Digital Vision Syndrome (DVS) Among Medical Students During Covid-19 Pandemic Curfew

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1128-1133
Author(s):  
Niveditha K P ◽  
Dheepak Sundar M

In the present era, mobiles and other digital display devices have become an essential part of our daily life. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic curfew, the use of digital gadgets has increased many folds, with direct proportion to increased health risks, especially eyes. In this study, we aim to assess the prevalence, risk factors and symptomatology of Digital vision syndrome (DVS) among medical students during the COVID-19 lockdown. This is a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The undergraduate medical students were asked to fill an electronic self-administered survey. The survey included questions regarding their digital device usage before and after the curfew and various factors related to DVS. Among 250 medical students during this lockdown period, it was observed the screen time or hours spent on using a digital screen by the respondents increased significantly in the 2-3 hours and 3-4 hours category and a significant difference (p=0.000) was observed in 1% level of significance in pre and post lockdown. No significant change was observed in the type and illumination of gadgets used. Around 60% of the students were in intensive lockdown, and up to 51% of the students felt the upsurge in DVS symptoms. Nearly 82.3% of students experienced one or more symptoms of DVS. The most commonly reported symptom was headache which shot up after the lockdown to 51.6% from 32.7%. It was followed by eye strain and dry eyes, which increased from 19.5% to 40.3% and 10% to 21% respectively after curfew. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, there appeared to be an exacerbated increase in DVS symptoms among medical students, one of the leading reasons being increased screen time. A significant association was found between the rise in symptoms and intensive lockdown.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  

Background: Since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic and a worldwide lockdown was imposed, it was predicted that there would be an increase in screen usage, especially among students, which could potentially have a lot of negative symptomology associated with it. Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the extent of screen exposure among medical students during lockdown and to study the symptoms that they faced due to it along with their frequency. Methods: In our descriptive cross-sectional study, we distributed the specifically designed questionnaire through online media to the concerned population, in order to gather important data about the physical and mental symptoms experienced by the medical students as a result of excessive screen exposure. Results: Of the 400 participants, 93.75 % reported an increase in screen time during the lockdown. As a consequence of increased screen usage, 207 (51.75%) of the participants reported headache, 267 (66.75%) reported fatigue, 283 (70.75%) reported eye strain, 121 (30.25%) reported dry eyes, 143 (35.75%) reported blurry vision, 154 (38.5%) reported teary eyes, 154 (38.5%) reported ear ache, 247 (61.75%) reported neck and back stiffness and 148 (37%) participants agreed to having experienced fingers and hand fatigue. We also established that increasing screen time was associated with a progressive decrease in physical activity (p=0.11) and increase in food consumption (p=0.002). A significant association was also recorded with weight gain (p=0.03). We found that the students previously diagnosed with a refractive error were more likely to complain of eye strain (p=0.004) and those diagnosed with migraine experienced more screen related headache (p=0.001). Of the 11 symptoms related to mental health in the questionnaire, students with screen usage of less than 4 hours marked a median of 2 symptoms, those with screen time of 4-8 hours marked a median of 4 symptoms and those with a screen usage >8 hours ticked a median of 5 symptoms. Students who had been diagnosed with anxiety or depression in the past checked an average of 5.24 symptoms while those with no such diagnosis had only 3.51 symptoms on average. Conclusion: The results proved a potential impact on the general health of the medical students. A significant increase in weight was observed along with other serious short and long term effects on their physical and mental wellbeing.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Nour Shashaa ◽  
Mohamad Shadi Alkarrash ◽  
Mohammad Nour Kitaz ◽  
Roaa Rhayim ◽  
Mohammed Ismail ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sudden cardiac arrest considers one of the most leading cause for death in all over the world. It is important for all medical students to train basic life support. This study evaluated the awareness of basic life support among medical students. Methods An electronic questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted in November 2020 among 2114 medical student in Syria, Iraq and Jordan. We evaluated BLS skills according to mean score. A chi-squared test was used to determine if there were differences between those who attended a basic life support course and those who did not. Results 1656 of the participants (78.3%) stated that they did not attend a basic life support course. There was a significant difference between the participants from different countries where the mean score in Syria, Jordan and Iraq was 18.3, 24.3 and 18.8 respectively (p < 0.05). The participants were divided into 3 level according to total score; low (0–12), moderate (13–24) and high (25–37). In total, 18.3%, 72.8% and 8.9% of participants had high, intermediate and low level respectively. Conclusions The overall knowledge of basic life support among medical students is not adequate and need significant improvements. This study showed that an attendance a basic life support course previously had an effect on knowledge level. Hence, there is an urgent need to apply basic life support courses into the pre-clinical stage at universities.


Author(s):  
Shaikh Arshiya Kaiser Husain ◽  
Anwaya R. Magare ◽  
Purushottam A. Giri ◽  
Vijaykumar S. Jadhav

Background: The aim of medical education is to produce competent, physically and mentally strong health professionals, as they are going to be the pillars of the future health care system. Stress is one of the most common and process-oriented obstacles in medical education. It often exerts a negative effect on the academic performance, physical health, and psychological well-being of the students. Dealing with overloaded medical curriculum, competing with peers, being away from home and meeting high expectations imposed by parents and society to excel is among the common stressful transitions at this stage.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out amongst 352 undergraduate medical students of a private medical college in a rural area of Maharashtra during April to October 2019. The structured questionnaire was used to record the data. Collected data was used to assess the severity of mental health issues among medical students.Results: Majority 194 (55.11%) students were in the age of 18 to 20 years followed by 141 (40.06%) were in 21 to 23 years. There were 196 (55.68%) girl students and 156 (44.32%) boys. According to the various categories, 80 (22.73%) of the students had low stress scores, followed by 76 (21.59%) in minimal. A highly significant difference in stress scores was seen between boys and girls, which was more in boys.Conclusions: Study concluded that undergraduate medical students perceive minimal to very high stress presented as various systems that vary with the year of study and gender wise too. There is a further need to look into the various causes of stress.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 2370-2374
Author(s):  
Saba Pario ◽  
Shaista Bashir Anwar ◽  
Zafar Haleem Baloch ◽  
Saira Ghafoor ◽  
Shazia Aftab ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To explore the perception of undergraduate students of United Medical and dental college towards objective structured clinical examination as an assessment tool. MATERIAL & METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study included undergraduate medical students, RESULTS: 153 students who completely filled the proforma were included in study among them 31% were male and 69% were females. Mostly agreed that stations in OSCE were simple and easily interpretable and assessed practical skills thoroughly. Majority of students accepted that skills inquired were taught in clinics, stations were according to course and stations were appropriately timed. 66 % confirmed that adequate instructions were provided before exam. 84.31% believed that OSCE is preferable to viva. 57.51% of candidates stated that examiners during OSCE were attentive and gracious but 20.91 % objected it , while 21.57% remained neutral. Almost half of examinees labelled it as comprehensive clinical assessment .Overall, 67.97 % perceived OSCE as demanding and tough assessment. Finally views of students for statement that OSCE is unbiased, reliable and valid were positive in 50.32%.There was a significant difference in the opinion of male and female( p-value is less than 0.05) in statement that OSCE thoroughly assessed practical skills, stations were according to course of instruction, Adequate instructions were provided before exam, superior and preferable to viva, assists in improvement of clinical skills, demanding and tough and finally OSCE was unbiased, reliable and valid CONCLUSION: OSCE was perceived as fair, comprehensive, un-biased format of examination but believed it was more stressful than traditional examination methods . KEY WORDS: Assessment, Attitude, OSCE, Perception, Undergraduate Medical students.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-313
Author(s):  
C V Anthrayose ◽  
Aqueen Joju ◽  
Rakendu Puthiyedath ◽  
Niya Babu ◽  
Ann Reshma Rajan

Increase in usage of digital devices and mandatory e-learning imposed during the Covid 19 pandemic curfew may have given rise to an emerging public health threat of digital eyestrain among undergraduate medical students in the state. The study aimed to assess the distribution of digital eyestrain among undergraduate medical students and to determine the association between digital eyestrain and screen time spent on different digital devices for e-learning and social media use.A cross sectional, questionnaire based online study was done on undergraduate medical students of a teaching hospital in Central Kerala during the month of October, 2020. Survey form included CVS-Q questionnaire, OSDI questionnaire and questions regarding screen time spent on different digital devices for e-learning and social media use.Around three -fourth of the 113 participants experienced at least one symptom of digital eyestrain. Headache (76.1%) was the most common symptom followed by neck/shoulder/back pain (67.3%), tearing(49.6%), itching(48.7%), eye pain (41.6%) and increased sensitivity to light (38.1%).OSDI score revealed that 67.7% of the students had dry eye disease. Screen time of more than 6 hours spent on mobile/tablet was significantly associated with feeling of foreign body sensation, excessive blinking and itching. Lens /spectacle use was significantly associated with a feeling that eyesight is worsening and difficulty focusing for near vision. No association was seen between screen time spent for e- learning and digital eyestrain. Steps towards awareness and prevention of digital eyestrain should be taken to promote ocular health and to avoid this occupational hazard.


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
L W Chao ◽  
M Y Enokihara ◽  
P S P Silveira ◽  
S R Gomes ◽  
G M Böhm

summary A Web-based educational model, called JUTE, was developed for the early diagnosis of melanoma. It was compared with a control Website composed of information available on the Internet for teaching undergraduate medical students. The JUTE model was designed to allow the student linear navigation of the main topics that were assumed to be important in learning to make a diagnosis. The rate of success in correctly deciding to refer pigmented lesions to a dermatologist was compared among 34 new medical students who were randomly divided into two groups. There was no significant difference between the JUTE and control groups in the pre-test. When comparing the pre- and post-tests, the number of correct decisions increased significantly only in the JUTE group. In the JUTE group there was a slight but significant improvement when comparing decisions about thin melanoma before and after the training. The educational approach chosen for the JUTE Website appears to be useful for teaching the early recognition of melanoma and could be used for larger educational campaigns of skin cancer prevention.


Author(s):  
Aditi Agrawal ◽  
Sanjay Gehlot ◽  
Ashok Singhal ◽  
Amandeep .

Background: People with mental illnesses experience extreme stigmatization and discrimination despite their ubiquitous presentation. Studies have reported that these negative stereotypes are shared by health care professionals too. Attitude of undergraduate medical students towards psychiatry is vital as it reflects their willingness to deal with psychiatric and behavioral disorders in general practice.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a government medical college in Rajasthan to explore the impact of sociodemographic variables and undergraduate psychiatry training on the attitude of medical students towards mental illness and psychiatry. 105 first year MBBS students and 75 interns participated in the study. Attitude towards mental illness (AMI) scale and attitude towards psychiatry-30 (ATP-30) scale were used to document AMI and ATP respectively. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and appropriate tests were used to compare mean scores of both groups.Results: There was no statistically significant difference on AMI and ATP scores between the undergraduate medical students and interns. Females, students belonging to urban setting and more educated families had a favorable attitude towards psychiatric patients. A notable shift in scores on ATP scale towards positive side was reflected between male MBBS students and interns and among students coming from rural background with exposure to medical curriculum.Conclusions: No attitude change was observed in majority of participants indicating need for greater emphasis on mental health and psychiatry. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1582
Author(s):  
Praveen Kumar R. S. ◽  
Kaki Aruna ◽  
Aravind Kumar ◽  
Venkatalakshmi P.

Background: Smartphones are unavoidable technology in this modern era. Though there are several advantages with the use of smartphones, there is another school of thought is that due to excessive use of smartphones and addiction behavior the academic performance of the students gets deteriorates. With this in background, this study was conducted to compare the use of smartphones with the student’s academic performances.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among the undergraduate medical students of Sri Venkateshwara medical college hospital and research institute, Puducherry, a tertiary care teaching hospital during the January 2019 to July 2019. A total of 370 students were included in this study. All were assessed for the demographic profile and questions related to usage of smart phones using a questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS.Results: Sharing documents, assessing drug information, taking notes and reading journals articles and books was the academic reasons reported by 94.6%, 72.7%, 58.1% and 35.7% of participants, respectively. Among non-academic reasons games, social media and entertainments was recorded in 82.4% 75.4% and 33% of participants, respectively. Mean duration of smart phone usage in a day was 3.5 hours. However, there was no significant difference noted between the academic performance and use of smartphones.Conclusions: Though smartphone use has no significant impact on academic performance of medical students, with the view of steady increase in smartphone usage, there is a necessary for further monitoring, in order to prevent smartphone related complications like addiction.


Author(s):  
Maumita De ◽  
Diptanshu Mukherjee

Introduction Excessive use and misuse of antibiotics worldwide, both in human medicine and in agriculture has led to increased occurrence of bacterial resistance. Medical students should be aware of the judicious use of antibiotics, so that they can help the general population in future. Present study assesses knowledge of antibiotic use among first year undergraduate medical students and their practice in own life. Materials and Methods An observational, cross sectional study was conducted during a three-month period among first year undergraduate medical students of a teaching hospital in Kolkata. A validated self- administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics. Wherever it was relevant, the Chi-square test was carried out to determine any significant difference. Results About 85% of the participants were aware of the indication of antibiotic for treating bacterial infections only. Around 44% of the students had an average knowledge score compared to 28% having good knowledge score. Majority (76%) of the medical students obtained last antibiotics by a doctor’s prescription, but 54% completed the course as advised by doctor and purpose of taking antibiotic was fever mainly (41%). Statistically significant (P< 0.05) difference on pattern of their antibiotic use was found according to their socioeconomic status and knowledge score. Conclusion Changing the prescribing behaviour and knowledge of the healthcare professionals can help a lot to achieve rational use of antibiotic. It is also suggested that giving a comprehensive training of antibiotic use to the medical students and creating their awareness about frequent antimicrobial resistance could be a successful and encouraging approach.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marwa Ramadan ◽  
Asmaa Eltaweel ◽  
Tamwe El Nakhal ◽  
Hanan Hemead ◽  
Abdelrahman Maraqa ◽  
...  

Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of self-medication among undergraduate medical students in Alexandria Faculty of Medicine and recognize the patterns and the attitude of students towards intake. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical students attending Alexandria Faculty of Medicine from both national and international programs during the period of June 2013 until October 2013. A self-administrated, semi-constructed questionnaire was used to assess the practice of self-medication among 408 students who were randomly selected using a stratified random sample technique. Results: Self-medication was reported by 208 (52.7%) students, with no significant difference between males and females. The highest percentage of self-medication was reported among those who have completed six years of academic study and the lowest was reported among those who have completed two years of academic study. There was a statistically significant association between educational stage (preclinical and clinical) practice of self-medication. Most common medications involved were analgesic and anti-inflammatory followed by decongestants, antimicrobials and antihistaminic drugs. 309 (78.8%) students believed that self-medication is acceptable. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that self-medication is practiced by more than half of undergraduate medical students in the Faculty of Medicine - Alexandria University. Acquiring medical knowledge seems to be associated with the practice of self-medication. Therefore, more attention should be paid to medical curricula to raise awareness and limit the hazardous effects of this phenomenon


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