Payavard Salamat

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Pregnant Women towards Vaccination with Tetanus-Diphtheria (Td) Vaccines and Influenza

Ali Reza Soleimani

Background and Aim: Proper knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant women about vaccination during this period will have a significant impact on their and their baby’s health. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of pregnant women toward flu and Td vaccination.
Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study on 312 pregnant women referred to Imam Ali Hospital in Karaj with an age range of 15 to 40 years. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The method of sampling was convenience sampling. The data was analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: The mean age of the women was 27.6±6.54 years. 198 (63.5%) of the subjects were housewives and 114 (36.5%) were employed. 248 (79.5%) and 282 (90.4%) of the subjects had appropriate attitudes and knowledge about vaccination with Td vaccines and Influenza, respectively. Also 293 (93.9%) and 137 (43.9%) of the subjects had practice well against both Td and Influenza vaccines. In women with higher education and better economic conditions, and in working women, the practice of both vaccines has become more suitable. As women get older, knowledge and practice about Td vaccination decreased.
Also, the most common source of information for pregnant women about the vaccination program were 73.4% of health care workers, 12.5% of the Internet, 10.3% of radio and television, 3.5% of friends and acquaintances, and 0.3% of family members, respectively. In the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practice towards Influenza and Td vaccination, there was a direct and significant relationship between them so that with increasing or decreasing one, the other also increased or decreased. Most of the relationship between awareness and practice items was related to Influenza vaccine (r=0.304) and the lowest relationship between knowledge with practice items was related to Td vaccine (r=0.146).
Conclusion: In this study, it was found that with increasing awareness and attitude, vaccination has increased. Regarding Influenza vaccination, due to the significant relationship between the source of information and vaccination, it is recommended that more serious recommendations to be made by the health care staff to pregnant women regarding Influenza vaccination.

The Viewpoints of Alborz University of Medical Sciences’ Faculty Members on Open Peer Review of Journal Articles

Seideh Fakharpour

Background and Aim: The open peer review process, which is one of the peer-reviewed methods in journals, has been accepted in scientific forums. The aim of this study was to investigate the points of view of university faculty members about the open peer review process of journal articles.
Materials and Methods: The study used a descriptive survey. The sample size was calculated using the Cochran’s formula of 150 people out of a total of 246 faculty members of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. The research tool was a questionnaire designed based on the existing literature. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics and paired t-test.
Results: The results showed that the participants’ views on “approaches and processes of open peer review” with 3.48 mean score and “benefits of open peer review” with mean score of 3.70 were relatively desirable. Among the open peer review styles, participants preferred the “open reporting” and “data peer review” styles, respectively. Participants’ views on the “advantages and disadvantages of open peer review” also indicated that participants agreed with most of the components presented in this area. There was also a statistically significant difference between the mean score of participants’ views on the traditional peer review process and open peer review (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Open peer review is relatively accepted among the faculty members of Alborz University of Medical Sciences. As the acceptance of this type of peer review increases among the scientific community, paying attention to the attitudes and views related to the open peer review process can improve the quality of articles and research published in scientific journals.

The Effective Factors on Employee Engagement and Healthcare Knowledge Management in the Organization: Meta-Analysis of Studies

Maryam Nakhoda

Background and Aim: Knowledge management and employee engagement are the key factors for organizations to achieve competitive advantage, increase productivity and improve performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the relation of effective factors on employee engagement and healthcare knowledge management in the organization.
Materials and Methods: This research was applied in terms of systematic review and was done by meta-analysis-quantitative method. The statistical population included external research. Data collection tools are researcher-made checklist and EBL critical appraisal checklist (Glynn). For this purpose, comprehensive meta-analysis software version 2.0 was used.
Results: Findings showed that at 95% confidence level, employee engagement has a significant relation on healthcare knowledge management and was able to explain 37% of knowledge management. Leadership (0.349), Reward (0.616), Organizational Culture (0.655), Job Satisfaction (0.674), Innovation (0.493), productivity (0.411), organizational performance (0.775) and organizational learning (0.548) are factors that was affecting employee engagement and healthcare knowledge management. The results of heterogeneity tests showed that the studies were heterogeneous and therefore the random effect size was used. The funnel diagram shows high standard error and high bias. In other words, the distribution of research was not normal and random.
Conclusion: Managers can increase the level of engagement and management of organizational knowledge by focusing on the identified factors and its implementation in the organization and increase the level of desire and participation of employees in knowledge management processes.

Selecting the Best Waste Disposal Method in Health Using Combined Method of Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment

Hamzeh Amin-Tahmasbi

Background and Aim: Inattention of hospital waste management has caused many problems. As a consequence, it has put the environment and human health at serious risk. Medical centers are one of the important health institutions which in recent years, population growth, increasing clients and service populations has led to significant growth in waste production in them. The quality and quantity of medical centers waste is becoming more and more problematic and is considered as a dangerous toxic substance. The purpose of this article is to evaluate, prioritize and explain the management plan for treatment and disposal of medical centers waste.
Materials and Methods: Important criteria in choosing the method of waste disposal of medical centers were extracted from previous studies. Then, the importance of these criteria was determined using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy AHP) and at the end, the best disposal method was selected using the Fuzzy Weighted Aggregated Sum Product Assessment (Fuzzy WASPAS).
Results: Among the main criteria, environmental issues was the first priority with 0.517 weight and the criteria of cost and volume of waste with the points of 0.317 and 0.166 were ranked second and third, respectively. Also, between the sub-criteria, the air pollution was ranked first with 0.256 weight. Finally, among the disposal methods, the sanitary landfill method with 0.317 weight was ranked first and the microwave methods, waste incineration and autoclave with the points of 0.265, 0.253, and 0.173 scored second to fourth respectively.
Conclusion: Considering the obtained results and prioritizing, it is possible to achieve more risk reduction, reduction of environmental pollution and reduction of costs by disposing of waste in health centers. Accordingly, the most appropriate method for disposing of waste in medical centers in the country is the “sanitary landfill” method. Of course, sanitary landfilling of waste should be done in an appropriate and standard way to prevent groundwater pollution and damage to the environment. Solving the problems caused by hospital waste is a complex and multidimensional issue that requires the cooperation and assistance and integration of community facilities (government, private and public institutions).

The Effect of 8 Weeks Sodium Alginate Supplementation and High Intensity Interval Training on Lipid Profiles and Liver Enzymes in Metabolic Syndrome Women

Mohammad Azizi

Background and Aim: The prevalence of obesity is recognized as a health problem worldwide. Metabolic syndrome as the most important obesity factor is considered as one of the health problems in all societies. Supportive and complementary interventions are considered improvements in the status of individuals with metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks of sodium alginate supplementation and high intensity interval training on lipid profiles and liver enzymes in metabolic syndrome women.
Materials and Methods: Thirty women with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned into 4 groups: intermittent exercise (High Intensity Interval Training)+supplement (n=9), intermittent exercise (HIIT) )n=8), complementary (n=7) and control group (n=6). Subjects in HIIT and HIIT + supplementation groups performed three sessions of intermittent exercise each week for eight weeks with an intensity of 85% to 95% of the maximum heart rate. Sodium alginate supplementation was taken three times a week and 30 minutes before meals in the amount of 1.5 g of sodium alginate dissolved in 100 mg of water. Blood sampling were taken from all 4 groups 48 hours before and after the exercise program. One-way ANOVA and t-test were used for data analysis (P≤0.05).
Results: The results showed that in the exercise+supplement group lipid profile (P=0.005) and aspartate aminotransferase (P=0.012)(17.8%), fat percentage (P=0.001)(9.7%), BMI (P=0.000) and alanine aminotransferase (P=0.035)(12.7%) compared to the other group were significantly reduced, indicating the effect of intermittent exercise and supplementation on improving the symptoms of metabolic syndrome in women participating in this study.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it seems that high intensity intermittent exercise with sodium alginate supplementation can be effective in prevention of some obesity related diseases and treatment of the metabolic syndrome.

Analyzing the Collaboration Network of Global Scientific Outputs in the Field of Bibliotherapy in the Web of Science Database

Zeinab Jozi

Background and Aim: Bibliotherapy is a useful treatment for the prevention and treatment of mental disorders and has led to the formation of many scientific publications in this field. The purpose of this study was to investigate the publication trends in the field of bibliotherapy and visualize the structure of its scientific collaborations based on the Web of Science database during the period 1975 to 2020.
Materials and Methods: The present scientometric study was conducted by citation analysis and social network analysis. The statistical population includes 1032 documents published. HistCite, VOSveiwer, Pajek and UciNet software were used to analyze the data. The co-authorship networks were analyzed and drawn by the VOSviewer software.
Results: U.S., UK, and Australia were ranked first to third with 369, 148, and 91 documents respectively. The documents published by researchers from these three countries have received 10547, 3459, and 3041 citations, respectively. The Universities of Alabama, Nevada, and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published the most in this field, with 29, 26, and 21 documents. Scogin F, Cuijpers P, and Rohde P were the most prolific authors with 29, 21, and 17 documents, respectively. Miller WR, Cuijpers P, and Andersson G received the most citations with 2441, 2298, and 1750, citations respectively. UK with 63 degree centrality, U.S. the most influential country with a betweenness centrality of 191.450 and the closeness centrality of the 80 were the most influential countries, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam with a betweenness centrality of 1416.755 and a closeness centrality of 658 and the Karolinska Institute with a degree centrality of 43 was the most influential organizations. Rohde P with 39-degree centrality and Cuijpers P with 314.500 betweenness centrality and 821 closeness centrality were the most active author in the co-authorship networks in bibliotherapy. Journal of Clinical Counseling and Psychology was the most cited and the Journal of Poetry Therapy published the most documents.
Conclusion: Paying more attention than before to the cooperation of countries, universities and active authors in the field of bibliotherapy can lead to more knowledge and experience exchange in developed and developing countries.

Survey of the Lethal Effect of Ciprofloxacin and Supernatant Isolated from Staphylococcus Aureus under the Stress of Ciprofloxacin on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strains Isolated from Clinical Specimens

Monireh Rahimkhani

Background and Aim: Staphylococcus aureus is gram-positive coccus that is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections and cause cutaneous or subcutaneous infections. Among these bacteria Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are the most important. The aim of the present study was to investigate the lethal effect of a substance isolated from Staphylococcus aureus under the influence of ciprofloxacin on clinical strains of MRSA.
Materials and Methods: In the present study, 83 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospitals affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences and were referred to the research laboratory in faculty of Allied Medical Sciences. Strains of Staphylococcus aureus were identified genotyping and phenotyping by PCR test to prove the presence of mecA gene. Minimums Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were examined on number of MRSA in the presence of ciprofloxacin antibiotic as well as supernatant extracted from Staphylococcus aureus fluid culture medium under ciprofloxacin stress.
Results: Diagnostic tests of Staphylococcus aureus, including gram staining, catalase and coagulase tests were performed and all strains were Staphylococcus aureus. In the next step, the strains were genetically tested for confirming methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, by PCR test and present of mecA gene. All 83 samples had mecA genes and were MRSA. The mean MIC of ciprofloxacin and supernatant for different strains of MRSA were 0.032 mg/ml and 0.02 ml/ml, respectively, and the mean levels of MBC ciprofloxacin and supernatants for different strains of MRSA were 0.064 mg/ml and 0.04 ml/ml, respectively.
Conclusion: The effect of ciprofloxacin and supernatant on the death of stressed bacteria has been confirmed so that after bacterial stress by the antibiotic ciprofloxacin expression of genes related to programmed death was seen in a number of MRSA samples. The MIC and MBC values for MRSA strains in the presence of ciprofloxacin and the supernatant showed similar results, indicating the lethal effect of the protein secreted by cultured staphylococci in the presence of low amounts of ciprofloxacin on the bacteria themselves.

Determining Data Elements to Develop a Self-Care Application for Biliary Patients

Fariba Shabani

Background and Aim: Many risk factors can cause biliary system diseases. Hence, this category of diseases is amongst the most common ones. Active patient cooperation is very important in disease management, self-care, and clinical outcomes improvement. A mobile phone application has a high potential in supporting the patients’ self-management. Therefore, this study was conducted to recognize and define data elements to develop a self-care application for biliary patients.
Materials and Methods: The current descriptive study was conducted in 2 stages, resource investigation, and data elements’ need assessment. In the first stage, scientific articles available in databases were used for defining required data elements to develop the application for biliary patients, and a checklist of data elements was prepared. In the second stage, a questionnaire was made based on the checklist. Content and face validity were accepted by the research team and the reliability was calculated 87.2%, using the Cronbach’s alpha test. The mentioned questionnaire was given to Gastroenterologists at Imam Khomeini Hospital complex, and the elected data elements were recognized.
Results: In this application, data elements were categorized into seven sections, including demographic and clinical information, data related to the biliary system diseases, postoperative lifestyle information of the biliary patients, reminders, disease management, and informing. Sixty point five percent of the responders gave the highest importance to data elements in the demographic and clinical data section. Data elements related to patients’ education were considered highly important by 54.2% of the responders. Forty three point eight percent gave the highest importance to data elements in interventional applications’ sections, and only 4.2% gave the least importance to this section.
Conclusion: Based on the identified data elements, a self-care application was designed and developed and can be used as a supplement to specialized care for biliary patients.