Patient safety culture assessment in Oman

To illustrate the patient safety culture in Oman as gleaned via 12 indices of patient safety culture derived from the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture [HSPSC] and to compare the average positive response rates in patient safety culture between Oman and the USA, Taiwan, and Lebanon. This was a cross-sectional research study employed to gauge the performance of HSPSC safety indices among health workers representing five secondary and tertiary care hospitals in the northern region of Oman. The participants [n=398] represented different professional designations of hospital staff. Analyses were performed using univariate statistics. The overall average positive response rate for the 12 patient safety culture dimensions of the HSPSC survey in Oman was 58%. The indices from HSPSC that were endorsed the highest included 'organizational learning and continuous improvement' while conversely, 'non-punitive response to errors' was ranked the least. There were no significant differences in average positive response rates between Oman and the United States [58% vs. 61%; p=0.666], Taiwan [58% vs. 64%; p=0.386], and Lebanon [58% vs. 61%; p=0.666]. This study provides the first empirical study on patient safety culture in Oman which is similar to those rates reported elsewhere. It highlights the specific strengths and weaknesses which may stem from the specific milieu prevailing in Oman

study of fertility patterns of ever married women in Oman

To examine the relation between age, education, residence and fertility rate and change in fertility rate between 1994/95 and 1999/2000. The data for the study was extracted from the Oman National Health Survey, 2000. The birth histories data was used to extract data on woman years and births in the periods 1990 to 1994 and 1995 to 2000. The marital fertility rate in 1999/2000 was 7.12 births. The rates for rural and urban dwellers were 8.07 and 6.75 respectively in 1999/2000. Corresponding rates in 1994/95 [8.65, 8.30 and 9.69 respectively] were significantly higher than those in 1999/2000 for all categories, indicating a reduction in rates. In both periods the higher the education level of the mother the lower her fertility. Education was a strong determinant of fertility. This study confirms that the higher the education of the woman the lower her fertility and that fertility is on the decline in Oman

Vipassana meditation: a naturalistic, preliminary observation in Muscat

To assess the effects of Vipassana meditation on the physical and psychological health in a multi-ethnic population in the city of Muscat. The subjects were participants of a Vipassana meditation course taught in a ten-day residential retreat. Self-assessments of health-related parameters and physical and psychological symptomatology were collected from them before and immediately after the course. A control group was tested for a similar time interval. Immediately after their 10-day training, the Vipassana participants assessed themselves significantly higher compared to their levels prior to the course, suggesting that the 10 days- practice had significantly improved their physical and psychological well-being. The control group did not exhibit such changes. The present preliminary findings, juxtaposed with the results of studies from other parts of the world, suggest that the practice of Vipassana meditation may help mitigate psychological and psychosomatic distress