Improving newborn health in countries exposed to political violence: an assessment of the availability, accessibility, and distribution of neonatal health services at Palestinian hospitals

Introduction: Geopolitical segregation of Palestine has left a fragile healthcare system with an unequal distribution of services. Data from the Gaza Strip reflect an increase in infant mortality that coincided with a significant increase in neonatal mortality (12.0 to 20.3 per 1,000 live births). Objective: A baseline study was carried out to evaluate available resources in neonatal units throughout Palestine. Study Design: A cross-sectional, hospital-based study was conducted in 2017 using the World Health Organization's "Hospital care for mothers and newborn babies: quality assessment and improvement tool." Data on the main indicators were updated in 2018. Results: There were 38 neonatal units in Palestine: 27 in the West Bank, 3 in East Jerusalem, and 8 in the Gaza Strip. There was an uneven geographic distribution of incubators in relation to population and births that was more marked in the Gaza Strip; 79% of neonatal units and 75% of incubators were in the West Bank. While almost all hospitals with neonatal units accepted very and extremely low birth weight and admitted out-born neonatal cases, there was a shortage in the availability of incubators with humidifiers, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, mechanical ventilators with humidifiers and isolation wards. There was also a considerable shortage in neonatologists, neonatal nurses, and pediatric subspecialties. Conclusion: Almost all the neonatal units accepted extremely low birth weight neonatal cases despite not being ready to receive these newborns due to considerable shortages in human resources, equipment, drugs, and essential blood tests, as well as frequent disruptions in the availability of based amenities. Together, these factors contribute to the burden of providing quality care to newborns, which is further exacerbated by the lack of referral guidelines and challenges to timely referrals resulting from Israeli measures. Ultimately, this contributes to suboptimal care for neonates and negatively impacts future health outcomes

Practical application of UDL in the inclusive classroom

Research presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children 2018 Conference in Las Vegas, NV Program Educators are encouraged to use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom but without much direction on how to go about that process. This presentation will help teachers and teacher educators gain insight into the strategies used to make UDL work in a practical way

Waterpipe and cigarette tobacco smoking among Palestinian university students: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background During the last two decades, waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS), also known as hookah, witnessed a global increase in use, especially among youth. Little information is known about the burden of WTS among Palestinian youth. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of WTS and cigarette smoking and explore the associated factors among a sample of Palestinian university students. Methods 1891 students, from five Palestinian universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, completed a self-administered, web-based survey in 2014–2015. The questionnaire, which was based on the Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS), had questions on WTS and cigarette smoking patterns and socio-demographic and university-related characteristics. Binary logistic regression analyses were computed to investigate associated factors with WTS and cigarette smoking. Results 50.9% of the sample was women. The mean age was 20.1 ± 2.0. Overall, 30.0% of participants were current tobacco smokers and 33.4% reported ever smoking tobacco through a waterpipe. The prevalence of current WTS (24.4%) surpassed the prevalence of current cigarette smoking (18.0%), with a significantly higher prevalence among men compared to women. The gender gap for WTS (36.4% vs. 12.9%) was smaller than that for cigarette smoking (32.8% vs. 3.6%). Binary logistic regression models for the total sample (men and women) revealed that men were more likely to be current waterpipe and cigarette tobacco smokers compared to women (AOR = 4.20, 95% CI = 3.22–5.48, and AOR = 10.91, 95% CI = 7.25–16.42, respectively). Geographic area of residence, faculty of study and self-reported academic achievement were also associated with the likelihood of being current waterpipe and cigarette tobacco smokers. Conclusion A high prevalence of WTS was reported among our study sample, and it surpassed the prevalence of cigarette smoking. Interventions to curb the practice of tobacco smoking among Palestinian youth should be tailored differently to WTS and cigarette smoking, be gender-sensitive and specific and target the regional variation in the smoking behavior

The Use of Smart Technology on Improving Time Management of College Students with Intellectual/Developmental Disability

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of smart technology (i.e., Apple iPhone and Fitbit Smartwatch) on time management skill acquisition of students with intellectual/developmental disabilities who attend college. A single-subject multiple probe design was used to examine the use of the Model-Lead-Test strategy on three studentâs ability to set alarms based on his or her daily schedule and then leave for class on time. Results show that all students were able to acquire the skills needed to independently set the alarms in a brief amount of time. A description of the methodology, task analysis, and results are provided

Research priority-setting: reproductive health in the occupied Palestinian territory

Abstract Background Occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is an authority with limited resources. Therefore, research conducted in such a setting should be prioritized and coordinated to follow a national research agenda. This study aims to produce a research agenda for reproductive health in the oPt that can be utilized by reproductive health stakeholders and contribute to the development of policy-based evidence to guide health practice. Methods In the current study, we followed research prioritization methods developed by the World Health Organization-Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative. Research questions were obtained from reproductive health experts in the oPt. The questions were then grouped into thematic areas which were prioritized by the reproductive health experts. Scores were calculated and sorted to define the top priority research areas. Results A total of 232 research questions were prioritized by 30 reproductive health experts. Health system issues were the most addressed in the top 50 research questions. They included questions on the quality of services and health professionals’ knowledge and continuous professional training. Adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence were rarely mentioned in the top 50 questions. The number of questions related to safe motherhood was around 50% followed by questions related to health system. Questions related to elderly women and menopause as well as reproductive system cancers were also within the top 50 ranked questions. Conclusions Priority research areas in reproductive health were identified for the oPt, which should be utilized by researchers with a focus on the high priority areas. Policy makers and funders should coordinate their efforts to ensure the production of research with value to the Palestinian context, in the most efficient way possible

Providing access to employee handbooks: Using EBPs to build text comprehension

Research presented at the 2018 TASH national Conference in Portland, OR. Employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) continue to be among the lowest reported (Migliore, Butterworth, & Hart, 2009; Siperstein, Parker, & Drascher, 2013). Literacy skills are critical for obtaining employment and for supporting continued success in the workplace (Concei, 2016), but individuals with ID typically have very low literacy levels (Katims, 2000). Limited research has been conducted on literacy skill development for young adults with ID, particularly on work-related texts such as employee handbooks. Research supports the use of shared stories on adapted age-appropriate texts for students with significant cognitive disabilities, including those with ID (Hudson & Test, 2011; Shurr & Taber-Doughty, 2012; Spooner, Kemp-Inman, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Wood, & Davis, 2015), but these studies primarily focused on elementary or middle school students. Very little research on shared stories has been conducted with older students with ID (ages 18 and up). These students may have access to functional academic instruction, such as accessing real-world texts, within high school, vocational programs, and postsecondary education programs found in colleges and universities. Participation in university-based postsecondary education programs for young adults with ID have demonstrated improved competitive employment outcomes for this population, with 82% of the students working jobs that paid at or above minimum wage (Grigal & Hart, 2013). Functional academic instruction, such as literacy skill development, within these programs has successfully included the incorporation of technology to access or supplement the intervention (Evmenova, Behrmann, Mastropieri, Baker, & Graff, 2011; McMahon, Cihak, Wright, & Bell, 2016). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a multimedia shared story using speech-to-text technology on the text comprehension skills of workplace texts of college students with ID. This study used a multiple probe across participants design to measure the effectiveness of the shared story intervention across three sections of the employee handbook. This research seeks to extend the literature by investigating the effects of this literacy treatment package on the participants’ comprehension of the text and their ability to transfer that knowledge into a practical demonstration of related work tasks. Results will be discussed as well as limitations and future research implications

Effects of Mass Trials versus Distributed Trials During a Shared Story Reading for Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities

This study used a single-subject alternating treatment design across students to compare mass discrete trials and distributed mass trials distributed in a shared story reading on the acquisition of functional skills for students with Autism. The results of this study examined a functional relationship between the interventions on the acquisition of skills and decrease in interfering behaviors. Two early childhood students in a self-contained classroom were the participants for the study. The results of the study indicated that both instructional strategies were effective in supporting the acquisition of the target skills. However, the interfering behaviors of the two students were different in both instructional settings. The results suggest that students were able to generalize better using the distributed trials. Also, using the shared story reading allowed the students to access the general education literacy curriculum and exposed the students to emergent literacy skills that are typically taught to their peers in the general education classes. Results and conclusions are discussed in terms of future research and implications for including children with moderate and severe disabilities in general education classes