Job Stress among Female Residents during Postgraduate Training at a University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Postgraduate medical training is a stressful experience for both male and female doctors but previous studies have shown that stress might be more prevalent amongst female residents. Since women make up 70-80% of medical graduates in Pakistan we conducted this study to determine the prevalence of stress among female residents during postgraduate training and identify the most common stressors. Methodology: All female residents enrolled in postgraduate training programmes at the Aga Khan University meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited and informed written consent was obtained. Job Stress Inventory (JSI) was used to identify symptoms and sources of job stress. A cut-off value of \u3e25 was used to indicate job stress. Results: A total of 154 female residents met the inclusion criteria. The response rate of the survey was 77%. Sixty one residents scored 26 or more on the JSI, indicating the presence of job stress. The three most common causes cited for job stress were, lack of control, environmental factors and workplace politics. Conclusion: Our study indicates a high prevalence of stress among female residents, independent of the marital status, number of children, the chosen specialty or the level of training. We suggest that programme directors and supervising faculty acknowledge the need for change in the training programmes refraining from favoritism and the need for politics towards constructive feedback based on merit and hard work and allow the residents to have more control over their working environment

Safety Measures for Operating Team and Operation Theater During the Current Scenario of COVID-19

The COVID-19 has become a major threat to Pakistan and worldwide, and has become a significant issue for global health, economy and societies. This rapid spread was occurred from Wuhan, China to most of the part of the world. To elaborate the concept and recommendations regarding the safety precautions in operation theater (O.T) and inside associated team during the current scenario of COVID-19. Many research and review articles were studied to collect information about Covid-19 and strategies published in various journals using the search engine, PubMed and Medline. The COVID-19 has significantly changed all aspects of daily life around the world since very start of this year 2020. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), a novel corona virus, has been infected many healthcare workers. In this perspective, hospitals need a strategy to manage their resources, staff and supplies so that patients receive optimal treatment. A decision tree algorithm was developed that defined the recommendations for safety measures in operation theater and operating procedures, these include identifying and developing an isolation room, administrative measures such as transformations in working flow and procedures, introducing personal protective equipment for the employees and formulating anesthetic clinical guidelines. These control actions are essential to enhance the excellence of care provided to COVID-19 patients and to minimize the risk of spread to other patients or staff. The operating room is a dynamic environment with numerous staff like anesthesiologists, physicians, nurses, O.T attendants and technicians; however, we agree that the containment steps are important in order to improve the standard of treatment provided to COVID-19 patients and to minimize the chance of viral spread to patients other than COVID-19 and hospital staff