Function of nurses and other staff to minimize hospital waste in selected hospitals in Isfahan

Medical waste [MW] is all waste materials generated at health care facilities. MW naturally is hazardous for environment and subsequently for human. Waste minimization [WM] is the latest alternative for risk reduction. All hospital staff generally and nurses specially can play an active role through education and the implementation of measures to reduce medical wastage and their environmental effects. This study is aimed to compare nurses and other staff functions in selected hospitals in Isfahan about waste minimization strategies. This is a descriptive analytical study. The study tool was a researcher -designed questionnaire in five area of waste minimization based on WHO recommendation. There were 90 nurses and other staff from randomized selected public and private hospitals of Isfahan as the sample of this research. This study was done in 2009. Data were analyzed by t-test using SPSS16. Nurses mean score of WM performance was 58.16 [12], and others was 58.56 [12.18] [of max 100]. There was no significant difference between nurses and others mean score of WM performance according to t-test. There was not significant difference between WM performances of two studied groups in public and private hospitals based on t-test. Comparing between two studied groups mean scores by waste minimization areas indicated that nurses have done significantly better in source reduction area and other staffs have acted better in waste segregation [P < 0.05]. All of hospital staff specially, nurses have an important role in qualified waste management practice of hospitals. Totally mean score of WM performance in hospitals [nurses and other] was average. With regard to other countries activities, this result is disappointing. So, it is necessary to plan educational programs for hospital staff, especially nurses.

study of relationship between the organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior among nurses in selected hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Numerous researches have been carried out to indicate that organizational justice [OJ] is a variable that anticipates many other variables in organizations, especially in hospitals. Organizational behavior [OCB] is one of the most important variables. We aimed to study the relationship between OJ and OCB of nurses in selected hospitals in Isfahan. This was a descriptive correlational study. The research was conducted among nurses of selected hospitals in Isfahan. Data were gathered using two questionnaires of OJ, and OCB. The t-test, chi-square, and Pearson correlation test were used to analyze the data through SPSS version 13. In general, the mean score [SD] of OJ among nurses was 41.2 [16.2] and the mean score of OCB was 57.7 [18]. Finally, there was no significant relationship between OJ, civil virtue, and sportsmanship. There was a significant relationship between OJ, OCB, courtesy, and conscientiousness. As the scores of OCB and OJ among nurses were average in selected hospitals, the managers of the hospitals should improve the perception of justice among nurses. Today, organizations need efficient and expert workers to achieve their goals, and to grow and improve in all aspects. In fact, the efficiency and effectiveness of organizations depend on the staffs, especially in hospitals.

[ study of relationship between the learning organization and organizational commitment among managers in educational hospitals of Isfahan university of medical sciences]

Old methods of administrating cannot cover the rapid changes today. These changes redounded new organizations like learning organizations to be formed. The purpose of this research is to study of relationship between the Learning Organization and Organizational Commitment among hospital managers. This is a descriptive analytic survey. The population of study was 210 nursing managers of 9 educational hospitals. Data gathering was done via learning organizational and organizational commitment questionnaires. Data analysis was done in SPSS software. The mean score of learning organizational was 59.5 +/- 18.5 among nursing mangers, and the mean score of organizational commitment was 60.8 +/- 10.8. In general there was a significant relationship between learning organizational and organizational commitment based on Pearson test. In today's changing environment of very rapid changes seen in different areas of science and technology and the increasing complexity and dynamics of environmental factors, only organizations can survive and remain capable of growth that active adaptation [dynamic equilibrium]. This aim can be fulfilled just in learning organizations

[ relationship between metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and students' academic status in Isfahan University of medical sciences]

Introduction: Learning and studying are considered among the most basic processes of every educational system. One of the most essential factor in determining learning behaviours, is metacognitive awareness and perception. This study was performed to determine the relationship between students' metacognitive awareness of reading strategies and their academic status

Methods: In a descriptive correlational study, 191 students were selected through stratified random sampling out of total students of schools of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2008-2009 academic years. Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory [MARSI] was distributed among study sample. Academic status of students was defined based on their grand point average. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 10 software using Pearson correlation, independent t, and variance analysis tests

Results: The mean and standard deviation of metacognitive awareness score of students was 66.62 +/- 14.8. The mean score of metacognitive awareness showed a significant correlation with students' score of academic status meaning that students with average score higher that 17, had a significantly higher metacognitive awareness. Metacognitive awareness showed no significant relationship with variables of age, gender, and residence place. But, there was a significant relationship with academic level, so as MS students had higher metacognition score compared to that of PhD students

Conclusion: Metacognitive awareness and knowledge may lead to a more effective learning and studying in different courses. Considering the fact that metacognitive awareness and knowledge could be learnt both in family or educational settings in all levels of learners, it is recommended that educational and cultural institutions develop a comprehensive and detailed plan in this regard

[Comparing educational, research and administrative activities of Faculty members completing their PhD degree either using scholarship funds or not]

Introduction: Every year some faculty members continue their education to get their PhD in the form of scholarship, educational assignment, or other ways. Granting scholarship for studying inside or outside the country imposes many problems and high costs to the Ministry of Health and medical universities in Iran. This study aimed to compare the educational, research and administrative performance of faculty members taking advantage of scholarship funds or using other sources to continue their studies for PhD degree

Methods: This descriptive study was done on faculty members of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences who completed their PhD degree during the years 1986-2006. Data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire including three parts asking about faculty members educational, administrative and research performances. The obtained results were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA

Results: In total 82 faculties were studied among which 39 had used external scholarship, 16 had internal scholarship, 12 were on educational assignment, and 13 had continued their studies without using any mentioned procedures. There was a significant difference [p=.01] between the 4 groups in evaluation scores [educational performance]. But, no significant difference was observed in their administrative performance. Regarding their research activities, a significant difference was observed in some research areas such as conducting research [p=.002], articles published in Iranian journals [p=.004], and in journals outside the country [p=.04]

Conclusion: According to the results, faculty members using external or internal scholarship had a lower performance in their research activities compared to the other groups. Also, the administrative activities of faculty members with external scholarship were less than the others. Therefore, it is recommended that through more detailed and extensive studies, re-examine the policies and regulations regarding scholarship or educational assignments