Knowledge levels and attitudes of health care professionals toward patients with hepatitis C infection

AIM:To study knowledge levels and attitudes of health care providers toward patients with hepatitis C virus infection in Guilan,a northern province of Iran.METHODS:This cross-sectional study was performed on 239 health care professionals from the Razi Hospital,including doctors,nurses,and operating room technicians.The questionnaires consisted of questions on demographic characteristics,knowledge levels,and attitudes toward hepatitis C patients.The questionnaire was tested in a pilot study and validated by Cronbach' s alpha coefficient.Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software.RESULTS:The mean ± SD knowledge score was 17.43 ± 2.65(from a total of 22).51.9% of the participants achieved scores higher than the mean.There was a significant relationship between knowledge score and age(P = 0.001),gender(P = 0.0001),occupational history(P = 0.0001),and educational history(P = 0.027).There was also a significant relationship between attitude level and age(P = 0.002),gender(P = 0.0001),occupational history(P = 0.0001),and educational history(P = 0.035).Physicians were significantly more knowledgeable and showed more positive attitudes.There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores(P = 0.02).CONCLUSION:Discriminatory attitudes are common among health care providers toward hepatitis C patients.It is therefore necessary to improve their knowledge level and attitude toward this disease.

A Study on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Its Influencing Factors in Elderly Diabetic Patients

Objective:To investigate the oral health related quality of life in elderly diabetic patients and analyze its influencing factors.Methods:Convenience sampling was used to select 190 elderly patients with diabetes under the Department of Endocrinology and Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in the Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University as the research subjects.The Chinese version of the Oral Health Influence Scale(OHIP-14)was used to conduct a questionnaire survey,and univariate analysis and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of oral health related quality of life in elderly diabetic patients.Results:The elderly diabetic patients'oral health related quality of life score was 34.48±3.23,which is in the middle-lower range.The findings of multivariate stepwise regression analysis revealed that the course of disease,regular visits to the dentist,sleep quality,oral health knowledge,and oral health attitude together explained 58.9%of the total variance in elderly diabetic patients in terms of their oral health related quality of life(p<0.05).Conclusion:The oral health related quality of life of elderly diabetic patients is generally low,and is affected by the duration of diabetes,sleep quality,and oral health knowledge,attitude,and behavior(regular visits to the dentist).Improving patientsJ attention to oral health problems by improving sleep as well as their own oral health knowledge,attitude,and behavior is an effective way to enhance oral health related quality of life.

Assessing attitudes toward elderly among nurses working in the city of Ilam

Objective:Several factors affect the quality of care in the elderly,such as nurses'attitudes.This study aimed to assess nurses'attitude toward elderly in the city of Ilam.Method:This cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 nurses working at public hospitals in the city of Ilam.Participants were selected using simple random sampling from the list of staff.The Kogan's attitude questionnaire was used to measure nurses'attitudes toward the elderly.Results:The mean age of respondents in this study was 32.65(SD=7.67),and the score of attitudes toward the elderly was 144.96(SD=51.75)in average.More than half(54.3%)of the nurses had negative attitudes toward the elderly.The results of ANOVA analysis showed significant differences(P<0.05)were observed in the attitudes toward the elderly among the nurses as their ages,marital status,work experiences,and ward types differed.Conclusion:In conclusion,nurses in this study have marginally negative attitudes toward the elderly.Therefore,promoting nurses'attitudes toward the elderly is important to provide high-quality care.

Clinical and epidemiological features of patients with clonorchiasis

AIM:To study the clinical and epidemiological features of patients with clonorchiasis so as to provide scientific evidences for the diagnosis and prevention of clonorchiasis. METHODS:Stools from 282 subjects suspected of having clonorchiasis were examined for helminth eggs with modified Kato's thick smear and sedimentation methods,and their sera were tested for HAV-DNA,HBV-DNA,HCV-RNA,HDV- RNA and HEV-RNA with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Clinical symptoms of patients with clonorchiasis only were analyzed,and their blood samples were tested for circulating antigen (CAg) with Dot-ELISA,esoinophilic granulocyte count, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).Meanwhile,they were asked to provide data of occupation,eating habit,hygienic habit and knowledge of donorchiasis.In addition,the ecosystem of the environment in epidemic areas was surveyed. RESULTS:Among the 282 patients,61 (21.43%) were infected with clonorchis sinensis only,97 (34.64%) were co-infected with clonorchis sinensis and other pathogens, 92 (32.86%) were infected with hepatitis virus only and 31 (11.07%) neither with clonorchis sinensis nor hepatitis virus. Among the 61 patients with clonorchiasis only,there were 14 (22.95%) subjects with discomfort over hepatic region or epigasfrium,12 (19.67%) with general malaise or discomfort and inertia in total body,6 (9.84%) with anorexia,indigestion and nausea,4 (6.56%) with fever,dizziness and headache (6.56%),and 25 (40.98%) without any symptoms;sixty one (100%) with CAg (+),98.33% (59160) with eosinophilic granulocytes increased and 65.00% (39/60) with ALT increased.B-mode ultrasonography revealed 61 cases with dilated and thickened walls of intrahepatic bile duct,and blurred patchy echo acoustic image in liver.Twenty-six cases had stones in the bile duct,39 cases had slightly enlarged liver with diffuse coarse spots in liver parenchyma.Twenty cases had enlarged gallbladder with thickened coarse wall and image of floating plagues,9 cases had slightly enlarged spleen.By analysis of epidemiological data,we found that the ecologic environment was favorable for the epidemiology of clonorchiasis.Most patients with clonorchiasis were lack of knowledge about the disease.Their living environment, hygienic habits,eating habits and their occupations were the related factors that caused the prevalence of the disease. CONCLUSION:The clinical symptoms of clonorchiasis are non-specific,and the main evidences for diagnosis of clonorchiasis should be provided by etiologic examination, B-mode ultrasonography and clinical history.The infection of clonorchis sinensis is related to occupations,bad eating habits and lack of knowledge about prevention of the disease.

Emotionless Holism:Factor and Rasch Analysis of the Chinese Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire

T Objective： To examine the Eastem-Westem difference in the interpretation of Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire （IMAQ） by assessing the psychometric properties of a revised Chinese medicine （CM）- specific version of IMAQ （CM-IMAQ）. Methods： Factor and Rasch analysis were performed with data collected from a mail survey of 165 Hong Kong Western medical doctors （WMD） randomly sampled from the official registry. The structural validity, unidimensionality, item fit, and differential item functioning （DIF） of the Hong Kong CM-IMAQ were evaluated. Results： Confirmatory factor analysis （CFA） demonstrated that the original IMAQ factor structure was not concordant with our data on Chinese WMD, and subsequent explanatory factor analysis （EFA） validated a new three-factor model for CM-IMAQ： （1） attitude towards tonification , （2） attitude towards the effectiveness of CM, and （3） attitude towards CM knowledge. The original IMAQ factor on holism and doctor-patient relationship disappeared. Rasch analysis confirmed the unidimensionality of tonification and the effectiveness domains, but further refinement of the knowledge domain is needed. Coaclusions： Cultural adaptation of the IMAQ has demonstrated differences between Eastern and Westem doctors trained in allopathic medicine in their interpretations of hoiism in healthcare. For Chinese WMD, the emphasis of holistic care is placed on tonifying＇ the body rather than on nurturing the mind and spidt. Confucian and Taoist conceptualizations of mental health as well as the persistent stigma towards mental illness within modern Chinese culture may explain why Chinese WMD do not regard mental health promotion as part of routine healthcare.

Attitudes of medical students toward the practice and teaching of integrative medicine

The General Medical Council encourages the integration of complementary and alternative medicine （CAM） teaching into basic medical education. We wished to explore the attitudes of medical students to CAM and its inclusion in their undergraduate curriculum. Medical students were invited to complete the validated Integrative Medicine Attitude Questionnaire （IMAQ） and to state whether they considered it appropriate for them to learn about CAM in medical school. The questionnaire was completed by 308 students （65.8% response rate）. CAM had been received by a majority of respondents and their families. Participants believed that doctors with knowledge of CAM provide better patient care and that it is desirable for physicians to exploit the placebo effect. Most students expressed the view that doctors should be able to answer patients＇ questions about herbal medicines. There was a belief that patients should be warned to avoid using supplements which have not undergone rigorous testing. Students who were current or previous users of CAM or whose family members used CAM had higher total IMAQ scores and openness subscale scores than those who did not report use of CAM. Two-hundred and nine （68%） students expressed a desire to study CAM as part of their medical curriculum. This study reveals a positive attitude towards a holistic approach to patient care which embraces CAM. Medical students believe that integrative medicine should be taught in medical school.

Evaluating implicit gender bias at Canadian otolaryngology meetings through use of professional title

Objectives:Increasing numbers of women enter medical school annually.The number of female physicians in leadership positions has been much slower to equalize.There are also well‐documented differences in the treatment of women as compared to men in professional settings.Female presenters are less likely to be introduced by their professional title(“Doctor”)for grand rounds and conferences,especially with a man performing the introduction.This study reviewed the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery(CSOHNS)meetings from 2017 to 2020 to determine the proportion of presenters introduced by their professional title and whether this varied by gender.Methods:Recordings from CSOHNS meetings were reviewed and coded for introducer and presenter demographics,including leadership positions and gender.Chi‐squared tests of proportion and multivariate logistic regression was used to compare genders and identify factors associated with professional versus unprofessional forms of address.Results:No significant association was found between professional title use and introducer or presenter gender.Female presenters were introduced with professional title 69.6%of the time,while male presenters were introduced with professional title 67.6%of the time(P=0.69).Residents were introduced with a professional title with the most frequency(75.8%),while attending staff were introduced with a professional title with the least frequency(63.0%)(P=0.02).Conclusions:The lack of gender bias in speaker introductions at recent CSOHNS meetings demonstrates progress in achieving gender equity in medicine.Research efforts should continue to define additional forms of unconscious bias that may be contributing to gender inequity in leadership positions.

Gap between evidence and physicians＇ knowledge and practice regarding hypertension and its drug treatment： a survey in a Chinese city

Background Evidence-based medicine has come into its second decade. How prepared clinicians are in practicing it in particular in developing countries remains unclear. Thus we conducted this survey of physicians in urban hospitals in China to determine the size of the gap between research evidence and physicians＇ knowledge and practice regarding antihypertensive drugs for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in China.Methods A cross sectional survey by a face-to-face interview was conducted in 20 tertiary general hospitals in China in 2005. A total of 444 physicians （mostly cardiologists） in internal medicine who had treated at least one hypertensive patient in the past 12 months were invited for the interview on their perception of the cardiovascular risk of hypertension,the magnitude of the benefit of antihypertensive drugs, knowledge on the overall risk approach, first-line drugs used, the risk above which drug treatment is recommended, and knowledge on evidence-based medicine.Results A total of 444 of the 468 eligible physicians were successfully interviewed with a response rate of 94.9%. They estimated that a hypertensive man with an actual 5-year cardiovascular risk of 8.4% would have a 5-year cardiovascular risk of 40% （95% CI： 38% to 42%） if not treated, and have an absolute risk reduction and relative risk reduction from drug treatment by 20% （95% CI. 18% to 22%） and 39% （95% CI： 37% to 42%） respectively, as compared to 3.3% and 33%respectively shown in research evidence. On average, the physicians would recommend drug treatment at a number needed to treat （NNT） of 368 or smaller, as compared to the actual NNT of 50 for drug treatment in an average hypertensive Chinese. Fifty-five percent （95% CI： 50% to 59%） of them had never intently used the national hypertension guidelines. The majority still prescribed drugs primarily based on blood pressure alone by ignoring other risk factors or the overall risk and 78% （95 % C/. 76% to 83%） used new expensive drugs such as calcium channel blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme （ACE） inhibitors as first-line treatment. Only 13% （95% CI：9% to 18%） could correctly interpret the NNT. Forty-three percent （95% CI： 39% to 48%） did not know the randomized controlled trial was scientifically the most rigorous among other study designs for evaluating the effectiveness of anti-hypertensive drugs.Ninety-two percent （95% CI： 90% to 94%） did not know they could start by searching systematic reviews when looking for evidence on the effectiveness of anti-hypertensive drugs as opposed to trials. Ninety-six percent （95% CI： 94% to 98%）did not know the Cochrane Library was an important source of systematic reviews.Conclusions The surveyed physicians significantly over-estimated the cardiovascular risk of hypertension and the benefit of drug treatment, and had insufficient knowledge on the overall risk approach. They recommended drug treatment at a cardiovascular risk which was even much lower than the cutoff suggested for western populations, which would make many more people eligible for drug treatment. They also tended to prescribe new expensive drugs although the older cheaper ones may be more appropriate in many patients. They showed inappropriate knowledge on the basics of evidence-based medicine.

Delivery of acupuncture in clinical trials:Research acupuncturists’perspectives

Delivery of acupuncture in the setting of a clinical trial is a unique practice that diverges significantly from the delivery of acupuncture in a real-world clinical setting. Research acupuncturists, particularly those trained in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), are often required to set aside valued precepts of traditional care, including diagnosing imbalances, individualizing treatment, and forging a therapeutic relationship with patients. TCM-trained acupuncturists express mixed feelings about participating in clinical trials. Many are eager to play a vital role in the advancement of acupuncture science and appreciate the need for strict protocol adherence to minimize bias. However, the acupuncturist(s) may also have concerns about clinical trial methodology, including but not limited to the delivery of a control condition, e.g., sham acupuncture. Investigators should anticipate certain questions and even a level of resistance to the requirements of research among acupuncturists and be prepared to address them. This manuscript presents a brief review of the subjective experience of the research acupuncturist within the available scientific literature as it pertains to the delivery of active and sham clinical research protocols. Our goals are to better understand the perspectives of acupuncturists who may participate in clinical research, so that their concerns may be addressed in study design and methodology. To that end, we suggest the creation of a novel training program specifically for clinical trial acupuncturists, intended for qualified TCM-and Western-trained practitioners, that would help to standardize the research acupuncturist’s role and help to strengthen the design and execution of acupuncture studies.