Family violence among female medical students: its prevalence and impact on their mental health status - a cross-sectional study

Violence against women is recognized worldwide as a major public health problem. Studies show that violence affects the mental well-being of the victims. The study explores the prevalence of family violence among Saudi female medical students and its relationship with students' mental well-being and seeks to identify the effect of violence on students' academic achievements. This was a cross-sectional study on 1st- to 5th year Saudi female medical students, utilizing a validated violence screening questionnaire that asked the respondents about how often they were physically Hurt, Insulted, Threatened with harm, and Screamed at [HITS]. Furthermore, the study administered a validated mental well-being questionnaire, the Mental Health Inventory 5 [MHI-5], for the assessment of the mental status of the respondents. The analyses included simple univariate analyses, bivariate analyses and linear regression modelling. Of the total of 460 Saudi female medical students, 363 [79%] students participated in this study. Nineteen [5.3%] students confirmed being the victims of family violence. The victims had a mean MHI-5 score of 52%. A negative correlation was observed between violence and mental well-being scores. Significant association between the MHI-5 score and academic achievement was observed. The prevalence of family violence in this study is less than the reported figures in other studies. We could not demonstrate a direct relationship between family violence and academic achievement. Students' academic achievement was indirectly associated with the presence of family violence through changes in mental well-being

Knowledge of health workers at a Riyadh hospital of health care waste management

Healthcare activities such as immunizations, diagnostic tests, medical treatments, and laboratory examinations are inevitably followed by the generation of Health Care Waste [HCW]. The management of HCW poses a major and ongoing problem in most countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Adequate knowledge of health care workers of the steps of waste management is crucial for the success of any HCW management program. This study investigates the knowledge of health workers at a Riyadh hospital of the types of waste and steps of HCW management. This was implemented through a descriptive cross-sectional study among health care workers at the hospital. Data was collected by means of a pre-prepared questionnaire, inquiring on basic demographic data and the knowledge of health workers of the types of HCW, their segregation, storage, and transport inside and outside the hospital, and whether the participant had received previous training on HCW management The questionnaire included 44 knowledge questions, a correct answer was given a score of 1 and an incorrect answer 0. A composite score based on these 44 questions was developed and used for further analysis. In the absence of any standard criteria of scoring for such knowledge questions, the median of the composite score was used as a cut off point to split the workers into two categories: high knowledge group and low knowledge group. Data was collected during July 2004, then entered and analyzed using SPSS version 10 software. The study population was 321 health workers. Their mean age was 35.7 years [SD +/- 8.6], the highest age group between 30-40 years old [41.7%]. There were 216 [70.3%] females, and 91 [29.6%] males; 66 [22.8%] Saudis and 223 [77.2%] non-Saudis; 73 [23.4%] doctors and 239 [76.6%] nurses. The highest percentage were working in the Medicine department 118 [44.7%], followed by the Surgery department 64 [24.2%], Emergency Room 13 [4.9%], and other departments 69 [26.1%]. Knowledge of health workers about the classification of each type of waste material is shown in table 1. Regarding waste segregation, correct responses were: HCW is segregated at the source of generation 72.9%, medical staff are responsible for waste segregation at its generation site 75.9%, sharp waste should be segregated in special containers 98.1%, color coded bags are used for segregation 96.8%, and liquid medical waste should not be disposed-of with domestic waste 91.7%. Regarding the color of bag used for segregation of each type of waste, 91.3% knew that yellow bags should be used for infectious waste, red bags for pathological waste 80.4%, and black bags for non-risk waste 83.8%. Regarding collection of HCW, only 22.9% knew that bags should not be closed by stapling before transport, waste should be collected from the generation site at least once daily 83.2%, and black and yellow bags should not be collected at the same time 79.4%. Regarding transport of HCW inside the hospital, 74.5% knew that color-coded bags should be used for transport of HCW inside the hospital. Only 3.2% knew that certain allocated workers should be responsible for transport of HCW inside the hospital. However, 84.3% of the study participants did not know which personnel are responsible; 54.7% didn't know by what means HCW are transported inside the hospital; and only 37.2% knew that designated trolleys should be used for that purpose. However, most workers [91.5%] knew that yellow bags should not be carried with black bags in the same trolleys inside the hospital. Regarding correct knowledge of storage of HCW inside the hospital, only 67.9% knew that there should be designated central storage points; 81.6% knew that bags containing waste should not be compressed at the storage point, 91.7% knew that cytotoxic waste should be separated from other types of HCW, and 74.9% knew that yellow and black bags should not be kept together at the storage point. Regarding transport of HCW, only 68.6% knew that it should be transported away from the hospital by special trucks. The most important cited health consequences of improper HCW management or accident were Hepatitis B [97.8%], Hepatitis C [97.5%], and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome [96%]. Of the total study population, only 23.5% had received previous training on HCW management. Based on the knowledge questions, the median score of knowledge based on the composite score was 31. This was used to divide health workers into two groups; low knowledge group [below 31], and high knowledge group [31 and above]. The low knowledge group included 139 [43.3%], and the high knowledge group included 182 [56.7%]. On examining the association between knowledge and other related variables, the proportion of high knowledge was greater among females, nurses, non-Saudis, and those with previous training