Investigating the Effectiveness of Blended Learning as a New Strategy for Teaching Anatomy to Medical Students: A Systematic Review

Background: The combined use of electronic and traditional education is called blended learning. Anatomy is a major in medical education. Using this method creates flexible learning environments and more interaction in learning.Objectives: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of blended learning on teaching anatomy to medical students.Methods: This comprehensive literature review was conducted on December 3, 2022. Our research was conducted by adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. Online databases PubMed, Eric, and Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant articles using predefined keywords. Using EndNote, all relevant literature published within the past five years was retrieved and further analyzed.Results: Our comprehensive search strategy resulted in the retrieval of 351 articles. After screening the articles and selecting the articles based on the inclusion criteria, 22 articles were eligible and included in the study. Most of the studies were conducted in India (n = 5), China (n = 2), United Kingdom (n = 2), and Portugal (n = 2). The majority of studies were conducted in 2022 (n = 7). The most important finding of all reviewed articles was the effectiveness of blended learning, which is mentioned as an effective method for teaching anatomy.Conclusion: Blended learning can improve performance and increase satisfaction and motivation in students. Identifying suitable learning resources with medical students’ abilities improves learners’ knowledge. Applying new learning methods can be very effective as some conditions, such as the COVID-19 crisis, limit access to corpses and physical presence

Comparison of the training status of medical students of pediatric ward based on their logbooks

Introduction: Logbooks show whether medical students have been exposed to a particular disease and whether they are able to perform particular practices or not. To evaluate the training status of the medical students in the pediatric ward of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, the data about the students’ knowledge of different diseases in different parts of the pediatric ward in 2011 was collected based on their logbooks and compared with similar data in 2005. Methods: In this descriptive study, medical students’ electronic notes were designed and completed by 90 medical students trained in the pediatric ward in 2011. Then the information was compared with the data of the previous study conducted in 2005. Results: In the pediatric outpatient clinic, neonatal emergency room, pediatric emergency room, and general pediatric ward, 50% of the diseases listed in the diaries were observed by the students. However, 19% of the patients were observed by the students in subspecialty wards. Conclusion: Using daily notes (logbooks) is a useful method for educational evaluation of the students. It can show the education acquired by the students, and clarify the defects and inadequacies in education. It seems that using electronic diaries in data collection increases the students’ participation and facilitates training. In general, expansion and development of new wards facilitate the exposure of medical students to more diseases and this fact has been shown about pediatric neurology ward in the present study

Effect of Isometric Exercises on Ability and Balance of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Objectives: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and disabling disease of the nervous system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of isometric exercises on balance and ability in the patients with MS.&nbsp; Methods: Sixty MS patients participated in this randomized controlled trial study and patients were randomly assigned into treatment and control groups. Treatment group participated in an isometric exercise program for 8 weeks and the control group followed routine treatment program. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were used to measure disability and balance status, respectively, on days 1, 28, and 56 post treatment. Results: No significant difference was observed in the mean scores of EDSS and BSS between the control and treatment groups on day 1 post treatment. Mean scores of EDSS and BSS significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in the treatment group compared with the control group on day 56 post treatment (P<0.01). Repeated measures test in the treatment group showed there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of EDSS and BSS on day 1 compared with that on days 28 and 56 post treatment (P<0.001), while in control group there was no significant difference between the mean scores of EDSS and BSS. Discussion: Isometric exercise programs improved balance and reduced the severe disability in MS patients and recommended as a complementary treatment program for MS patients.&nbsp

An Observational Study to Evaluate the Medication Errors by Nursing Staff Working in Bushehr Medical Centers during one Year Interval (1385-1386)

Background: Medication errors refer to inappropriate use of drugs, can lead to harmful and serious consequent. Many factors contribute to incidence of these errors. To investigate this factors a descriptive analytic study was done that assess clinical staff medication errors in Bushehr medical centers. Methods: The participants were 400 clinical staff, including nurses, midwives and nurse assistances to complete designed medication errors questionnaire. This questionnaire include 2 parts, part one was demographic data and part two, assess influencing factors of medication errors in six domain. Results: Results showed that the half of participants (49.9%) had medication errors in acquaintance and the most error in dosage (37.7%) and then type of drugs(27.7%). 73.3% of participants reported their errors and in unreported cases the most cause was fear of managers. According to participants attitude factors that interfering to medication errors were physicians factor, including illegible order in patient file (24.94%), nurses factors including, incorrect documentation (24.38%), interpersonal relationship (19.45%), inappropriate environment (15.3%), knowledge deficit and lack of experience (11.23%) and stressful events (4.66%). No statistical significant correlation between situation of job and shift work. Conclusion: Results show that medication errors are common and human factors are the most factors in these errors

Performance of the Operating Room Personnel in following of the standards of Infection Control in the Educational Hospitals of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in 2009

Introduction & Objective: Surgical wound infection is one of the common nosocomial infections. During operation, members of the surgical team which are in contact with the tissue incision should observe the standards of infection control in the operating room since it has a great role in prevention and control of these infections. The present study aimed to determine the performance of the operating room personnel in observing the standards of infection control in educational hospitals of Yasuj University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Materials & Methods: Forty two operating room personnel participated in this cross-sectional analytic-descriptive study. A check list was used for unnoticeably collecting the data about the performance of personnel in respect of infection control standards at three different times. Their performances were classified into four levels (very weak, weak, moderate and good) and the results were shown as absolute and relative frequency distribution. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and Fischer exact test by the SPSS software. Results: Performance of personnel in following the standards of infection control in this study was moderate. Conclusion: The results indicate that the participants of the study do not follow some of the standards of infection control in the operating rooms. Therefore, further activities of the committees of infection control and using of new antiseptic for surgical scrub are recommended

Information Technology(IT): A New Revolution In Urban Health Development

Background and Aim: Urban health is one of the challenges of the 21st century. Rapid growth and expanding urbanization have implications for health. In this regard, information technology can remove a large number of modern cities' problems. Therefore, the present article aims to study modern information technologies in the development of urban health. Materials and Methods: This is a review article based on library research and Internet searches on valid websites such as Science Direct, Magiran, Springer and advanced searches in Google. Some 164 domestic and foreign texts were studied on such topics as the application of ICT tools including cell phones and wireless tools, GIS, and RFID in the field of urban health in 2011. Finally, 30 sources were used. Conclusion: Information and communication technologies play an important role in improving people's health and enhancing the quality of their lives. Effective utilization of information and communication technologies requires the identification of opportunities and constraints, and the formulation of appropriate planning principles with regard to social and economic factors together with preparing the technological, communication and telecommunications, legal and administrative infrastructur

Investigating the performance of machine learning algorithms in predicting the survival of COVID‐19 patients: A cross section study of Iran

Abstract Background and Aims Like early diagnosis, predicting the survival of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is of great importance. Survival prediction models help doctors be more cautious to treat the patients who are at high risk of dying because of medical conditions. This study aims to predict the survival of hospitalized patients with COVID‐19 by comparing the accuracy of machine learning (ML) models. Methods It is a cross‐sectional study which was performed in 2022 in Fasa city in Iran country. The research data set was extracted from the period February 18, 2020 to February 10, 2021, and contains 2442 hospitalized patients' records with 84 features. A comparison was made between the efficiency of five ML algorithms to predict survival, includes Naive Bayes (NB), K‐nearest neighbors (KNN), random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and multilayer perceptron (MLP). Modeling steps were done with Python language in the Anaconda Navigator 3 environment. Results Our findings show that NB algorithm had better performance than others with accuracy, precision, recall, F‐score, and area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 97%, 96%, 96%, 96%, and 97%, respectively. Based on the analysis of factors affecting survival, heart disease, pulmonary diseases and blood related disease were the most important disease related to death. Conclusion The development of software systems based on NB will be effective to predict the survival of COVID‐19 patient

Paucity of Intrahepatic Bile Ducts in Neonates: the First Case Series from Iran

Objective: Paucity of interlobular bile ducts (PIBD), defined as absence or marked decrease in the number of interlobular bile ducts, is one of the causes of neonatal cholestasis. Treatment includes treating the intractable pruritus caused by persistent cholestasis. PIBD can be part of a familial syndrome of cholestasis named Alagille syndrome (AGS). We report clinical status of a case series of Iranian patients with PIBD. Methods: In this retrospective study, patients with cholestasis admitted to the pediatric gastroenterology ward in a referral hospital in Shiraz from January 2006 to January 2010 and underwent liver biopsy were evaluated. Clinical and paraclinical status of children with the pathologic diagnosis of PIBD was assessed. Findings: Disease was presented in all jaundiced patients with aged in average 3 days at presentation. Seven patients had the criteria of AGS. Despite medical treatment, cholestasis was not controlled in 6 (28.6%) patients. Liver transplantation led to the survival of 5 patients while the other patient who did not undergo liver transplantation died at 2 months of age. One patient underwent peritoneal dialysis due to renal insufficiency and died at 9 months of age. After 1-5 years of follow-up, the mortality rate was 9.5%. Conclusion: In patients with intractable cholestasis, only patients that underwent liver transplantation survived. Thus, the most important criterion for liver transplantation in neonatal PIBD is intractable cholestasis. This is the first report that shows AGS can result in neonatal-onset renal insufficiency