Earthquake Preparedness in Schools of Islamabad

Background: Pakistan is located in the Himalayan region, which has the highest vulnerability to earthquakes. The Islamabad-Rawalpindi area lies in a tectonically active zone, where earthquakes have been frequent in the recent geological past. Earthquake preparedness in schools is relatively under studied area in Pakistan. The objective of this study was to determine the level of preparedness of schools for earthquakes and to compare it between urban and rural, government and private schools in Islamabad Capital Territory. Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional comparative study. The study population was schools of Islamabad Capital Territory. The total sample size was 74 and non-probability purposive sampling technique was used.  Data was collected through a structured questionnaire pretested on 5% of the sample size and respondents were administrative staff of schools. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Data of the categorical variables was presented in the form of frequencies (percentages). Statistical significance of association between school profile and level of preparedness was determined by using bivariate tabular association analysis (Chi square). Results: Out of 74 schools, 61 were private and 14 were government schools. 46 schools were located in urban areas while 28 were in rural area of Islamabad Capital Territory. Out of the total schools, 66.2% had written preparedness plan for earthquake and 73% of the schools had a safety committee to lead disaster response planning.  Most of the schools (82.4%) had minimum of two exits in high occupancy rooms. There was significant association of location of school with preparedness plan for earthquake (p=0.009), and type of school with two evacuation drills annually (p=0.03). Conclusion: Private schools and those located in urban areas are better prepared for earthquakes as compared to government schools and the ones located in rural areas

Career Preferences and its influencing factors among medical graduates and undergraduates

Objective: To determine the career preferences of medical students and young doctors and the associated influencing factors. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 267 graduates and undergraduates of various medical institutes and hospitals of Islamabad., selected through convenient non-probability sampling technique.  Data was collected through a self-designed pre-tested questionnaire and processed in SPSS software version 20. Comparison was done among male and female students as well as graduates and undergraduates. For categorical variables frequency and percentages were calculated. χ² test was used to find association between influencing factors, career choices and socio demographic variables.  Results: There was significant difference of specialty preferences between males and females (p= 0.017) as the most preferred specialty in males was General Medicine (23.8%) whereas in females it was Gynaecology (21.7%).  Graduates and undergraduates also had significant difference in their specialty preference (p=0.008). The students showed overall equally little interest in the subjects such as Anaesthesia, Oncology, Family Medicine, Public Health and Research. Lack of specialists in a particular field was the most common reason for preference of specialty among males. Females were more influenced by advice from family members in pursuing a career as compared to males (p=0.04). Maximum participants (95.5%) thought that there is a need of career counselling in medical field. Conclusion: It was observed that majority prefer to choose the most established disciplines. Various factors influence the specialty choices of medical students which should be kept in mind to avoid mismatching of the personality with selection of choice

Career Preferences and its influencing factors among medical graduates and undergraduates

Objective: To determine the career preferences of medical students and young doctors and the associated influencing factors. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 267 graduates and undergraduates of various medical institutes and hospitals of Islamabad., selected through convenient non-probability sampling technique.  Data was collected through a self-designed pre-tested questionnaire and processed in SPSS software version 20. Comparison was done among male and female students as well as graduates and undergraduates. For categorical variables frequency and percentages were calculated. χ² test was used to find association between influencing factors, career choices and socio demographic variables.  Results: There was significant difference of specialty preferences between males and females (p= 0.017) as the most preferred specialty in males was General Medicine (23.8%) whereas in females it was Gynaecology (21.7%).  Graduates and undergraduates also had significant difference in their specialty preference (p=0.008). The students showed overall equally little interest in the subjects such as Anaesthesia, Oncology, Family Medicine, Public Health and Research. Lack of specialists in a particular field was the most common reason for preference of specialty among males. Females were more influenced by advice from family members in pursuing a career as compared to males (p=0.04). Maximum participants (95.5%) thought that there is a need of career counselling in medical field. Conclusion: It was observed that majority prefer to choose the most established disciplines. Various factors influence the specialty choices of medical students which should be kept in mind to avoid mismatching of the personality with selection of choice

COVID 19 Vaccination Related Misconceptions and Myths

Background: Mass vaccination is the most effective way to fight against COVID 19 but a significant number of people are unwilling to be vaccinated, mainly due to misinformation and false beliefs, associated with this drive. The objective of this study was to identify these misconceptions and myths and associate them with sociodemographic factors. Methodology: This cross sectional survey was conducted on 562 residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from July 2021 to November 2021. Data was collected through structured questionnaire both in English and Urdu, analysed by SPSS version 23. χ2-test was used to check the association of categorical data with sociodemographic factors. Results:  Out of all the participants, 328 (58.4%) had received COVID19 vaccination. Among these vaccinated individuals, 81.8% were graduates or above and 74.2% had family income more than Rs.50,000. Out of total, 40.7% respondents believed that, vaccine is harmful for diabetics, hypertensive and heart patients, 40.6% agreed that it is not safe for pregnant or lactating women and 40.4% assumed that they have acquired immunity through natural infection. A strong association of misconceptions and myths was found with residence (p value 0.0001), educational level (p value 0.0010) and monthly income (p value 0.0001). Conclusion: Several misconceptions and myths are related with COVID 19 vaccination, strongly influenced by various socio demographic. Hence, there is a need to launch various campaigns regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccination. Key words: COVID-19, Misinformation, Vaccin