Assessment of nurses' work climate at Alexandria Main University Hospital

Work climate is indicative of how well the organization is realizing its full potential. An accurate assessment of work climate can identify the unnecessary obstacles to nurses interfering with their best performance. The present study aims to assess nurses' work climate at Alexandria Main University Hospital. The study sample included all nurses (N=400) who were working in inpatient medical and surgical units at the Alexandria Main University Hospital who were available at the time of data collection. A structured questionnaire was developed to assess nurses' perceptions regarding the dimensions of work climate. Data was collected by individual interview using the structured questionnaire. Results indicated that the highest percentages of nurses in medical and surgical units perceived that their work climate is characterized by good way of performance management, feeling of responsibility, warmth and supportive relationships, quality of communication, morale, organizational clarity and feeling of identity and belongness to the hospital. Nurses perceived that they are lacking work climate conducive to conflict resolution, participation in decision making, opportunity for training and development, fair rewards and recognition, calculated risks, sufficient resources, effective leadership and teamwork. There were no significant difference between nurses perceptions in medical and surgical units regarding all dimensions of work climate. The highest percentage of nurses in all units were satisfied only with the feeling of responsibility, way of performance management, and quality of communication. Conflict and identity were perceived as the most important areas that need improvement in the hospital. Based on the results recommendations were given to enhance work climate through designing compensation and recognition systems, and negotiate their requirements and accomplishment based on established standards and outcomes measures. Also, encouragement of and planning for participative decision making, teamwork, in-service training program and open communication are recommended to be present in the work units.     

Predictors of personality disorders among Alexandria University students

Personality disorders (PDs) represent a common and serious public health problem. The aim of the present work was to determine the prevalence of different PDs among first grade students of Alexandria University and to investigate some ecological factors of the problem. A cross-sectional study was carried out and included 1086 students. The Arabic Version of Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-4+(PDQ-4+) was applied. Results revealed that more than one quarter of the studied sample had at least one PD (26.1%). Cluster C was the most frequently occurring (24.9%). The commonest subtypes recorded were avoidant PD (20.4%) and obsessive-compulsive PD (20.2%) followed by paranoid PD (15.0%). Significant predictors of PD delineated on the logistic regression analysis were mainly psychosocial factors including parental inconsistent discipline, intrafamilial conflicts, parental rejection and control, decreased familial and friends' social support, and sexual abuse. A positive history of conduct disorder, chronic medical illness or psychiatric problem also significantly predicted the occurrence of PD. Lack of freedom in college selection and smoking emerged as recent events that predicted the PD status of students.     

Smoking-related behaviour and attitudes among medical students in Alexandria

As a preliminary step toward incorporating a tobacco education and intervention program into our undergraduate medical curriculum, this study was designed to assess students' smoking-related behaviour, knowledge and attitudes towards tobacco, and perceptions of their future role as doctors in smoking intervention. A cross-sectional, study was conducted in the university year 2001/2002 on a representative sample of male medical students enrolled in 4th and 5th years at Alexandria University. A total of 320 students across the 2 years completed the survey. The smoking rate among medical students was 17.5% (10.9% smoked daily and 6.6% occasionally). The awareness of harmful effects of smoking and knowledge about the causal role of tobacco in the development of specific diseases were deficient. The intention to perform smoking intervention in the future as doctors seemed unsatisfactory. About 85% of the students thought that doctors should carry out smoking cessation advice depending on the disease, while the rate of those who thought so irrespective of the disease did not reach 44%. Current smokers thought less actively about smoking intervention than non-smokers. Nearly two-thirds of students (65.3%) felt they were not sufficiently prepared for caring or counseling smokers, and only 31.9% of students were convinced of the effectiveness of the doctor's advice to stop smoking. Seventy-seven and half percent of them desired specific training in smoking intervention. Non-smokers were more in favour of legislative actions to discourage tobacco use than current smokers. These findings suggest that medical school authorities should design and implement an appropriate basic training aimed at better preparing medical students for their future role in prevention of smoking. Specific teaching of medical students about smoking-related diseases and a patient-centered smoking cessation intervention is required to provide future medical practitioners with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively intervene with smokers.     

Epidemiological study of addicts admitted to Maamoura Psychiatric Hospital in Alexandria

This study was undertaken to reveal the epidemiologic characteristics of addicts, the various types of drugs used and the factors behind drug seeking behavior, as well as the outcome of treatment. Patients admitted for treatment to Maamoura Psychiatric Hospital in the period from July 1995 to January 1996 formed the sample of the present study. All were subjected to an interview questionnaire to collect the relevant data. Their personality dimensions were assessed using the standardized arabic version of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (form A). During the study period, 92 patients were admitted to Maamoura Hospital for treatment. Compared to population figures, drug addiction was found to be a problem of educated, single men. Moreover, those subjects scored significantly higher on the Neuroticism and Extraversion personality subscales. Just more than one third (38.04%) sought the drug between 15 and 20 years of age and for an average duration of 12 years. Curiosity to experience the effects of the drug (66.30%), frustration (27.17%) and spending leisure time (21.74%) were the most frequently reported pushing forces behind such behavior. A little over a quarter of addicts (28.26%) were single drug users and 46.15% were current users of tranquilizers, while heroin was currently used by 66.66% of multiple drug users (71.74%). This was in addition to a number of pharmaceutical products including antitussives, antidepressants and antirheumatics. Only 55.43% of patients were previously admitted for in-hospital treatment and 54.90% of them completed the treatment regimen. Out of the latter, 82.14% abstained from drug intake for an average duration of 11.65 months, however, in 69.57% of instances, their psychological dependency was behind the relapse. This study highlighted the personality dimensions and motives behind drug seeking behavior, the various pharmaceutical products used, as well as the treatment effects and outcome. These findings call for the organization of educational and social support services, as well as the provision of relapse prevention program in addition to the effective control over the sale of addictive pharmaceutical products.     

Attitudes of Alexandria Medical Students towards Communication Skills Learning

By the end of their training, medical students should have demonstrated a proficiency in communication and acquired attitudes consistent with effective medical practice. Few studies have explored medical students' attitude within a communication skills learning and teaching context. The current study aims to identify the attitudes of medical students towards communication skills learning and to consider their relationships with students, demographic and education-related characteristics. To achieve such aim, a total of 470 medical students from Alexandria Medical School (4th and 5th year) completed the 26-item Communication Skills Attitude Scale and a personal details questionnaire satisfactorily. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to find out The relationship between students' attitude and, some demographic and education- related characteristics. The results showed that, the attitude of medical students towards communication skills learning was significantly more positive among 5th year batch than their counterparts. In addition, students born to a father or a mother who was a doctor had a significantly lower score on the negative subscale compared to students born to parents in other occupations. Being a student in the 5th year independently predict higher scores on the positive attitude subscale. As revealed by multivariate analysis, being a student in the 5th year and having a father who is a doctor independently predict lower scores on the negative attitude subscale. It is then recommended to consider teaching communication skills in advanced years when students are exposed to clinical settings. Learning communication skills should go hand in hand with the practice in clinical setting as this will add more to its tangible value. Further longitudinal studies are recommended in this respect.     

Measurement of KAP concerning hepatitis B among secondary school students in Alexandria

Hepatitis B infection is a serious health problem throughout the world. Success in the prevention of this disease with its fatal consequences depends to a large extent on the adolescents' level of knowledge and their awareness about it. As well as their attitude and different risk behavior they might practice at this age. The aim of the present study was to assess the secondary school students' level of knowledge about hepatitis B and to record their perceptions, attitudes and practices towards it. Also to identify their health locus of control towards the disease. The studied sample included 643 students of both sexes representing different senior levels in one educational sector in Alexandria. The used technique was self-administered questionnaire. Results revealed that (55.2%) of the studied sample had fair level of knowledge about hepatitis B Girls had more negative attitude towards the disease than boys. About one half of the students (50.4%) were not vaccinated against the disease. Also, the majority of students had internal health locus of control regarding hepatitis B. It is recommended to integrate knowledge about hepatitis B within formal and informal school programs. Community campaigns for vaccinating the adolescents against the disease should be carried out.     

Psychosocial dysadaptation in students with chronic somatic diseases

To reveal the specific features of psychosocial adaptation in students having chronic somatic diseases, 114 students from the humanitarian faculties of the Pomor State University of Arkhangelsk were examined. Among them, 65.79% of the students had chronic somatic diseases, 34.21% had no diseases or complaints. The examination was made at the session interval. The students with chronic somatic diseases had a more significant psychosocial dysadaptation, which is indicative of higher depression and anxiety, timidity, reticence, lower activity, understated self-assessment, lower self-esteem, noticeable discord of personal relations. The paper shows it necessary to follow up emotional features of health within the framework of the regional programme "Students' Health" that includes the development of therapeutical, rehabilitative, and preventive measures.     

A study of women students at King's College Hospital Medical School

The admission statistics between 1967 and 1975 were studied and it was found that of the students applying a higher proportion of women than men have been admitted to King's College Hospital Medical School and that the percentage has also risen during the period from 20% in 1967 to 38% in 1975.
The performance of 206 students was examined and it was found that in the A-level examinations the women students had significantly higher scores in Zoology/Biology than the men, higher scores but not significantly so in Chemistry and lower scores in Physics.
It was found that the women students had higher scores than the men in the multiple choice examinations in medicine and surgery at the end of the first clinical year but that these differences were not statistically significant.
In their firm reports during the first clinical year the women students had higher scores than the men in both ability and effort, but only significantly so in the case of the score for effort.
In the Final London MB BS examinations in Medicine and Surgery the women had significantly higher marks than the men in both subjects.
This superior academic performance and motivation at undergraduate level is discussed in the light of the lower work record of women medical graduates, and the government's policy of equal opportunity for men and women.     

The probability distribution of attendance to hospital emergency units for school students in Alexandria

The present work is a retrospective study designed to examine the assumption that emergency arrivals at the Sporting Students' Hospital in Alexandria follow a Poisson distribution. Data about all arrivals at the emergency room (ER) for the year, 2000 (43076 arrivals) was extracted from the records of the emergency department and classified by age, sex, school, reason for visit, date and time of visit. Data analysis revealed that 12.9% of the total arrivals indicated hospital admission either to the inpatient units (12.5%) or the ICU (0.4%). Goodness of fit test showed that admissions to the ICU fit the Poisson distribution but those admitted to the inpatient units did not follow the assumed distribution. However the latter group did not fit exactly the normal distribution which indicated that deviance from the Poisson is due to the large mean non-elective admissions (14.74% per day). Hence the Poisson assumption is not excluded as the inpatient emergency admissions are still randomly distributed and independent. Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression of the daily emergency admissions gave another clue to the goodness of fit of emergency admissions to the Poisson process. Regression analysis showed significantly higher loge number of emergency admissions among the age group 12 or more, male students, medical conditions in contrast to injuries, governmental schools, and at 04:00-11:59 pm in contrast to midnight to 07:59 am. Results of the present study indicated the random nature of demand for emergency admission which affects use of bed stock. A prospective study of these admissions on daily basis is needed.     

Knowledge about menstruation and practices of nursing students affiliated to University of Alexandria

All secondary school nursing students enrolled in the Main University Hospital during the scholastic year 1987-1988 were studied for knowledge and practices related to menstruation. Over 85% of the students were acquainted with age of menarche, length of the menstrual cycle, and duration of menstrual bleeding. Only 71.54% gave correct answers about age of menstrual cessation. Students' practices revealed that one quarter of the sample avoid bathing during their bleeding period. About two thirds of the students stated that they use 3-8 sanitary pads per day. First year students significantly used less pads than those at higher grades. Menstrual pains and fear of bleeding were the causes of absenteeism from school among 37.62% of the sample. The higher the grade the more likely that the student carries out her normal daily activities without any difficulties. The main source of knowledge on the topic was the mother. The nursing school education was not mentioned except by minority of students in relation to menstrual hygiene.     

Psychosocial correlates of cigarette smoking among college students in China

The objectives are to examine the smoking practice and intentionamong Chinese college students and to explore the associationbetween cigarette smoking and individual and psychosocial factors.Cross-sectional data were collected from 1874 students from19 college campuses in Jiangsu province, China. Both bivariateand multivariate analyses were performed to assess the associationsof smoking practice and smoking intention with various individualand psychosocial factors. There was a significant gender differencein both smoking practice and smoking intention. Overall, 53%of the participants (70% male and 31% female) reported everhaving smoked in their lifetime and 29% of the sample (49% maleand 5% female) reported having smoked in the past 30 days. Aboutone-fourth of the sample (44% male and 6% female) thought theywere likely to smoke in the next 6 months. Male gender, lowfamily socioeconomic status, perception of more peer smoking,more perceived benefits of smoking, higher level of pro-smokingattitude, higher level of perceived cost of non-smoking andmore involvement in other health risk were positively associatedwith being a past or current smoker. Likewise, male gender,older age, more friends smoking, greater perceived benefitsof smoking, higher pro-smoking attitudes and more health riskinvolvement were associated with the likelihood to smoke inthe next 6 months. The data suggest a substantial smoking experimentationamong college students in China, which presents both a challengeand an opportunity to prevent a large proportion of experimentersfrom progressing to regular smokers. The findings in the currentstudy can be used to inform the development of effective smokingintervention prevention programs among college students in China. Received on May 4, 2007; accepted on November 30, 2007     

Physical characteristics of female nursing students in the first year at university

We measured the physique and physical fitness of 528 first year female nursing students in order to develop a plan for the health education and health promotion of nursing students. We also conducted a questionnaire survey of their health condition and athletic activities. The results showed that, compared to the national average for the same age group, the female nursing students had lower body weight, greater agility, and less muscle strength. In addition, they had little experience of athletic activities in junior and senior high school, and a high percentage of them were concerned about their physical fitness.     

Anemia, parasitic infections and some risk factors among physical education female students in Alexandria

The present study was a cross-sectional one, carried out to estimate the percentages of anemia and parasites among students of Faculty of Physical Education for girls and some of their related factors. A predesigned questionnaire was completed by the researchers through face-to-face meetings to collect data concerning age, menstruation history and some dietary habits. Blood samples were taken by finger pricks to estimate hemoglobin (Hb) concentration level (gm/dl). Stool samples were collected and examined for the presence of intestinal parasites using formol ether concentration technique. Mild anemia was found among 12.4% of the studied female students. Mean Hb level was 13.3 g/dl (SD +/- 1.03). Anemia increased in those drinking tea immediately after meals and in those not drinking tea indicating poor iron reserves. Also taking iron supplements, having a history of anemia, increased amount and duration of menstruation were associated with anemia. Percentage of girls infected with parasites was 27.2%. A higher percentage of, anemia was found among students with no parasites (13.1% vs. 9.7%). The difference was statistically insignificant. Parasitic infections were insignificantly associated with anemia which was found in only 12.5% of girls infected with Giardia lamblia, in 10% of those with Ascaris lumbricoides, and in 7.4% of Entamoeba histolytica/dispar cases.     

军队医院研究生培养工作探讨

探讨军队医院研究生的培养经验。结合长期的研究生临床带教经历,就军队医院研究生培养总结,归纳经验：思想上高度重视;临床工作中严格要求;科研工作中一丝不苟;加强考核,严格管理。     

心理社会因素与大学生功能性消化不良

目的 描述合肥市大学生功能性消化不良(FD)患病率，探讨心理社会因素与FD的关系。方法 对合肥市2所大学576名一-三年级大学生进行问卷调查和临床诊断。选取FD病人44名，同时选取同班级、性别比例相同的44人为对照，评定生活事件、社会支持和特质焦虑等心理社会因素。结果 FD患病率为7．6％，经济状况、生活习惯在病例组和对照组间差异无显性。生活事件应激程度、应对方式评分，2组间差异无统计学意义，负性社会经历和特质焦虑评分病例组显高于对照组。结论 FD在大学生中十分常见，负性社会经历和特质焦虑与FD呈统计学关联。     

Psychosocial predictors of smoking among secondary school students in Henan, China

The objective of this study was to measure the risk factors associated with tobacco use among secondary school students in Henan, China. Self-reported questionnaires were administered to four secondary schools; 3519 students were studied including 1799 boys and 1720 girls aged 10-19. Demographic, behavioral, attitudinal/belief, knowledge and interpersonal variables were investigated. Overall, 15.1% of boys and 1.4% girls reported smoking at least occasionally. Smoking onset is most prevalent from the ages of 10-14. The smoking rate increased with age. The likelihood of tobacco use was significantly higher among those having peers, teachers or mother who smoked. Positive smoking-related attitudes among students had a significant association with their smoking status. The results suggest that effective smoking prevention interventions need to be comprehensive and implemented in the early teen years.