Burnout and Well-Being Among Medical Professionals in China: A National Cross-Sectional Study

ObjectiveTo determine the profile of Chinese medical professionals with burnout symptoms at the national level and identify the association between capability well-being and burnout.Design and SettingA cross-sectional study in a nonrandom national sample of medical staff from 6 provinces across western, central and eastern China.ParticipantsPhysicians, medical laboratory scientists, nurses, and general practitioners aged 18 years or above who submitted a completed online questionnaire from June 2019 to January 2020 successfully (N = 25,120).Main Outcome MeasuresThe prevalence of burnout symptoms was assessed by the 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), which consists of three domains: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal achievement (PA). The overall high burnout was defined as EE score ≥27 or DP score ≥10. The capability well-being was measured by the Investigating Choice Experiments Capability Measure for Adults (ICECAP-A) and the overall ICECAP-A score was calculated using the UK value set, ranging from a score of 0–1. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the association between well-being and the overall high burnout.ResultsAmong the 25,120 participants, 60.8% of the participants reported at least one symptom of burnout, whereas 11.2% reported all three symptoms of burnout. In the adjusted model, ICECAP-A score was independently associated with high burnout (AOR = 0.018, 95% CI = 0.015–0.022). Medical staff who were males, with shorter working years, working in tertiary hospitals, and those with the specialties of psychiatry, intensive care, emergency medicine, internal medicine, oncology, and pediatrics were at higher risk of reporting burnout symptoms.ConclusionThe burnout symptoms were relatively common among Chinese medical staff and they were found to be independently associated with capability well-being in health professionals. Interventions should be enhanced on vulnerable groups to reduce burnout and promote well-being in future studies.

Using Gagne’s instructional design to teach communication skills in phlebotomy education through role-play

Background: Phlebotomy is a medical procedure that is performed frequently in the blood collection activities of medical institutions. The procedure involves close interaction with different types of patients—some of whom are cooperative and others, who, for many reasons, are not (for example, patients who have a fear of needles). Blood extraction is an essential skill in several medical specialties, such as in laboratory sciences. Lesson planning in phlebotomy education is mainly focused on procedural skills, and very little attention is given towards teaching communication skills despite the close patient interaction in phlebotomy. In this paper, I propose a lesson plan for teaching communication skills to medical laboratory sciences and nursing students based on Gagne’s instructional design. Methods: The training session included two main parts: training session using Gange’s instructional design and at the end of the session, the participants were surveyed for the effectiveness of the training session. Results: 17 participants were included in the study. Overall, the majority of the participants were highly satisfied with the effectiveness of the training session in teaching communication skills with all seven survey questions receiving a mean score of 4.58 on a Likert scale of 1-5. Conclusion: We demonstrated the effectiveness of Gange’s instructional beyond theoretical lesson planning to teach communication skills through role-play in phlebotomy education.

Establishing laboratory-specific reference intervals for TSH and fT4 by use of the indirect Hoffman method

Background The results of examinations of laboratory parameters are the basis of appropriate medical decisions. The availability of reliable and accurate reference intervals (RIs) for each laboratory parameter is an integral part of its appropriate interpretation. Each medical laboratory should confirm their RIs. Up-to-date reference intervals for thyroid function hormones are still a matter of ongoing controversy. The aim of the study was the application of the indirect Hoffman method to determine RIs for TSH and fT4 based on the large data pools stored in laboratory information systems and the comparison of these RIs to generally used RIs. Material and methods The TSH and fT4 routine examination results of hospitalized and outpatient populations were collected over five years (2015–2019), and reference limits were established by the improved Hoffmann method after the exclusion of outliers. Comparative verification of established RIs was conducted with the RIs values provided by test manufacturers and literature data. Results Various RIs were observed in different age groups in the examined populations. For TSH, RIs varied between different age groups, with a narrower range of RIs in the studied adult population and a shift of both reference boundaries toward higher values in comparison to manufacturers’ data among children. RIs estimated for fT4 were very similar to the manufacturer and literature data. Conclusion Thyroid hormone levels change during a person’s lifetime and vary between sexes, but this difference does not always influence the clinical interpretation of laboratory results in the context of RIs. The use of indirect methods is justified due to the ease and low cost of their application.

Pemanfaatan Limbah Minyak Jelantah Menjadi Sabun Padat

Used cooking oil contains compounds that are carcinogenic which pose a risk to human health. Waste cooking oil is also at risk for areas where used cooking oil is disposed, for example into sewers or into the ground. This can contaminate soil and water, thereby endangering humans or the surrounding environment. Therefore, serious action is needed on the use of used cooking oil waste so that it can be utilized optimally as a staple in the soap processing process. Through community service activities which are one of the implementations of the Tridharma of Politeknik Kesehatan Muhammadiyah Makassar Study Program of Medical Laboratory Technology, then education is carried out in the form of counseling to the taklim assembly team at the Al-Hidayah Perumnas Antang Makassar Mosque regarding the use of used cooking oil into solid laundry soap. From this community service activity, it can be concluded that the knowledge of the taklim team at the Al-Hidayah Mosque in Manggala Village, Manggala District, Makassar City regarding the dangers of used cooking oil waste for health and how to process used cooking oil into solid soap.

Pengaruh Keadilan Organisasional Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan Dimediasi LMX (Leader-Member Exchange) Dilihat dari Aspek Gender

The purpose of this article is to examine the mediating role of leader-member exchange in the relationship between organizational justice and employee performance in terms of gender. This article focuses on ATLM (Medical Laboratory Technologist) regarding organizational justice practices and the Leader-Member Exchange relationship and how these perceptions predict employee performance and how it affects employee gender. The sample used was 191 ATLM in type C hospitals in the D.I. Yogyakarta and Central Java. The results of this study will help ATLM to foster greater employee value and teamwork among employees by implementing organizational justice practices.

Lipid Profile in Patients with Lichen Planus in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Lichen planus is an immune mediated disease that affects the skin and the mucous membranes. Although the etiology and pathogenesis are not fully understood, it is believed that lichen planus represents a T-cell-mediated inflammatory disorder which produces disturbances of lipid metabolism. Materials and Methods: Patients with the clinical diagnosis of lichen planus were included in the study after taking informed written consent. In total 40 patients were included in the study. Serum lipid profile was performed in the medical laboratory of Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital. Results: Out of 40 patients, 13(32.5%) patients had dyslipidemia. Overall dyslipidemia was seen more in female patients (53.8%) than in male patients (46.2%). In our study, hypertrophic (32.5%) followed by eruptive (27%) and mucosal (25%) lichen planus were the most common variant. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that about one-third of lichen planus patients showed deranged lipid levels in blood so for patients presenting with lichen planus physicians should consider screening them for dyslipidemia.

Preanalytical phase for transfusion medicine and blood bank laboratory – tasks to complete

Background: This review describes and evaluates the most relevant preanalytical errors and their impact on subsequent laboratory diagnostics. Quality management for laboratory processes remains extremely important, despite current advancements in information technologies and fully automated routine procedures. Methods: This review is focused on specific preanalytical requirements for the blood bank and transfusion laboratory. Conclusions are done based on literature review. Results: Human errors, or lack of procedures, continue to be the cause of many errors within laboratory processes. The medical laboratory needs an impetus and stipulation to improve processes, to help eliminate errors, and meet regulatory guidelines. Conclusions: General preanalytical rules exist for clinical and research laboratories but differences in laboratory specialty and provided services influence compliance

Insulin resistance in the ХХІ century: multimodal approach to assessing causes and effective correction

In a broad sense, insulin resistance (IR) is the impairment of the biological response of target tissues to insulin stimulation. IR plays a leading role in the development of metabolic syndrome, the global prevalence of which continues to grow, despite the significant efforts of medical systems. The multicomponent nature of metabolic syndrome implies its complex and heterogeneous pathogenesis, knowledge about which is annually updated with new details as a result of scientific research.This review systematizes the results of recent studies on risk factors and pathogenetic links in the development of IR, prospects and existing experience of using these data in clinical practice with an emphasis on assessing the level of melatonin and vitamin D. The issue of timely and reliable laboratory confirmation of IR is relevant not only for endocrinologists, but also for specialists in almost all areas. In clinical use apart from indirect methods of IR-assessment like HOMA-IR, there is an informative test intact proinsulin.Recently, the increasing attention of researchers is attracted by such factors of the development of IR as vitamin D deficiency and disturbances in chrono- and biorhythms. Today, their role in the pathogenesis of IR can be considered proven, which makes it possible to consider vitamin D and melatonin as therapeutic agents in an integrated approach to the prevention and correction of IR. Statistical analysis of the research results of the “DILA” Medical Laboratory and clinical data provided by the Department of Endocrinology of the O.O. Bogomolets National Medical University also showed an association of vitamin D and melatonin levels with IR.Thus, a review of scientific sources over the last 5 years clearly demonstrates the growing urgency of the problem of IR and metabolic syndrome, the need to reconsider their management from assessing traditional etiopathogenetic factors (alimentary) to taking into account the maximum spectrum of genetic aspects and exogenous impacts. An important place among the latter belongs to an objective assessment of the vitamin D and melatonin levels for adequate pharmacological correction.