ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND FAILURE AMONGST DENTAL STUDENTS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF WHAT MATTERS

OBJECTIVE: To explore various factors affecting academic success & failure among public sector dental students. METHODS: This mixed-methods study with explanatory sequential study approach was completed in May 2021 at Bolan Medical College, Quetta, Pakistan. After taking informed written consent, qualitative & quantitative questionnaires were distributed among 3rd year dental students. Quantitive data was analyzed through SPSS version-20. Qualitaive data was analysed through thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Out of 28 dental students, majority (n=15; 53.6%) were females. Passing percentage of female students was high (n=14/15; 93.33%) as compared to males (n=7/13; 53.85%). Failure was 6.6% (n=1/15) in girls and 46.15% (n=6/13) in boys. In annual exams, 75% (n=21/28) students passed in all subjects. About 89.3% (n=25/28) of successful students were satisfied with teaching strategies, 85.7% (n=24/28) reflected on their learned material, 75% (n=21/28) recalled prior knowledge, 67.9% (n=19/28) were hard-working, 71.4% (n=20/28) were internaly motivated whereas 67.9% (n=19/28) were confident about their abilities. Instrumental design, personal issues and learning environment were the main themes identified. Sub-themes for instrumental design were teaching strategies, overload curriculum & exam strategies; for personal issues were learning style, lack of sleep, coping strategies, class attendance, stress & motivation/interest and for learning environment were students’ centered, assessment-centered and teachers’ centered. CONCLUSION: Successful students acknowledged the motivation, educational environment and innovative teaching strategies as contributing factors to their success. Hostel issues, lack of sleep, learning strategies, lack of interest in dentistry, anxiety, and parental education were the main elements among the academic failures

Public Dialogue in Disaster Situations and Physical Planning Inadequacies: Focus on the Devastating June 16, 2018 Bauchi Rainstorm

Bauchi experienced a catastrophic disaster event on 16 June, 2018. Consequently, there have been public discussions and irritations about the event and the inadequacies of public-sector town planning practitioners. 130  residents of Bauchi metropolis were sampled randomly and their concerns documented. The study revealed that poor housing conditions, urban poverty, corruption in planning authorities, substandard infrastructural provision and the non-adherence to development control regulations were the major human and administrative contributions to the catastrophic outcome of the disaster. Keywords: Disaster, Physical planning, Rainstorm, Public, Dialogue, Inadequacies

Assessing Professionalism among First Year Medical Students through Professionalism Assessment Tool

Objective: To assess the professional level among 1st year MBBS students of Bolan Medical College, Quetta. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried at Bolan Medical College Quetta from September to November, 2022. All 200 medical stu- dents of 1st year MBBS were invited to participate in the study. A validated Professional Assessment Tool (PAT) was distributed by 3 senior demonstrators during lectures. The PAT contained 33 items within five domains: (1) Reliability and Responsibility, (2) Life-long Learning and Adaptability, (3) Relationships with Others (4) Upholding Principles of Integrity and Respect, and (5) Citizenship and Professional Engagement. Results were prepared by using SPSS version 29. Frequencies and percentages were calculated. A p-value<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Twenty four out of 200 students were consistently absent at the time of data collection (99% response rate). Fifty one percent were females (n=102/200). Seventy out of 200 students (35%) were 20 years of age. Thirty four percent (68/200) demonstrated only the basic level of critical thinking and only 10 students (5%) demonstrated the higher cognitive level. Overall, statistically significant results were observed at items number 3 and 1 (p-<.001) of domain 3 and 4 respectively (empathizing to the situations of others and actively and productively participating in the profession respectively) Conclusion: Students of 1st year MBBS demonstrate positive attitude towards professionalism

Prevalence of Hepatitis B core antibodies with negative Hepatitis B surface antigen in dialysis and chronic kidney disease patients

Occult hepatitis B infection (OBI) is a potential cause of infection transmission in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and dialysis-dependant patients. It is liable to be missed since the marker for OBI, hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb), is not done routinely. We carried out a study to assess the prevalence of OBI in CKD Stage II–V or requiring renal replacement therapy. It was a cross-sectional study carried out at Fatima Memorial Hospital, Lahore, from May 2104 to May 2015. A total of 188 patients were included in this study, 124 were dialysis dependent and 64 had acute or CKD Stage II–V. About 17.55% (n = 33) of patients had isolated HBcAb positive. Nearly 33.5% (n = 63) of patients were found to have hepatitis B surface antigen positive, indicating development of immunity by exposure to virus. About 20.74% (n = 39) of patients were co-positive with HBcAb also. The prevalence of isolated HBcAb in dialysis and CKD patients is high; therefore, testing for HBcAb should be a routine part of screening in our CKD population to rule out OBI. Further confirmation with polymerase chain reaction analysis for HBV viral DNA is recommended. Considering our circumstances, a consensus statement from the hepatologists and nephrologists is needed to further plan for the management of such cases

Prevalence of De Quervain disease in infant caregivers and its association with risk factors

De Quervain’s disease (DQD) is commonly reported in mothers during pregnancy up to delayed postpartum period. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess infant caregivers who visited the paediatric outpatient department or vaccination centre in two hospitals of Lahore, during the months of May and June, 2021. A total of 190 subjects were interviewed directly and assessed by applying Finkelstein’s test on both hands. Data was collected using Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) from positive subjects. They were asked to report their pain and difficulty level of the affected hand with worsened symptoms. The results exhibited 26.8% prevalence of DQD in a sample size of 190. Infant’s age, lifting frequency and hand dominance were proved significant risk factors. However, caregiver’s age, history of wrist pain, infant weight and relationship with infant were proved insignificant. Mean PRWE pain and functional scores were 23.14 ± 7.72 and 18.53 ± 6.09, respectively. Keywords: De Quervain disease; infant; caregivers; prevalence; risk factors

Barriers to surgical outcomes research in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review

Introduction: Systematic collection and analysis of surgical outcomes data is a cornerstone of surgical quality improvement. Unfortunately, there remains a dearth of surgical outcomes data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To improve surgical outcomes in LMICs, it is essential to have the ability to collect, analyze, and report risk-adjusted postoperative morbidity and mortality data. This study aimed to review the barriers and challenges to developing perioperative registries in LMIC settings.Methods: We conducted a scoping review of all published literature on barriers to conducting surgical outcomes research in LMICs using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and GoogleScholar. Keywords included \u27surgery\u27, \u27outcomes research\u27, \u27registries\u27, \u27barriers\u27, and synonymous Medical Subject Headings derivatives. Articles found were subsequently reference-mined. All relevant original research and reviews published between 2000 and 2021 were included. The performance of routine information system management framework was used to organize identified barriers into technical, organizational, or behavioral factors.Results: Twelve articles were identified in our search. Ten articles focused specifically on the creation, success, and obstacles faced during the implementation of trauma registries. Technical factors reported by 50% of the articles included limited access to a digital platform for data entry, lack of standardization of forms, and complexity of said forms. 91.7% articles mentioned organizational factors, including the availability of resources, financial constraints, human resources, and lack of consistent electricity. Behavioral factors highlighted by 66.6% of the studies included lack of team commitment, job constraints, and clinical burden, which contributed to poor compliance and dwindling data collection over time.Conclusions: There is a paucity of published literature on barriers to developing and maintaining perioperative registries in LMICs. There is an immediate need to study and understand barriers and facilitators to the continuous collection of surgical outcomes in LMICs