METHODS: A population-based survey using postal questionnaires was conducted among formerly pregnant women in the Northern parts of the Netherlands. A total of 986 women were invited to participate.
RESULTS: Of the 219 women who returned completed questionnaires (22.2% response rate), only 22.8% had heard of pharmacogenetics, although the majority understood the concept (64.8%). Women who had experience with drug side-effects were more likely to know about pharmacogenetics [OR = 2.06, 95% CI 1.16, 3.65]. Of the respondents, 53.9% were positive towards implementing pharmacogenetics in their future drug therapy, while 46.6% would be willing to participate in pharmacogenetic research. Among those who were either not willing or undecided in this regard, their concerns were about the consequences of the pharmacogenetic test, including the privacy and anonymity of their genetic information.
CONCLUSION: The knowledge and attitude regarding the concept of pharmacogenetics among our population of interest is good. Also, their interest in pharmacogenetic research provides opportunities for future research related to drug use during pregnancy and fetal outcome.
BACKGROUND: A literature review showed a lack of studies focused on the intention of nurses regarding physical restraint throughout the world. Considering that very little research on physical restraint use has been carried out in Malaysia, assessment of nurses' knowledge, attitude, intention and practice is necessary before developing a minimising programme in hospitals.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was used.
METHODS: A questionnaire to assess the knowledge, attitude, intention and practice was completed by all nurses (n = 309) in twelve wards of a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur.
RESULTS: Moderate knowledge and attitude with strong intention to use physical restraint were found among the nurses. Less than half of nurses considered alternatives to physical restraint and most of them did not understand the reasons for the physical restraint. Nurses' academic qualification, read any information source during past year and nurses' work unit showed a significant association with nurses' knowledge. Multiple linear regression analysis found knowledge, attitude and intention were significantly associated with nurses' practice to use physical restraint.
CONCLUSION: This study showed some important misunderstandings of nurses about using physical restraint and strong intention regarding using physical restraint. Findings of this study serve as a supporting reason for importance of educating nurses about the use of physical restraint.
RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Exploring the knowledge, attitude, intention and current practice of nurses towards physical restraint is important so that an effective strategy can be formulated to minimise the use of physical restraints in hospitals.
METHODS: A survey was conducted between December 2016 and August 2017 at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Parents of preterm infants ≤36 weeks' gestation were invited to answer a self-administered questionnaire to assess their knowledge and practise regarding SIDS risk reduction.
RESULTS: Forty-nine (61.33%) of the 80 parents had heard of SIDS prior to the interview, with social media being the commonest source of information (67.3%). Only 35 (43.7%) correctly answered at least five of nine questions on knowledge of SIDS risk reduction ("good knowledge"). When compared with the group of parents who answered less than five questions correctly ("poor knowledge"), there was no significant difference in the demographic and infant characteristics between the groups. The majority (68.8%) of parents practised bed sharing with their infants, and this was significantly more common in the group of parents with poor knowledge (P = 0.01). Household smoking was also significantly more common in the group of parents with poor knowledge (P = 0.048).
CONCLUSION: Knowledge on SIDS risk reduction measures was generally poor among parents of preterm infants in this study. Cigarette smoking, bed sharing and non-supine sleep positions, which are associated with increased risk of SIDS, were common practise among the present subjects.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the six universities in Sri Lanka that offer pharmacy undergraduate programmes. All pharmacy students in each university were invited to participate in this study using a self-administered questionnaire with ethics approval. The study instrument comprised five major sections: demographic information, self-reported antibiotic use, knowledge of antibiotic uses in human health, knowledge of AMR and antibiotic use in agriculture. Descriptive data analyses were conducted and Chi-squared analysis was used to explore associations between different variables and level of pharmacy education.
RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-six pharmacy students completed the questionnaire. A majority of participants (76%) reported antibiotic use in the past year. More than half (57%) of the junior pharmacy students incorrectly indicated that antibiotic use is appropriate for the management of cold and flu conditions. Senior pharmacy students (n = 206) reported significantly better antibiotic knowledge than junior students (n = 260), p
BACKGROUND: Due to the increasing incidence of coronary artery disease in recent years, interventions targeting coronary artery disease risk factors are urgent public priorities. The use of mobile technology in healthcare services and medical education is relatively new with promising future prospects.
DESIGN: This study used a quasiexperimental design that included pre- and posttest for intervention and control groups.
METHODS: The study was conducted from January-April 2017 with both intervention and control groups, in a teaching hospital in Klang Valley. Convenience sampling was used with inclusive criteria in choosing the 94 patients with coronary artery disease (intervention group: 47 patients; control group: 47 patients). The pretest was conducted as a baseline measurement for both groups before they were given standard care from a hospital. However, only the intervention group was given a daily information update via WhatsApp for 1 month. After 1 month, both groups were assessed with a posttest.
RESULTS: The split-plot ANOVA analysis indicates that there is a significant and positive effect of the intervention on coronary artery disease patients' knowledge on coronary artery disease risk factors [F(1, 92) = 168.15, p
METHODS: An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study design was used to recruit a purposive sample of foster carers in Tower Hamlets, United Kingdom, from a range of backgrounds (maximum variation sampling). Participants were aged 21 years and older and provided full-time foster care for children for a minimum of 1 year. The foster carers took part in focus groups that were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis followed a five-step IPA process, which included reading the transcripts, note taking, identifying emerging themes, connecting related themes and writing up the final themes. Iterative data gathering and analysis continued to reach thematic saturation.
RESULTS: Three focus groups were conducted, involving a total of 12 foster carers. Eight of the 12 participants had fostered children for more than 10 years and they were currently fostering 22 children aged five to 18 years old. Four themes emerged from within the context of the supportive and nurturing foster family environment that described how foster carers' responded to and managed the oral health of their foster children. Foster carers had adopted an oral health caregiving role, "in loco parentis" responding to the poor oral health of their vulnerable foster children. They were hypervigilant about establishing and monitoring children's oral health routines and taking their children to see a dentist; these were seen as an integral part of being good foster carers. They were knowledgeable about the causes of children's oral ill health, gained from their own dental experiences and from looking after their own children. Foster carers had experienced tensions while adopting this oral health caregiving role with dentists who had refused to see younger children. Foster carers had also experienced tensions with teenage foster children who questioned their parental authority and legitimate right to set rules about smoking and healthy eating.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to explore foster carers' oral health perspectives and the foster family environment within the oral health context. It highlights the unrecognized and important role that foster carers have in improving the oral health of vulnerable children. Further research is needed to explore the relationship between foster carers and dentists and to support the development of health and social care interventions to improve foster children's oral health.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed and a 13-item survey questionnaire was given to FMPs practicing in 12 different teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. The questions were aimed at exploring the knowledge of FMP's regarding the association of obesity and periodontal disease and their attitude towards the association of obesity and periodontal disease. Chi-square and Spearman co-efficient were conducted to compare subgroups and correlate factors with the knowledge score of FMPs.
RESULTS: A total of 314 questionnaires were completed (response rate = 92%). Median age of participants was 41 years and 57% were females. Almost 61% of FMPs answered all the knowledge questions correctly and 64% reported moderate understanding of the association between periodontal health and obesity. Nearly 73% FMPs inquired from obese patients regarding the periodontal disease and more than half (58%) refer patients to a dentist for evaluation. More than half of FMPs perform periodontal disease screening. Nearly all FMPs considered informing obese patients regarding periodontal disease as one of their roles.
CONCLUSIONS: FMP's play an important role in the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of periodontal conditions in obese patients. More than two thirds of FMPs showed good knowledge of the association of obesity and periodontal disease. The attitudes of FMPs towards assessing and referring obese patients at a risk of having periodontal disease were reassuring.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 participants (165 Orang Asli and 175 Malay) aged ≤ 15 years from the Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman districts of Terengganu. Faecal samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites by using direct smear, formalin-ether sedimentation, trichrome stain, modified Ziehl Neelsen stain, in vitro cultivation in Jones' medium, Kato Katz and Harada Mori techniques. Demographic, socioeconomic, environmental and behavioural information of the participants and their KAP for IPIs were collected by using a pre-tested questionnaire.
RESULTS: Overall, 149 (90.3 %) Orang Asli and 43 (24.6 %) Malay children were infected by at least one parasite species. The overall prevalences of intestinal polyparasitism among the Orang Asli and Malay were 68.5 % (113/165) and 14.3 % (25/175), respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that using unsafe water supply as a source for drinking water, the presence of domestic animals, not wearing shoes when outside, not washing vegetables before consumption, not washing hands after playing with soil, indiscriminate defecation and the low level of mother's education were the key risk factors for intestinal polyparasitism among the Orang Asli, while working mothers and the presence of domestic animals were the risk factors among the Malay children. Almost all the Malays were well aware about the IPIs while Orang Asli respondents had a poor level of related awareness.
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that IPIs are highly prevalent in rural Terengganu, Malaysia. Community awareness about IPIs was found to be imperative in protecting Malay children from these infections. An integrated control programme for the prevention and control of IPIs is highly recommended for these communities, with a special emphasis on the Orang Asli population.