Effects of internet shutdown among medical students of a tertiary care hospital in Imphal, Manipur: a cross-sectional study

Background: The internet shutdown has become a global issue affecting the academic activities of medical students. Due to civil unrest in Manipur, a Northeastern state in India, the internet has been shut down for the past several months. Therefore, the study was undertaken with the objective to determine the magnitude of the effects of the internet shutdown among the medical students of a tertiary care hospital in Manipur. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2023 among 135 medical students of a tertiary care hospital using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected by using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done by using SPSS software version 26. Results: The mean age of the participants was 21±1.8 years. The study found that the majority (93.3%) of medical students opined that the internet shutdown affected their daily activities. Most of the participants (83.7%) stated that their study was affected by the current internet shutdown. Only (39.2%) of participants faced problems in submitting online forms. Most of the participants (71.1%) had a bad experience during the internet shutdown. Conclusions: The internet shutdown affected most of the participants in their daily activities. Most of the participants felt they were missing out on information and opportunities. Most of the participants rate their overall experiences as bad during the internet shutdown.

Determinants of maternal health care utilization at urban slums in Northeast India: a cross-sectional study

Background: Factors affecting maternal health care utilization determine maternal mortality rate (MMR). Therefore this study has been carried out to out to assess the level and determinants of maternal health care service utilization in an urban slum of north-east India. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study area comprised of four municipal wards with well-defined geographical boundaries. All married women in the age group 18-45 years who were either pregnant and/ or had at least one child under 3 years of age on the day of survey residing in that area for a minimum of one year were the study population. Data collection was done by house-to-house visit. Descriptive analysis and chi-square test was used for data analysis. Results: Adequate utilization of IFA and TT was 86.3% and 84.4%, respectively. Adequate utilization of maternal health care was found to be 79.8% and 20.2% respectively. Age, educational status, income of the participants and birth order of the relevant child was found to be significantly associated with the maternal health care utilization. Conclusions: The study concludes that maternal health care utilization was found adequate among 79.8% of study participants, out of which antenatal care, intranatal care and postnatal care utilization rate was found in 85.4%, 89.8% and 82.5% respectively. Age, education, income of the women and birth order of their children were significantly associated with maternal health care utilization.

Assessment of noise pollution level in a tertiary care hospital of Imphal, Manipur

Background: Noise pollution is a major public health problem. Previous studies reported the presence of noise pollution in various hospital settings around the world. There are few studies conducted on noise pollution in the north eastern part of India especially in Manipur. Therefore, the study was undertaken to assess noise pollution in a tertiary hospital of Manipur for future suggestive measures to reduce noise and associated health impacts. Methods: An observational study was conducted in a public tertiary care hospital of Imphal, Manipur. Data collection for noise level measurement was done by using a digital sound level meter instrument and mobile sound meter app. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS for Windows, version 21.0. Armonk, NY. Results: The highest sound level of 87.6 dB(A) was recorded in the general OPD counter. Among the OPDs, Medicine OPD recorded the highest sound level of 85.2 dB(A). Parking areas recorded an average maximum of 80.5 dB(A). Hospital wards recorded an average maximum sound of 77.4 dB(A). Conclusions: In this study, the maximum sound level in a week average was found in parking areas of the hospital. Majority of the places around the hospital recorded a noise level which is beyond the recommended CPCB noise level 2000.

Patients' satisfaction with hospital care in a referral institute in Manipur.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the level of patients' satisfaction with hospital care in Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal among inpatients during the month of May 2007. Interview schedule was developed covering certain domains regarding patients care. Overall satisfaction level was determined by using a summated Likert score. Most of the patients (260, 74.1%) were satisfied with the overall care received. Patients were found to be unsatisfied in the domains pertaining to admission procedure (145, 41.3%), comfort and cleanliness (164, 46.7%), food service (194, 55.3%). Patient admitted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology ward showed a significantly higher level of dissatisfaction as compared to patients from other departments (p<0.03).

Birth weight pattern in the only referral teaching hospital in Manipur.

Birth weight is an important determinant for child development and survival. Birth weight has been reported to be increasing with the passing years. There is no such accurate documentation from the state of Manipur. This cross sectional study has been attempted to see the birth weight pattern in the largest referral hospital in Manipur. Birth weights of four reference years in the last 15 years have been extracted from the records and analysed. There were 19478 singleton deliveries in the four reference years. The mean birth weight showed a gradual increase in these years. There was a gain of 88.9 g in 2000 since 1986 in term deliveries. There were significant differences in the mean birth weights among the four years, even after stratifying for gestation. However, there was no significant decrease in the percentage of low birth weight babies in these years. Low birth weight showed significant association with parity, age of the mother, booking status, haemoglobin level, and literacy of the mother. Since there was no significant decrease in low birth weight babies in spite of increasing birth weight, there is a need for continued and committed effort to realize the goals of RCH.

Knowledge and attitude of males regarding birth spacing and contraception.

A cross sectional study with 368 males (husbands of women delivered at Regional Institute of Medical Sciences hospital) revealed that 89% of them were aware of contraception. But only the meaning of birth spacing was known to 13% of them correctly. Education, income and parity were significantly associated with knowledge on birth spacing.