scholarly journals Activities of the healthcare team for women who smoke during pregnancy and the puerperium

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-628
Author(s):  
Carolina de Castilhos Teixeira ◽  
Amália de Fátima Lucena ◽  
Isabel Cristina Echer

OBJECTIVE: to identify activities developed by the healthcare team for pregnant and postpartum women who smoke.METHOD: cross-sectional study with a sample of 135 healthcare team members who assist pregnant and postpartum women in a university hospital located in southern Brazil. The data was collected using questionnaires and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software.RESULTS: 76 (56.3%) staff members reported that they always addressed smoking cessation; however, the approach occurred in only two periods of the hospitalization and/or prenatal consultations, not including family members. In regard to the effectiveness of their actions, the health team assessed it as fair or poor, and mentioned the need for updating knowledge regarding this issue.CONCLUSIONS: the health team did not perform the approach as recommended by the tobacco control guidelines, requiring training to offer a qualified and efficient intervention.

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2187-2195
Author(s):  
Deema Jaber ◽  
Linda Tahaineh ◽  
Amal Akour ◽  
Abla Albsoul-Younes

Purpose: To investigate Jordanian women’s knowledge, attitude, awareness and practice regarding combined oral contraceptives (COCs) benefits and risks.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 Jordanian women attending the Obstetrics and Gynecology clinics at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan. A closed- and open-ended questionnaire was used to explore Jordanian participants' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding COCs use, effect and side effects. Structured interviews were conducted by a trained research team. Thus, it was a pharmacist-assisted survey, and lay language was used to explain difficult medical terminologyResults: Most of participants were prescribed COCs by their physicians (77.1 %), half of them depend on others' experiences and media as sources of information rather than consulting their healthcare team. Half of participants have an idea of non-contraception uses of COCs (50.3 %). One fourth of women (26.0 %) believed that using COCs decreases fertility or even causes infertility, especially if used before their first pregnancy (43.3 %). Women in their middle age were more uncertain about the relation between COCs use and anemia (p = 0.014) or dysmenorrhea pain (p = 0.005). While women who used COCs believed more that the pills regulate menstruation (p < 0.001) and decrease dysmenorrhea pain (p < 0.001) compare with women who had never used COCs pills. Women in general are uncertain if COCs use has negative or positive relation with some types of cancer such as ovarian, cervical and breast. Women who are not affiliated to the healthcare professions were more uncertain about the relation between COCs use and atherosclerosis risk (p = 0.002), MI (p = 0.025) and stroke risk (p = 0.035).Conclusion: There is insufficient awareness and knowledge of the beneficial and non-contraceptive uses of COCs. Educational programs are needed to improve women’s awareness of the benefits and risks of COCs. Keywords: Combined oral contraceptives, COCs, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Beliefs, Benefits, Risks


Author(s):  
Raphaëlle Teysseire ◽  
Marion Lecourt ◽  
Jim Canet ◽  
Guyguy Manangama ◽  
Loïc Sentilhes ◽  
...  

Limiting exposure to environmental hazards during preconception and pregnancy is essential for preventing adverse pregnancy outcomes or developmental defects in offspring. However, the perception of environmental risk and the behavioral changes of women planning or having a pregnancy have rarely been investigated, except for a few risk factors. We thus performed a cross-sectional study of French postpartum women hospitalized in the Bordeaux University Hospital in 2017 by proposing a self-administrated survey. The main objective was to assess their level of awareness concerning a large panel of environmental hazards and modifications in their behavior during pregnancy in occupational and household environments. Among the 121 respondents, most identified the environment as a major factor for a healthy pregnancy but recognized a lack of knowledge regarding environmental risk factors. The internet, television, and magazines were their main sources of information. Most women modified some of their practices at work or home. These measures were rarely implemented in consultation with a health practitioner, which raises concerns about the relevance of the adjustments made. Our findings highlight the need to improve the quality of information available to women and to help them implement preventive measures in consultation with physicians.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 803-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Vimercati ◽  
Luigi De Maria ◽  
Francesca Mansi ◽  
Antonio Caputi ◽  
Giovanni M. Ferri ◽  
...  

Background: Thyroid diseases occur more frequently in people exposed to ionizing radiation, but the relationship between occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and thyroid pathologies still remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid diseases in healthcare workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation compared with a control group working at the University Hospital of Bari, Southern Italy, and living in the same geographical area, characterized by mild iodine deficiency. Methods: We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate whether healthcare workers exposed to ionizing radiation had a higher prevalence of thyroid diseases. Four hundred and forty-four exposed healthcare workers (241 more exposed, or “A Category”, and 203 less exposed, or “B Category”) and 614 nonexposed healthcare workers were enrolled during a routine examination at the Occupational Health Unit. They were asked to fill in an anamnestic questionnaire and undergo a physical examination, serum determination of fT3, fT4 and TSH, anti-TPO ab and anti-TG ab and ultrasound neck scan. Thyroid nodules were submitted to fine needle aspiration biopsy when indicated. Results: The prevalence of thyroid diseases was statistically higher in the exposed workers compared to controls (40% vs 29%, adPR 1.65; IC95% 1.34-2.07). In particular, the thyroid nodularity prevalence in the exposed group was approximately twice as high as that in the controls (29% vs 13%; adPR 2.83; IC95% 2.12-3.8). No statistically significant association was found between exposure to ionizing radiation and other thyroid diseases. Conclusion: In our study, mild ionizing radiation-exposed healthcare workers had a statistically higher prevalence of thyroid diseases than the control group. The results are likely due to a closer and more meticulous health surveillance programme carried out in the ionising radiation-exposed workers, allowing them to identify thyroid alterations earlier than non-exposed health staff.


Author(s):  
Erman Yıldız

BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have separately revealed that parameters such as anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are associated with burnout, there is still a limited understanding of the relationship between anxiety, depression, and STS and burnout in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. AIMS: To investigate the relationship between levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, and STS in ICU nurses. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted with ICU nurses ( N = 164) from a university hospital in eastern Turkey. The participants completed the anxiety, depression, STS, and burnout scales along with the descriptive characteristics form. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean scores for STS, anxiety, depression, and burnout were 40.60 ± 13.77, 17.14 ± 12.90, 13.28 ± 9.75 and 41.39 ± 14.87, respectively. The results showed that, in the ICU nurses, anxiety, depression, and STS components explained 61% of emotional exhaustion, 38% of depersonalization, and 13% of personal accomplishment. CONCLUSIONS: While the present findings supported the paradigm that burnout in ICU nurses is associated with STS, anxiety, and depression, they also revealed some details about the psychopathological factors associated with burnout. These details were as follows: (1) individuals who resorted to avoidance as a component of STS on a high level were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, (2) individuals with severe depressive symptoms were more likely to experience a decrease in their personal accomplishment, and (3) individuals with anxiety symptoms were more likely to experience both emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment.


2020 ◽  
pp. 004947552098130
Author(s):  
Fabián R Carreño-Almánzar ◽  
Adán Coronado-Galán ◽  
Sonia A Cala-Gómez ◽  
Agustín Vega-Vera

Imported malaria has increased in Colombia since 2015 and has been attributed to migrants coming from Venezuela. We present a series of malaria cases, nested in a retrospective cross-sectional study between 2017 and 2018, aimed at calculating the prevalence of medical diseases among immigrants in a University Hospital in Colombia. Among 154 immigrants admitted for medical causes between 2017 and 2018, 8 were diagnosed with malaria, all due to Plasmodium vivax. Of these, seven had uncomplicated malaria, five had a previous history of malaria, one was critically ill, but none died. We highlight that, similar to other case series of imported malaria, Latin American migrants were young, with similar clinical profiles, having a low proportion of severe cases, and P. vivax was the most frequent cause.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Birye Dessalegn Mekonnen

Abstract Background Postpartum sexual health and practice need to be integrated in the current maternal healthcare services to address sexual health problems. However, postpartum sexual practice has received little attention, and was not often discussed by healthcare providers during prenatal and postnatal care. Thus, this study was aimed to assess early resumption of sexual intercourse and associated factors among postpartum women in Gondar city, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 20 to February 20, 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 634 postpartum women. A pretested, structured and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were entered into Epi Info 7.2.2 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions analysis were done. Variables with p- value of < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results The magnitude of early resumption of sexual intercourse after childbirth was found to be 26.9% (95% CI: 23.2, 30.8). Urban resident (AOR = 6.12, 95% CI: 2.41, 15.66), parity of one (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.66, 7.78), husband demand (AOR = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.72, 4.11), postnatal care (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06, 2.18) and use of family planning (AOR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.51, 3.43) were factors significantly associated with early resumption of sexual intercourse. Conclusion The study found that more than one fourth of women had resumed sexual intercourse within six weeks of following childbirth. The finding of this study suggests the need of integrating discussions of postpartum sexual activity into routine prenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care with collaborative effort of policy makers, program planners, health care providers and other stakeholders. Moreover, spousal communication on postpartum sexual activity should be encouraged.


2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (4) ◽  
pp. 332-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letícia Baltieri ◽  
Luiz Claudio Martins ◽  
Everton Cazzo ◽  
Débora Aparecida Oliveira Modena ◽  
Renata Cristina Gobato ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The combined effect of obesity and asthma may lead to significant impairment of quality of life (QOL). The aim here was to evaluate the prevalence of asthma among obese individuals, characterize the severity of impairment of quality of life and measure its relationship with pulmonary function. DESIGN AND SETTING: Observational cross-sectional study in public university hospital. METHODS: Morbidly obese individuals (body mass index &gt; 40 kg/m2) seen in a bariatric surgery outpatient clinic and diagnosed with asthma, were included. Anthropometric data were collected, the Standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ(S)) was applied and spirometry was performed. The subjects were divided into two groups based on the median of the score in the questionnaire (worse &lt; 4 and better &gt; 4) and were compared regarding anthropometric data and pulmonary function. RESULTS: Among the 4791 individuals evaluated, 219 were asthmatic; the prevalence of asthma was 4.57%. Of these, 91 individuals were called to start multidisciplinary follow-up during the study period, of whom 82 answered the questionnaire. The median score in the AQLQ(S) was 3.96 points and, thus, the individuals were classified as having moderate impairment of their overall QOL. When divided according to better or worse QOL, there was a statistically difference in forced expiratory flow (FEF) 25-75%, with higher values in the better QOL group. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of asthma was 4.57% and QOL was impaired among the asthmatic obese individuals. The worst QOL domain related to environmental stimuli and the best QOL domain to limitations of the activities. Worse QOL was correlated with poorer values for FEF 25-75%.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dania Jaber ◽  
Rafat Abu Ghannam ◽  
Waleed Rashed ◽  
Mohammad Shehadeh ◽  
Sa’ed H. Zyoud

Abstract Background Generally, complementary and alternative therapies (CAT) are accepted methods of treatment by patients with various types of conditions. Their use is becoming especially prevalent among patients with eye problems even in developed countries. Thus, we aimed to determine the pattern of use of CAT in this patient population, to identify the patient characteristics associated with the use of CAT, and to assess the types of CAT used. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Palestine at An-Najah National University Hospital between the time periods of October 2019 to May 2020, using questionnaire-based face to face interviews. Data were collected through convenience sampling. Patients responded to the questionnaire, which was focused on information adapted from previous research in this area, covering socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, types of CAT, source of information, and side effects on CAT use. Results A total of 86 patients were interviewed for our study. Over two thirds, 67% reported using CAT for the specific purpose of improving their eye condition, and about one third (29.1%) received more than one therapy. The most common therapies reported were duea’ (i.e. supplication) (47.1%) and herbal therapies (24.1%). It was shown that patients with bilateral involvement of their eyes were almost twice more likely to describe using CAT than patients with unilateral eye pathology (p = 0.006). Also, patients who underwent surgery as their route of treatment were significantly less likely to use CAT (p = 0.043). Most of our study participants mentioned a non-physician source as their source of information regarding CAT with family members being the most frequently mentioned (30.2%) followed by the internet (25.6%) and friends (19.8%). Conclusions The prevalence of CAT use among patients with eye disease is somewhat high in our study population. Because CAT may trigger adverse reactions, influence the progression of the disease, and interfere with conventional treatment, the ophthalmologist should frequently be asked patients with such diagnostics regarding the use of these therapies. Further work is required to analyze the mechanisms of action and to establish realistic guidelines for the use of these modalities.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 362
Author(s):  
Rasha Itani ◽  
Mohammed Alnafea ◽  
Maya Tannoury ◽  
Souheil Hallit ◽  
Achraf Al Faraj

With the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the need for radiologic procedures is increasing for the effective diagnosis and follow-up of pulmonary diseases. There is an immense load on the radiographers’ shoulders to cope with all the challenges associated with the pandemic. However, amidst this crisis, Lebanese radiographers are also suffering from a socioeconomic crisis and record hyperinflation that have posed additional challenges. A cross-sectional study was conducted among registered Lebanese radiographers to assess the general, workplace conditions, health and safety, mental/psychologic, financial, and skill/knowledge development impacts. Despite applying an adapted safety protocol, institutions are neither providing free RT-PCR testing to their staff nor showing adequate support for infected staff members, thus causing distress about contracting the virus from the workplace. Aggravated by the deteriorating economic situation that affected the radiographers financially, they additionally suffer from severe occupational physical and mental burnout. Regardless of that, they used their free time during the lockdown for skill/knowledge development and have performed many recreational activities. This cross-sectional study highlighted the different ways the pandemic has impacted the radiographers: physically, psychologically, and financially. It aimed to shed light on what these frontline heroes are passing through in the midst of all these unprecedented crises.


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