scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Pakistani dentists: a nationwide cross sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramsha Kamran ◽  
Kiran Saba ◽  
Saima Azam

Abstract Background The COVID-19 outbreak which developed into a public health crisis has raised concerns regarding infection control among health care workers particularly dentists all over the world. The aim of this survey was to assess awareness, fear and compliance with practice modification according to CDC guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic among Pakistani dentists. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed on Google Forms and was distributed among all seven regions of Pakistan through social media and WhatsApp after carrying out the reliability analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. Question wise analysis using frequencies and percentages was done. Pearson correlation and Kruskal Wallis test was applied to check association of awareness level with qualification and workplace setting. Results A total of 313 dentists participated and submitted the form online from all regions of Pakistan. The response rate was quite satisfactory as Pakistan was under an official lockdown and most of the hospitals/clinics were either closed or operating with minimum staff. Most of the dentists were well aware of the CDC guidelines. However, 75% of the dentists were afraid of getting infected and 88% of them were anxious while providing treatment. Sixty-eight percent of them were avoiding aerosol generating procedures and only 28% were using rubber dam isolation. Regional analysis was also done and areas of poor compliance were identified. Only 38.5% dentists in Balochistan were using N95 masks and none of the dentists (0%) were using rubber dam isolation. A large number of dentists (80.9%) were afraid and wanted to close their dental practice in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Furthermore, a positive correlation was seen between the designation and awareness level (p = 0.01). Similarly, significant correlation (p = 0.03) was seen between qualification and workplace setting. Conclusion The results of the study can help devise strategies to ensure adherence with infection control guidelines in regions with poor compliance. Initiation of awareness programs to help overcome fear and train the faculty and staff in the targeted areas would greatly contribute towards reducing the spread of infection and thus lowering the healthcare burden in a third world country like Pakistan.

Author(s):  
Ebraheem Albazee ◽  
Mohammad Alnifise ◽  
Lina Almahmoud ◽  
Ahmed Alsaeedi ◽  
Mohammed Al-balawi ◽  
...  

Objective: Performing basic life support (BLS) in patients with cardiopulmonary arrest decreases mortality and morbidity. In addition, BLS knowledge is a prerequisite for medical graduation. The present study was conducted to determine the awareness level of undergraduate medical students in Jordan regarding BLS and background knowledge. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 17 April 2021 and 12 May 2021. A validated questionnaire was used as an online Google form and was posted in all medical student groups and Jordanian universities through various social medias. We categorized level of awareness into two groups: adequate awareness for those who got 60% or more, and inadequate awareness for those who got less than 60% in BLS test. Chi-square test was used to compare different variables. Results: A total of 886 students with a mean age of 21.5 (± 2.2) years completed the survey, including 552 females (62.3%). Among participated students, only 281 (31.7%) had adequate awareness, whereas 605 (68.3%) had inadequate awareness, with a mean score of 10 (± 3.8) out of 20. Surprisingly, there was no statistically significant correlation (P=0.210) between grade point average (GPA) and awareness level among participated students. On the contrary, we detected statistically significant relationships (P<0.001) between various variables and awareness level. Conclusion: Overall, we found that awareness of BLS among medical students in Jordan is not adequate. We can improve the awareness of medical students in this regard through obligating them to educate the general population, especially school students, as a volunteer campaign.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S303-S304
Author(s):  
Syed Muhammad Jawad Zaidi ◽  
Muhammad Hamza ◽  
Raja Adnan Ahmed ◽  
Mishal Fatima ◽  
Hassan Nadeem ◽  
...  

AimsThe increasing burden of mental disorders coupled with the social stigmatization in Pakistan is an immense barrier in combating the emerging mental health crisis. The low number of qualified psychiatrists and poor intake in post-graduate psychiatry training programs in the region further complicates the problem. Thus, our study aims to assess the attitudes of Pakistani medical students towards psychiatry. Furthermore, we also aim to evaluate how experience and different levels of exposure to psychiatry among students affect their attitudes towards psychiatry as a career choice.MethodThis cross-sectional study was conducted via an online survey made on Google Forms. A total of 831 medical students studying across various private and public medical institutions of Pakistan responded to the survey. The questionnaire comprised of demographical details (gender, age, institution, and academic year) exposure to psychiatry, duration of psychiatry rotation, and personal experience with mental illness. The attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry were evaluated using the English version of the 30-item Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP-30) scale. Chi-square test and multiple regression with backward method were used to analyze the data.ResultThe Cronbach's alpha value of the ATP-30 scale was 0.830. The participants in our study had a mean score of 107.6 ± 12 on ATP-30. Overall, most participants had a positive attitude towards psychiatry. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant model pertaining to predictors of attitude toward psychiatry (F (df) = 11.28 (830), P < 0.001). However, the predictors included in the model accounted for only 5.8% of the variation in ATP-30 scores. According to it, those students had a more positive attitude toward psychiatry who identified as female, older and having any sort of exposure toward psychiatric specialty, direct involvement in psychiatric patient care, and reporting personal experience of mental illnesses.ConclusionOur study showed that medical students had a positive attitude towards psychiatry but female medical students, students with previous exposure to psychiatry, and students with longer psychiatry rotations tend to view psychiatry more positively. The generally positive trend towards psychiatry in Pakistan indicates the need to sustain improvements through proactive measures. We recommend longer placements for medical students in mental health settings for at least 4 weeks or longer. Medical schools should also promote research, discussions, and seminars on different psychiatric illnesses in order to enhance awareness among the students.


QJM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 113 (10) ◽  
pp. 731-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q Li

Summary Background The 2019 coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) led out the mental health crisis. Aim To determine the psychological status and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) among general population (except confirmed and suspected cases, and close contacts) and their association with the coping strategy types during the COVID-19 outbreak. Design A cross-sectional study. Methods Participants were recruited from the community through snowball sampling with anonymous online questionnaires, using 28-item General Health Questionnaire, 22-item Impact of Events Scale-Revised and 28-item Brief Coping Inventory to measure their psychiatric disorders, PTSD level and coping strategies. Results Of the total 1109 participants, 42.65% and 67.09% self-reported psychiatric disorders and high PTSD level, respectively. Age, occupation and education level were significantly association with psychological status. The status of psychiatric disorders was also significantly related to high PTSD level. Using both emotion and problem coping was better for psychiatric status [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54–0.98], and problem-focused coping was significantly associated with high PTSD level (aOR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.25–3.51). Conclusion Negative psychological outcomes were common among the general people during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the findings may provide references for intervention guidelines of mental health for the community population.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wasswa ◽  
Christine K. Nalwadda ◽  
Esther Buregyeya ◽  
Sheba N. Gitta ◽  
Patrick Anguzu ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Aditi Chandrakar ◽  
Prem Sagar Panda ◽  
Gopal Prasad Soni ◽  
Srishti Dixit

Background: In order to increase accessibility of health care services for pregnant women and sick infants and to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, Ministry of Health and Family welfare, Government of India has launched a nationwide initiative- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram on June 01, 2011. The objective of the study was to find out the awareness level about the entitlements of JSSK among mothers with child less than one year and its association with different socio-demographic variables.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in rural block of Raipur district, Chhattisgarh, India, among 352 mothers having child less than one year using multistage random sampling using predesigned, pretested proforma from July 2015 to June 2016. Chi-square test was applied to find out the association between awareness level and different socio-demographic variables. P <0.05 was considered significant.Results: Among 352 mothers, good awareness were found in only 207 mothers (58.80%). Maximum awareness (89.20%) regarding entitlements among mothers was seen for free transport services from home to health institution followed by the drop back transport facility from hospital to home (85.22%). None of the mothers know about free diagnostic services for mothers and for sick infants and for free provision of blood for sick infants. Increasing parity was significantly associated with good awareness regarding JSSK.Conclusions: Level of awareness regarding JSSK entitlements for pregnant mothers and sick infants was found to be low. Extensive IEC needed to further increase the awareness regarding JSSK entitlements to increase utilization among beneficiaries.


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