Currently Available Tools and Teaching Strategies for the Interprofessional Education of Students in Health Professions : Literature review

Interprofessional education (IPE) is designed to provide students from different health sectors with opportunities to work together to enhance future collaboration. The implementation of IPE activities is a current trend in various countries. This review exclusively targets IPE issues involving undergraduate health profession students and highlights various approaches in different regions. A total of 28 articles published in peer-reviewed journals between January 2012 and July 2015 were assessed to determine recent trends in IPE implementation. Nine main strategies were identified: simulation-based education programmes; rotations in rural and community settings; interprofessional training wards; patient-centred case studies; theme-centred workshops; student seminars; student-delivered lectures; health promotion activities; and interactive lectures in a common setting. Many of these institutions had not restricted themselves to a single strategy and supplemented these activities with additional teaching or learning methods. Recommendations gathered from these diverse approaches may assist the development of sustainable strategies for implementing IPE in undergraduate medical curricula

Effect of photoperiod and chemical retardants on growth and flowering of pot mums (Dendranthema grandiflora Ramat)

Potted plants of chrysanthemum varieties namely Arun Kumar and Sweta Singar, were exposed to 8 h light and 16 h darkness and natural photoperiod, and spayed with maleic hydrazide (1000 and 2000 ppm), cycocel (1500 and 3000 ppm) and control (distilled water) in factorial complete block design with three replications. The results revealed that controlled photoperiod of 8 h light and 16 h darkness was found significantly superior over natural photoperiod with regard to minimum internodal length (2.85 cm), days to floral bud initiation (98.88), maximum flowering duration (23.14 days), flowers plant-1 (189.50), flower diameter (2.72 cm), fresh weight of flower (1.16 g) and vase life (14.86 days). Among growth retardants, maleic hydrazide (2000 ppm) significantly recorded minimum plant height, maximum branches plant-1 (18.85), flowering duration (25.25 days), flower diameter (2.95 cm), flowers per plant-1 (194.90) and weight of flower (1.20 g), while, maleic hydrazide (1000 ppm) recorded minimum internodal length (2.65 cm) and maximum vase life (18.00 days). The cv. Arun Kumar under controlled photoperiod recorded minimum internodal length (2.38 cm) and early floral bud initiation (91.04 days), however, maleic hydrazide (2000 ppm) recorded maximum flower diameter (4.05 cm), fresh weight of flower (1.53 g) and vase life (18.50 days). cv. Arun Kumar under controlled photoperiod treated with CCC-3000 ppm showed the best performance in recording the maximum number of flowers plants-1 (138.00) during first fortnight of flowering

{5-Chloro-2-[(2-hy­droxy­benzyl­idene)amino]­phen­yl}(phen­yl)methanone

The title Schiff base compound, C20H14ClNO2, adopts an E configuration about the azomethine bond. The phenol and chloro­benzene rings form dihedral angles of 84.71 (9) and 80.70 (8)°, respectively, with the phenyl ring and are twisted by 15.32 (8)° with respect to one another. The mol­ecular conformation is stabilized by an intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond, which forms an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming columns parallel to the a axis

What can motivate Lady Health Workers in Pakistan to engage more actively in tuberculosis case-finding?

BACKGROUND: Many interventions to motivate community health workers to perform better rely on financial incentives, even though it is not clear that monetary gain is the main motivational driver. In Pakistan, Lady Health Workers (LHW) are responsible for delivering community level primary healthcare, focusing on rural and urban slum populations. There is interest in introducing large-scale interventions to motivate LHW to be more actively involved in improving tuberculosis case-finding, which is low in Pakistan. METHODS: Our study investigated how to most effectively motivate LHW to engage more actively in tuberculosis case-finding. The study was embedded within a pilot intervention that provided financial and other incentives to LHW who refer the highest number of tuberculosis cases in three districts in Sindh province. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 LHW and 12 health programme managers and analysed these using a framework categorising internal and external sources of motivation. RESULTS: Internal drivers of motivation, such as religious rewards and social recognition, were salient in our study setting. While monetary gain was identified as a motivator by all interviewees, programme managers expressed concerns about financial sustainability, and LHW indicated that financial incentives were less important than other sources of motivation. LHW emphasised that they typically used financial incentives provided to cover patient transport costs to health facilities, and therefore financial incentives were usually not perceived as rewards for their performance. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that interventions in addition to, or instead of, financial incentives could be used to increase LHW engagement in tuberculosis case-finding. Our finding about the strong role of internal motivation (intrinsic, religious) in Pakistan suggests that developing context-specific strategies that tap into internal motivation could allow infectious disease control programmes to improve engagement of community health workers without being dependent on funding for financial incentives

Occupational injury history and universal precautions awareness: a survey in Kabul hospital staff

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Health staff in Afghanistan may be at high risk of needle stick injury and occupational infection with blood borne pathogens, but we have not found any published or unpublished data.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Our aim was to measure the percentage of healthcare staff reporting sharps injuries in the preceding 12 months, and to explore what they knew about universal precautions. In five randomly selected government hospitals in Kabul a total of 950 staff participated in the study. Data were analyzed with Epi Info 3.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy three percent of staff (72.6%, 491/676) reported sharps injury in the preceding 12 months, with remarkably similar levels between hospitals and staff cadres in the 676 (71.1%) people responding. Most at risk were gynaecologist/obstetricians (96.1%) followed by surgeons (91.1%), nurses (80.2%), dentists (75.4%), midwives (62.0%), technicians (50.0%), and internist/paediatricians (47.5%). Of the injuries reported, the commonest were from hollow-bore needles (46.3%, n = 361/780), usually during recapping. Almost a quarter (27.9%) of respondents had not been vaccinated against hepatitis B. Basic knowledge about universal precautions were found insufficient across all hospitals and cadres.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Occupational health policies for universal precautions need to be implemented in Afghani hospitals. Staff vaccination against hepatitis B is recommended.</p

Emphysematous pyelitis presenting as an acute abdomen in an end-stage renal disease patient treated with peritoneal dialysis

Emphysematous pyelitis is air in the renal collecting system in patients with urinary tract infections. This entity is uncommon and seen primarily in patients with diabetes mellitus. We report a case of a patient with end-stage renal disease treated with peritoneal dialysis who developed emphysematous pyelitis who presented with signs and symptoms that were more consistent with appendicitis. The spectrum of infections causing air in the urinary tract and the method by which end-stage renal disease patients are treated are discussed. Patients receiving dextrose peritoneal dialysis are at risk for emphysematous pyelonephritis, pyelitis, and cystitis

{5-Chloro-2-[(4-nitrobenzylidene)amino]phenyl}(phenyl)methanone

The molecule of the title Schiff base compound, C20H13ClN2O3, assumes an E configuration about the C=N bond. The aromatic rings of the nitrobenzene and chlorobenzene groups are twisted by 13.89&amp;#8197;(13)&amp;#176; and form dihedral angles of 76.38&amp;#8197;(13) and 84.64&amp;#8197;(13)&amp;#176;, respectively, with the phenyl ring. In the crystal, molecules are linked into chains parallel to the b axis by C&amp;#8212;H...&amp;#960; interactions

Goiter Survey among School Children (6–12 Years) in Northern Himalayan Region

Background: Deficiency of iodine results in impairment of thyroid hormone synthesis and abnormalities grouped under the heading of “iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs).” Goiter surveys are conducted to estimate the region's iodine status. In view of this, we conducted this goiter survey among school-going children of district Baramulla, Kashmir division, to see the prevalence of IDD. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 6–12 years children in district Baramulla during the month of March and April 2017. The sample size of 2700 was calculated. The assessment of goiter was performed clinically by inspection and palpation of the thyroid gland. Results: In this study, we studied a total of 2700 school children in the age group of 6–12 years from district Baramulla with a mean age of 9 ± 1.86 years. 50.07% were boys. The age distribution prevalence of goiter among school children (6–12 years) in district Baramulla was observed to be 15.29%. The prevalence of Grade 1 goiter was more than twentyfold higher than Grade 2 goiter. The highest prevalence of Grade 1 and 2 goiter was seen among school children of 12 years age (25.19% and 1.81%, respectively). Females have higher prevalence of Grade 1 and Grade 2 goiter (17.58%). The relationship of goiter prevalence with gender and age was statistically significant. Conclusion: The present study showed mild goiter prevalence in school-aged children of 6–12 years in the district Baramulla of Kashmir valley. There is a dire need of periodic surveys to assess the magnitude of the IDD in the future