scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE, BELIEFS AND HABITS OF SERBIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS REGARDING USAGE OF ANTIBIOTICS – A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF BIOMEDICAL AND NON-BIOMEDICAL STUDENTS

Author(s):  
Nemanja Kutlesic

Proper usage of antibiotics is an often-overlooked subject, leading to a high level of ignorance among youth towards this important topic. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge, beliefs, and habits of students at Nis University regarding the usage of antibiotics and discover whether an anticipated difference existed between knowledge and habits of biomedical students and that of non-biomedical students. The data were acquired through an online questionnaire that addressed knowledge, beliefs, and habits regarding antibiotics. The study adhered to the principles of the Helsinki declaration. Data were separated into two groups and tested for statistical significance using the Chi-squared test. The questionnaire showed that the majority of students (76.86%) were able to correctly identify bacteria as the main target of antibiotics. More students from non-biomedical faculties thought viral infections could be treated with antibiotics (37.35% vs. 7.06% of medical, p<0.05), and identified incorrectly Paracetamol as an antibiotic (42.17% vs. 8.15% of medical, p<0.05). However, a similar percentage in both groups (49.14%) claimed they interrupted their regimen before the prescribed time, and as much as 67.39% of biomedical students acquired antibiotics with no prescription. Biomedical students demonstrated much better knowledge and beliefs on antibiotics, however, students from both groups were found to have similar habits regarding the usage. The results are similar to available studies from the developing world. A large percentage of students tampers with antibiotics on their own. Campaigns are necessary to inform students better on the subject.

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-77
Author(s):  
Juliana Florinda M. Rêgo ◽  
◽  
Gilberto Lopes ◽  
Rachel P. Riechelmann ◽  
Cinthya Sternberg ◽  
...  

Summary Introduction: Patients who are treating cancer have often used alternative therapies. In the internet era, information can be broadcasted widely, and this happened with phosphoethanolamine in Brazil, where this substance was claimed by the population to be the "cure for cancer." Method: This is a cross-sectional study developed by the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology (SBOC). An objectively structured questionnaire was sent by e-mail and SMS to active MDs members of the SBOC. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the data. Statistical significance between the variables was tested by Pearson's Chi-squared test (p<0.05 was considered significance). Results: The survey was sent to 1,072 oncologists, and 398 (37.1%) answered at least part of it. One hundred and fifteen (28.9%) had followed patients who had used phosphoethanolamine. Among these, 14 (12.2%) observed adverse events and four (3.5%) attributed clinical benefit to the substance. Most of the oncologists (n=331; 83.2%) believe that it should only be used as part of a clinical trial protocol. Most physicians did not recommend this drug to their patients (n=311; 78.1%). Oncologists in Southeast, South and Midwest Brazil were more likely to have patients taking the drug compared to the Northern and Northeastern regions. Conclusion: This is the first survey to assess the opinion and experience of oncologists about this alternative therapy. Most oncologists in Brazil do not believe that synthetic phosphoethanolamine is active in cancer treatment, do not recommend its use without proper evaluation, and state that it should only be available to patients in the context of clinical trials.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-79
Author(s):  
T.J. Okwor ◽  
A.C. Ndu ◽  
S.U. Arinze-Onyia ◽  
I.J. Ogugua ◽  
I.M. Obionu ◽  
...  

Background: The work environment is rapidly changing and in recent times, occupational stress poses a threat to the health, morale and productivity of workers and the organization. This study sought to determine the prevalence and predictors of stress among bankers in a south-eastern state of Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 370 bankers in Enugu State, Nigeria using the Health, Safety, Executive (HSE) management standards indicator tool. Multistage sampling method was used to select participants. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 22.0. Level of statistical significance was set at p< 0.05.Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.54±6.3 years while the mean years of work was 6.01±4.7years. One hundred and seventy-four (47%) reported high level of stress due to relationship at work while 318 (85.9%) reported low level of stress due to roles. Being 35 years or less was found to a predictor of high (AOR 0.55, CI 0.30-1.02) level of stress due to control.Work experience of 5 years or less was found to be a predictor of both high (AOR 0.74, CI 0.40--1.37) and low (AOR 0.99, CI 0.40-1.37) levels of stress due to control.Conclusion: This study has shown that the prevalence of stress was high among bankers in Enugu State, South-East Nigeria. There is, therefore, the need for routine stress assessment and interventions in the banking industry especially for those at high risk. Keywords: Bankers; HSE Stress Questionnaire; Stress; Workplace; Southeast Nigeria


2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402097244
Author(s):  
Carlos Arturo Cassiani-Miranda ◽  
Adalberto Campo-Arias ◽  
Andrés Felipe Tirado-Otálvaro ◽  
Luz Adriana Botero-Tobón ◽  
Luz Dary Upegui-Arango ◽  
...  

Background: As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, the fear of infection increases and, with it, the stigma-discrimination, which makes it an additional problem of the epidemic. However, studies about stigma associated with coronavirus are scarce worldwide. Aims: To determine the association between stigmatisation and fear of COVID-19 in the general population of Colombia. Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out. A total of 1,687 adults between 18 and 76 years old ( M = 36.3; SD = 12.5), 41.1% health workers, filled out an online questionnaire on Stigma-Discrimination and the COVID-5 Fear Scale, adapted by the research team. Results: The proportion of high fear of COVID-19 was 34.1%; When comparing the affirmative answers to the questionnaire on stigma-discrimination towards COVID-19, it was found that the difference was significantly higher in the general population compared to health workers in most of the questions evaluated, which indicates a high level of stigmatisation in that group. An association between high fear of COVID-19 and stigma was evidenced in 63.6% of the questions in the questionnaire. Conclusion: Stigma-discrimination towards COVID-19 is frequent in the Colombian population and is associated with high levels of fear towards said disease, mainly people who are not health workers.


Author(s):  
Cynthia Francisca Xavier Costa de Assis Silva ◽  
Maria do Carmo Barros de Melo ◽  
Roberto Gomes Chaves ◽  
Maria Cândida Ferrarez Bouzada

Objective: To investigate the proficiency, practices, and attitudes about breastfeeding of participants in a Pediatrics Congress. Methods: Cross-sectional study in which an online questionnaire was applied, using a specific QRcode, for each study participant, in June 2018. The questions were formulated according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Among the 39 questions, 13 identified the profile of the participants, 19 questions assessed the proficiency in breastfeeding and 7 questions the practices and attitudes. Results: Responses to 296 questionnaires were evaluated, 62.5% of which were health professionals and 37.5% were undergraduate health students. In assessing proficiency, the global average did not reach the expected minimum of 70%. But the highest proficiency averages were found among health professionals (p: 0.0136), among professionals with more recent degrees (p <0.0001), and those who performed most of their activity in the public sector (p: 0.018). 77% of health professionals and 73% of students assessed attitudes and practices about breastfeeding as appropriate. Conclusion: The low proficiency in the population studied points to the need for periodic training of professionals in breastfeeding and greater emphasis on undergraduate curricula in the health area on the subject.


Author(s):  
Fatmah J. Alsolami ◽  
Pushpamala Ramaiah ◽  
Nahla A. Tayyib ◽  
Mohammad S. Alshmemri ◽  
Sanaa A. Alsulami ◽  
...  

Background: Nurses are the frontline health professional more likely to undergo various stressors during the pandemic Covid-19 situation. The ongoing unprecedented crisis causes more stress, especially among nurses, as they are the most vulnerable group who predominantly get impacted while delivering comprehensive care. Aim: This study explored the level of stress among nurses working in different healthcare settings. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among nurses from developed and developing countries between 7 February and 7 April 2020 was adopted for this research. Sixty-four nurses working in different healthcare settings were included in the study. A self-developed online questionnaire using google documents was used to collect data that comprised baseline data, Cohen Perceived stress scale, simplified coping items, and items of psychosocial perception. Results: It was revealed that 75.64% of studied participants (N=64) had a high level of stress, with a mean anxiety score and Standard deviation of 3.52± 1.084, during the Covid-19 pandemic situation. A statistically significant association was found between the demographic variables such as experience and participation in the COVID-19 team at p<.05, whereas gender, age, and working unit do not show any significant associations. Conclusion: Heath institutions' effective and efficient protocols are required to enhance nurses' mental strength and alleviate their lack of coping strategies, particularly during a crisis.


2020 ◽  
pp. 204275302098165
Author(s):  
Samiah Alqabbani ◽  
Afrah Almuwais ◽  
Nada Benajiba ◽  
Fatmah Almoayad

This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted to explore readiness with regard to the sudden shift towards emergency remote teaching and its correlation with perceived effectiveness, satisfaction, anxiety and attitudes among instructors in Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Data were gathered using an online questionnaire on readiness and perceptions of effectiveness, attitudes and satisfaction relating to the emergency remote teaching, as well as the anxiety resulting from it. Pearson’s test was performed to assess the correlations between different parameters. The results of the study showed that readiness in terms of emergency remote teaching was high, at 44.9% among instructors, while 64.8% of them scored moderately regarding their perception of the emergency remote teaching’s effectiveness. A positive attitude towards emergency remote teaching was reported by 18.5% of the instructors, although a high level of satisfaction was observed in 79.6% of the cases, and 38.7% showed no anxiety. A positive and significant correlation was obtained between a readiness to shift to emergency remote teaching and perceived effectiveness, attitudes and satisfaction (r = 0.2 and p < 0.01); however, anxiety showed a significant moderate negative correlation with perceived effectiveness (r = −0.35) p < 0.01, attitudes (r = −0.33) p < 0.01 and satisfaction (r = −0.44), p < 0.01. In conclusion, instructors at PNU were ready to provide emergency remote teaching, which led to high perceived effectiveness and levels of satisfaction, while the high level of anxiety could be attributed to stressful circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1387
Author(s):  
Hani M. Nassar ◽  
Hanin E. Yeslam

Early detection of caries lesions is key to a successful restorative dental treatment plan. The aim of this study was to investigate the preferences and attitude of graduate restorative dentistry residents (RDRs) regarding novel caries diagnostic technologies (NCDT) and to provide a brief overview of available technologies for both specialized and general dental practice. This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire (17 questions) concerning RDRs’ attitude, preferences, and insights regarding five available NCDTs. It was distributed among twenty RDRs at a local government dental school following a review session about NCDTs. Collected responses were analyzed statistically using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-squared with Bonferroni correction, and Kruskal-Wallis tests at a 0.05 significance level. Sixty-five percent of RDRs reported an interest in NCDTs as a discussion topic and almost half of them were positive towards their use, however, sixty percent of respondents were hesitant to diagnose caries solely using NCDTs. Fiber-optic-transillumination (FOTI) systems were ranked the best overall and with regard to all the investigated criteria (p < 0.05). Chosen reasons for FOTI included price followed by ease of use. In general, high price rated as the most perceived reason for not choosing a given NCDT followed by low practical applicability. Meanwhile, ease of use followed by relevant application ranked as the main reported reasons to choose an NCDTs.


Author(s):  
Ratih Oktri Nanda ◽  
Lolita Lolita ◽  
Wiwik Indayati ◽  
Ivong Rusdiyanti ◽  
Azis Ikhsanudin ◽  
...  

Novel coronavirus was first identified in China in December 2019, causing several cases of the new type of pneumonia. The exported cases were found in other countries, including countries in the Southeast Asia region. At the same time, no cases were confirmed in Indonesia. We aimed to assess COVID-19 related knowledge, precautionary actions, and perceived risk among general Indonesian population when there were no confirmed cases in Indonesia. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving 382 participants aged 17 years and above residing in Indonesia. The data was collected through the online questionnaire from February 19<sup>th </sup>to February 29<sup>th</sup> 2020. The average score of COVID-19 related knowledge was 88.0%, whereas 83.8% of the participants had a high level of knowledge. The average score of taking precautionary actions was 77.4% and 65.7% had a high level of performance. In terms of the perceived risk of COVID-19, only 11.3% of the participants perceived themselves likely to acquire COVID-19 when compared with other diseases or accidents. The perceived risk of COVID-19 was significantly associated with precautionary action (p&lt;0.05). Perceived risk of COVID-19 was at a low level when there were no confirmed cases. Effective strategies of risk communication are needed to improve precautionary actions to prevent COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Porrovecchio ◽  
Pedro R. Olivares ◽  
Philippe Masson ◽  
Thierry Pezé ◽  
Linda Lombi

The objective of this cross-sectional study is to analyze the changes in physical activity (PA) practice of a sample of 2099 French adults, mostly females, who answered an online questionnaire during the first COVID-19 lockdown (March–May 2020). A descriptive analysis of participants was performed using relative frequencies. Chi-squared tests were performed to compare the responses of selected variables. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to compare the variations of PA with all the variables identified. The age of participants ranged from 18 to 88. Among people who practiced PAs before the first lockdown, the probability to keep practicing PAs is higher among those with a lower level of education, among housewives and retirees and among those who lived in cities of 10,000–19,999 inhabitants. For those who did not practice PAs before the social distancing, the probability of starting to practice is greater in those with a lower level of education and for those who suffered from a chronic disease. Our results place the emphasis on the complexity and multifactoriality of the changes that emerged during the first lockdown. The “education” factor emerges, as a significant determinant of PA that should certainly be explored further.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-179
Author(s):  
Vaibhav Jain ◽  
Randhir Singh ◽  
Abir Sarkar

The lack of knowledge and stress towards COVID-19 can lead to unfavorable dentist’s attitude towards the practice making them reluctant and fearful in dental operatory. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perceived stress among dental practitioners during current COVID-19 outbreak. : In this study, a total of 459 dental practitioners involving both general practitioners and specialists from different types of practice completed a questionnaire for assessment of knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 and stress perceived by them. The association of perceived stress for gender, age, designation and type of practice was analyzed using Chi-square tests with Statistical significance set at 5% level. total of 459 individuals participated in study with 51.0% males and 49.0% females, of them 54.7% were specialists and 45.31% general dental practitioners, working at different types of practices. More than 90% were aware of mode of transmission and were following current guidelines. Similar results were observed for attitude towards COVID-19. Majority of participants had total PSS scores in the study sample ranged from 0-38, with total mean scores of 17.08 (±7.8), Men demonstrated significantly lower values PSS scores when compared to females (p&#60;0.05), similar results were observed for age. Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased level of stress among dental practitioner’s despite of possessing high level of knowledge and positive attitude.


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