scholarly journals Knowledge, attitude and practices related to COVID-19 among medical students in Pakistan: A web-based survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila Hashim ◽  
Ishba Manal ◽  
Nihal Afzal ◽  
Dattatreya Mukherjee ◽  
Hamza Rafique Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Times ◽  
Media Channels

In the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary for the medical students to have knowledge about the features of thedisease, how the disease is transmitted, and protective measures to contain the COVID-19. This study was conducted to evaluateknowledge, attitude, and practices related to COVID-19 in Pakistani medical students. We conducted a web-based survey fromMarch 29 to May 10, 2020, utilizing an online platform. Medical students from 1st to 5th professional years in medical collegesacross the country were requested to participate. The questionnaire consisting of 31 items were circulated online using differentsocial media channels to collect the required information. Proportions for categorical variables were tested using the Chi-squaretest or Fisher’s exact tests. A total of 344 medical students responded, and their overall knowledge about COVID-19 was 88.86%. Nearly 31.0% of participants were involved in awareness projects regarding COVID-19 in the community and 84.6% ofparticipants were willing to volunteer in healthcare crises. The percentage of the medical students who opted lockdown/curfew tobe a better solution for curbing disease transmission was 94.2% while 95.9% of them believed social distancing can prevent thetransmission. The average rate of practicing correct preventive measures among the respondents was 93.25%. The study showedsufficient knowledge, the crucial practice of preventive measures regarding COVID-19, and unveiled a profoundly assertiveattitude of the medical students of Pakistan toward the current health crises. More regular awareness and educational programsfor medical students related to the COVID-19 can boost and update their current knowledge.

scholarly journals Awareness of the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza global outbreak 2009 among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (03) ◽  
pp. 151-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zubair Ali Khowaja ◽  
Muhammad Idrees Soomro ◽  
Abdul Khaliq Pirzada ◽  
Muhammed Ahmed Yoosuf ◽  
Vinod Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
H1n1 Influenza ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Cross Sectional

Introduction: This study aimed to assess student awareness of the pandemic pdmH1N1, including the students' attitudes and perceptions about treatment, severity of disease and preventive measures. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire and results were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Results: A total of 396 medical students participated in this study with a mean age of 21 (± 1.4). About 365 (92.2%) were unaware of pdmH1N1. It was identified as a viral disease by 339 (85.6%) students, and 282 (71.2%) students correctly identified it as a disease affecting humans and pigs. The most common source of knowledge was television by 259 (65.4%) respondents. Most common symptoms identified were fever by 287 (72.5%), sore throat by 169 (42.7%) and cough by 127 (32.1%). Regarding vaccine, 290 (73.2%) respondents replied that it is not available and 204 (51.5%) said there is no treatment available for pdmH1N1. In severity scale 162 (40.9%) students rated it as fatal disease. According to 205 (51.8%) respondents, avoiding close contact with sick people is an effective preventive measure followed by washing hands with soap 150 (37.1%). Conclusion: The awareness regarding pdmH1N1 was not adequate among students regarding disease transmission, preventive measures, vaccinations, and available treatment. As the pdmH1N1 has become a worldwide public health problem and Pakistan is at risk of outbreak, increased awareness would be a solution to avoid its spread and complications.

scholarly journals Analysis of Scientific Publications During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Topic Modeling Study

10.2196/21559 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e21559
Author(s):  
Andreas Älgå ◽  
Oskar Eriksson ◽  
Martin Nordberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protective Measures

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has spread at an alarming speed, and effective treatment for the disease is still lacking. The body of evidence on COVID-19 has been increasing at an impressive pace, creating the need for a method to rapidly assess the current knowledge and identify key information. Gold standard methods such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses are regarded unsuitable because they have a narrow scope and are very time consuming. Objective This study aimed to explore the published scientific literature on COVID-19 and map the research evolution during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We performed a PubMed search to analyze the titles, keywords, and abstracts of published papers on COVID-19. We used latent Dirichlet allocation modeling to extract topics and conducted a trend analysis to understand the temporal changes in research for each topic, journal impact factor (JIF), and geographic origin. Results Based on our search, we identified 16,670 relevant articles dated between February 14, 2020, and June 1, 2020. Of these, 6 articles were reports from peer-reviewed randomized trials on patients with COVID-19. We identified 14 main research topics, of which the most common topics were health care responses (2812/16,670, 16.86%) and clinical manifestations (1828/16,670, 10.91%). We found an increasing trend for research on clinical manifestations and protective measures and a decreasing trend for research on disease transmission, epidemiology, health care response, and radiology. Publications on protective measures, immunology, and clinical manifestations were associated with the highest JIF. The overall median JIF was 3.7 (IQR 2.6-5.9), and we found that the JIF for these publications declined over time. The top countries producing research were the United States, China, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Conclusions In less than 6 months since the novel coronavirus was first detected, a remarkably high number of research articles on COVID-19 have been published. Here, we discuss and present the temporal changes in the available COVID-19 research during the early phase of the pandemic. Our findings may aid researchers and policy makers to form a structured view of the current COVID-19 evidence base and provide further research directions.

scholarly journals Analysis of Scientific Publications During the Early Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Topic Modeling Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Älgå ◽  
Oskar Eriksson ◽  
Martin Nordberg
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
The United States ◽  
Temporal Changes ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protective Measures

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has spread at an alarming speed, and effective treatment for the disease is still lacking. The body of evidence on COVID-19 has been increasing at an impressive pace, creating the need for a method to rapidly assess the current knowledge and identify key information. Gold standard methods such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses are regarded unsuitable because they have a narrow scope and are very time consuming. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the published scientific literature on COVID-19 and map the research evolution during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We performed a PubMed search to analyze the titles, keywords, and abstracts of published papers on COVID-19. We used latent Dirichlet allocation modeling to extract topics and conducted a trend analysis to understand the temporal changes in research for each topic, journal impact factor (JIF), and geographic origin. RESULTS Based on our search, we identified 16,670 relevant articles dated between February 14, 2020, and June 1, 2020. Of these, 6 articles were reports from peer-reviewed randomized trials on patients with COVID-19. We identified 14 main research topics, of which the most common topics were health care responses (2812/16,670, 16.86%) and clinical manifestations (1828/16,670, 10.91%). We found an increasing trend for research on clinical manifestations and protective measures and a decreasing trend for research on disease transmission, epidemiology, health care response, and radiology. Publications on protective measures, immunology, and clinical manifestations were associated with the highest JIF. The overall median JIF was 3.7 (IQR 2.6-5.9), and we found that the JIF for these publications declined over time. The top countries producing research were the United States, China, Italy, and the United Kingdom. CONCLUSIONS In less than 6 months since the novel coronavirus was first detected, a remarkably high number of research articles on COVID-19 have been published. Here, we discuss and present the temporal changes in the available COVID-19 research during the early phase of the pandemic. Our findings may aid researchers and policy makers to form a structured view of the current COVID-19 evidence base and provide further research directions.

scholarly journals Bridging Learning in Medicine and Citizenship During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Telehealth-Based Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-111
Author(s):  
Viviane Boaventura ◽  
Jedson dos Santos Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Epidemiological Surveillance ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Social Distancing

Background. COVID-19 presented great challenges for not only those in the field of health care but also those undergoing medical training. The burden on health care services worldwide has limited the educational opportunities available for medical students due to social distancing requirements.Objective. In this paper, we describe a strategy that combines telehealth and medical training to mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods. A toll-free telescreening service, Telecoronavirus, began operations in March 2020. This service was operated remotely by supervised medical students and was offered across all 417 municipalities (14.8 million inhabitants) in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Students recorded clinical and sociodemographic data by using a web-based application that was simultaneously accessed by medical volunteers for supervision purposes, as well as by state health authorities who conducted epidemiological surveillance and health management efforts. In parallel, students received up-to-date scientific information about COVID-19 via short educational videos prepared by professors. A continuously updated triage algorithm was conceived to provide consistent service.Results. The program operated for approximately 4 months, engaging 1396 medical students and 133 physicians. In total, 111,965 individuals residing in 343 municipalities used this service. Almost 70,000 individuals were advised to stay at home, and they received guidance to avoid disease transmission, potentially contributing to localized reductions in the spread of COVID-19. Additionally, the program promoted citizenship education for medical students, who were engaged in a real-life opportunity to fight the pandemic within their own communities. The objectives of the education, organization, and assistance domains of the Telecoronavirus program were successfully achieved according to the results of a web-based post-project survey that assessed physicians' and students' perceptions.Conclusions. In a prolonged pandemic scenario, a combination of remote tools and medical supervision via telehealth services may constitute a useful strategy for maintaining social distancing measures while preserving some practical aspects of medical education. A low-cost tool such as the Telecoronavirus program could be especially valuable in resource-limited health care scenarios, in addition to offering support for epidemiological surveillance actions.

Awareness of the preventive measures against Covid -19 spread among small shop owners

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1144-1150
Author(s):  
Muralidharan V A ◽  
Gheena S
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Positive Perception ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Small Shop ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Covid -19 is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered strain of coronavirus. As there is no vaccine discovered, the only way to prevent the spread is through following the practice of social isolation. But prolonged isolation may also lead to psychological stress and problems. The objective of the survey was to assess the knowledge and awareness of preventive measures against Covid 19 amongst small shop owners. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted amongst the small shop owners.  A structured questionnaire comprising 15-17 questions had been put forth to assess the Covid 19 related knowledge and perception. The shopkeepers were contacted telephonically and responses recorded. The data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics. Although the majority of the population had a positive perception about the preventive measures against the Covid spread, 36% of the shopkeepers were not aware of the preventive measures against the Covid spread. This study found optimal knowledge and perception of the preventive measures against Covid spread among the shopkeepers but misinformation and misunderstanding still prevailing. The shopkeepers are crucial in the prevention of the spread of Covid 19 and educating them might aid us in the fight against Covid- 19. 

scholarly journals Identification of effective spreaders in contact networks using dynamical influence

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruaridh A. Clark ◽  
Malcolm Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Laplacian Matrix ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Eigenvector Centrality ◽  
Contact Networks ◽  
Human Contact ◽  
Spread Dynamics ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Degree

AbstractContact networks provide insights on disease spread due to the duration of close proximity interactions. For systems governed by consensus dynamics, network structure is key to optimising the spread of information. For disease spread over contact networks, the structure would be expected to be similarly influential. However, metrics that are essentially agnostic to the network’s structure, such as weighted degree (strength) centrality and its variants, perform near-optimally in selecting effective spreaders. These degree-based metrics outperform eigenvector centrality, despite disease spread over a network being a random walk process. This paper improves eigenvector-based spreader selection by introducing the non-linear relationship between contact time and the probability of disease transmission into the assessment of network dynamics. This approximation of disease spread dynamics is achieved by altering the Laplacian matrix, which in turn highlights why nodes with a high degree are such influential disease spreaders. From this approach, a trichotomy emerges on the definition of an effective spreader where, for susceptible-infected simulations, eigenvector-based selections can either optimise the initial rate of infection, the average rate of infection, or produce the fastest time to full infection of the network. Simulated and real-world human contact networks are examined, with insights also drawn on the effective adaptation of ant colony contact networks to reduce pathogen spread and protect the queen ant.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on workload burden of a complex radiotherapy facility

2021 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 717-721
Author(s):  
Giulio Francolini ◽  
Isacco Desideri ◽  
Giulia Stocchi ◽  
Lucia Pia Ciccone ◽  
Viola Salvestrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Treatment Delivery ◽  
Actual Time ◽  
Italian Government ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Observation Period

Abstract Background and purpose COVID-19 constitutes a worldwide threat, prompting Italian Government to implement specific measures on March 8, 2020, to protect patients and health workers from disease transmission. The impact of preventive measures on daily activity of a radiotherapy facility may hamper the ability to fulfill normal workload burden. Thus, we assessed the number of delivered treatments in a specific observation period after the adoption of preventive measures (since March 11 to April 24, 2020) and compared it with the corresponding period of the year 2019. Materials and methods Overall number of delivered fractions was related to actual time of platform daily activity and reported as a ratio between number of delivered fractions and activity hours (Fr/Hrs). Fr/Hrs were calculated and compared for two different periods of time, March 11–April 24, 2019 (Fr/Hrs1), and March 11–April 24, 2020 (Fr/Hrs2). Results Fr/Hrs1 and Fr/Hrs2 were 2.66 and 2.54 for year 2019 and 2020, respectively, for a Fr/Hrsratio of 1.07 (95% CI 1.03–1.12, p = 0.0005). Fr/Hrs1 was significantly higher than Fr/Hrs2 for SliR and PreciseR, with Fr/Hrsratio of 1.92 (95% CI 1.66–2.23, p < 0.0001) and 1.11 (95% CI 1.03–1.2, p = 0.003), respectively. No significant difference was reported for SynergyR and CyberknifeR with Fr/Hrsratio of 0.99 (95% CI 0.91–1.08, p = 0.8) and 0.9 (95% CI 0.77–1.06, p = 0.2), respectively. Fr/Hrs1 was significantly lower than Fr/Hrs2 for TomotherapyR, with Fr/Hrsratio of 0.88 (95% CI 0.8–0.96, p = 0.007). Conclusion Preventive measures did not influence workload burden performed. Automation in treatment delivery seems to compensate effectively for health workers number reduction.

scholarly journals COVID-19: a review of current knowledge regarding exposure, quarantine, isolation and other preventive measures

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 204993612110320
Author(s):  
Robert Rosolanka ◽  
Andres F. Henao-Martinez ◽  
Larissa Pisney ◽  
Carlos Franco-Paredes ◽  
Martin Krsak
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Response ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Exposure Control ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Vaccination Strategies ◽  
Speed Up

Deeper understanding of the spread, morbidity, fatality, and development of immune response associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is necessary in order to establish an appropriate epidemiological and clinical response. Exposure control represents a key part of the combat against COVID-19, as the effectiveness of current therapeutic options remains partial. Since the preventive measures have not been sufficiently able to slow down this pandemic, in this article we explore some of the pertinent knowledge gaps, while overall looking to effective vaccination strategies as a way out. Early on, such strategies may need to rely on counting the convalescents as protected in order to speed up the immunization of the whole population.

scholarly journals Medical Students’ Knowledge and Perception of Deep Brain Stimulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052198997
Author(s):  
Brian F Saway ◽  
Sanaz Monjazeb ◽  
Kerilyn Godbe ◽  
Tessa Anwyll ◽  
Anita Kablinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Treatment Modality ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Implementation ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Clinical Exposure ◽  
Effective Treatment Modality ◽  
Deep Brain

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established neurosurgical procedure commonly used in movement and psychiatric disorders. Its widespread clinical implementation, however, may not be commensurate with medical education. No current assessment of medical student’s understanding of DBS as a treatment option for indicated conditions is available, potentially threatening the availability of DBS to future patients. The aim of the present study is to explore the current knowledge and attitudes of medical students toward DBS as a treatment modality. Methods: A total of 65 medical students at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine were surveyed regarding their knowledge of DBS. The survey consisted of a 25-item questionnaire including a demographic section and 3 separate inventories designed to assess bias, knowledge, and self-assessment of knowledge specific to DBS therapy. Students in pre-clinical and clinical years were analyzed separately to describe changes in knowledge or attitude associated with clinical exposure to DBS. Comparisons were analyzed using t tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlations. Results: Of surveyed students, 36% were unsure of the FDA approval status of DBS treatment; 65% of students believed they had not been adequately educated about DBS and its utility; and 10.6% of students believed that DBS is likely associated with severe adverse effects and/or brain damage. The overall baseline attitudes of students toward DBS were positive. There was no observed difference between surveyed pre-clinical and clinical students, highlighting a lack of exposure throughout the clinical years of medical school education. Conclusion: Although DBS is an effective treatment modality for various conditions, current education is non-commensurate with its application, which can negatively impact awareness and understanding for its implications by medical professionals. In order to better serve patients who may benefit from DBS, medical curricula must change to educate future physicians on the benefit of this intervention.

scholarly journals Burnout syndrome in Spanish medical students

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Gil-Calderón ◽  
Jéssica Alonso-Molero ◽  
Trinidad Dierssen-Sotos ◽  
Inés Gómez-Acebo ◽  
Javier Llorca
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Family Support ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Burnout Syndrome ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Academic Efficacy ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Huge Impact ◽  
Vocational Studies

Abstract Background Burnout syndrome is a frequent syndrome related to people that feel a deterioration in their daily activities due to highly demandant psychological requirements in their workplaces. Within last decades, this syndrome has been studied across medical professionals, concluding that stress levels that physicians suffer is high enough to make them develop burnout syndrome. In the case of medical students, there are some recent studies, although with small samples. For this reason, given that this phenomenon may produce a huge impact in medical students’ development, the aim of this study is to analyze the influential factors that may contribute to its occurrence. Methods The necessary information was gathered through a web-based questionnaire, divided in two parts. The first part of the survey included questions related to personal aspects of the students. Burnout related questions (second part) were divided in three subscales to evaluate exhaustion, cynicism, and academic efficacy levels. Results Family support for studying medicine is associated with lower burnout levels in all three scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The number of years spent in the degree show the opposite trend: the more years in the degree, the higher score in all burnout scales. Conclusions Burnout syndrome is a problem among medical students in Spain that increases with the number of years studying medicine. It should be also noticed that family support and vocational studies are independent factors related to lower levels of burnout.

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