Left-Handedness in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Nationwide Survey of U.S. Trainees and Educators

Author(s):  
Christopher P. Moutos ◽  
Daphne D. Arena Goncharov ◽  
Antonio F. Saad ◽  
Gwyn Richardson ◽  
Sangeeta Jain

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the views and influence of left-handedness among obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) trainees and educators and to identify perceived obstacles in training by left-handed (LH) trainees. Study Design An online survey was sent to the U.S. Obstetrics and Gynecology training programs. All participants were asked questions on hand preference for various medical and nonmedical activities, as well as on demographics. Participant responses to handedness and their role as a learner or educator directed them toward further questions. Trainees were surveyed on their experience and outlook as a LH physician in OBGYN. Educators were surveyed on their experience and attitudes in working with LH trainees. LH educators were also surveyed on their experience as a LH physician, similar to the LH trainees. Chi-square or Fisher's exact analysis was used as appropriate, with p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results Responses were received from 21 training programs, totaling 304 individuals. Participants included 205 learners (156 right handed and 49 left handed), and 99 faculty (82 right handed and 17 left handed). A lack of LH surgical instrument availability (93.6%) and difficulty using right-handed (RH) instruments (83%) were notable obstacles reported by LH learners. The majority of LH learners (57.4%) did not consider their handedness to be disadvantageous but did note added difficulty when training under RH mentors when compared with training under LH mentors (66%). In contrast to LH educators, RH educators endorsed added difficulty in instructing operative procedures to LH learners (32.1 vs. 13.3%, p = 0.012). Conclusion LH trainees face unique challenges during their OBGYN training. Educators would benefit from guidance on how best to manage these trainees. Educators should work to adapt surgical and procedural techniques to accommodate LH trainees. Key Points

Author(s):  
Kanmodi Kehinde

Context: The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in healthcare had historically lagged behind when compared to other industries. Despite the benefits of adopting ICT in healthcare, many healthcare practitioners (particularly in developing countries) are yet to incorporate ICT into their practice or engage in ICT training as part of their continuing professional education (CPE). Aims: This study aims to examine healthcare practitioners on their level of exposure to ICT-related course/degree; perceived relevance of digital technologies in healthcare; opinions on the introduction of ICT in CPE programs; and recommendations on the frequency of participation in ICT-oriented training programs by health workers. Settings and Design: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional online survey of healthcare practitioners on social media. Methods and Material: This study surveyed a total of 216 healthcare practitioners using an e-questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 22 software. The frequency distribution of all variables was determined. Chi square test was used to compare relationships among all variables with a p-value of <0.05 set to determine the level of statistical significance. Results: Majority (90.7%) of the respondents were from developing countries. Only 36.1% of the respondents had ever taken/obtained a course/degree related to ICT; 92.1% were of the opinion that ICT-oriented courses should have CPE points; and 42.1% recommended that healthcare workers should participate in ICT-oriented courses annually. However, there exist statistically significant differences between respondents’ history of engagement in an academic program related to ICT and their opinions about the digital future of healthcare; and enthusiasms toward using and/or promoting digital healthcare strategies (p-values<0.05). Conclusion: There is a need to introduce ICT-related courses into CPE programs of healthcare practitioners, more especially in the developing countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S214-S214 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kobylinska ◽  
C.G. Anghel ◽  
I. Mihailescu ◽  
F. Rad ◽  
I. Dobrescu

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have a less definitive hand preference for certain actions as opposed to neurotypical children. Moreover, left-handedness in children with ASD has been associated with more echolalia. The objective was to conduct a screening of potential risk and associated features for autism spectrum disorders, among which the hand preference of the child. The current aim is to compare the perceived handedness of children with autism spectrum disorders with that of children with other psychiatric pathologies.MethodsEight hundred and forty-two parents completed our risk and associated features screening questionnaire. Out of these, 494 answered the question regarding handedness (209 had children diagnosed with ASD). This asked the parents to state how they perceived their child's handedness. An ADOS assessment has been conducted for 170 of the children whose parents were included in the study, based on clinical relevance for the case. The data were analysed using Excel and SPSS 22.0. For the comparisons, Chi2 and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used.ResultsChildren with ASD had more left-handedness (χ2(2) = 12.54, P = 0.002). There were no differences between boys and girls in terms of perceived handedness in any of the groups. There were no differences in the ADOS scores according to the perceived hand laterality (χ2(2) = 0.58, P = 0.74).ConclusionRightward-asymmetry in regions of corpus callosum has been reported to correlate with symptoms severity in ASD. The finding of different perceived handedness in children with ASD versus children with other psychiatric pathologies is useful for designing appropriate, individualized training programs for motor therapy.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mo Zheng ◽  
Catherine McBride ◽  
Connie Suk-Han Ho ◽  
Jonathan Ka-Chun Chan ◽  
Kwong Wai Choy ◽  
...  

Left-Handedness prevalence has been consistently reported at around 10% with heritability estimates at around 25%. Higher left-handedness prevalence has been reported in males and in twins. Lower prevalence has been reported in Asia, but it remains unclear whether this is due to biological or cultural factors. Most studies are based on samples with European ethnicities and using the preferred hand for writing as the key assessment. Here, we investigated handedness in a sample of Chinese school children in Hong Kong, including 426 singletons and 205 pairs of twins, using both the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory and Pegboard Task. Based on a binary definition of writing hand, we found a higher prevalence of left-handedness (8%) than what was previously reported in Asian datasets. We found no evidence of increased left-handedness in twins, but our results were in line with previous findings showing that males have a higher tendency to be left-handed than females. Heritability was similar for both hand preference (21%) and laterality indexes (22%). However, these two handedness measures present only a moderate correlation (.42) and appear to be underpinned by different genetic factors. In summary, we report new reference data for an ethnic group usually underrepresented in the literature. Our heritability analysis supports the idea that different measures will capture different components of handedness and, as a consequence, datasets assessed with heterogeneous criteria are not easily combined or compared.


Author(s):  
T. K. Hariprasath ◽  
Palati Sinduja ◽  
R. Priyadharshini

Introduction: Palatine Tonsils are paired lymph node organs located on each side of the back of your throat. They function as a defense mechanism and help prevent body from getting an infection. When tonsils become infected, the condition is called tonsillitis. Aim: This article aims to know the knowledge and awareness of dental students on Tonsillitis diseases. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire of 16 questions was created and entered in the online survey creator ‘Google Forms’ and shared among each student of about 100 individually and privately and data were collected subject to statistical analysis using SPSS software. Statistical tests used were descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. A P-value less than 0.05 will be  considered statistically significant. Results and Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that Third-year students more aware of symptoms of tonsillitis 20%, complications of tonsillitis 20% and symptoms associated with strep throat 18% than students of other year and they need an effective education and awareness campaign to increase their knowledge and awareness on Tonsillitis.


Author(s):  
Simon Bernatz ◽  
Saif Afat ◽  
Ahmed E. Othman ◽  
Konstantin Nikolaou ◽  
Malte Sieren ◽  
...  

Objectives To find out the opinion of radiological inpatient and outpatient medical staff regarding the measures taken in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic during the first and second waves and to identify the measures that are still perceived as needing improvement. Materials and Methods We conducted an anonymous online survey among more than 10 000 radiologists/technicians in Germany from January 5 to January 31, 2021. A total of 862 responses (head physicians, n = 225 [inpatient doctors, n = 138; outpatient doctors, n = 84; N/A, n = 3]; radiologic personnel, n = 637 [inpatient doctor, n = 303; outpatient doctor, n = 50; inpatient technician, n = 217; outpatient technician, n = 26; N/A, n = 41]) were received. Questions of approximation, yes/no questions, and Likert scales were used. Results During the first/second wave, 70 % (86/123)/43 % (45/104) of inpatient and 26 % (17/66)/10 % (5/52) of outpatient head physicians agreed that they received financial support from the authorities but the majority rated the financial support as insufficient. During the first and second wave, 33 % (8/24) and 80 % (16/20) of outpatient technicians agreed that they were adequately provided with personal protective equipment. The perceived lack of personal protective equipment improved for all participants during the second wave. Inpatient [outpatient] technicians perceived an increased workload in the first and second wave: 72 % (142/198) [79 % (19/24)] and 84 % (146/174) [80 % (16/20)]. Conclusion: Technicians seem increasingly negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Financial support by the competent authorities seems to be in need of improvement. Key Points:  Citation Format


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balsam Qubais ◽  
Rula mudhafar Al-Shahrabi ◽  
Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa

Background: Since the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a worldwide pandemic, as the Iraqi authorities have started responding and taking action to control the spread of the pandemic. The knowledge and practices of the public play an important role in curbing the spreading of the virus by following the health guidelines. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic correlate of knowledge and practices of Iraqi living in Mosul-Iraq towards novel coronavirus during its rapid rise. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 909 participants was conducted among Mosul-Iraq between 20th June to 1st July 2020. The survey included three parts: 1) socio-demographic characteristics, 2) participants' knowledge, 3) participants' practices. T-test, ANOVA, chi-square, and binary logistic regression were used. A p-value less than 0.05 (p < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. Results: The results showed knowledge and practice mean score of (12.91\1.67) and (21.56\2.92) with cumulative knowledge and practice of 86% and 76% respectively towards 2019-nCoV. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, marital status, gender, level of education and employment were statistically related with a higher mean score of knowledge and practice towards the virus as P<0.05. Conclusions: We concluded that the majority of the respondents demonstrate a high level of knowledge and practices towards 2019-nCoV except respondents with socio-demographic characteristics such as those who were younger, male respondents, those with lower education and those unemployed as such campaigns that will increase the knowledge and encourage adequate preventive practice towards 2019-nCoV should be targeted towards this group.


2008 ◽  
Vol 364 (1519) ◽  
pp. 881-894 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Llaurens ◽  
M Raymond ◽  
C Faurie

Since prehistoric times, left-handed individuals have been ubiquitous in human populations, exhibiting geographical frequency variations. Evolutionary explanations have been proposed for the persistence of the handedness polymorphism. Left-handedness could be favoured by negative frequency-dependent selection. Data have suggested that left-handedness, as the rare hand preference, could represent an important strategic advantage in fighting interactions. However, the fact that left-handedness occurs at a low frequency indicates that some evolutionary costs could be associated with left-handedness. Overall, the evolutionary dynamics of this polymorphism are not fully understood. Here, we review the abundant literature available regarding the possible mechanisms and consequences of left-handedness. We point out that hand preference is heritable, and report how hand preference is influenced by genetic, hormonal, developmental and cultural factors. We review the available information on potential fitness costs and benefits acting as selective forces on the proportion of left-handers. Thus, evolutionary perspectives on the persistence of this polymorphism in humans are gathered for the first time, highlighting the necessity for an assessment of fitness differences between right- and left-handers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-476
Author(s):  
Abd. Gani Baeda ◽  
Muhdar Muhdar ◽  
Grace Tedy Tulak ◽  
Rosani Naim ◽  
Rosmiati Rosmiati ◽  
...  

COVID-19 has become a frightening pandemic and has spread throughout theworld with an unprecedentedly high death rate. Community compliance withgovernment appeals must be accompanied by knowledge, attitudes, and practicesin dealing with this epidemic. This study aims to investigate the Knowledge,Attitude, and Practice of Kolaka residents against the COVID-19 outbreak. Thisresearch is descriptive-analytic with a Cross-Sectional approach. The sample usedin this study were 1,010 respondents aged 17 to 65 years, having gmail and y-mail accounts, mastering the internet became the criteria for respondentinclusion in this study. The questionnaire used was the adoption of previousstudies and modified according to conditions. Data were analyzed bivariate usingthe Chi-Square test with standard p-value&lt;0.05. The results obtained showed thatthe Kolaka community had good knowledge (49.6%), a confident attitude ofcontrolling the plague (70.4%), and had a high level of vigilance (79.6%) towardsCOVID-19. There is a relationship between knowledge with practice p-value=0.000, while attitude has no relationship with practice with p-value=0.862.The massive dissemination of information through existing media has greatlyhelped the community increase their knowledge of COVID-19, which will furthersupport the formation of a confident attitude to control this disease and increasevigilance in their daily life practices during this pandemic.


Author(s):  
J. D. Monesh Babu ◽  
Jothi Priya ◽  
Gayathri Devi

Lemongrass tea can be utilized to treat fever, cold and stomach upset. The tea has diuretic properties and water maintenance, making it accommodating individuals with hypertension. The tea can likewise assist with forestalling typhoid fever, malignant growth and obscuring of vision. It can assist with mitigating menstrual issues and sickness. The tea can assist with bringing down cholesterol levels. A total of 200 college students were involved in the study. Self administered questionnaire related to the impact on the impact of lemongrass tea on oral health along with sociodemographic details was prepared and it was distributed through an online survey link. Chi square analysis was used for inferential statistics. 66% of the participants have tasted lemongrass tea, only 34% of the participants have not tasted lemongrass tea. 28% of male and 38% of female participants have tasted lemongrass tea. More females have tasted lemongrass tea than males. There was a significant correlation between gender and participants who have tasted lemongrass tea with p value-0.003(<0.05) which was statistically significant. Majority of the participants (81.0%) were aware that drinking lemongrass tea prevents oral diseases. Lemon grass helps to prevent the growth of bacteria which causes plaque formation. By drinking lemon grass tea we can prevent most of the oral diseases. In the present study, the knowledge and awareness on the effect of lemon grass tea on oral health was satisfactory.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Athiya Fadlina ◽  
Judhiastuty Februhartanty ◽  
Saptawati Bardosono

<p>Appropriate complementary feeding practices must be sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic for optimal growth and development of a child. However, the studies assessing factors associated with complementary feeding practices during COVID-19 are still limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate maternal attributes and minimum acceptable diet (MAD) of 6-11-month-old children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. This study was part of the “COVID-19 Mom-Infant Study” and was conducted in all regions of Indonesia using an online survey. Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was performed to examine the relationship between MAD and maternal attributes, with a significant level at p-value &lt;0.05. From a total of 262 data collected, 74%, 77.1%, 94.3% of the children aged 6-11 months have met MAD, MDD (minimum dietary diversity), and MMF (minimum meal frequency), respectively. Mother’s education level (OR= 3.625; 95%CI [1.805 – 7.280]) and working status (OR= 2.197; 95%CI [1.291 – 3.895] were found associated with child’s MAD. One-third of children did not receive the recommended infant and young children feeding practices. Conducting nutrition interventions to mothers with lower education and not working should be a priority under these circumstances.</p>


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