Sima Rafiei; Ahad Alizadeh; Rohollah Kalhor; Aidin Aryankhesal; Ahmad Ghashghaee
Abstract
Background: The pandemic of COVID-19 affect all healthcare systems globally, and its effect on different hospital performance indicators has been debated. The study aimed to compare the impacts of COVID-19 on hospital performance indicators using pre-and post-pandemic data from training hospitals.Methods: ...
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Background: The pandemic of COVID-19 affect all healthcare systems globally, and its effect on different hospital performance indicators has been debated. The study aimed to compare the impacts of COVID-19 on hospital performance indicators using pre-and post-pandemic data from training hospitals.Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study of hospital performance indicators from two healthcare facilities affiliated with Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in the north-west of Iran. The R statistical software was used to analyze monthly data on three basic performance indicators, including bed turnover, average length of stay (LOS), and bed occupancy rate before and during the outbreak of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).Results: The pandemic had a remarkable effect on the level of bed turnover, the average length of stay (LOS), and the bed occupancy rate after one month from the COVID-19 outbreak (P<0.05). Moreover, regression results showed that after the pandemic, the first two mentioned indicators increased monthly at 108.18 and 0.15, respectively, while LOS decreased by 0.09 monthly (P<0.05).Conclusion: Based on the study findings, a significant decline in hospital occupancy rate and bed turnover was observed after one month since the beginning of the outbreak. This reduction was associated with a longer LOS. Using ITS in pandemics such as COVID-19 can evaluate the effect of various policies on outcome measures and help policymakers make effective decisions.
Maliheh Poorkiani; Nasrin Shokrpour; Zohreh Faramarzian; leila bazrafcan; Zahra Keshtkaran; Leila Bazrafkan
Abstract
Background: Faculty members are the main pillars of universities, and their performance has a vital role in the efficiency of universities. In the current era of the Covid-19 pandemic, students’ traditional evaluation method is not sufficient, and 360-degree evaluation is recommended, or multi-rater ...
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Background: Faculty members are the main pillars of universities, and their performance has a vital role in the efficiency of universities. In the current era of the Covid-19 pandemic, students’ traditional evaluation method is not sufficient, and 360-degree evaluation is recommended, or multi-rater feedback is a means of providing evaluation from various stakeholders. The aim of this study was to compare the evaluation of faculty members’ teaching effectiveness in Larestan Medical School by 360 degrees and the evaluation done by the students in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.Methods: This descriptive-analytic study compared the 360 degree evaluation and the students’ ratings on faculty members’ performance at Larestan University of Medical Sciences during 2020 -2021. The statistical population consisted of all full-time professors (N=28) selected by census method and students (N=280) chosen by random cluster sampling. The materials used were six valid and reliable questionnaires filled out by students, an expert in evaluation, heads of departments, deputies, peers, and self-assessment of faculty members. Data were analyzed through SPSS software (version 23) using the Friedman test (P<0.001).Results: The results showed a significant difference between the 360-degree evaluation and students’ ratings (P=0.05). According to the students’ attitudes, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the faculty members’ communication skills and instructional skills (P<0.001). In addition, according to the head of departments, peers, an expert in the evaluation and self-assessment of faculty members, there was a positive and significant correlation between these two evaluations. However, there was no correlation between the heads of departments’ views and those of the deputies for education (P<0.001).Conclusion: Given the views of different participants in this study and the dimensions of assessment of faculty members, it seems that 360-degree assessment is more realistic and fair to be done in universities. In general, it is suggested that professors, in order to better understand their strengths and weaknesses, should pay more attention to all stakeholders’ views in 360-degree evaluation to improve the quantity and quality of education.
Serajeddin Mahmoudiani; Afshan Javadi; Maryam Janfaday
Abstract
Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has become the current crisis in most countries. Therefore, paying attention to the consequences and determinants of COVID-19. Mortality can lead to better control of the condition. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 mortality rate and its demographic and ...
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Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has become the current crisis in most countries. Therefore, paying attention to the consequences and determinants of COVID-19. Mortality can lead to better control of the condition. This study aimed to investigate the COVID-19 mortality rate and its demographic and health determinants in Fars province.Methods: This research was conducted using a quantitative method. For this purpose, available data for selected counties in Fars province were analyzed. The COVID-19 mortality rate was considered a dependent variable. In addition, the variables of literacy rate, urbanization rate, elderly population ratio, unemployment rate, the ratio of the active hospital, ratio of prehospital emergency stations, the ratio of centers for primary health care, and the ratio of active hospital beds were considered independent variables.Results: Findings showed that the variables of the elderly population ratio, urbanization rate, and unemployment rate had a direct relationship with the COVID-19 mortality rate. The findings also indicated that the COVID-19 mortality rate in the 45-49 age range begins to accelerate and peaks between 95 and 99 years old. In addition, the literacy rate was inversely related to the COVID-19 mortality rate. The results also showed an inverse relationship between all the selected health variables and the dependent variable.Conclusion: Improving the economic situation, specifically reducing the unemployment rate, emphasizing public education of the people, as well as improving the medical and health facilities, can facilitate the response to pandemics.
Ehsan Bakhshi; Reza Kalantari; Hamed Parnikh; Samaneh Dehghan Abnavi; Mehdi Hasanshahi; Sanaz Farhadpour; Somayeh Gheysari
Abstract
Background: Healthcare staff are at the heart of the covid-19 pandemic and play an important role in controlling this disease. Operating room practitioners could be contaminated by a coronavirus, which imposes a high pressure on them, affecting their need for recovery from work. This study aimed to compare ...
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Background: Healthcare staff are at the heart of the covid-19 pandemic and play an important role in controlling this disease. Operating room practitioners could be contaminated by a coronavirus, which imposes a high pressure on them, affecting their need for recovery from work. This study aimed to compare the need for recovery in the operating room practitioners with and without covid-19 infection history.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the operating room department of a public hospital on 217 operating room practitioners, including Operating room technicians, anaesthesiologists, and service staff. The data collection tools were a demographics questionnaire and the need for recovery scale. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, and oneway ANOVA were used for data analysis.Results: T he m ean a nd s tandard d eviation o f t he n eed f or recovery score in the studied population were 71.30±21.40. The practitioners with covid-19 infection history had a significantly higher need for recovery (P=0.001) than those without covid-19 history. In addition, the service staff had a higher percentage of covid-19 infection and had more need for recovery than operating room technicians (P=0.014).Conclusion: The operating room practitioners with a history of covid-19 infection had a significantly higher need for recovery than those without a history of infection. Therefore, protecting the operating room practitioners against covid-19 infection is the first step in preventing the excessive need for recovery levels. In addition, increasing the number of operating room staff, reducing the number of working hours, and paying more attention to their work-life quality can help reduce their need for recovery.
Akram Farhadi; Hamed Javadian; Pouya Farokhnezhad Afshar
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for more than a year as a global problem, the nurses being among the first groups involved in treating epidemics. In addition to becoming infected and dying from the disease, nurses also suffer from death anxiety. This study aimed to predict mental health ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for more than a year as a global problem, the nurses being among the first groups involved in treating epidemics. In addition to becoming infected and dying from the disease, nurses also suffer from death anxiety. This study aimed to predict mental health by religious orientation and the mediating role of death anxiety among nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The present descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted on 208 nurses working in the Central Hospital for the Treatment of COVID-19 patients who enrolled in the census in the Persian Gulf Martyrs Hospital in Bushehr. Data collection tools were the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), the Templer’s Death Anxiety Scale (DAS), and the Revised Religious Orientation Scale (ROS). Data were analyzed by SPSS v.22 software using the Pearson correlation test and multiple regression analysis (α=0.01).Results: According to the findings, death anxiety significantly and negatively affected mental health (P<0.001, β=-0.54). Intrinsic religious orientation led to a reduction in death anxiety (P=0.01, β=-0.16) and improved mental health (P<0.001, β=0.40), while extrinsic socially-oriented religiousness resulted in increased death anxiety (P<0.001, β=0.19) and decreased mental health (P<0.001, β=-0.20).Conclusion: More than half of the nurses had death anxiety in the COVID-19 epidemic, which decreased their mental health. This study revealed that the intrinsic religious orientation positively reduced death anxiety and promoted mental health.
Armin Fereidouni; Maryam Ghanavati; Zahra Maleki; Bahareh Mahdood; Samira Safari; Fatemeh Zare; Leila Hashemi Zadehfard Hagheghe; Salman Barasteh; Camellia Torabizadeh
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a major threat to public health in the present century. In this situation, adherence to preventive behaviors seriously impacts the prevention of viral diseases. The present study aims to investigate adherence to public health preventive instructions ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a major threat to public health in the present century. In this situation, adherence to preventive behaviors seriously impacts the prevention of viral diseases. The present study aims to investigate adherence to public health preventive instructions in patients infected with COVID-19 before contracting the disease.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2020 to March 2021 in Fars province. 3242 patients infected with COVID-19 were selected via multistage sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form and a researcher-made questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by Stata v. 14 using the chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The average age of participants was 38.45±13.07 years. 48.80% had a high rate, 47.90% had a moderate rate, and only 3.30% had a low compliance rate with COVID-19 preventive instructions. The patients’ main reason for not following preventive behaviors was having to be present in busy places (41.1%). There was a significant correlation between the participants’ age, gender, place of residence, occupation, education, history of underlying diseases (P≤0.001), marital status (P=0.041), and use of masks with a rate of adherence to preventive behaviors(P≤0.001). In the random forest, the job represents 36.75% compliance with COVID-19 preventive guidelines.Conclusion: Therefore, by raising public awareness, healthcare policymakers and administrators can enhance the public’s observance of the COVID-19 prevention instructions and consequently control the spread of the infection and improve public health during the current crisis caused by the pandemic.
