ABSTRACT
Health of mothers and children is one of the most critical public health issues around the world, and women's awareness of these problems will enable them to avoid unintended consequences. It is futile to plan for improving health care services without considering the patients' opinions. According to World Health Organization [WHO], Donabedian model is an appropriate framework for health care assessment, and pays particular attention to raising client's awareness, and satisfaction of the outcomes. This study was carried out in order to determine the quality of preconception care in health centers of Mashhad, in 2012. This descriptive study was conducted on women in their reproductive age, who received preconception care in health centers of Mashhad. The demographic and obstetric data were collected by questionnaires of preconception care, which were designed based on the outcome aspect of Donabedian model. This model consisted of a questionnaire related to the knowledge of preconception care, and one on patient's satisfaction. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 using statistical tests of ANOVA, Chi-square and Pearson correlation coefficient. The mean age of the participants was 26.93 +/- 5.22, and average of 6.32 +/- 4.77 years had passed since their marriage; also 67.4% had experienced 1-6 pregnancies. The mean score of patient's satisfaction was 75.56 +/- 11.84, and that of preconception care knowledge was 14.8 +/- 4.53. According to the results, it is recommended that more attention be paid to preconception health care in continuous medical education programs [CME]. Moreover, better instructions should be provided for the clients to raise their awareness in this area
ABSTRACT
Primary dysmenorrhea is defined as painful menstruation in the absence of any confirmed pelvic disease. Its incidence has been estimated between 50-90% in different communities. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] and contraceptives are usually prescribed for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea; however, they lead to several specific complications. Due to the importance of this issue, some studies have been performed on medications with fewer side effects. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of vitamin E and vitamin B1 on pain severity and duration in primary dysmenorrhea. This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 90 female students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, who met the inclusion criteria. At first, the participants, whose pain score of Visual Analogue Scale [VAS] was less than 40 during their three last menstrual cycles were excluded from the study; then, the rest of the participants were randomly assigned to two groups. The treatment was started by administrating vitamin B1 100mg/day for the first group [vitamin B1 group] and vitamin E 400unit/day for the second group [vitamin E group]. Finally, the two groups were compared in terms of the severity and duration of pain in dysmenorrhea. As to the findings, the mean age of the participants was 22.97 +/- 3.23 years. There was a significant difference between the pre- and post-treatment periods in terms of pain severity [P<0.001 and P=0.002, respectively] and pain duration [P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively] in both groups; however, no significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding the mean of pain severity and duration [P=0.739 and P=0.102, respectively]. It is recommended that vitamin E and vitamin B1 be used for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea