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.

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.

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.