Global Journal of Medicine & Public Health

Knowledge, skills and attitude of mobile learning among BSN students

M Shahi , , A Chaulagain, J Kayastha — Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Background

The main objective of the study is to assess the knowledge, skill and

attitude regarding mobile learning among BNS 1st and 2nd year

students of Nepal.

Methods

The study was descriptive in nature conducted among 303 BNS 1st and

2nd year students of six different institutions of Nepal from 2014 to 2015

A.D.

Results

The result reveals that most of the respondents had good knowledge

about the availability of the facilities like reading scholarly articles and

text books, sharing information resources and emails, scholarly

materials can be surfed/downloaded, data can be collected and library

catalogues can be searched through mobile. Further, nearly two-thirds

of them used mobile occasionally for surfing/downloading scholarly

materials and reading scholarly articles and text books followed by online dictionaries, SMS, emails, sharing

information resources, collecting data, recording and searching library catalogues. Moreover, slightly over

two-fifths of the respondents preferred cell phone for learning. Majority (92 percent) of the respondents felt

comfortable on using the phone for learning. Just over three-fourths of the respondents revealed that through

mobile phone, they updated the information and searched learning materials quickly.

Conclusion

Based on the result of the study, it has been concluded that the students had good knowledge on mobile

learning and they had used mobile for various purposes including learning. They has updated the information

and searched learning materials quickly through the mobile phones. It has been recommended that mobile

should be brought into practice and it can be effective if there is a provision of internet at low cost.

Continuing professional development (CPD): Participation and perception among practicing dentists in the public sector in Khartoum state – Sudan 2018

Wisam Omer Gabani — Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In order to keep up to date with knowledge, technology and clinical

procedures, practitioners need to continue to learn throughout life.

Objectives

To describe the participation pattern and assess the perception and

barriers of dentists in the public sector in Khartoum state/ Sudan

towards the Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Materials and Methods

A total of 261 dentists working in the public sector, participated in the study. Self administered questionnaire

were distributed after giving them brief idea about the topic. Analysis was done by using SPSS version 22. Chi

square test was used to find associations.

Results

The response rate was 93.2%, out of which 73.6% were females. The mean age was 32.4 years. General

practitioners were 61%, 26.8% were specialists and 11.9% were registrars. 41.8% of the dentists work in public

sector only. Eighty two percent from the participants had attended CPD activities before. Lectures and

conferences were the most continuing educational activities attended, while reading journals and e-learning

were the least. Esthetic dentistry and implant were the most preferable topics. Courses with hands on were

perceived as the most effective mode of delivery (75.9%). The topic of interest and presence of knowledge gab

were the most encouraging factors for attending CPD and cost perceived as the most common barrier.

Conclusion

The majority of the dental practitioners working in the public sector in Khartoum state attended CPD at least

once and had positive perception towards it.

Clinical significance of serum miR-21, CA 153 and CEA in breast cancer

Jelwa Jamal — Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Objective

One of the essential regulators of carcinogenesis is MicroRNA-21 (miR-

21). Yet little light has been shed on its effectiveness as a tumor marker

compared to the conventional ones. Comparing the diagnostic value of

established tumor markers in breast cancer (BC) such as

carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA153 with circulating level of miR-

21 is the aim of this study.

Methods

The study included 89 BC patients. Amplification of the circulating levels of miR-21 and miR-16 done using

real-time PCR qualitative detection, while electrochemiluminescence assays was used to detect circulating

levels of CEA and CA153. The diagnostic sensitivity for BC was compared between the three.

Results

The serum miR-21 levels were high significantly BC patients, as the latter had much higher levels (P<0.001).

the CA153 and CEA sensitivities were 15.73% and 22.47% respectively, while miR-21 Sensitivity and

specificity were 87.6% and 87.3%.

Conclusion

In BC patients miR-21 exhibits far higher sensitivity for diagnoses than both CEA and CA153. Thus especially in

the early stages of BC, miR-21 can become a potential indicator for diagnosis, albeit the clinical stage, PR and

ER statuses were not correlated in this study.

Relationship between oral health literacy and oral health behaviors, knowledge and dental status in Portuguese military enlisted adults

Victor Assunção, Rita Pires, Henrique Luis, , Luís Soares Luís — Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Objectives

The objective of this study was to describe oral health literacy and its

association with oral health behaviors, knowledge and dental status in

Portuguese military enlisted adults.

Methods

The Portuguese version of the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI)

was applied to 274 enlistees at the Escola da Guarda in Portalegre,

Portugal, in a cross-sectional study. Information on sociodemographic,

dental status and oral health literacy was collected.

Results

There is a high number (45.3%) of individuals with marginal or

inadequate levels of literacy. Assessment of dental status also revealed

oral health care needs. Females have better oral health knowledge than

males (p=0.034) and individuals with a bachelor’s degree have better oral

health knowledge than those with at least high school (P<0.001). The

higher number of visits to the dentist increases the number of filled teeth

(p<0.001) and DMFT (p=0.01). The variables that influences DMFT the most are “frequency of dentist visits”

(p<0.01) and “age group” (p=0.011).

Conclusion

There is the need for implementation and improvement of existing oral health promotion activities, namely

the introduction of oral health topics in the curriculum and the implementation of an oral health education

and promotion program for enlisted personnel at the Escola da Guarda.

Patient centered communication with cancer patients

Maria Chionis — Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The words “you have cancer” almost always have a devastating affect on the patient who receives this diagnosis. Common reactions are feelings of uncertainty and loss of control over one’s life. 1 Over time, cancer patients will encounter situations which will further disrupt their quality of life (QOL). Examples include: understanding complex medical information; making difficult treatment decisions; dealing with adverse affects from the medications; living with the fear of recurrence; and for some impending death. 2 Apart from prolonging survival, another key goal of cancer care, is to minimize the isease and treatment of patients’ functioning and well-being. 3 The significance of doctor-patient interactions and in particular patient-centered communication (PCC) and their potential to influence patients’ well-being and behaviour has been illustrated. 4-8 Whereas, the paternalistic medical model that once dominated patient-physician interaction is increasingly being replaced by a shared decision making or patient-centered model of communication especially with chronic illnesses such as cancer. 9-10