Adolescents’ Perception of Risky and Protective Factors for Drug Abuse: Guided Content Analysis Based on Ecological Model Approach

Introduction: Drug abuse is a serious threat to community health increasing in lower age groups. Studies have shown that the majority of adolescents have started the drug abuse in the age of 12 to 13 years. We aimed to explain the perception of risky and protective factors of drug abuse among teenagers. Method: This was a qualitative study conducted through content analysis based on ecological model. Participating (n = 38) were male (n = 16) and female (n = 22) students at the third grade of high school in Isfahan city, Iran, selected via purposive sampling. Data were collected and analyzed through interviews. Results: Using ecological approach, four main levels of personal, interpersonal, organizational and social, and public policies divided into the risk and protective factors. At personal level, lack of knowledge about the harms of drug abuse and lack of life skills, at interpersonal level, role of family and not caring religious rituals by families were mentioned, at organizational and social levels, internet and satellite access without any control by the parents and at public policies levels, drugs entry to the country were risk factors for addiction mentioned by the participants. Protective factors were as knowledge and awareness about the harms of drugs, and enhancement of life skills at personal level, influential role of the family and strengthening religious rituals at interpersonal level, assigning one educational course on this subject for adolescents at organizational and social level, and investigating the causes and related factors of addiction and creation of alternative leisure activities at public policies were mentioned by participants, too. Conclusion: In this study, the risk and protective factors of drug abuse were distinguished by adolescents at different levels including personal, interpersonal, organizational and social, and public policies levels. These issues should be considered in designing and implementing preventive intervention programs. Keywords: Adolescents, Drug abuse, Ecologicl model, Qualitative stud

Effect of manual lymph drainage massage on hand edema and shoulder pain in hemiplegic-paretic patients post stroke

چکیده: زمینه و هدف: درد شانه و ادم دست ناشی از همی‏پلژی یا همی‏پارزی یک یافته شایع پس از سکته مغزی می باشند که استقلال بیمار را در انجام فعالیت روزمره بشدت محدود می نماید. پژوهش حاضر به منظور تعیین تأثیر تکنیک ماساژ تخلیه لنف (Manual lymph drainage)بر میزان ادم دست و درد شانه بیماران مبتلا به همی‏پارزی-همی‏پلژی اندام فوقانی پس از سکته مغزی انجام شده است. روش بررسی: در یک مطالعه کارآزمایی بالینی، تعداد 62 بیمار 70-35 ساله مبتلا به همی پارزی - همی پلژی اندام فوقانی در اثر سکته مغزی که دچار درد شانه یا ادم دست بودند، انتخاب و به صورت تصادفی در گروه آزمون و شاهد قرار داده شدند. سپس برای هر یک از نمونه‏های گروه آزمون 5 جلسه ماساژ تخلیه لنف (هر روز یک جلسه و بمدت 20 دقیقه) انجام شد. وضعیت حسی، عاطفی، شدت درد و همچنین ارزیابی کلی درد شانه و همچنین اندازه دور مچ دست و قسمت میانی بازو با استفاده از پرسشنامه سنجش درد مگ گیل (MPQ-SF= McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form) و خط کش نواری، قبل و 24 ساعت پس از آخرین جلسه ماساژ در هر دو گروه آزمون و شاهد اندازه‏گیری و در بین دو گروه مورد مقایسه قرار گرفت. تجزیه و تحلیل داده‏ها توسط آزمون های آماری توصیفی و تحلیلی (t مستقل، t زوجی، کای دو، آنالیز واریانس یکطرفه و ضریب همبستگی) صورت گرفت. یافته ها: میانگین شاخص حسی درد شانه گروه آزمون قبل از ماساژ 9/0±3/2 و پس از ماساژ 4/0±3/1 محاسبه گردید (05/0

Visualizing the Structure of Iranian Medical Science Publications

This paper presents the results of a bibliometric analysis of the Medical Sciences (MS) domains in Iran. Totally 9047 articles indexed in ISI (Thomson Reuters Database) from 1989 to 2008 in December 2008 have been extracted. HistCiteTM applications are used to discover the Iranian publication status during this period. The publication count has grown at an approximate rate of 40.5% per year. We tried to introduce the most productive authors, and cited works. Moreover, distributions of output in journals identified by ISI and research output analysis of different universities were presented. The most influential cited authors and articles in this research were drawn. Finally, the process of the evolution of the medical sciences discipline, and its shift over the period of the research was traced and shown in the map. Using HistCiteTM applications, retrieved articles were analyzed and visualized

Preparation and Designing a Checklist for Health Care Marketing Mix, with Medical Tourism Approach

Introduction: Increasing pressure on available funds in health care section especially hospitals, enhances the need of analyzing different strategies in economic terms. One of the solutions for the optimal use of financial resources and potentials in hospitals and health care centers is using elements of the marketing mix. In this way we could make the best use of the resources and cause a return on investment and also generate income.    Methods: This is a cross-sectional and qualitative study. To prepare checklists, author used previous studies in marketing by referring to relevant web sites and designed the first draft. In next step, Delphi’s technique was used for validity check; the checklist was sent to health care management specialists who had studied in medical tourist fields or those who lived in cities active in this field. Results: the final checklist included 8 aspects (mixes) and 79 indexes in which Product Mix had 11 indexes, Place Mix had 3 indexes, Promotion Mix had 13 indexes, Price Mix had 9 indexes, Personnel Mix had 12 indexes, Promotion Mix had 6 indexes, Physical attraction Mix had 19 indexes and Physician Mix had 6 indexes. Conclusion: this instrument could be used in various studies that could help asses' health care units state specially hospitals so that alternatives could be considered for improvable points and make maximum use of the potentials

Studying the Status of Job Burnout and its Relationship with Demographic Characteristics of Nurses in Shiraz Nemazee Hospital

Background: Today, in order to provide desirable health care services, too much emphasis is placed on the physical and mental health of nurses, and job burnout among nurses is introduced as harmful elements to the health of nurses. Objective: This study was performed to evaluate job burnout in Shiraz Nemazee Hospital in relation to demographic characteristics. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study. The research community included all nurses in the whole sections of Nemazee Hospital out of which 245 were selected by classified random sampling as the study sample. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. After collection, data were entered in statistical package for social sciences SPSS software (version 18) and T-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the variables. Results: The mean score of emotional exhaustion, lack of personal accomplishment and job burnout were at an average level, and depersonalization was at a low level. As regards the intensity of burnout, most nurses were moderate. Between components of depersonalization of job burnout with marital status and age, there was a significant relationship (PConclusion: According to the findings of this study and in terms of the stressful nature of nursing profession, it is necessary that hospital managers and healthcare authorities pay attention to job burnout in nurses, its level, as well as provide and implement strategies for its prevention, thereby decreasing its effects and risks

Application of ImageJ in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCT-A): A Literature Review

Background. This study aimed to review the literature on the application of ImageJ in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) images. Methods. A general search was performed in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases. The authors evaluated each of the selected articles in order to assess the implementation of ImageJ in OCT-A images. Results. ImageJ can aid in reducing artifacts, enhancing image quality to increase the accuracy of the process and analysis, processing and analyzing images, generating comparable parameters such as the parameters that assess perfusion of the layers (vessel density (VD), skeletonized density (SD), and vessel length density (VLD)) and the parameters that evaluate the structure of the layers (fractal dimension (FD), vessel density index (VDI), and lacunarity (LAC)), and the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) that are used widely in the retinal and choroidal studies), and establishing diagnostic criteria. It can help to save time when the dataset is huge with numerous plugins and options for image processing and analysis with reliable results. Diverse studies implemented distinct binarization and thresholding techniques, resulting in disparate outcomes and incomparable parameters. Uniformity in methodology is required to acquire comparable data from studies employing diverse processing and analysis techniques that yield varied outcomes. Conclusion. Researchers and professionals might benefit from using ImageJ because of how quickly and correctly it processes and analyzes images. It is highly adaptable and potent software, allowing users to evaluate images in a variety of ways. There exists a diverse range of methodologies for analyzing OCTA images through the utilization of ImageJ. However, it is imperative to establish a standardized strategy to ensure the reliability and consistency of the method for research purposes

Explaining the Challenges of the Iranian Health System in Fighting the Covid-19 Pandemic: a qualitative study

Introduction: The covid-19 pandemic has become a global threat for the general public and health care workers and it has created major challenges for all healthcare sectors. The challenges created by this disease can vary in different countries depending on cultural, social, and economic factors. To explain the challenges of the Iranian health system in fighting the covid-19 pandemic from the managers’ and executive authorities’ viewpoints. Methods The present study is a basic-applied research performed using a qualitative approach. It has studied 30 managers of the hospitals and medical centers’ managers, and deputies of the Ministry of Health, and the universities of medical sciences which were selected by purposive and snowball sampling with the maximum variety in March-September 2020. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews and content analysis was used to explain the challenges of the Iranian health system in fighting the covid-19 pandemic (2020). Results Most of the interviewees (87%) had a Ph.D. degree (34%), and 40% of the participants were graduated in management and health economy and policymaking fields. Analysis and synthesis of the data collected from the interviews led to the creation of 19 sub-themes and 12 main themes classified into four general scopes including the organizational factors, resources, management factors, and other factors. Conclusion Identifying the mentioned challenges can provide useful information for the managers and policymakers to develop appropriate plans and take the necessary measures for resolving the challenges and using the available resources to provide the most effective services

Using Ergometer and Timing Activities in Determining the Manpower Required in Chosen Units of Laboratory in the Shiraz Faghihi Hospital

Background: The quantity and quality of manpower, especially in health systems, are major factors affecting speed of service delivery, cost, and accuracy, or, in other words, the quality of service. Objective: This study purposed to investigate the manpower required in various units of the laboratory at Shiraz Faghihi Hospital. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical research conducted on all testing processes in the fields of parasitology, hormone biology, microbiology, and urinalysis performed at the studied hospital. The Westinghouse ergometer and timing method was used to estimate manpower requirements, and SPSS18 software was used to analyze data. Results: The average standard time of every duty cycle in parasitology units, hormone biology, microbiology, and urinalysis are 12, 5, 9, and 5 minutes, respectively. The numbers of human resources required in said units were estimated to be 2.6, 3, 4, and 3.7 respectively. In parasitology unit there is lack of 1 manpower. In hormone unit there are two manpower surpluses. In biology unit there is one manpower surplus and urinalysis unit is estimated to be proportional to the number of troops. Conclusion: It is suggested that new, scientific tools be used to evaluate the status of department staff and make improvements to avoid the high costs and difficulties that manpower shortages and surpluses cause for the organization

The Capabilities of Iranian Hospitals in Attracting Medical Tourists; Based on Joint Commission International: A Case Study of Shiraz Hospitals

Introduction: Medical tourism is one of the competitive and income industries in world and has the ability to attract tourists in the health sector and international markets are totally dependent on international accreditation. This study has been done to evaluate the capabilities of active public and private hospitals in Shiraz regarding attraction of tourists’ base on accreditation standards. Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study which performed on four hospitals which were active in medical tourism in 2012. A checklist of international accreditation standards based on Joint Commission International (JCI) was applied for collecting data. Data were analyzed using descriptive analytic statistical tests. In descriptive statistics, frequency tables and standard deviation were used for scoring the hospitals. Independent student (T-test) was used to compare the mean of public and private hospitals in attracting medical tourists. Results: Hospital No.3 in the Patient-Centered Standards and Health Care Organization Management Standards was in the best position whilst hospital No.2 in the Patient-Centered Standards was in the worst state and hospital no.1 in Health Care Organization Management was in the worst position. Also there was a significant difference between public and private hospitals in attracting medical tourists according to Joint Commission International (sig=0.01). Conclusion: Shiraz hospitals have good ability to attract medical tourists; these abilities are very good in most cases and in some cases there is a need to improve. Having recognized the strengths and weaknesses of these hospitals can use SWOT analysis model, which is used in medical tourism program of some countries, for improving their abilities in attracting medical tourists

Stress Coping Styles in Family and Relatives of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Patients in the South of Iran:Application of Lazarus and Folkman’s Theory of Stress Coping

Background: The ongoing outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major challenge for mental health care systems and causes and exacerbates mental anxiety. Objective: This study sought to investigate the coping styles of stress in families and relatives of COVID-19 patients in the south of Iran, according to Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional theory of Stress coping model. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was performed in the period from March 5 to July 5, 2020. Data collection was done electronically using a standard questionnaire on Lazarus and Folkman’s coping methods. Finally, the output data of the electronic questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: A total of 276 people participated in the present study. There was a statistically significant difference between age and all emotion-oriented coping style domains (P &lt;0.05), except planful problem solving (P = 0.817) and positive reappraisal (P = 0.153). The results of the present study showed that from the emotion-oriented coping, the domain of self-controlling (%55.9) received an unfavorable score, but in the problem-oriented coping (60.02%), the two domains of social support (%71.27) and positive reappraisal (70%) obtained scores above 50%. Conclusion: Families and relatives need help to improve coping with stress in the area of self-controlling. The results of the present study showed that emotion-oriented coping (self-controlling) had less effect on family stress than problem-oriented coping (domains of social support and positive reappraisal). Also, with domains of social support and positive reappraisal, the stress in the families was reduced. Factors influencing coping styles were age, literacy, source of information, and underlying disease. Since the COVID-19 pandemic condition is a unique stressful situation, it is necessary to implement psychological and educational interventions to gain the ability to control stress, especially in relatives with COVID-19.</p