ABSTRACT
Evaluation of the microbial quality of drinking water can prevent the water-borne diseases outbreak that is one of the most important challenges in the world. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the seasonal variation of water-borne diseases prevalence associated with the microbial quality of drinking water and the comparison between rural and urban areas in Kangavar city, west of Iran. To accomplish this study, the results of the microbial quality of drinking water and cases of simple diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid and hepatitis A were received from all rural and urban health centers of the city during five years (2006-2010). To determine the relationship between diseases and microbial quality of water, Correlation instruction and Pearson correlation coefficient were used. The results showed that except hepatitis A, the incidence of all diseases in different areas (urban or rural) and seasons had significant relationship with microbial contamination of drinking water (P-value<0.05). The stronger relationship was observed in rural areas than in urban areas (except simple diarrhea) and in warm seasons than in cold seasons. With respect to the impact of the microbial quality of water on the incidence of dysentery and typhoid diseases, keeping up the quality of drinking water in places and times with high sensitivity (rural areas and warm seasons) should be considered strongly.
ABSTRACT
Aims: In this research, the epidemiological status of cutaneous leishmaniasis was investigated in Kashan city, central of Iran. Study Design and Setting: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Kashan city, central of Iran. Study Duration: The study was conducted over 2009 to 2014. Methods: In this study, the demographic and epidemiological data including age, sex, nationality, duration of the disease, number and site of the ulcers for all the patients during 2009 to 2014 were collected from the healthcare centers of Kashan city. The data were finally analyzed by Excel software. Results: The results indicated that 897 persons were suffered from cutaneous leishmaniasis during this 6-year period in Kashan city. Of these patients, 486 (54.2%) and 411 (45.8%) persons were females and males, respectively. The results also showed that the highest and lowest contamination frequencies were occurred in April and in March, respectively. The most burden of this disease was allocated to patients more than 25 years old and the lower rate was occurred in infants less than one year age. Conclusion: The results presented that the prevalence of the urban type of cutaneous leishmaniasis was high in Kashan city. Therefore, the prevention and control measurements should be applied to minimize the prevalence of the disease.
ABSTRACT
Aims: In this study, patient safety culture was assessed in four educational hospitals in Ilam city, Iran. Study Design and Setting: A cross-sectional study was carried out in four educational hospitals (Imam Khomeini, Mustafa Khomeini, Taleghani and Kowsar hospitals) in Ilam city (Iran). Study Duration: The study was conducted over 2014. Methods: The data collection was conducted via the Iranian version of Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) questionnaire. The questionnaire contains 42 items that evaluates 12 dimensions of patient safety culture. Results: The results showed that 47% of the participants had 1- 5 years of work experience and 71.1% of them worked more than 40 hours per week in hospital. The mean positive answers score of the safety culture in this study was obtained 40% that was much lower than the benchmark (64%). The highest and lowest percentages of the positive answer were attributed to teamwork within units (70%) and non-punitive response to error (11%), respectively. Conclusion: In order to increase the patient safety culture in the hospitals, the number of professional staff should be increased and a practical plan about the patient safety culture should be provided. Moreover, the hospitals management should support the staff to report errors without fear of the punishment.