Prevalence and risk factors of dry eye disease among University Students in Bangkok, Thailand

Purpose To investigate the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) and its associated risk factors among Thai university students. Methods A cross-sectional study using an electronic survey was conducted in two Rajabhat universities in Bangkok, Thailand. The woman’s health study questionnaire was used to determine students with DED. The prevalence of DED along with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Logistic regression model was used to identify the associated risk factors. Results A total of 4,111 university students joined and completed the survey questionnaires. Mean age was 18.8 ± 1.1 years with female predominance (2874 students, 69.91%). Clinically diagnosed DED was reported in 136 students (3.31%), while severe symptoms of eye dryness and irritation were reported in 227 students (5.52%). The prevalence of DED among Thai university students was 8.15% (95% CI 7.33% to 9.02%). History of contact lens use and high screen time (> 8 hours per day) were reported in 868 students (21.11%) and 2101 students (51.11%), respectively. Male gender, contact lens use and high screen time were significantly associated with higher risk of DED with the adjusted ORs (95% CI) of 1.39 (1.09, 1.77), 2.49 (1.96, 3.17), and 1.43 (1.14, 1.80), respectively. Conclusions DED is not rare among Thai university students. Contact lens use and high screen time are two significant modifiable risk factors of DED in our students. These findings can raise awareness of DED in youth population and provide valuable information for public health promotion in university students.

Fostering healthcare innovation: a qualitative study of dental implant product development by Thai university researchers

PurposeThis study investigated the conditions required to foster healthcare innovation. Due to the limited research and development (R&D) capability of the Thai private sector, universities are increasingly expected to be emerging sources of healthcare products. However, the lack of experience in research commercialization requires that whether and how Thai university researchers can serve this mission be explored.Design/methodology/approachA promising dental implant product development project was investigated using the single-case research methodology. In-depth interviews were conducted with three key members involved in this innovative project. Questions concerning how a team of university researchers could embark on and overcome the obstacles encountered during their entrepreneurial project were asked. Based on the conceptual foundation of academic entrepreneurship, primary and additional secondary data were analyzed to acquire knowledge of academic entrepreneurship in healthcare in an emerging economy.FindingsHealthcare inequality has generated entrepreneurial initiatives by healthcare researchers to develop low-cost dental implants. However, their efforts have been insufficient to progress to the commercialization stage. An informal relationship among socially oriented partners, including interdisciplinary experts, not-for-profit-oriented manufacturers and early adopters contributed to this project's success.Originality/valueTo foster healthcare innovation, the authors’ micro-level evidence of a socially oriented partnership on an informal basis indicates the need for inter-professional governance that maintains a cross-organizational environment between healthcare researchers and external parties. The future contributions to innovation management by healthcare professionals should be enhanced. A socially entrepreneurial model of healthcare innovation is suggested for further consideration as an enabling policy option for inter-professional partnership in emerging economies.

Enhancing English Communication Skills of Thai University Students through Google Apps for Education (GAFE) in a Digital Era during Covid-19 Pandemic

During the covid-19 dilemma, all educators worldwide have been alerted by the alarm clock of urgent online teaching and learning. This leads to a curiosity of which online tools are suitable for the online learning contexts, especially for English classrooms where there are more than just lecturing, but also practicing English skills. Google Applications for Education (GAFE) is one of the teaching alternatives to create collaborative learning and being used as major media in online teaching. Therefore, the aim of this quantitative study is to explore the opinions of Thai university students regarding the use of G Suite Applications namely Google Classroom, Google Meet, Google Docs, and Google Forms, in an English online course during the Covid-19 situation and to indicate how the applications can be integrated with online tasks that promote English skills. The participants of the study were students who enrolled in a fundamental English course which was conducted online at the time of the Covid-19 crisis by the researcher. The data were gathered from an online questionnaire consists of statements that represent key indicators of efficiency and validity of Integrated Technology and the information is interpreted by 5-point Likert Scale (Strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree). The results show that the students have a positive experience using the applications in their online learnings. They agreed that the combinations of this application based on the functions enable them to enhance all English skills and grammatical and lexical knowledge. There is also a guideline that suggests how to apply these applications to create learning activities and tasks in an online setting. All in all, it is believed that this research will be a starting point for English teachers to use Web 2.0 tools, particularly G Suite, to serve the needs of the learners in the future online during this covid-19 crisis.

“We Participate, Silently”: Explicating Thai University Students’ Perceptions of Their Classroom Participation and Communication

This study explores Thai university students’ perceptions of their reluctance in verbal classroom participation especially in situations where English is used as the medium for instruction. It is generally perceived that non-native learners particularly from high context cultures such as Thailand have the tendency to remain silent during discussion sessions or when they are asked to participate in activities related to expressing their opinions. By investigating this phenomenon through focus group meetings with Thai university students, this study reveals reasons that cause students to be hesitant speakers in class through the eyes of students themselves. The results confirm that though students agree to the common perception of Asian students being quiet learners, they did not agree that they were passive learners; they emphasized the fact that they used ‘silence’ as a tool to quietly yet attentively participate. The study also highlights that students’ silence can be seen as a way to harmonize with the environment and situation which is the cultural norm in the Thai context.