Assessment of knowledge, awareness, practices and misconceptions among hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients

Background: In chronic illness there is a greater need for patient education to manage their symptoms, prevent complications, and have better therapeutic outcome and increase quality of life. Among chronic illnesses thyroid disorders are more common in the world. Our study aimed to assess knowledge, awareness, practices and misconceptions in thyroid patients in order to estimate the need of patient education and also counsel the patients for the same using counselling aids. Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 300 subjects in a secondary care hospital for a period of 6 months (February 2017- July 2017). The interviews were conducted in semi private areas in the hospital after taking informed consent by using a structured questionnaire which has been established for its validity and reliability. The results were calculated using descriptive statistical methods (frequency, percentage and mean). Results: Among the participants 23.33% were co-morbidities, majority of patients (83%) do not have family history. Only 32% of the participants have good knowledge, 52.66% have average knowledge and 15.33% patients have poor knowledge about symptoms. Though the knowledge on the dietary factors is considerable in participants, 31.95% of hypothyroid, 58.82% of hyperthyroid patients followed inappropriate dietary habits. 86.3% believed that patients with thyroid disorders need to take medications for their lifetime. Conclusions: The results conclude the need for patient education in thyroid disorders and also a need for clinical pharmacists in hospital setup to fill the gap between physician and patient to provide patient education and clarify misconceptions.

The Misconceptions about Epilepsy Disease within Health Sector Workers in the City of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. One of the main issue and concern about epilepsy in Saudi Arabia is the lack of information about the disease, or the medical staff's poor knowledge due to insufficient experience and lack of awareness. The study's main objective is to identify the misconceptions circulated within health sector workers in the city of Tabuk. The researcher seeks to apply the specific study sample for several health centers and hospitals in Tabuk. Quantitative research had been sitting for 368 health/ medical workers by using Google Forms. 65.7% of those who have relatives suffer from epilepsy declare that the attending physician did not clearly explain the nature of the disease, including the causes, treatment and first aid. And 63.4% of health care workers had no experience about epilepsy, and 62.7% of them did not participate in courses or conferences before. Also 40.7% of them had no prior experience of febrile seizures. 76.7% of the participants believe that they cannot relate to a person with epilepsy. This research proved that a high percentage of the Saudi society in Tabuk have misconceptions about epilepsy. The main reason for the nullification of treatment’s effect is the interaction of the surrounding environment towards the conflict disease through misconceptions in advance, which limit the effectiveness of positive progression of the disease with treatment and appropriate medical care

Review on myths about infertility-an attempt to clear the air

Infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after one year of regular unprotected sex, affects 48 million couples and 186 million individuals globally. There are several myths without factual basis regarding infertility, with the increase in prevalence of infertility in the world, the spread of such myths also increases. Such myths include concepts like infertility is a woman’s problem, it is a psychological or stress induced issue, health and lifestyle habits do not affect infertility. While others include, misconceptions about medications and treatment, some supernatural beliefs, frequency of sexual contact, sexual practices which do not have any positive impact on infertile couples. These are few among many other stories revolving around fecundity. Myths about reproductive health and chances of conception may directly or indirectly affect the emotional state of infertile couples or may give a false hope for them to get conceive faster and easier, which have no evidence. Some of the myths might not be harmful, or even do some good, but many of the prevailing myths put infertile couples, especially infertile women in an excruciating position leading to a great deal of mental distress. It is thus important to root out the myths about infertility and help the affected ones lead a less stressful life. This article is an attempt to bust some of the most common myths being spread and explains the actual facts that should be known to people of the reproductive age group.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Family Planning Methods among Women of Reproductive Age Group attending Primary Health Centres in North-East India

Introduction: Warranting access to modern family planning methods constitutes a basic human right and globally around 270 million women of reproductive age group have an unmet need for contraception. Objective : To estimate the knowledge, misconceptions and practices related to family planning methods among women of reproductive age group attending primary health centre. Method: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted in four health centers from January to February 2019 among women of reproductive age group (15-49 years). Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practices pertaining to family planning methods were collected using a pre-tested interview schedule. Descriptive and analytical statistical analyses like mean, proportions, Chi-square and Multivariable logistic regression were conducted. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In this study 348 women were enrolled, of which 39.4% had adequate knowledge regarding family planning methods. Most participants had a healthy attitude towards the use of family planning methods and considered them beneficial whereas 59% stated their religious faith and cultural beliefs restricted the use of contraceptives. Unmet need of contraceptives was 60.2% while 39.8% used any one of the modern contraceptive methods. Lower age (AOR-1.26), Primi-parous (AOR-2.76) and women having a lower monthly income (AOR-2.51) were more likely to have an unmet need of contraception. Conclusion: Despite easy accessibility and low cost of the contraceptives, their use was limited. The high proportion of unmet needs mandates the scaling up of activities to increase the awareness regarding modern contraceptives. Additionally, behavioral change communication strategies are in great need for implementation to counter the negative attitudes pertaining to family planning practices.

Misconceptions, Hesitancy and Efficacy of COVID19 Vaccination in Dental Surgeons Working in A Teaching Dental Hospital, Peshawar

@#The objective of this study was to assess misconceptions, hesitancy and efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccine among Faculty, House Officers (HO) and Postgraduates (PG) dental trainees towards the novel COVID-19 vaccine and to assess the association between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and conspiracy beliefs. A cross sectional study was conducted on 150 participants from Sardar Begum Dental hospital, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A self-administered questionnaire was developed with questions related to perception of participants regarding misconceptions, safety, hesitancy and efficacy of COVID-19 Vaccination. The questionnaire comprised of 26 closed-ended questions. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical package 26.0. More than half of the participants (87.3%) reported to be tested positive for COVID-19 at some point. Majority of participants (87.3%) reported that they were vaccinated and 86.7% reported that they had post-vaccination reactions such as pain in arm, fever and body aches. A notable number of participants that were part of the study believed in the misconceptions related to the COVID-19 vaccine. This study concluded that despite widespread vaccination awareness campaigns, significant number of dental surgeons believed in misconceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccination that may pose a significant challenge to Pakistan's COVID-19 immunization program.

Misconceptions and associated factors of COVID-19 infection among internally displaced persons in Sudan

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health threat that has spread rapidly and caused morbidity and mortality worldwide. Reducing the myths about infectious diseases is vital for controlling transmission. This study explored the level of misconceptions and associated factors of COVID-19 among internally displaced persons in Sudan. This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive design and community-based study. We collected the data using a self-administered questionnaire via the convenience sampling technique among internally displaced persons in the camps of Zalingei town in the central Darfur region of Sudan. The total mean score of the respondents' misconception was 3.1725 (SD=0.59) with 63.2%, indicating moderate misunderstanding of COVID-19. Multiple linear regression revealed the independent variables together had a significant impact on a misconception, F(14,116)=2.429, p<0.005. The regression model explains 22.7% of the variance in misunderstanding. Analysis of the influence of single factors on the dependent variable showed that people aged 31­40 years had significantly higher levels of misconception, 0.381 (t=2.116, p<0.037), than those aged over 60 years, and university graduates had considerably lower levels of misunderstanding, −0.061 (t=−2.091, p<0.03) than non-graduates. This study found a moderate level of misconception of COVID-19. Non-graduates had higher levels of misunderstanding than graduates. The results suggest that an education campaign should focus on people with low levels of education to correct their misconceptions regarding the prevention of COVID-19 infection

Factors predicting knowledge on COVID-19 misconceptions and perception of government efforts in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

Background:With the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases and mortality across the globe, countries and most people have adopted precautionary and preventive measures to avoid been infected with the disease. However, several trending myths and misconceptions also floodsthe world during this era.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 587 participants (53% males, 78% aged 18-30 years, and 74% having at least tertiary level education) in Ghana, using a convenience snowballing sampling approach. A self-designed questionnaire based on “World Health Organization (WHO) myth-busters” was used for data collection. A logistic regression model was developed to explore variables predicting misconceptions.Results: With about 75% of respondents believing they knew “a lot” about coronavirus, 41% (confidence interval: 37-45) reported a high level of knowledge on the new coronavirus misconceptions. Social media (87%), and television/radio (57%) were the major sources of knowledge. Masters/Ph.D. degree education, National democratic congress (NDC)political members, other political party members, excellent self-health ratings, social media, respondents that anticipate a remedy in 1-5 years, and the perception that the government is “not doing enough” in fighting the pandemic, were reported factors predicting knowledge in a multiple logistic regression model (p<0.05). Region of residence, political affiliation, self-health ratings, predicted time of remedy, and level of knowledge on covid-19 misconceptions were also associatedwith the perception of government efforts (p<0.05).Conclusion: Most Ghanaians have much belief in trending misinformation related to the pandemic. Public health education and campaigns should address these misconceptions and encourage the public to seek information from credible sources

Misconceptions about Insulin and Barriers to Insulin Initiation in Type 2 Diabetes among General Physicians in Southeast Nigeria

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of general physicians (GPs) regarding insulin and determine the barriers to its initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Study Design:A cross-sectional, quantitative research.Place and Duration:Enugu metropolis, Southeast Nigeria, between March and November 2018.Methodology:We used structured self administered questionnaire to evaluate the perceptions of 64 GPs (45 males and 19 females) regarding insulin, and to elicit barriers to insulin initiation in subjects with T2DM.Results:The mean (SD) age of the participants was 45.5 (11.7) years and their duration of general practice ranged from 3 –38 years. Majority were private practitioners predominantly in the rural areas. Only 15 (23.4%) respondents had ever initiated insulin for outpatient with T2DM Fear of hypoglycemia, anticipated patients’ refusal of insulin, physician’s lack of confidence, and concerns about needle pains were among the commonly reported barriers to insulin initiation. Others were socio-economic factors including concerns about affordability of insulin and frequent glycemic monitoring, and availability of insulin storage facilities.There was a general consensus among the GPs on a number of misconceptions including that patients’ adherence to oral glucose lowering drugs eliminates the need for insulin; that insulin should be reserved as a last resort; and that once initiated, insulin therapy is lifelong.Conclusion:This study revealed that there are several physician-related barriers and misconceptions regarding insulin therapy for T2DM among GPs in Southeast Nigeria. Periodic training to improve GPs’ attitude to insulin and optimize insulin utilization in T2DM is required

Equívocos estatísticos: perguntas que você sempre quis fazer, mas nunca teve coragem / Statistical misconceptions: questions you've always wanted to ask, but never dared

Este artigo visa elucidar algumas dúvidas enfrentadas ou equívocos estatísticos cometidos por pesquisadores de diversas áreas. São explanados os temas: "tradução não é validação", "análise fatorial exploratória ou confirmatória", "nem todo estudo com dois grupos tem delineamento caso-controle", "teste ou ajuste de Bonferroni", "tamanho de amostra para teste de hipóteses e/ou para intervalo de confiança", e "testes ou dados paramétricos". A abordagem é realizada em uma linguagem acessível ao público leigo, utilizando exemplos e sugerindo referências para aprofundar o conhecimento.(AU)

This article aims to answer some questions and elucidate statistical misconceptions of researchers from different fields. The following topics are addressed: "translation is not validation", "exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis", "not every study with two groups is a case-control study", "Bonferroni test or adjustment", "sample size for testing hypotheses and/or for confidence intervals", and "parametric data or tests". The topics are explained in lay terms, using examples and suggesting references to advance knowledge.(AU)

Snakebite and its management in rural West Bengal: The unspoken truth

Background: Snakebite is a common medical emergency in tropical India where agriculture is a major source of earning livelihood. Snakebite has a significant impact on human health and economy. The situation worsens when the majority of snakebite victims adopt harmful practices such as application of tourniquets due to prevalent myths and misconceptions. Objectives: The objective of the study was to study the socio-demographic profile of the study population, to estimate the prevalence of snakebite in the study area, and to assess the knowledge and treatment seeking behavior of the study population regarding snakebite and its management. Materials and Methods: A total of 135 households of Muchisa village of West Bengal were selected by consecutive sampling and one adult member of the household was interviewed with a pre-designed schedule. Results: Majority of the study population were in the age group of 30–60 years (69.5%), females (52.6%), and Hindu (74.8%). Nearly 59.1% (100) of the population were educated up to primary level. Nearly 15.56% of the study population in our study gave a history of snakebite. Nearly 81.1% of study population correctly differentiated between poisonous and nonpoisonous snakebites based on signs and symptoms of the victim. When asked about why snakebite, the villagers said that snakebite when they were touched (57.04%) or hit (33.33%). About 57.78% of the population believed that snakebite can be managed by traditional faith healers (Ojha). The majority preferred tying a tourniquet/similar material above the bite mark. Conclusion: It is essential to communicate about the appropriate management of a snakebite victim to the communities at risk of snakebite.

A cross sectional study to assess the knowledge and response to dog bite among the urban and rural population of Hubballi taluk

Background: Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease of the central nervous system, most commonly caused by the bite of rabid dogs. Globally canine rabies causes 59,000 human deaths, over 3.7 million DALYs and 8.6 billion USD economic losses annually. These losses are due to a lack of knowledge about wound management and post-exposure prophylaxis. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and practices following dog bite and its management among the urban and rural population.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of KIMS, Hubli. 120 households of the urban and rural locality were interviewed with a semi-structured pretested questionnaire.Results: Overall 89.16% of the study population was aware that the disease can be prevented by vaccination. 35% of the rural and 28% of the urban population believed that the disease can spread from person to person. The knowledge about the site and the number of doses of vaccine was poor among both the population. The harmful practices for treatment of bite were still prevalent among both rural (25%) and urban (8.3%) population.Conclusions: The knowledge about the dog bite management and Rabies prevention is insufficient among both populations. There are myths and misconceptions about the disease and wound management. Practices like application of harmful substances like lime, turmeric, mud are the problems hindering rabies prevention and control. Proper steps need to be taken up to control the canine rabies.

Cardiac misconceptions among healthy adults: implications for the promotion of health in the community / Crenças erróneas sobre as doenças cardíacas em adultos saudáveis: implicações para a promoção da saúde na comunidade

This study sought to confirm the structure and to investigate the psychometric properties of an experimental Portuguese version of the York Cardiac Beliefs Questionnaire (YCBQ) in a general population sample. It also set out to identify the prevalent misconceptions in the community and to assess the differences according to socio-demographic characteristics. It involved a cross-sectional survey in which both test and validation samples were collected (n = 476), including participants aged between 18 and 40, recruited via e-mail and social networks. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis on both samples suggested a shorter, three factor version of the YCBQ. Also, misconceptions differed significantly according to sociodemographic variables. The validation of the YCBQ for samples in the community constitutes an important starting point to promote research on misconceptions held in the community by specific groups, as well as to provide key points for health promotion.

Este estudo teve como objetivo confirmar a estrutura e investigar as propriedades psicométricas de uma versão experimental portuguesa do York Cardiac Beliefs Questionnaire numa amostra da população geral; identificar as crenças erróneas mais fortes na comunidade; e avaliar as diferenças de acordo com características sociodemográficas. Trata-se de um estudo transversal com uma amostra de teste e outra de validação, incluindo um total de 476 participantes, com idade entre 18 e 40 anos, recrutados via e-mail e nas redes sociais. A Análise Fatorial Confirmatória em ambas as amostras indicou uma versão reduzida do YCBQ de três factores. As crenças erróneas diferiram significativamente de acordo com as variáveis sociodemográficas. A validação do YCBQ para amostras da comunidade constitui um importante ponto de partida para promover a investigação sobre crenças erróneas em grupos específicos da comunidade, assim como fornecer indicadores relevantes para a promoção da saúde.

Misconceptions to Primary Pyomyositis in Postconflict Northern Uganda.

Aims: To assess the perceptions and views of the community to the possible causes and the factors responsible for the high prevalence of primary pyomyositis in the region. Study Design: A cross-sectional study design Place and Duration of Study: Gulu Regional Referral Hospital and 4 other Hospitals in Northern Uganda from September 2011 to September 2013. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted on primary pyomyositis patients, their relatives, health workers and managers of hospitals. Qualitative research methods such as Focus Group Discussions, Key Informant Interviews, and In-Depth Interviews were used to obtain the information on the possible causes, experiences and socio-economic effects of the disease to their family, community, health facility and the patients. The information obtained was triangulated before transcribing to an electronic text. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the IRB of Gulu University Medical School and Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (UNCS&T). Thematic content analysis was used for data analysis. Results: There was a wide and varying view about pyomyositis, its causes, and its socio-economic effects to the patient, family, health facilities and communities. The knowledge of the community on the disease is completely at variant with that of health workers and this may present with lack of compliant of patients to the western medical treatment in health facilities. The community beliefs that it is caused by witchcraft and that traditional methods by use of red hot arrow was the best method of management of the disease which should take place in the villages and not health facilities. Conclusion: Pyomyositis is a common surgical disease and highly prevalent in Northern Uganda but there are misconceptions about its aetiology and approach to management.

Living with Obstetric Fistula: Perceived Causes, Challenges and Coping Strategies among Women Attending the Fistula Clinic at Mulago Hospital, Uganda.

Aims: To determine perceived causes, challenges and coping mechanisms of women living with obstetric fistula (OF) in Uganda. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Mulago National Referral Hospital Uganda – January to July 2009. Methodology: Thirty women with OF were interviewed on challenges, coping mechanisms and perceived causes of OF using semi-structured questionnaires. Two focus group discussions were held with 10 caretakers of the women with OF and key informant interviews with 10 health care providers. Results: Majority of the women (21; 70%) were young (<25 years) had primary education (20; 67%) and had lived with OF for 2-9 years (20; 67%). The main perceived causes of OF were injury by surgeon (8; 27%), delivery of a big baby (7; 23%) and prolonged labor (4; 13%). Nearly all women with OF (27; 90%) reported that OF had detrimentally affected their health and well being; 26 women (87%) lost their children at birth or within the neonatal period. Families were affected by high cost of treatment (13; 43%); provision of basic items (10; 32%), and suffered stress (17; 55%). Women coped with OF by hiding from the general public (27; 90%), maintaining strict hygiene (25; 83%), ignoring people’s comments (23; 75%) or resorting to prayer (18; 57%). Conclusion: Women with OF experienced physical, emotional and socio-economic challenges and coped with OF through non-effective social measures. There is need to strengthen strategies to prevent OF and enhance OF rehabilitation services for affected women and their families.

Common Misconceptions or Misdiagnosis in Shoulder Disorders / 대한류마티스학회지

Many patients, physicians and even orthopedic surgeons commonly have misconceptions about several shoulder disorders, so they misdiagnose these diseases and treat patients inappropriately. In this article, we describe some common misconceptions and misdiagnosis in shoulder disorders; such as rotator cuff disease, SLAP lesion, clavicle fracture et al. It will be helpful to understand how these disorders can be approached and managed.

Some ophthalmological misconceptions in medical practice in the Philippines

We should get rid of the concept and practice of waiting for the cataract to become fully mature before extracting it, not only because of the mental torture and the social and economic sacrifices which the period of waiting entails to the patient, but also with the use of forceps, sutures, other safety devices,and intracapsular extraction, the removal of immature cataract is technically not more difficult, if not really easier; and the visual results are equal to, if not actually better than, that of the mature cataract. This statement is based on my experience with, and of the results obtained in 300 consecutive cataract extractions during a period of 22 months. Of these cases, 103 were immature, and 46 private cases with corrected postoperative vision were followed up. Out of the 30 uncomplicated cases, 87% had a vision of 20/20 to 20/30, while 95% had a vision of 20/50 or better. Old age, over 75 years, slight to moderate cough, diabetes, and hypertension are not contraindications to cataract extraction if proper precautions are takenWe should enjoy freedom from fear of trachoma in the Philippines. Studies have revealed that, while trachoma exists in this country, mostly among Chinese, Hindus, and Indo-Chinese, it is a rarity among Filipinos; and blindness from trachoma among Filipinos is practically nil. Folliculosis and follicular conjunctivitis are common among our children and these are mistaken for trachoma. These children should not be required to undergo scraping of their conjunctivae before they are allowed to attend classes because of the mistaken concept that they have trachomaAcute non-bacterial kerato-conjunctivitis of viral origin exists here in endemic form with occasional epidemic flare-upsThere should be a widespread concern for glaucoma, because this is the most frequent cause of irremediable blindness in this country. To combat glaucoma, not only should the public be made aware of its dangers but the opticians, medical practitioners and specialists should also be more informed about itSquinting should be treated and if necessary, operated on during the pre-school age, in order to prevent the development of inferiority complex in the child and crumpling of his personality, to avoid blindness from amblyopia, to secure more permanent and better cosmetic results, and to insure binocular single visionThe ophthalmologists should do more ophthalmic plastic surgery and get rid of the fear of excising lid tumors before they cause suffering and threaten lifeAn "oculist" or "ophthalmologist" should not be confused with an "optician" and "optometrist."Refraction is only a part of an ophthalmological examination for eyestrain, the causes of which are many times not an error of refraction, but improper or overuse of the eyes in an unfavorable internal and external environment. Hence, the treatment of eyestrain is not always the wearing of correct glasses or exercises for the extraocular muscular imbalance, but also the proper use of the eyes, providing sufficient lighting and elimination of glare, together with improvement of some medical internal trouble or the relief of some psychosomatic problems. (Summary)