Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine water availability, sanitation and hygiene (WSH) services, and healthcare waste management in Jordan healthcare facilities.
...Design/methodology/approach
In total, 19 hospitals (15 public and four private) were selected. The WSH services were assessed in hospitals using the WSH in health facilities assessment tool developed for this purpose.
Findings
All hospitals (100 percent) had a safe water source and most (84.2 percent) had functional water sources to provide enough water for users’ needs. All hospitals had appropriate and sufficient gender separated toilets in the wards and 84.2 percent had the same in outpatient settings. Overall, 84.2 percent had sufficient and functioning handwashing basins with soap and water, and 79.0 percent had sufficient showers. Healthcare waste management was appropriately practiced in all hospitals.
Practical implications
Jordan hospital managers achieved major achievements providing access to drinking water and improved sanitation. However, there are still areas that need improvements, such as providing toilets for patients with special needs, establishing handwashing basins with water and soap near toilets, toilet maintenance and providing sufficient trolleys for collecting hazardous waste. Efforts are needed to integrate WSH service policies with existing national policies on environmental health in health facilities, establish national standards and targets for the various healthcare facilities to increase access and improve services.
Originality/value
There are limited WSH data on healthcare facilities and targets for basic coverage in healthcare facilities are also lacking. A new assessment tool was developed to generate core WSH indicators and to assess WSH services in Jordan’s healthcare facilities. This tool can be used by a non-WSH specialist to quickly assess healthcare facility-related WSH services and sanitary hazards in other countries. This tool identified some areas that need improvements.
Introduction
Smartphone addiction has been associated with sleeping problems and psychological anxiety. However, little is known about the association of smartphone addiction, sleep quality and ...perceived stress amongst university students particularly in dentistry. This study investigated the association of these variables amongst dental students in a Jordanian dental faculty.
Materials and methods
A sample of 420 undergraduate dental students enrolled for academic year 2017/2018 at the Jordan University of Science and Technology participated in this study. They were given a set of self‐administered questionnaires which consisted of questions regarding demographic information, characteristics of smartphone use, assessment of smartphone addiction, sleep quality as well as perceived stress.
Results
The mean Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS) score amongst Jordanian dental students was high (109.9 ± 23.8). The correlation between SAS and Global Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score was significant (r = 0.137, P =0.005) indicating that the higher the smartphone addiction level, the poorer the quality of sleep. Similarly, a significant correlation was found between Perceived Stress Scale‐10 (PSS‐10) score and Global PSQI score (r = 0.348, P < 0.001) which implied that students who have higher perceived stress experienced poorer sleep quality. Year 3 students (clinical year), smartphone addiction and perceived stress were determinants of sleep quality.
Conclusions
Dental students who have high levels of smartphone addiction or high perceived stress levels experienced poor sleep quality. Identifying smartphone addicts amongst students as well as stressors are imperative measures to allow timely assistance and support in the form of educational campaigns, counselling, psychotherapy and stress management.
The COVID-19 outbreak started as pneumonia in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The subsequent pandemic was declared as the sixth public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, by ...the World Health Organization. Pakistan could be a potential hotspot for COVID-19 owing to its high population of 204.65 million and its struggling health care and economic systems. Pakistan was able to tackle the challenge with relatively mild repercussions. The present analysis has been conducted to highlight the situation of the disease in Pakistan in 2020 and the measures taken by various stakeholders coupled with support from the community to abate the risk of catastrophic spread of the virus.
To examine the prevalence of foot ulcers, foot at risk, and the associated risk factors among Jordanian diabetics.
A cross-sectional design was applied on 1000 diabetes patients (both type-1 and ...type-2) aged >20 years. The participants were selected systematically from among every second patient visiting the diabetes clinics at National Center for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Genetics (NCDEG) in Amman, Jordan. The participants were interviewed, examined, and then their medical records were reviewed. The factors including sensory neuropathy, vibratory neuropathy, painful neuropathy, vascular insufficiency, retinopathy, and dermatological changes were recorded for all patients. Foot at risk was identified based on the risk category classification and foot ulcers were evaluated based on the Wagner's classification system.
A total of 53 (5.3%) patients had foot ulcers, 17 (1.7%) had undergone amputations, and 172 (17.2%) had foot at risk. A total of 62 patients were identified in the risk category-1, 82 in the risk category-2, and 28 in the risk category-3. Loss of protective sensation was detected in 174 (17.4%) patients, loss of vibratory sensation in 162 (16.2%) patients, absence of posterior tibial pulse in 115 (11.5%) patients, absence of dorsalis pedis pulse in 97 (9.7%) patients, and claudication in 72 (7.2%) patients. Loss of protective sensation (p < 0.000), loss of vibratory sensation (p < 0.039), and vascular insufficiency (p = 0.02) were found to be significantly higher in diabetic patients with foot ulcers than in those without foot ulcers.
The prevalence of foot ulcer in Jordan was 5.3%, while foot at risk was prevalent in 17.2% patients. Patients with loss of protective sensation, loss of vibratory sensation, and vascular insufficiency of the lower limbs were found to be at a higher risk for the development of foot ulceration.
Aim: To determine the relationship between periodontitis and overweight/obesity among Jordanians.
Material and Methods: A systematic random sample of 340 persons aged between 18 and 70 years was ...selected from those who accompanied patients during their visit to the outpatient clinics in the medical centre of Jordan University of Science and Technology in north of Jordan. All participants underwent periodontal examination, had anthropometric measurements, and completed the questionnaire. Periodontitis was defined as presence of four or more teeth with one or more sites with probing pocket depth 4 mm and clinical attachment loss 3 mm.
Results: Only 14% of normal weight participants had periodontal disease whereas 29.6% of overweight and 51.9% of obese participants had periodontal disease. Periodontitis was more prevalent among subjects with high waist circumference (WC) and among subjects with high waist‐to‐hip ratio. After adjusting for important variables, only body mass index (BMI)‐defined obesity odds ratio (OR)=2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 6.1, high WC (OR=2.1, 95%CI: 1.2, 3.7), and high fat per cent (OR=1.8, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.3) remained significantly associated with increased odds of periodontitis.
Conclusion: BMI‐defined obesity, high WC, and high fat per cent were significantly associated with increased odds of having periodontitis.
AIM： To estimate the prevalence of celiac disease （CD） in adult patients with presumed irritable bowel syndrome （IBS）.
METHODS： Between March 2005 and December 2008, 742 consecutive patients （293 ...male, median age 43 years, range 18-69 years） fulfilling the Rome Ⅱ criteria for IBS were prospectively enrolled in the study. IBS was diagnosed via self-completed Rome Ⅰ modular questionnaires. Anti-tissue transglutaminase （anti-tTG） serology was checked to initially recognize possible CD cases. Patients with a positive test were offered endoscopic duodenal biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of CD.
RESULTS： Thirty two patients （15 male, median age 41 years, range 19-59 years） were found to have organic diseases other than CD. Twenty four patients tested positive for anti-tTG antibodies, and duodenal biopsies confirmed the diagnosis in all of them. Thus, in this patient population with presumed IBS, 3.23% actually had CD.
CONCLUSION： CD is common in patients with presumed IBS. Routine screening for CD in patients with symptoms of IBS is recommended.
COVID-19 became a pandemic rapidly after its emergence in December 2019. It belongs to the coronavirus family of viruses, which have struck a few times before in history. Data based on previous ...research regarding etiology and epidemiology of other viruses from this family helped played a vital role in formulating prevention and precaution strategies during the initial stages of this pandemic. Data related to COVID-19 in Pakistan were not initially documented on a large scale. In addition, due to a weak health care system and low economic conditions, Pakistan's population, in general, already suffers from many comorbidities, which can severely affect the outcome of patients infected with COVID-19.
COVID-19 infections are coupled with a manifestation of various notable outcomes that can be documented and characterized clinically. The aim of this study was to examine these clinical manifestations, which can serve as indicators for early detection as well as severity prognosis for COVID-19 infections, especially in high-risk groups.
A retrospective observational study involving abstraction of demographic features, presenting symptoms, and adverse clinical outcomes for 1812 patients with COVID-19 was conducted. Patients were admitted to the four major hospitals in the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region of Pakistan, and the study was conducted from February to August 2020. Multivariate regression analysis was carried out to identify significant indicators of COVID-19 severity, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilator aid, and mortality. The study not only relates COVID-19 infection with comorbidities, but also examines other related factors, such as age and gender.
This study identified fever (1592/1812, 87.9%), cough (1433/1812, 79.1%), and shortness of breath (998/1812, 55.1%) at the time of hospital admission as the most prevalent symptoms for patients with COVID-19. These symptoms were common but not conclusive of the outcome of infection. Out of 1812 patients, 24.4% (n=443) required ICU admission and 21.5% (n=390) required ventilator aid at some point of disease progression during their stay at the hospital; 25.9% (n=469) of the patients died. Further analysis revealed the relationship of the presented symptoms and comorbidities with the progression of disease severity in these patients. Older adult patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and asthma, were significantly affected in higher proportions, resulting in requirement of ICU admission and ventilator aid in some cases and, in many cases, even mortality.
Older adult patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and chronic kidney disease, are at increased risk of developing severe COVID-19 infections, with an increased likelihood of adverse clinical outcomes.
Background
Dental offices can be useful to screen and identify patients at risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM) using risk prediction tools. The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) is a ...validated, questionnaire‐based tool used to predict the 10‐year risk of developing type II DM.
Objectives
To determine the 10‐year DM risk among Jordanians using the FINDRISC questionnaire in a dental setting.
Materials and methods
Participants attending two university dental teaching centres between March 2017 and February 2018 were interviewed using an Arabic translated version of the FINDRISC questionnaire. Anthropometrics including weight, height, waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. Random capillary blood glucose level was measured for each participant. Statistical analysis was done using Chi‐square and independent t‐tests.
Results
A total of 1,247 (436 males and 811 females) participants were included. As defined by BMI, 1,012 (81.2%) participants were either overweight or obese. Abdominal adiposity as determined by WC was seen in 738 (59.2%) participants. The mean (± SD) FINDRISC score for females (11.3 ± 4.3) was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than males (10.4 ± 4.9). After age adjustment, more females were in the high‐risk categories (FINDRISC ≥ 15) compared with males. This trend was seen among all age groups, but was statistically significant in the older age groups; 55–64 years (P = 0.037) and ≥ 65 years (P = 0.004).
Conclusion
In a developing Middle Eastern country such as Jordan, almost half of Jordanians attending university dental clinics are at a moderate to high risk of developing type II DM in 10 years. The risk of DM should be considered in dental patients, particularly older females.
Background This national study aims to evaluate compliance of Jordanian staff nurses with infection control guidelines. Methods Cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Proportional-multistage, ...probability sampling was used to obtain a sample of 10% of all staff nurses working in Jordanian hospitals. Standardized self-reported instruments were used to evaluate the compliance. Results The total sample consisted of 22 hospitals, of which 8 were governmental, 7 military, 5 private, and 2 university-affiliated hospitals. Of the total 889 participating nurses, 52.6% were females, 81.9% holding a bachelor degree. The mean age was 29.0 years (standard deviation SD = 5.9) with a mean of experience of 6.9 years (SD = 5.8). According to the scale categories, 65.0% of participants demonstrated “high compliance,” 32.3% “weak compliance,” and 2.7% “unsafe compliance.” Nurses who received infection control training in the hospital demonstrated higher compliance (mean = 120.2, SD = 13.6); than those who never received such training (mean = 115.8, SD = 15.2), P < .001. Nurses who work in university affiliated hospitals demonstrated higher compliance than other types of hospital ( P < .001). Conclusion This study provides information about infection control practices in various health care sectors in Jordan. Results from this study expected to guide efforts to develop educational tools, programs, and curricula to improve infection control practices in Jordan.
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