author is grateful to the study participants

Nursing and Midwifery Students Lived Experiences During Clinical Practice in Palestine

Clinical practice is an integral part of nursing curriculum of pre-registration nursing courses to actively engaging student nurses with knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for their future nursing profession and for the fulfillment of intended learning outcomes. The purpose of this study was to identify nursing and midwifery students’ problems during clinical practice at the baccalaureate nursing program in Palestine. A descriptive cross-sectional study with proportionate sampling of 340 students was conducted. The study population was comprised of the second, third and fourth year students enrolled in a baccalaureate nursing and midwifery programs. Research data were collected using a 45-item self-administered questionnaire. Prior to beginning the study written permission was obtained from the school administration and verbal consent from all participants. Research data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics by using SPSS version 23. The study findings showed that 85.2% of the students reported that the teaching staff were not with them during clinical practice, 83.3% that they were not able to transfer theoretic knowledge they had learned into practice, 72.7% that they were used to do tasks other than their primary patient care on the ward, 74.5% that the teaching staff was not able to establish cooperation with the hospital employees. Findings reveal that student nurses in Palestine meet a number of challenges in the clinical learning environment. Therefore, approaches that facilitate learning in clinical practice in beyond creating conducive clinical learning environment are essential

Palestinian Staff Nurses' Attitudes Toward Nursing Students

Clinical practice is a substantial part of the nursing curriculum aimed at actively engaging student nurses with the necessary skills needed for the nursing profession. Clinical nurses play an important role in this teaching learning process. The relationship between nursing student and staff member in the clinical area can either facilitate or hamper students' learning. However, negative attitudes of nurses threaten student progression and retention. The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of staff nurses' attitudes toward nursing students within the context of clinical education in Palestine. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized in this study. The entire staff nurses of surgical, medical, emergency …. (n=350) employed at four hospitals (two private & two government) were selected proportionately. A self-administered questionnaire and a demographic tool designed by the researcher were used to collect data. Attitudes were measured using a five point Likert scale. The results demonstrated that attitude toward nursing students were neutral or slightly positive. Some nurses (50.6%) believed that nursing students are eager to learn and most (92.9%) have thought that nursing students respect staff nurses as practitioners. Findings also suggest student nurses believe staff nurses are a positive influence, essential in the development of professional socialization. Conclusion: Staff-student relationships are essential to the creation of positive clinical experiences. The author recommends that continued research of nurses who work with student nurses, as well as exploration of the nurse educator’s perspective, is needed.. Keywords: Attitudes, Staff Nurses, Nursing Students, Palestin

Knowledge of Palestinian University Women Employees About Heart Disease: Across-Sectional Study

Heart disease is the first leading cause of death and disability for women worldwide, yet the condition is largely preventable and few women perceive themselves at risk. Evidence in the literature supports diminished awareness of heart disease among women and limited data as to provider knowledge of the current guidelines for the prevention of heart disease in women. The purpose of this study was to examine the current knowledge levels, personal risk factors related to heart disease among selected university female employees, and to identify variables that best predict health-promoting behaviors among university female employees. A descriptive cross-sectional research design was utilized. A stratified sample of 320 Palestinian university females aged 20-58 years completed a questionnaire developed by the researcher to assess their knowledge of heart disease and to assess the heart disease risk factors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results: The sample had an average knowledge score of 45.9% out of a maximum correct score of 100%. Results from data analysis revealed general knowledge of heart disease was relatively low. The risk factors prevalent among them included: hypertension (14.6%), diabetes (11.8%), dyslipidemia (11.1%), overweight (21.8%), smoking (19.6%), and physically inactive (55.4%). Conclusion: Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Palestinians. In this study, Palestinian university women had poor knowledge of heart disease, and many reported having risk factors. Evaluation of baseline knowledge of heart disease and specific risk factors is helpful and can guide tailoring of health prevention strategies to be more effective. Early screening targeting the younger generation is also important to help detect the risk factors in their earliest stages. The screening results may also induce individuals to take action. Keywords: Heart disease, Palestinian, Knowledge, University women, Risk factor

Palestinian Staff Nurses' Attitudes Toward Nursing Students

Clinical practice is a substantial part of the nursing curriculum aimed at actively engaging student nurses with the necessary skills needed for the nursing profession. Clinical nurses play an important role in this teaching learning process. The relationship between nursing student and staff member in the clinical area can either facilitate or hamper students' learning. However, negative attitudes of nurses threaten student progression and retention. The purpose of this study was to deepen understanding of staff nurses' attitudes toward nursing students within the context of clinical education in Palestine. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was utilized in this study. The entire staff nurses of surgical, medical, emergency …. (n=350) employed at four hospitals (two private & two government) were selected proportionately. A self-administered questionnaire and a demographic tool designed by the researcher were used to collect data. Attitudes were measured using a five point Likert scale. The results demonstrated that attitude toward nursing students were neutral or slightly positive. Some nurses (50.6%) believed that nursing students are eager to learn and most (92.9%) have thought that nursing students respect staff nurses as practitioners. Findings also suggest student nurses believe staff nurses are a positive influence, essential in the development of professional socialization. Conclusion: Staff-student relationships are essential to the creation of positive clinical experiences. The author recommends that continued research of nurses who work with student nurses, as well as exploration of the nurse educator’s perspective, is needed

On Modeling Heterogeneous Wireless Networks Using Non-Poisson Point Processes

Future wireless networks are required to support 1000 times higher data rate, than the current LTE standard. In order to meet the ever increasing demand, it is inevitable that, future wireless networks will have to develop seamless interconnection between multiple technologies. A manifestation of this idea is the collaboration among different types of network tiers such as macro and small cells, leading to the so-called heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Researchers have used stochastic geometry to analyze such networks and understand their real potential. Unsurprisingly, it has been revealed that interference has a detrimental effect on performance, especially if not modeled properly. Interference can be correlated in space and/or time, which has been overlooked in the past. For instance, it is normally assumed that the nodes are located completely independent of each other and follow a homogeneous Poisson point process (PPP), which is not necessarily true in real networks since the node locations are spatially dependent. In addition, the interference correlation created by correlated stochastic processes has mostly been ignored. To this end, we take a different approach in modeling the interference where we use non-PPP, as well as we study the impact of spatial and temporal correlation on the performance of HetNets. To illustrate the impact of correlation on performance, we consider three case studies from real-life scenarios. Specifically, we use massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) to understand the impact of spatial correlation; we use the random medium access protocol to examine the temporal correlation; and we use cooperative relay networks to illustrate the spatial-temporal correlation. We present several numerical examples through which we demonstrate the impact of various correlation types on the performance of HetNets.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Communications Magazin