Giti Kashi; Nafiseh Nourieh
Abstract
Background: The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-Co V) was known as a human pathogen associated with respiratory symptoms. This study aimed to investigate attitudes, knowledge, and practice about MERS-CoV in paramedics.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 82 paramedics in Iran ...
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Background: The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-Co V) was known as a human pathogen associated with respiratory symptoms. This study aimed to investigate attitudes, knowledge, and practice about MERS-CoV in paramedics.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 82 paramedics in Iran in April 2019 were selected in a stratified cluster sampling. Paramedics worked in Health Centers in Iran. We performed educational intervention in this study. A four-point Likert scale researcher-made questionnaire containing demographic (9 questions) and MERS-CoV (33 questions) items was administered to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS 18 software.Results: Out of 82 paramedics, who completed questionnaires, 42.7% (35 people) were male, 56.1% (46 people) had a diploma degree, and 19.5% (16 people) had less than 1 year of work experience. about the participants reported 2 laboratoryconfirmed infections at Kerman State. In addition, 67.1% (32 people) passed a course to become familiar with disease. Theparamedics’ mean age was 37.52±8.88. The knowledge mean score of paramedics was 12.82 (SD=10.04). The highly significant source of data collection in paramedics was the attendance in a course to become familiar with disease (43.9%, 36). The mean score of the practice of paramedics was 13.98 (SD=10.00). The most significant concern in neglecting travel to polluted areas in paramedics was public health defects (39%, 32). There was a significant relationship (P<0.05, t=9.06) between knowledge score and variables: gender (P=0.001), education level (P=0.001), and years in service (P=0.039).Conclusion: The paramedic had concerns and tend to increase the knowledge regarding prevention. The awareness of the transmission of diseases was the most important factor for modifying practice and preventing diseases. Health decisionmakers recognized preventive actions to hinder the transmission of this fatal virus.
Seyyed Mansour Kashfi; Tayebeh Rakhshani; Shahla Farhoodi; Zahra Motlagh; Raziyeh Bagherzadeh; Noushin Kohan
Abstract
Background: As a physiological event, menopause is an important milestone in women's lives. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of this stage of women's lives on their quality of life.The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of education about physical activity via social networks ...
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Background: As a physiological event, menopause is an important milestone in women's lives. Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of this stage of women's lives on their quality of life.The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of education about physical activity via social networks on the quality of life of menopausal women. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at Khormoj, Southwest of Iran, in 2018 on 54 menopausal women (27 experimental group (EG) and 27 control group (CG)). For the EG, a WhatsApp group was created and, every week, three educational written messages, clips, or pamphlets about physical activity and its importance during menopause were sent for 10 weeks. The study outcome (quality of life) was measured via Menopause-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) at the onset and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed through SPSS 19, using independent and paired T-tests. Results: One month post-intervention, there was a significant difference between the EG and CG groups in the total quality of life, and vasomotor, physical and sexual dimensions compared to the CG group (p <0.05). Between the baseline and one month post-intervention, a greater increase in quality of life was observed in the EG than in the CG, giving a mean difference of -10.52 (p <0.0001). Conclusion: The present study showed that holding an educational program using the WhatsApp social network enhanced quality of life of menopausal women. Introduction Throughout their lives, women experience several stages including puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Reaching any of these stages and passing through them will encounter women with situations and sometimes crises that may affect different aspects of their lives (1). Meanwhile, as a physiological event, menopause is an important milestone in women's lives; according to the definition by the World Health Organization, it refers to the cessation of menstruation for 12 months, following the loss of ovarian follicular activity (2). Various studies carried out in Iran and in the world have shown that the age of menopause could potentially depend on a variety of factors including race, genetic characteristics, socioeconomic status, fertility status, physical activity, nutrition, sexual behaviors, and diseases (3). The mean age of menopause has been estimated 50-52 years. In Iran, the mean age of menopause is 51 years (4-6). Following the incidence of menopause, changes in the hormonal, physical and metabolic processes of the woman’s body would lead to many physical, psychological, and social disorders including hot flash, sweating, palpitation, sleep disorder, irritability, lethargy, depression, amnesia, decreased eroticism, painful intercourse, and urinary symptoms (7-10). Numerous studies have shown the negative impact of this stage of women's lives on their quality of life. The results of previous studies indicated that menopause women were 3.5 times more likely to be at risk of mental disorders. They were also 5.7 and 3.2 times more likely to be at risk of physical impairment and sexual dysfunction, respectively. According to these studies, menopause could reduce the quality of a person's life regardless of the factors such as age and other demographic variables (11-14). Therefore, it seems important and inevitable to find some ways to prevent the minimization of the quality of life and to lower the symptoms and complications in menopause women to the possible extent. It seems that using non-medical methods, such as changing and improving lifestyle, can be useful for minimization of the symptoms and complications of this critical period. One of the appropriate health behaviors is to have mobility and do regular physical activities. Regular physical activity might increase the individual's ability to do his/her tasks and to feel healthy, empowered, and self-confident (15, 16). Doing regular physical activity would reduce blood glucose and blood pressure, stimulate the increase of catecholamins as well as adrenaline and noradrenaline, increase muscle strength, increase aerobic and cardiovascular endurance, and increase balance and coordination (17,18). Social networking is built on the idea of the way should people know and interact with each other. It gives people the power to share making the world more open and connected [19]. Nowadays, social networking has a vital influence on our live as it helps a lot in every aspect of life such as political,, Economic, and educational field s. Flexibility, convenience and accessibility have a vital influence on the use of social networking in education (20). The phenomenon of social media has become part of Internet culture, and published literature describing social media interventions for chronic disease management are becoming more prevalent (21). In recent years, instant messaging applications, which can be identified as mobile-based social networks, have started to become popular. Though there are a lot of instant messaging applications that can operate on mobile devices, it is seen that WhatsApp application is one of the most favored mobile-based applications (22). Ebrahimi et al. in 2017 indicated a positive role for using WhatsApp software to promote lifestyle, thus improving the level of health of women under study (23). Also, Estaji et al. conducted a study in 2016 using cellular text messaging that led to self-care promotion in hemodialysis patients under study(24). Mirghafurvand et al. conducted a study entitled “the influence of aerobic exercise program on the quality of life of pre-menopause and menopause women: a randomized, controlled clinical trial” and found that moderate aerobic exercise was effective in improving the quality of life of pre-menopause and menopause women (25). Given the influence of menopause on women's quality of life and the fact that itis considered as an indicator for assessment of health status, the present research was conducted to examine the effectiveness of education about physical activity via WhatsApp on the quality of life of menopausal women.
Mohammad Jalali; Michael E Symonds; Morteza Zare; Zahra Sohrabi
Abstract
Background: Heart failure (HF) is a clinical disorder and Zinc is an important cofactor in regulating oxidative status.The present study aimed to determine the mean concentration of serum zinc in patients with HF.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were used in the present systematic ...
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Background: Heart failure (HF) is a clinical disorder and Zinc is an important cofactor in regulating oxidative status.The present study aimed to determine the mean concentration of serum zinc in patients with HF.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were used in the present systematic review and meta-analysis to find relevant cross-sectional studies up to 1st January 2020. A random-effects model was used to pool the effect size (ES) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). In addition, meta-regression analysis was performed to find the sources of statistical heterogeneity among the studies.
Results: Our meta-analysis of 1358 HF patients indicated that their mean serum zinc concentration was 66.24 µg/dl (95 % CI: 59.16, 73.33). In sub-analysis, the mean concentration was 75.04 µg/dl and 52.90 µg/dl in patients < 65 years and > 65 years old, respectively. Subgroup analysis by geographical region showed that mean serum zinc was 70.70 µg/dl, 69.08 µg/dl and 60.91 µg/dl in HF patients from Europe, America, and Asia, respectively. Meta-regression analysis indicated a reduction of 1.42 µg/dl in serum zinc per each year of aging.
Conclusion: In summary, our meta-analysis indicates that serum zinc concentrations have a narrow range in HF patients worldwide that declines with age and varies with geographical region. Additionally, serum zinc concentrations are lower in HF patients, specifically in the elderly.
Masoud Yousefi; Nasrin Razmjoee; Ebrahim Rahimi; Mohammad Ansarizadeh; Kourosh Rahmani
Abstract
Background: Iran is among the top ten disaster-prone countries in the world because of its size, geographical location, and climatic diversity. Practically, the healthcare sector is an active part in disaster management and an integral part of the national health plan. This study aimed to determine the ...
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Background: Iran is among the top ten disaster-prone countries in the world because of its size, geographical location, and climatic diversity. Practically, the healthcare sector is an active part in disaster management and an integral part of the national health plan. This study aimed to determine the preparedness of the personnel to cope with natural disasters in Valiasr Hospital of Mamasani, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Valiasr Hospital, which has 100 beds. Data were collected using a 210-item researcher-made checklist. For each target, six domains of equipment, human resources, structure, physical space, protocol, and performance charts were considered. Face and content validities were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the questionnaire.
Results: The results of this study showed that the support unit scored the highest (69.45 %), followed by the command and management (66.16%) and education units (66%), respectively. Security units (51%), transportation (41.47%), and evacuation (40%) received the lowest score, respectively.
Conclusion: The findings showed that the hospital under the study was in moderate level in preparedness for disaster. Improving the preparedness of hospitals for disasters will be possible with proper management of available resources and the use of update technologies.
Mahin Nazari; Fatemeh Jokar; Mohammad Fararooei; Mohammad Hossein Kaveh
Abstract
Background: Decreasing and preventing isolation and social loneliness among the elderly are important fields for policymaking and action commitment in social health. Evidence shows that the nature and spectrum of an individual’s social network including the quality and quantity of social relations ...
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Background: Decreasing and preventing isolation and social loneliness among the elderly are important fields for policymaking and action commitment in social health. Evidence shows that the nature and spectrum of an individual’s social network including the quality and quantity of social relations and contact frequency can affect the old people’s health considerably. Social participation leads to a decrease in mortality and depression and improves people’s cognitive function. Since few interventions on assessment of the effect of social participation on old people’s loneliness have been done, this study was conducted to determine the impact of the educational program of social participation on the feeling of loneliness. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study based on convenience sampling method, on 239 elderly people aged ≥60 years living in rural regions of Baiza. The intervention was held for the intervention group during five weeks through five 60-80 minute educational sessions. The data were collected by CCHS-SP and UCLA Loneliness Feeling Questionnaires before and after the intervention in the experiment and control groups. The data were analyzed usingSPSS (version19). Results: The significance level was assumed 0.05 in statistical analysis. After one month of educational intervention program, the mean score of social participation increased in the intervention group from 6.17±3.86 to 17.98±3.84 after the intervention. The findings showed a remarkable improvement in loneliness feeling scores of the mentioned group form 62.24±.7.53 to 28.86±6.88 after the intervention (p <.001). The studied cases in the control group experienced no significant changes in the two mentioned variables. Conclusion: This study revealed a reduction in the feeling of the elderly in rural areas by predicting, improving, and modifying behaviors related to social participation and forming self-help groups in rural communities.
Introduction:
In recent decades, prevention from loneliness and social isolation among the elderly has been an important issue in social health promotion (1). While there is no experience that loneliness is unique to old age, it is common among older adults, with 12% to 46% reporting at least some level of loneliness (2). About one third or even half of the elderly suffer from loneliness and social isolation (3). An investigation in Spain indicated that 23.1 percent of the elderly often suffered loneliness. (4) However, Khichadi reported that this amount was between 16 and 35 in this country (5). In Iran, the rate of loneliness has been reported between 11% and 70% in various studies. (6, 7) Loneliness and social isolation affect the quality of life remarkably, so that it is comparable with the impacts of cigarette, obesity, inactivity, and hypertension. (8) Immune deficiency, infections, cognitive disorders, mental problems such as depression and dementia, high levels of disabling chronic diseases, lack of physical activity, and the possibility of death are more probable to happen among those people feeling lonely remarkably (9.10.11). These consequences are clearly so important in making economic problems. Recently, numerous investigations have been done with different plans among the elderly to reduce loneliness and social isolation. However, the low quality of most of these studies and the high variety of the studied population in the mentioned studies make the generalization of their findings difficult since they are conducted in communities with different social, cultural and economic contexts (12, 13). One way to improve the health of people, especially to reduce the loneliness in the elderly, is social participation. Social participation in itself is both a theoretical and a practical concept that has been shown to be related to health in many studies. Many people over the age of 65 are in a state of social isolation and this does not allow them to have a close and intimate relationship with others. This may be due to the negative view of society and the belief in the imminent death of the elderly, which hinders planning to improve their quality of life, while various studies indicate that having social contact and public personality with is related to life satisfaction in old age. (14). Nevertheless, recent findings emphasize the importance of social interactions and relations for improving and promoting mental health and also preventing social isolation and their consequences among the elderly. (13). Loneliness and social isolation among the elderly in rural regions is so important. The offspring leave home or move due to marriage or for occupational reasons, low economic status and literacy in these regions, limited access to health services, and social welfare, which makes the issue of elderly Loneliness and social isolation so critical (15.16). Lack of enough experimental evidence and the limitations of the conducted studies highlight the necessity of conducting more research regarding the programs which help decrease social loneliness isolation among the elderly in rural regions. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to determine the impact of Social Participation Educational Program on the loneliness of in old people in rural areas.
Ebrahim Nazari Far; Mohammad Hossein Kaveh; Elham Rezaian; Mahsa Yarelahi; Abdolrahim Asadollahi
Abstract
Objective: Caregiving burden is defined as a specific level of pressure and problems expressed by caregiver or family, which involves a range of psychological, emotional, social and economic problems. Further, satisfaction is described as the level of the mental happiness, self-confidence and usefulness ...
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Objective: Caregiving burden is defined as a specific level of pressure and problems expressed by caregiver or family, which involves a range of psychological, emotional, social and economic problems. Further, satisfaction is described as the level of the mental happiness, self-confidence and usefulness sensed by caregiver about his/her own caregiving behaviour. The present study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of caregiving satisfaction (SCR) and caregiving burden of grandchildren scales (BCR) among grandparent population by considering the lack of a Persian tool for their measurement. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 70 grandparents who were selected through convenience sampling among the individuals referred to the healthcare centres of five southern cities in Iran Shiraz, Sepidan, Fasa, Jahrom, and Borazjan from April to August, 2019. The questionnaires were filled out by individual interview with participants and the data were analysed through explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses and ROC curve, using SPSS 25 and Amos 21. Results: Two factors were extracted in each questionnaire (Regarding each questionnaire, happiness and responsibility in individual and social satisfaction in caregiving burden were extracted through explanatory factor analysis), representing 78.1 and 75.1% of total variance, respectively. The Cronbach's coefficients alpha related to these subscales were obtained as 0.709-0.859 by indicating an acceptable internal consistency. Conclusion: The Persian version of these questionnaires had appropriate validity and reliability required for measuring satisfaction and caregiving burden of grandchildren among Iranian grandparents and can be used in day care and healthcare centres.
Alireza Mirahmadizadeh; Mousa Ghelichi-Ghojogh; Fatemeh Rezaei; Mehdi Nejat; Haleh Ghaem; Jafar Hassanzadeh; Mohammadreza Karimi; Zohre Khodamoradi; Kimia Jokari; Leila Jahangiry
Abstract
Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through direct, indirect, or close contact with infected people by contaminated respiratory droplets or saliva. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the secondary ...
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Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can be transmitted through direct, indirect, or close contact with infected people by contaminated respiratory droplets or saliva. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the secondary attack rate (SAR) in the cases’ close contact.Methods: A total of 431 confirmed COVID-19 patients were randomly selected using systematic random sampling from 15 May to 13 June 2020. The required data were extracted from the CORONALAB database of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Detection of COVID-19 was performed using Real- Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and nasopharyngeal swabs. SAR was also calculated for different groups.Results: Among the index cases, 64.27% were male, 24.80% were public sector employees, and 4.87% were admitted to the intensive care unit. In addition, most of them aged 30-39 years. The SAR was 11.56% (95% CI: 9.86% to 13.25%) in the close contacts. Accordingly, the highest SAR was observed among the friends, 19.05% (95% CI: 7.17% to 30.92%), followed by the spouses of COVID-19 cases, 16.67% (95% CI: 10.81% to 22.51%). Furthermore, diabetes (6.03%) and cardiovascular disease (5.1%) were the most common comorbidities among the index cases.Conclusion: The findings suggested that the SAR was relatively lower among the close contacts. Considering the familial and non-familial relationships between the index cases and their close contacts were the major causes of disease transmission. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct tracing for COVID-19 contacts in all cases with whom patients have had close contact.
Anwesha Mahanta
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the global health system and caused havoc worldwide. Since there is no proper medication, non-pharmaceutical intervention methods are followed to mitigate viral transmission. For its proper implementation, it is crucial to track the spatial pattern of transmission ...
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has shattered the global health system and caused havoc worldwide. Since there is no proper medication, non-pharmaceutical intervention methods are followed to mitigate viral transmission. For its proper implementation, it is crucial to track the spatial pattern of transmission and target those areas which require immediate action to control the spread of the pandemic. The geospatial technologies have established themselves as powerful tools that have substantial ability to track outbreak patterns in real-time, identify at-risk populations, and plan targeted intervention.
Methods: The study provides a robust methodological framework with three geospatial tools: Spatial Autocorrelation (Global Moran's I), Hot Spot Analysis (Getis-Ord Gi*), and Space-time scan statistic. The quantitative study was carried out exclusively for North-East India to track the COVID-19 outbreaks from April 2020 to December 2020.
Results: The results obtained indicate a gradual change of spatial distribution of the disease from cluster to random distribution at the global scale. But, eventually, the COVID-19 cases tend to form clusters again. Kamrup Metro, the district with the highest urban population, was reported constantly as a hotspot. Moreover, space-time clusters tend to expand in size over time.
Conclusion: The research study's findings provide an overview of the spatio-temporal pattern of COVID-19 in the study area and help the health officials and policy-makers in formulating effective management strategies and non-pharmaceutical intervention measures by targeting the high-risk areas. The study is a valuable guide towards implementing Geographic Information Science technologies in monitoring and tracking the pandemic.
Zahra Yaghoubi; Saber Babazadeh; Faezeh Karimzadeh Sharaf; Reyhaneh Shafieian; Arghavan Behbahanirad
Abstract
Background: Burnout, as the consequence of uncontrolled chronic stress, can lead to less efficient clinical performance. Spiritual intelligence enables the individuals to manage their carrier more efficiently. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between spiritual intelligence and burnout ...
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Background: Burnout, as the consequence of uncontrolled chronic stress, can lead to less efficient clinical performance. Spiritual intelligence enables the individuals to manage their carrier more efficiently. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between spiritual intelligence and burnout among dental residents.
Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study included all dental residents in Shiraz Dental School during 2019, except for those who were no willing to participate in the study. Of 72 dental residents, 57 participated in the study and filled out the questionnaires. Maslach Burnout Inventory and King’s Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaires were used to collect the data. The Maslach’s Questionnaire consists of three domains: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment.
Results: The results showed that 91.2% of the participants experienced a high degree of reduced personal accomplishment. Reduced personal accomplishment had a significant correlation with almost all spiritual intelligence dimensions: personal meaning (r=-0.345, P=0.009), transcendental awareness (r=-0.280, P=0.035), and conscious state expansion (r=-0.268, P=0.044). Moreover, personal meaning was inversely correlated with emotional exhaustion (r=-0.411, P=0.002). The scores of spiritual intelligence and burnout dimensions had no significant differences based on marital status, gender, and academic year, except for gender in critical thinking domain(P=0.020).
Conclusion: The participants experienced high degrees of burnout in reduced personal accomplishment domain. The level of spiritual intelligence was moderate among the participants. In general, the higher scores of spiritual intelligence dimensions were correlated to higher personal accomplishment as a main dimension of burnout. Policy- makers should adopt methods to reduce burnout and improve spiritual dimensions.
Foruzan Tavan; Abdolrahim Asadollahi
Abstract
Background: Frailty syndrome involves a complex combination of the natural process of getting old with different medical problems. Different indexes have been designed for each physical, mental, and social dimensions of frailty. Fried’s five-item index of frailty syndrome checklist is one of the ...
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Background: Frailty syndrome involves a complex combination of the natural process of getting old with different medical problems. Different indexes have been designed for each physical, mental, and social dimensions of frailty. Fried’s five-item index of frailty syndrome checklist is one of the most applicable scales to screen frailty. This study aimed to determine a psychometric index of frailty and the cut-off points for the Iranian elderly population. Methods: In a cross-sectional and psychpmetric study, 249 frail elderly people were selected among members of two Iranian Army Retirees Clubs in 2019. This was a cross-sectional-psychometric study which aimed at determining the psychometric index and cut-off points of a brief checklist of 5-item FSC among Iranian adults older than 60 years old and comparing this to prior results in different countries. Results: The data were analyzed by ANOVA, multi-variable regression, confirmatory, and exploratory factor analysis, and ROC analysis via SPSS 25 and AMOS 24. The validity of the study findings was determined by internal validity, high correlation of 5 questions, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis of 3 subdomains with a clarity value of 0.87, and high goodness of fit index (GFI). Conclusion: The determined cut-off points were compatible with those of Fried’s prior study. The designed tools used in this study evaluated frailty syndrome of the Iranian elderly in elderly rehabilitation studies with high confidence. The application of the tool would provide caregivers and policymakers with additional information as to caring for this population.
Introduction
The world population has become older due to the decreasing mortality rate, increasing life expectancy, and enhanced healthcare technologies.(1) Worldwide, the elderly population is expected to increase from 9% to 16% during 35 years from 1995 to 2030. Regionally, the elderly population is expected to increase in Asia and Iran from 9.3% to 18.6% and from 5.17 to 6.5 % over the same period, respectively.(2) Increased chronic diseases and multi-morbidity in the elderly and the associated increased prevalence of inabilities are the main concern in the growth of the elderly population . Senescence syndromes are groups of prevalent characteristics among the elderly and, as such, are not considered a disease. These syndromes are a group of prevalent characteristics among the elderly, which are not considered a disease. Frailty syndrome involves a complex combination of the natural processes of getting old with different medical problems,(3)such as weakness, dullness, decreased energy, decreased physical activity, and unintentional weight loss (in more intense cases).(3)Frailty syndrome consists of physiological disorders in six different systems (hematic, inflammatory, hormonal, obesity, neuromuscular, and nutritional).(4) The brain, endocrine, musculoskeletal, and immune systems are mostly associated with frailty syndrome, which have been studied considerably.(4) The prevalence of frailty due to its wide definition and variety of measurement tools is estimated 19.6% in Latin America and the Caribbean (5), from 3.9 per cent in China to 26% and 51.4% in India and Cuba, respectively (6), 35.7% in Brazil (7), 10% in Japan (8), and in European countries from 7.7 per cent of the Swedish elderly to 15.6% Portuguese older adults (9). There are no national frailty data in the elderly population of Iran, bBut it can be assumed to be similar to developing countries like India and Brazil. Most of the tools developed to evaluate frailty have a frailty pre-diagnosis, enabling the authorities to identify people at high risk of frailty.(10, 11)
Frailty can be examined in both clinical and social contexts. The clinical view argues that frailty increases the risks of side effects, such as fall, hospitalization, inability, and death.(12) The social view identifies the groups in need of additional medical care services and at high risk of dependency.(12) Policymakers and providers of health services have realized that frailty could significantly affect people, caregivers, healthcare systems, and society.(11, 12) Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding prevention and health management plans due to the effect of frailty on the healthcare of patients.(13) If frailty can be diagnosed, prevented, and treated by identifying its different reasons and factors, this can lead to the prevention or at least delay in the onset of frailty syndrome. As some recent studies have suggested, frailty sequences could be reversed by implementing specific practical plans and nutritional supplements (3, 14, 15). Therefore, identification of consequences relevant to frailty is highly vital, indicating the need for a tool to predict frailty challenges in Iran. These challenges can be screened, and definite cut-off points can be determined for Iranian frail patients. These actions help the healthcare policymakers in the country to systemize and optimize their decisions, just as many developed countries have done in recent years.(16) Fried’s five-item index of frailty syndrome checklist (5-Item FSC) is one of the most applicable scales to screen frailty.(16)
Psychometric properties and cut-off points of FSC differ from one country to another regarding their cultural, social, nutritional, and even phenotypical differences (17) compared to other indices. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the validity, reliability, and cut-off points of 5-item FSC for Iranian elderly.
Javad Javan-Noughabi; Sayed Ali Mousavi; Seyed Yaser Hashemi; Ahmad Faramarzi; Farshad Bahrami Asl; Hamidreza Shabanikiya
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed an unusual threat to global health. Up to May 26, 2021, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 167.01 million cases, and 3.47 million deaths were reported. This study aimed to estimate and compare epidemiological indices ...
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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed an unusual threat to global health. Up to May 26, 2021, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), 167.01 million cases, and 3.47 million deaths were reported. This study aimed to estimate and compare epidemiological indices of COVID-19 in high-incidence countries.Methods: We conducted a descriptive and comparative analysis intending to examine the epidemiological indices of COVID- 19 in high-incidence countries, using the data published by the WHO until May 17, 2021. We calculated the incidence and mortality rate per 1,000,000 inhabitant-day at risk daily, weekly, and overall, using person-day as the denominator.Results: The fatality rate in 14 countries was about 1.94%. The highest fatality rate was acquired in Italy (2.99%), followed by the United Kingdom (2.86%) and Iran (2.79%). The lowest value on the fatality rate was in Turkey and India, at 0.88% and 1.1%. The highest incidence rate was reported in the USA (207 cases per 1,000,000 person-day), followed by France (190), Poland (171), and Argentina (167). The highest mortality rate for the whole period was extracted in Brazil (4.60 death per 1,000,000 population-day), and the lowest rate happened in India (0.42).Conclusion: Until May 17, 2021, COVID-19 has affected about 117.6 million patients and caused 2.3 million deaths in 14 highincidence countries. This study shows that a specific pattern of COVID-19 has been observed in every country.
Azade Tahernejad; Reza Mostafavi; Somaye Tahernejad; Matin Rostami
Abstract
Objective: The occurrence of crises such as the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) showed that the availability of a mask that fits the face is of great importance for individuals. The present study was performed to design a tool to assess the facial fitness of the mask based on face dimensions. ...
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Objective: The occurrence of crises such as the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) showed that the availability of a mask that fits the face is of great importance for individuals. The present study was performed to design a tool to assess the facial fitness of the mask based on face dimensions. Methods: A hybrid method is introduced which consists of modeling of a fuzzy system using a neural network, so that with only one-time training of this neuro-fuzzy system, ANFIS, it is possible to easily determine the fit of N95 respiratory mask only by applying the anthropometric dimensions of the face. Six anthropometric dimensions of the face were assigned as the inputs and respiratory mask fitness was assigned as the output of the ANFIS model. Results: The proposed neuro-fuzzy system, ANFIS, is designed in such a way that by specifying the input parameters for each individual, the fitness of the mask to the face can be predicted. Conclusion: According to the results of the probability predicted by the neuro-fuzzy system, using the data of the six dimensions of the face, in about 75 percent of the cases the fitness of the mask to the face of individuals can be predicted accurately; therefore, the designed ANFIS network can be used instead of the fitness test to predict the fitness of the respiratory mask to the face using the anthropometric data of the face of the individuals only when it is not possible to perform the fit testing.
Sanaz Dastmanesh; Leila Ghahremani; Mohammad Hossein Kaveh; Mohammad Fararouei
Abstract
Background: Increased proportion of the retired population and the occurrence of retirement syndrome may significantly affect the Quality of life (QoL) and the well-being of older people. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the effect of training intervention on retirement syndrome ...
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Background: Increased proportion of the retired population and the occurrence of retirement syndrome may significantly affect the Quality of life (QoL) and the well-being of older people. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the effect of training intervention on retirement syndrome and QoL among retired older men in Safashahr, Iran, in 2019.
Methods: Using a randomized block design, the quasi-experimental study was conducted on 140 retired men with retirement syndrome. The subjects’ average age was 61.24±1.36 years. The older people were selected by purposive sampling and then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=70) and a control group (n=70). The intervention comprised five 90-minute sessions of the practical training course of exercises for over 45 days in the experimental group. The study outcomes, such as retirement syndrome and QoL, were measured before, immediately after, and two months after the intervention. The study data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics 25, independent sample t-tests, Chi-square tests, and repeated measure ANOVA. The significance level was set at 0.05.
Results: Based on the average score of retirement syndrome (< 0.001) and its subscales, such as helplessness and failure (HF) (p< 0.001), feeling of old and idle (FOI) (<0.001), feeling of confusion and conflict (FCC) (p<0.001), and feeling of effort and a new direction (FED) (p=0.025); an average score of QoL (p<0.001) and all its subscales, including physical activities (p<0.001), physical health (p<0.001), emotional problems (p<0.001), vitality (p< 0.001), mental health (p<0.001), general health perceptions (<0.001), except for physical pain (0.347) and social performance (0.41), there is a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups, before and after the intervention.
Conclusion: The findings may provide valuable implications for the development of exercises among the elderly and further studies to evaluate the long-term effects of such interventions among the elderly.
Gayan Surendra; Irosha Perera; Sumith Attanayake
Abstract
Background: Oral and Maxillofacial (OMF) injuries constitute a multifaceted public health threat in Sri Lanka. Surveillance of OMF injuries has become crucial for planning and monitoring of preventive and control strategies. A pilot project was undertaken aiming at strengthening the OMF injury surveillance ...
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Background: Oral and Maxillofacial (OMF) injuries constitute a multifaceted public health threat in Sri Lanka. Surveillance of OMF injuries has become crucial for planning and monitoring of preventive and control strategies. A pilot project was undertaken aiming at strengthening the OMF injury surveillance system at National Dental Hospital (Teaching) Sri Lanka (NDHTSL). Methods: The current interventional study with pre- and post-evaluation was conducted from March 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020 at NDHTSL. Pre-intervention assessment was performed to identify the deficiencies in the injury surveillance system. Subsequently, a novel OMF injury surveillance system was introduced and implemented at NDHTSL. The interventions were conducted over a period of 3 months, following which a post-intervention assessment was performed to assess the success of the interventions. Results: The previous injury surveillance system had many deficiencies, such as lack of comprehensiveness, not specific to dental trauma, lack of data flow and high respondent burden, etc. Interventions included development of a novel OMF injury surveillance form, circulating comprehensive guidelines on the new system and awareness program for relevant staff. Quality indicators of injury surveillance demonstrated improvements from pre-intervention stage to post-intervention stage, such as coverage from 2.7% to 72.2%, completeness from 95% to 100%, and accuracy from 66% to 100%. The perceptions and satisfaction of the dental surgeons on OMF injury surveillance system was significantly improved by the intervention (p≤0.001). Conclusion: The strengthened OMF injury surveillance system was deemed efficient and effective. Further studies are warranted at different service levels prior to island wide expansion of the present system by incorporation and integration of it into the existing National Injury Surveillance System.
Introduction
Oral and Maxillofacial (OMF) injuries constitute a multifaceted public health threat in Sri Lanka. The victims of this tragedy are more often children, adolescents and young males who are in economically productive age group (1–3). Hence, OMF injuries impact the economic productivity of the country while increasing the public health expenditure. Furthermore, road traffic accidents are on the rise which result in an enormous burden of OMF injuries (3–6).
“Oral and Maxillofacial injuries” is a composite term which includes injury to the oral and facial region, teeth and related structures (7); prevalence, causes and factors related to OMF injuries across the globe have been described by many published researches (8–11).
Surveillance is defined as ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of health-related data for evidence-based decision making (12–14). Injuries are acute non-communicable diseases which should be prevented and controlled, based on the surveillance data (15). Therefore, developing the capacity of global injury systems has attracted attention as one of the most significant opportunities in global public health (16). Hence, a strengthened OMF injury surveillance system would be a prerequisite for the development of policies, strategies, guidelines as well as for expedition of the current OMF injury prevention activities (17).
Injuries are the leading cause of hospitalization over the last two decades, accounting for about 1 million hospitalizations each year which underpins the importance of a complete, accurate and timely injury surveillance system (17). Furthermore, a study published in 2004 revealed that OMF trauma was the leading cause of dental inpatient service utilization (18).
Dental trauma is the most common cause of dental emergencies (19). Moreover, dental trauma is recognized as a major dental public health problem across the globe which requires regular updates of knowledge in dental traumatology for preventive and control measures (20). One of the important prerequisites for development and evaluation of such prevention strategies at local level would be the establishment of a specially designed injury surveillance system which provides accurate, complete, and timely data (21). However, lack of timely, complete and accurate data on OMF injury surveillance has become a global issue that hampers timely action and research (22). Surveillance systems for Oral and Maxillofacial Injuries have been designed by other countries with some strengths. A study conducted in Victoria, Australia, emphasized that oro-dental trauma data can be combined with injury surveillance data that are routinely collected to improve service planning and the design of oro-dental injury prevention interventions (23). Even though epidemiological data are required for service planning related to dental and oral trauma, it is evident that epidemiological data are limited and have deficiencies in coverage, comprehensiveness, and timeliness in the field of oral and dental injuries (15).
The present injury surveillance system at NDHTSL is not efficient and the collected data are not being analyzed and utilized for decision making and planning at the central level. Therefore, health staff is demotivated and does not participate in the surveillance system (24). Moreover, the current injury surveillance system is not comprehensive with regard to collection of data pertaining to OMF injuries which could be considered as a huge deficiency in this system. Against this backdrop, a strengthened OMF injury surveillance system consisting of complete, accurate, and timely collection, analysis, interpretation, dissemination, and utilization of data for decision making has become a timely need.
NDHTSL is the premier tertiary care public dental hospital in the country where patients with OMF injuries are admitted, referred, and managed, with the mission to be the center of excellence in patient centered care, education, research, and innovation. However, all such endeavors should be evidence-based for optimal outcomes. Therefore, this project aims to strengthen the OMF injury surveillance system at NDHTSL by addressing aforementioned weaknesses of injury surveillance systems.
Mohammad Hossein Kaveh; Shirin Ahmadnia; Mohadeseh Motamed-Jahromi; Fazlollah Ahmadi
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 epidemic in Iran has imposed a heavy social, economic, political, and psychosocial burden and caused devastating social problems. On the other hand, it has also led to promising social cohesion. This study aimed to explore the community-wide changes following the COVID-19 pandemic ...
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Background: COVID-19 epidemic in Iran has imposed a heavy social, economic, political, and psychosocial burden and caused devastating social problems. On the other hand, it has also led to promising social cohesion. This study aimed to explore the community-wide changes following the COVID-19 pandemic and to understand how these changes may affect the Iranian community.Methods: This qualitative study used the grounded theory approach and conducted from May 2020 to March 2021 at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. Adopting a purposive sampling approach, 15 faculty members in different fields participated in this study, and 17 interviews were performed.Results: This study indicated that the core phenomenon in the social change process was “struggling for survival and livelihood”. Therefore, people tried to identify and choose strategies to deal with or repel COVID-19 disease as a life-threatening situation. A set of contextual factors influenced their choice. The media and the performance of organizations as intervening conditions also played an important role in this process. Finally, this complex process led to constructive and destructive outcomes in society.Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic caused various multifaceted social changes in the Iranian community. Some social consequences were constructive and contributed to community development, while others jeopardized community development goals. Therefore, the paradigm model developed in this study can help policymakers and social planners develop programs to promote community health.
Yousef Asli Khalan; Masoud Karimi; Abdolrahim Asadollahi; Mohammad Hossein Kaveh
Abstract
Introduction:
One of the main challenges of Methadone Maintenance treatment (MMT) centers is the patients’ non-adherence to treatment process in tempting situations. This study was conducted to validate the Persian version of one of the valid questionnaires on situational drug use temptation.
Methods: ...
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Introduction:
One of the main challenges of Methadone Maintenance treatment (MMT) centers is the patients’ non-adherence to treatment process in tempting situations. This study was conducted to validate the Persian version of one of the valid questionnaires on situational drug use temptation.
Methods:
A cross‑sectional study was carried out on 150 men referring to MMT centers in Shiraz, Iran, in 2019. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing demographic data and Persian version of drug use temptation questionnaire with 20 items. The content validity was assessed by 15 psychiatrists and health education and promotion experts based on the Lawshe criteria. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach’s alpha. The construct validity was evaluated by exploratory Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS 24 and Amos 24.
Results:
Overall, 141 individuals completed the questionnaire (response rate: 94%). The mean and standard deviation of the participants' age were 37±7. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test of sampling was adequate (KMO 0.913) and the Bartlett test of sphericity was significant (Chi-square 1847.65; p= 0.001). Four factors were extracted and two items were not included in any of the factors. Goodness of fit indices of structural equation model, i.e. Chi2, Chi2/df, and RMSEA were 158.504, 1.22 and 0.04, respectively, which indicated the acceptable fitness of the model.
Conclusion:
The Persian version of the questionnaire of temptation to use drugs is suitable for use among the Iranian population.
Asghar Alahyari Solokloei; Mohammad Ali Baghapuor; Abooalfazl Azhdarpoor; Mohammad Reza Shirdarreh
Abstract
Background:Background: Diclofenac is one of the drug compounds that is known as an emerging contaminant in aqueous solutions. Studies have shown that biological treatment is not sufficient to treat these compounds and new methods such as adsorption should be used to prevent contamination of aquatic environments. ...
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Background:Background: Diclofenac is one of the drug compounds that is known as an emerging contaminant in aqueous solutions. Studies have shown that biological treatment is not sufficient to treat these compounds and new methods such as adsorption should be used to prevent contamination of aquatic environments. One of the native absorbers in this regard is the pumice. This study aimed to investigate the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions using magnesium chloride modified pumice.
Methods: In this experimental study, with a practical approach, the required adsorbent was prepared from pumice. Magnesium chloride was used for pumice modification. The experiments were performed in a closed system at laboratory temperature. In this study, the effect of variables, adsorbent dose, contact time, and pH on diclofenac removal was investigated. Diclofenac was analyzed by KNAUER model HPLC at a wavelength of 254 nm.
Results: Modified pumice by magnesium chloride was able to remove 95.83% of diclofenac (20 mg/l) at a concentration=1 g/l for 15 minutes at pH=5. Comparison of modified and natural pumice performance in 5, 10, 15, 30, 40 minutes with an average of 89.52% of modified pumice removal, compared to 48.15% of natural pumice removal, which was 1.86 times more efficient.
Conclusion: Pumice can be used as a cheap, available, and highly effective adsorbent for the removal of diclofenac from aqueous solutions.
Fernando Almeida
Abstract
Background: The estimation of the real number of COVID-19 infected people is one of the concerns of the governments around the world. In this sense, this study seeks to assess the incidence and fatality of COVID-19 in Europe considering the expected number of the infected cases.
Methods: A quantitative ...
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Background: The estimation of the real number of COVID-19 infected people is one of the concerns of the governments around the world. In this sense, this study seeks to assess the incidence and fatality of COVID-19 in Europe considering the expected number of the infected cases.
Methods: A quantitative exploratory study was performed on the top 10 countries most affected by COVID-19 by 9th June in Europe. Furthermore, this study presents three propagation estimation models of the COVID-19 that help us to understand the real incidence of the pandemic in each country. Each model is briefly explained and applied.
Results: The findings revealed a great heterogeneity of COVID-19 cases and deaths among the countries. The indicator of the number of deaths reveals the greatest disparity between other countries with the United Kingdom, recording about 6 or 7 times more deaths than Russia or Germany. Infection fatality rate (IFR) tends to be a more reliable indicator when analyzing data because it is less dependent on the number of tests performed.
Conclusion: Several estimation models can be used to determine the incidence of COVID-19. However, their results in European countries are still quite asymmetrical although they are more reliable than just looking at the perspective of the number of cases or deaths recorded. The infection fatality rate (IFR) emerges as a more accurate indicator by estimating the expected number of registered cases, which includes asymptomatic cases and patients with mild symptoms that are not known and reported by health authorities.
Mohammad Khammarnia; Mehdi Zanganeh Baygi; Morteza Mooziri; Mohammad Okati; Mostafa Boolaghi; Mehdi Okati; Fatemeh Setoodehzadeh
Abstract
Background: In 2014, Health Transformation Plan (HTP) started in Iranian health system to improve productivity of health organizations. The aim of the present study was to assess the employees’ productivity in health centers after HTP. Methods: This cross-sectional study with analytical approach ...
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Background: In 2014, Health Transformation Plan (HTP) started in Iranian health system to improve productivity of health organizations. The aim of the present study was to assess the employees’ productivity in health centers after HTP. Methods: This cross-sectional study with analytical approach was carried out in Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2018. 150 health workers were selected using census method. Data were collected by Hersey & Goldsmith Workforce Productivity Questionnaire. For the data analysis, descriptive and statistical methods such as Pearson correlation 2-tailed, one-way ANOVA, T-tests and regression model were used. Results: Our findings showed that 96% of health workers were female. Mean score of productivity was 63.8±12.7, which is in the moderate level. Besides, we found a significant negative relationship between productivity and job experience of the employees (P = 0.021, F = 2.975). Conclusion: In this study, productivity was at a moderate level. It seems with better motivation of the staff, there might be an improvement in productivity. Introduction Human resources are considered as fundamental resources and the most important factor for developing any organization. Today, due to the effect of the employees’ efficiency on overall function, many organizations preliminarily focus on increasing the employees’ productivity. European Productivity Agency defines productivity as “the level of using each producing factor properly, which first seems an overview that constantly tries to improve the existing condition” (1-3). Today, the most important factor in community development is increased attention to human productivity, and organizations can only reach their achievement via using human resources because human being defines waste or productivity of physical resources or materials (4). To motivate the employees, who provide high quality cares and help the development of a society, we need to invest on human resources management. Despite this global importance, today, health systems ignore the mentioned fact; as a result, decreased human productivity has become a challenge (5). According to the existing reports, health centers and organizations in Iran, in contrast to industry and business ones, have rarely investigated effective ways of improving the employees’ productivity; also, Iranian human productivity index is weaker than the mean East Asian countries (4). Studies have shown that without long-term, thorough, and evidence-based plan, this goal seems unachievable (6). We should also consider that decreased productivity in health area can lead to decreased quality of life and social security in communities (3). According to a study, the costs that are the result of decreased productivity in health care organizations can be many times more than direct costs of medical conditions (7). This is also important that the human resources productivity in health organizations is more significant than other organizations because these organizations, besides doing their routines, have the ability to face the crisis, too. This area of health is considered as one of the most basic parts of economic development in different countries. In health care organizations, in order to get productivity, we need to take a systemic, local, and practical overview. That is, organizational factors like employees’ motivation, working culture, mental health, right choice of workers, effective leadership, occupational function, and other factors cannot improve productivity individually and they must work as a system. We should also pay attention to reciprocal relationship between these factors. Sufficient organizational structure, effective function, proper work equipment, balanced area, and most importantly professional and effective human resource are necessary to reach adequate productivity (3, 6, 8). On May 5, 2014, a series of reforms has been done in Iranian health system under the title of Health Transformation Plan (HTP), with three main approaches of financial protection of patients, fairness in access to health services, and improvement of the quality of services (9). Because there is a special look at health area in this plan, and absence of proper research on this topic, this study seemed necessary to be conducted. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the employees’ productivity in health centers after HTP. The results of this study can provide required information for health policymakers and managers to improve the human resources productivity and in turn can result in increased quality of service delivery.
Asghar Tanomand; Hossein Safari; Sedigheh Salavati; Ali Soleimani; Arman Latifi
Abstract
Background: The most important way to prevent COVID-19 is to observe health behaviors such as keeping social distance from one another. After getting COVID-19, care-seeking behaviors can affect the severity of the disease. The current study aimed to investigate and compare the communication styles, care-seeking, ...
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Background: The most important way to prevent COVID-19 is to observe health behaviors such as keeping social distance from one another. After getting COVID-19, care-seeking behaviors can affect the severity of the disease. The current study aimed to investigate and compare the communication styles, care-seeking, and health behaviors in patients with COVID-19.Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using a selfadministered questionnaire on patients with COVID-19 in Maragheh in 2020. The study population included 450 people selected using simple random sampling. Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation tests were used to compare communication styles, care-seeking, and health behaviors among outpatients and inpatients with COVID-19. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software.Results: The first place to seek t reatment for outpatients and inpatients with COVID-19 was health centers (28.2%) and hospitals (44.5%), respectively. In terms of communication behaviors, close contact of family members with others at work, getting the disease from close friends or colleagues (45.8%), and having a history of contact with an infected COVID-19 person (43.5%) were the most reported items by outpatients. On the other hand, hospitalized cases reported close contact of family members with others at work (62.4%), attending physicians’ offices (43.8%), and attending gatherings (41.2%) more than other communication behaviors (P<0.0001).Conclusion: Care-seeking behavior is more appropriate among outpatients than inpatients, and preventive behaviors are more stable in outpatients than inpatients. Therefore, health education interventions in the community should focus on correcting careseeking behaviors and promoting good social communications.
Hamed Delam; Ahmadreza Eidi
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19), which originated in December 2019, on January 30, 2020 was declared by the World Health Organization as the sixth public health emergency from international concerns [1]. Since the onset of the disease in late 2019 to mid-June 2020, more than 8.5 million people ...
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19), which originated in December 2019, on January 30, 2020 was declared by the World Health Organization as the sixth public health emergency from international concerns [1]. Since the onset of the disease in late 2019 to mid-June 2020, more than 8.5 million people around the world have been infected with COVID 19. Of these, more than 450,000 have died [2]. So far, six species of human coronavirus have been identified, most of which , like SARS in 2002 and MERS in 2012, cause mild respiratory illness [3]. During the spread of COVID 19 worldwide, people use social media to receive and exchange information [4]. With the advent of smartphones, widespread access to the Internet, and the availability of instant messaging applications, it has become clear that these communications can have numerous benefits for healthcare providers as well. WhatsApp is one of the instant messaging applications that is widely used in healthcare and is, therefore, a popular app [5]; it has about 1.5 billion users worldwide [6]. WhatsApp is compatible with all smartphone operating systems such as iPhone, Android, Windows phone [7]. This messenger allows its users to easily share text and video messages as well as media files and content with other users. A,lso group chats and the participation of several users in calls for conversation are easily available in this messenger. WhatsApp communications can be done easily and internationally. WhatsApp is available for everyone for an annual subscription fee of $0.99 [6, 8]. In addition to major changes in people's daily lifestyles, social media has improved communication between patients and professionals by establishing fast multimedia communication, health education, social support, and better health decisions, so that WhatsApp has been used in cases such as drug therapy problems, drug and dietary supplements, emotional changes, lifestyle habits, social rights, physical symptoms, commitment to treatment, medical emergencies, oral health promotion and issues of dentistry [9]. According to a study by Kurubaran Ganasegeran et al., most health system employees understand the use of WhatsApp in health and clinical matters, and it has been observed that these messengers in clinical departments (approximately 61% of employees), clinics (about 60%), operating room (56%) and when calling the treatment staff (approximately 55%) have been used [8]. The World Health Organization also defines mobile (wireless) health as public health, supported by wireless devices such as mobile phones, monitoring devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other wireless devices [10]. Given the prevalence of COVID 19 worldwide and the risk to all individuals, the use of WhatsApp Messenger to inform the latest announcements of the World Health Organization, public and regional health centers, health professionals, and researchers can have a significant impact on public health. The messenger can also be used to effectively communicate with members of the medical staff to resolve the questions and rumors, and avoid frequent visits to health centers that are high-risk areas. WhatsApp can also be contacted by friends and acquaintances using voice and video calls, which can probably reduce the psychological pressure of the quarantine and isolation to some extent.
Tayebe Piri; Sara Saeidi
Abstract
Background: One of the main indications for cognitive behavioral treatment is eating disorders (CBT). This study examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on communication skills and eating disorders among high school adolescents.Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental ...
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Background: One of the main indications for cognitive behavioral treatment is eating disorders (CBT). This study examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on communication skills and eating disorders among high school adolescents.Methods: The present study employed a quasi-experimental design composed of a pre-test and post-test design in experimental and control groups. A total of 40 students were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups through a multistage cluster sampling method. Cognitivebehavioral therapy was performed in nine 60-minute sessions for the experimental group, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Queendom’s Communication Skills Test-Revised Inventory (2004) and Garner’s Eating Disorders Questionnaire (Garner, 1979) were used to collect data. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 24.0 software for Windows (SPSS Inc.), and p Results: The Mean±SD of communication skills in the Case group in pre-test and post-test were as follows:75.15±6.67, 81.75±6.04. The Mean±SD of Eating Disorders in the Case group in pre-test and post-test were as follows:36.5±1.71, 36.95±3.44 The results obtained from the analysis of covariance showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy had a significant effect on communication skills and eating disorders (P=0.01). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy can be adopted as a suitable method of improving communication skills and the treatment of eating disorders in adolescent students
Ali Ojaghi; Ebrahim Fataei; Siamak Gharibi Asl; Ali Akbar Imani
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to provide a suitable system for disposal of hospital waste and design and construction of a safe device for infectious waste using a combination of chemical and mechanical methods.
Methods: This research is a laboratory study and based on the existing problems, ...
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Background: The aim of this study was to provide a suitable system for disposal of hospital waste and design and construction of a safe device for infectious waste using a combination of chemical and mechanical methods.
Methods: This research is a laboratory study and based on the existing problems, design and construction of a decontamination device for hospital infectious waste was performed by combination of chemical and mechanical methods in a closed reactor. To determine the appropriate mixture of different compounds of sodium hydroxide with lime and sodium carbonate with lime, three treatments were selected and used.
Results: The results of this study showed that the decontamination waste device by chemical and mechanical methods was effective in eliminating 98% of bacterial, fungal, and viral contaminants. The results showed that the neutralization rate for total bacterial contamination of the coliform, pathogenic viruses, Escherichia, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella, and Shigella using a 30% ratio was related to the chemical composition of lime and sodium hydroxide, lime and sodium carbonate, respectively. In the designed device, the best temperature, humidity and pH conditions were determined to be 15°C, 45% and 12.8, respectively.
Conclusion: The results of the decontaminated waste tests revealed that the simultaneous application of physical and chemical methods can be used as a safe and suitable alternative in infectious waste disposal systems.
Hamed Delam; Safoura Izanloo
Abstract
In December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China led to its spread around the world and became one of the major international concerns (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 has become a global health concern and causes severe respiratory infections ...
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In December 2019, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China led to its spread around the world and became one of the major international concerns (1). The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 has become a global health concern and causes severe respiratory infections in humans (1, 2). Human-to-human transmission has been described through droplets, and contaminated hands and surfaces. Early diagnosis, quarantine, and supportive care are essential in treating the patients (1). With the spread of COVID 19 worldwide (3) and also because of the lack of specific antiviral treatment and clinical pressure of treatment, thousands of severe cases of the disease die every day in the world (4). COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of social life, including mental health and physical health(5), and the direct and indirect psychological and social effects of COVID-19 epidemic disease are now apparent. It can affect the mental health now and in future (5). Concerns such as fear of death are increasing among patients in epidemics(6). By forcing several directives, including house arrests and quarantine, to deal with the spread of the virus, patients, health professionals, and the general public are under unbearable psychological pressure. COVID-19 appears to be a serious mental health challenge(7, 8). Some groups, such as the elderly, may be more vulnerable than others(9). The world's growing elderly population highlights the need to pay more attention to the psychological problems of the elderly, such as death anxiety(10). One of the important issues of the elderly health is its psychological dimension, which requires special attention and prevention of disorders such as anxiety(10). Anxiety is one of the most common psychological problems in old age because people face all kinds of deficiencies and disabilities at this stage of life. Studies show that older people are more likely to be anxious because of low self-esteem, reduced activity and movement, loss of friends, reduced financial and physical independence, and chronic illness. Their most common anxiety is death anxiety(11). Death anxiety is a natural experience, and having a low degree of death anxiety throughout life is necessary to lead us to positive activities, but high abnormal death anxiety may lead to incompatibility. Such anxiety exacerbates the stressful situations and creates feelings of emptiness and frustration about life(12). The elderly people face various life challenges day by day that is inevitable. Approaching death and anxiety about death is one of the topics discussed in the elderly health. On the other hand, since home quarantine is known to be the best way to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely that stress, including death anxiety, increases in people, especially the elderly.
Fariba Zarei; Reza Jahankhah; Nourallah Najafi; Rezvan Ravanfar; Maryam Rezaee; Soroor Raiskarimi; Sahar Soltanabadi; Hamid Aria
Abstract
Background: The current study was carried out to analyze the clinical, laboratory, and computed tomography (CT) findings obtained from both groups of patients, i.e., those who died or recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted on 71 ...
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Background: The current study was carried out to analyze the clinical, laboratory, and computed tomography (CT) findings obtained from both groups of patients, i.e., those who died or recovered from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Methods: This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted on 71 adult patients with COVID-19 who had been discharged or died. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and CT features were obtained from electronic medical records and compared between deceased and survived patients.Results: Seventy-one patients (40 men, 31 women, 23–98 years) were included in the study. The mean age of deceased patients (70.77±17.36 years) was significantly higher than recovered ones (49.68±16.25 years) (P<0.001). Cough and neurological signs (a lateralizing sign of focal neurological insult) were shown to be significantly different between survived and non-survived groups (P=0.008 and P<0.001, respectively). Leukocytosis was present in 15 (41.7%) patients who died and 5 (14.3%) patients who were discharged (P=0.01). Hemoglobin and O2 saturation were significantly lower in patients who died than in recovered ones (P<0.001 and P=0.001, respectively). A significantly higher level of CRP was found in deceased infected patients compared to recovered ones (P=0.001). Crazy-paving pattern and consolidation were significantly higher in patients who died than in recovered subjects (P<0.001).Conclusion: Patients’ manifestations on admission, such as older age, cough, leukocytosis, low levels of hemoglobin and O2 saturation, as well as the occurrence of crazy-paving patterns and consolidation, were predictive of poor outcomes.
