Prevalence And Microscopic Study Of The Herbs Used In Pregnancy

The use of herbal medicine is common in Malaysia including its use during pregnancy. However, there have been very few formal studies of herbal consumption in pregnancy and even fewer looking at ultra-structural features and trace elements of herbal medicine. This study was to determine the prevalence of use and to identify possible chemical properties and morphological structure of herbal medicine found to be popularly used among the Kelantanese Malay women during the pregnancy period. A study was conducted among 460 Kelantanese Malay women at antenatal and postnatal ward Hospital USM from September to December 2007 using structured close-ended questionnaires

Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination among Women in Seberang Perai Utara District, Penang: AMDI Medical Coach Experience

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in women and is a major health concern in both developing and developed countries 1. Regular breast cancer screening is the single most important public health strategy to reduce breast cancer mortality 2. Breast self-examination (BSE) is one of the screening modality available and regular BSE is the best way to notice breast changes. Women should be encouraged to know what is normal for them, be informed of early symptoms of breast cancer, and promptly report any changes or concerns 3. Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI) Medical Coach begins its operation in 2013 with the aim to create awareness among the public about the importance of health screening which include BSE and mobile mammograph

Herbal Medicines: Malaysian Women’s Knowledge and Practice

This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study among Malay women admitted in the antenatal and postnatal ward to determine the prevalence and use of herbal medicines during pregnancy and elemental analysis in the most popular herbs. A total of 460 women were surveyed. Herbal medicine use during pregnancy was 34.3%, while 73% utilized herbal medicines during labor, because of a belief that it may shorten and ease labor. The most commonly used herbal medicines in pregnancy were Anastatica hierochuntica L. (60.1%) followed by coconut oil (35.4%). The majority of women (89.2%) used only one type of herbal medicines and took one capsule/glass (38%) per day. Herbal medicines use by pregnant women is largely unsupervised (81%), with most women getting information from their parents (60.7%) and buying the products directly from traditional midwives (32.2%) and 77% agreed upon its efficacy and safety. From the 460 respondents, 89.8% women were in the low end of the herbs knowledge. There was a significant difference found between knowledge score and income (P<0.05). Microdiffraction analysis revealed significant presence of carbon, oxygen, silica, calcium, magnesium, aluminium, potassium, zinc, and iron that were found in Anastatica hierochuntica L. and proved to have good benefits for pregnancy

Evaluation of a motorised patient transfer device based on perceived workload, technology acceptance, and emotional states

The high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among healthcare workers is partly attributed to the low adoption of patient transfer assistive devices. This study aimed to evaluate the nurses’ perceived workload, technology acceptance, and emotional states during the use of the sliding board (SB) and mechanical intervention in the form of a Motorised Patient Transfer Device (MPTD). The SB and MPTD activities were performed by seven nurses on a simulated patient. The nurses’ facial expressions were recorded during the trial. The NASA Task Load Index and technology acceptance questionnaire were also assessed. The MPTD significantly reduced the mean overall NASA-TLX score by 68.7% (p = 0.004) and increased the overall acceptance score (median = 8.30) by 21.2% (p = 0.016) when compared to the SB (median = 6.85). All the subjects reported positive feelings towards MPTD. However, facial expression analysis showed that the nurses had a significantly higher peak density of fear while using MPTD (p = 0.016). Besides, there was no improvement in the negative valence and contempt emotion compared to the SB. Overall, nurses showed positive perceptions and acceptance of MPTD even when they experienced negative emotions.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe Motorised Patient Transfer Device (MPTD) reduced the perceived workload of nurses and showed a higher acceptance level compared to the commonly used baseline device (SB).Factors that attributed to the nurses’ negative emotions can be used to improve technology and patient transfer processes.More training should be given to familiarise the health practitioners with the new assistive device to reduce their fear of technology. The Motorised Patient Transfer Device (MPTD) reduced the perceived workload of nurses and showed a higher acceptance level compared to the commonly used baseline device (SB). Factors that attributed to the nurses’ negative emotions can be used to improve technology and patient transfer processes. More training should be given to familiarise the health practitioners with the new assistive device to reduce their fear of technology.</p