knowledge

Healthcare-Associated Infections are a global health problem, which are frequently transmitted via the hands of healthcare workers. Hand hygiene is a simple and effective measure to reduce them. This retrospective cross-sectional study made use of a structured pre-tested and validated questionnaire, comprising three questions to assess knowledge, four to assess practice, and one to assess attitude. The study received 245 responses, grouped into doctors and nursing Staff. It was observed that cumulatively 80.95% of the participants had correct knowledge, 95.92% had the correct attitude, while 47.14% followed correct practices. Individually, more doctors had the correct knowledge (82.54%), right attitude (98.94%), and perform correct practices (53.44%) with respect to hand hygiene, as compared to nursing staff (75.60%,85.71%, and 25.89%, respectively), which contrasted many other studies. We therefore conclude that while healthcare professionals possess sufficient knowledge, and have the right attitude regarding HH, there is substantial deficit in complying with the five moments of HH. This can be addressed by conducting regular trainings and audits, so as to improve the HH compliance, thereby reducing the incidence of HAI.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is a tool used to aid in objectively measuring the neurological status of a patient. The objectives of the study were to (i) examine the relationship of the demographics of the nurses and their knowledge of the Glasgow Coma Scale; (ii) find out about exposure of the nurses to the Glasgow Coma Scale; and (iii) assess their knowledge of Glasgow Coma Scale. The study was conducted in Masaba North Sub-County Hospital, Nyamira County, Kenya. The study population was all the nurses working in that hospital. The eligibility criteria were all nurses working during the data collection period and the exclusion criteria was all the nurses on study leave, maternity leave, and sick leave. The study design was cross-sectional using a quantitative approach to data collection. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The study concluded that: (i) there was low level of knowledge about Glasgow Coma Scale; and (ii) there was inappropriate application of basic theoretical knowledge to clinical scenarios. It is therefore recommended that: (i) the length and depth of both the teaching of the theoretical concepts and the skill of performing Glasgow Coma Scale assessment be reviewed by nursing schools for basic and post-basic educational programmes for nursing students with the view of adapting more comprehensive in-depth teaching combined with demonstrations in classrooms and during clinical experiences in order to enhance nurses’ knowledge of the Tool; and (ii) implementation of regular refresher training sessions.

An adolescent girl should be made aware of the phenomenon of menstruation before menarche, so as to enable her to accept it as a normal developmental process and manage it appropriately. Less attention has been given to the effect that menarche itself and the management of monthly menstrual periods may have on school attendance, learning outcomes, and continued school enrollment. This study was done with the objectives of assessing the knowledge and practices of adolescent girls related to menstruation. It was carried out in school going adolescent girls. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect information on knowledge and practices of girls related to menstruation after taking informed consent. Majority of girls (78.8%) had knowledge about menstruation before attaining menarche. Main source of knowledge about menstruation was girls’ family (60.2%). Majority of girls (56%) felt that the duration of menses ranged between 7-8 days. Majority (95.8%) knew that menses occur once a month. Only 56% knew the right duration of normal menstrual cycles. During menstruation (31.2%) one third of the students skipped school. Almost 34% took medication for pain during menstruation without any prescription. It was found that 32.6% girls used heating pads and 35.1% girls used herbal remedies to get relief from dysmenorrhea. Most of the girls had knowledge on menstruation from their families. During menstruation one third of the students skipped school and took medication for menstrual pain without prescription. Herbal remedies were used by one third of girls to relieve this pain. Keywords: Menstruation, knowledge, practice, school, adolescent

Abstract Objective To estimate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding complementary and alternative medicine to control of dyslipidemia and diabetes in the adult population. Background/Introduction Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is the group of medical and health care practices and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. CAM remedies can be an important component of health self-management in diabetes and dyslipidemia. Methodology A cross sectional survey based study was carried out at a public health awareness program organized by Oman Medical College in primary health care. All adult >18 years consent to participate in the study were included. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0). Data was expressed in frequencies and percentages and independent sample t-test was used. Result A total of 95 participants have filled the questionnaire, 71.6% were below 50 years and 58.9% were male. Self reported problems 55.8% were type II diabetes, 24.2% were hypertensive,12.6% had known dyslipidemia and smoker. 45.3% were taking medications only 31.6% were having physical activity. Most commonly used herb was garlic 32.6%, black seed and cinnamon 24.2% 26.3% were using it to control diabetes. Nearly half of survey respondents believed CAM can help them achieve better control high cholesterol and diabetes (48.4%) and has fewer side effects (50.5%).An independent samples t-test revealed no statistical significant difference regarding knowledge of CAM between males and females . Conclusion: Lack of knowledge in heart disease in the public can appear in the form unhealthy behaviors. Furthermore its insight may help to transform the gaps in public knowledge which can be filled by increasing health educational programs on Heart disease and Life style modification strategies. Study participants had adequate knowledge regarding risk factors of heart disease however the knowledge about CAM used is not appropriate. There is a positive attitude in public towards CAM used in diabetes and dyslipidemia and most commonly used CAM garlic, black seed and cinnamon.

aim: to evaluate the awareness of 6th year dental students in Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy toward basic knowledge of Orthodontics, and to assess the adequacy of the courses that are given. Material and method: A structured questionnaire was developed containing 18 questions, The questions addressed various aspects such as the understanding of orthodontics by dental students in their final year, their opinion regarding orthodontic treatment planning for patients and knowledge regarding functional appliances and similar concepts pertaining to orthodontic treatment of patients. An online survey was developed using survey monkey tool (www.surveymonkey.com) Result: The average knowledge of male and female was adequate, there is no statistically significant difference between them, The result shown that majority of the respondent (70.5%) rated their theoretical information as adequate. In other hand, majority of them rated their practical exercise and clinical exposure as not enough. Conclusion: The result of this investigation revealed that the basic orthodontic knowledge of 6th year dental students of Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy both males and females is generally adequate 

HIV and AIDS continue to be a heavy burden to most individuals, families and countries especially in the developing countries. Empowerment of the youth regarding HIV and AIDS can have a lifelong influence on their behaviour as individuals, their families and their communities. Youths when equipped with proper knowledge early in life, change of attitude and practices will be inevitable. The main objective for the study was to determine the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of secondary school students regarding HIV and AIDS in Kuria-Sub County, Kenya. Descriptive survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 354 students who were randomly selected from 6 schools out of 11 schools. The participants composed of 54% boys and 46% girls. Data was analysed using SPSS Version 17.0. The results show that students’ level of knowledge was high at an average score of 16.96 (73%), the average positive attitude of students was 10.50 (55.26%) while negative attitude standing at 8.50 (44.73%). The average acceptable practice was 4.62(46.2%) both towards people with HIV and towards the disease itself for behavior change. Approximately 5.38 (53.8%) of students still take the risk to expose themselves to HIV and AIDS regardless of year of study. There is need to intensify and broaden HIV education among primary schools and secondary schools, enhance HIV counselling in secondary schools on effects of stigmatisation, increase mass media campaigns against HIV specifically among secondary school students. Further consider distribution of condoms to secondary schools and the community, conduct frequent evaluation of the behaviour change programs. HIV youth programs in Kenya should focus on the attitudes and practices of the youth in order to change the picture of the whole youth population.