ABSTRACT
Introduction: Ahealth‑care beneficiary should comprehend different aspects of medical and surgical interventions before giving consent to perform those. There is no defined way to find out adequate patient comprehension as part of the decision‑making procedure to give consent. This study was conducted to find out the disparity of comprehensiveness between emergency and elective surgical operative procedures both in terms of knowledge dissemination and knowledge comprehension. MaterialsandMethods: Across‑sectional comparative study was conducted at the General Surgery Department of Medical College, Kolkata, during September and October 2021. An interviewer‑administered questionnaire was used on patients undergoing emergency and elective surgical procedures. The comprehension level of informed consent (IC) form was scored as 1, 2, and 3 and compared between two groups using an unpaired t‑test and Mann–Whitney U‑test. Result: Data collection was done from 39 patients for emergency operative procedures and 52 for elective surgical procedures. A composite comprehension score was calculated after adjusting for questions not asked while taking IC. The mean comprehension score for emergency procedures was 18.86 and for planned surgery, it was 20.14. Unpaired t‑test showed significantly high mean comprehension for planned procedures than the emergency procedures (P = 0.007). Comprehension is significantly poorer in emergency conditions even after controlling for age and literacy denoting difficulty in decision‑making in emergency scenarios. Conclusion: It is suggested that the procedure of consent taking should be more structured and interactive so that even in stressful conditions participant understand better about the procedures and take their own decision instead of relying blindly on doctors.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Workplace violence (WPV) toward health‑care workers is increasing. The present study aims to estimate the proportionof resident doctors and interns of a tertiary care hospital who experienced WPV, to find out the perpetrators of WPV, and to ascertain any association between WPV and work‑related stress. Materials and Methods: This observational, institution‑based, cross‑sectional study included resident doctors and interns working in six different departments of a tertiary care hospital. Data collection was done using a predesigned, pretested semi‑structured self‑administered questionnaire adapted and validated from the “WPV in the health sector survey questionnaire” from WHO along with “Perceived occupational stress scale.” Results: Out of 323 participants, 247 (76.47%) experienced some form of WPV, 138 (42.72%) experienced physical violence and 203 (62.85%) experienced psychological violence. Patient relatives were reported as the only perpetrators of physical violence, while seniors of the study subjects were reported as main perpetrators of psychological violence. One hundred and thirty‑four (42%) individuals reported work‑related stress. On multivariate analysis, psychological violence was significantly associated with work‑related stress. Conclusion: WPV was experienced by a high proportion of study subjects. Psychological violence was more frequently experienced, and senior colleagues were deemed responsible in most cases. WPV may be associated with work‑related stress
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Substance abuse is now steadily increasing in the adolescent age group across the globe. Pressure to blend in with substance‑using peers is an important predictor of substance abuse among adolescents. Smoking and alcohol intake are the two most common forms of substance abuse. Hence, this study tried to explore the effect of peer pressure on both substance users and nonusers and tried to find the adjusted effect of that pressure on substance abuse focused on smoking and alcohol intake. Materials and Methods: Acase–control study was conducted on college‑going students from various colleges and institutions in Kolkata during September and October 2021. The sample size for this case–control study was calculated taking confidence level at 99% and power 90%. Case and control ratio was taken as 1:1. Age‑based matching was ensured. Further matching among the cases and controls was done based on gender. Data were collected by investigators using a pretested self‑administered questionnaire that particularly focused on peer pressure along with some demographic factors. The questionnaire was distributed via electronic media and was circulated on various social platforms. A modified Peer Pressure Inventory containing 8 factors was created to evaluate the effect of peer pressure, and the Likert scale was used to score the responses of the participants. The odds ratio for the effect of peer pressure on smoking and drinking was calculated with a 99% confidence interval separately. Risk calculation was performed by multiple logistic regression to describe predictability and adjusted odds ratio of peer pressure on initiation of substance abuse. Results: The odds of the effect of peer pressure on initiation of drinking are 24.008 times higher. We also found that 53.62% of the cases have been drinking alcohol for at least 12 months. The odds of peer influence on initiating smoking tobacco were calculated to be 31.320. We found that 84.38% of the smokers had been subjected to significant peer pressure while 85.29% of the control subjects had not been subjected to significant peer pressure. Conclusion: Odds of peer pressure on smoking and alcohol initiation is quite high. Staying alone for more time has a protective effect on initiation of substance abuse.