RESUMEN
Introduction: Test anxiety is a psychological condition that results in extreme fear of poor performance on examinations and is commonly found among medical students. A study was conducted on the proportion of test anxiety among medical university students and the factors affecting it, determining the types of test anxiety and associating it with grades and forms of assessment
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was done on the students of Gulf Medical University, Ajman by using self-administered questionnaires, which included the Westside Test Anxiety Scale, socio demographic variables and symptoms of anxiety with the type of assessment. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program. A Chi square test was done for association
Results: 43% of those surveyed had high anxiety levels. Test Anxiety was found to be high among medical university students especially in the age group of below 20 years, females, and the early years of medical training. The symptoms experienced were also surveyed with the largest number of students having trouble sleeping [n=75]. The results showed that viva and seminar invoked the most severe responses in students, while OSPE, OSCE, MCQs and SAQs resulted in fewer symptoms. Students with high levels of test anxiety scored less than their low anxiety peers. However the study in general was inconclusive about the facilitative or debilitative effect of test anxiety on students, though certain parts of the study indicated a rather debilitative effect on academic performance
Conclusions: Overall, test anxiety was found to be high among medical university students. Various coping strategies are recommended, including counseling by experienced healthcare professionals, and proper time management. A modification of forms of assessment which cause severe and debilitating forms of test anxiety was also suggested
RESUMEN
The objective of the study was to assess the frequency of xerostomia in patients infected with hepatitis B and C presenting to the oral and maxillofacial surgery department of Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad from October 2011 to February 2012. It was carried out as a prospective cross sectional study. All patients who gave the history of being infected with hepatitis B or C were included in the study. They were asked about the sensation of dryness of mouth and then were clinically evaluated for the presence of xerostomia by putting a mirror against the mucosa. Sticking of mirror to the mucosa was taken as a positive result. 38 patients presented to the oral surgery department, out of these, 6 were males and 32 females [1:5.3]. Eight [21.1%] had hepatitis B while 30 [78.9%] were suffering from hepatitis C. Xerostomia was seen in 8 [26.7%] patients with hepatitis C. None of the patients with hepatitis B presented with xerostomia. Chi Square test was used to analyze the association of xerostomia with therapy for hepatitis but no statistically significant association was observed [p>0.05]. Xerostomia may be a finding in patients with chronic liver disease and treating clinicians should be aware of it and should treat it to improve patients' quality of life