ABSTRACT
Introduction: This study aims to assess existing sleep apps for mobile phones to determine the perceived effect of these applications on user's attitudes, knowledge, willingness to change, and its likelihood to change behavior from a user's perspective. Material and Methods: A systematic search was conducted through Google play store and iTunes Apple store using terms related to sleep tracking. Apps were evaluated using Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) tool for assessing and classifying mobile health applications quality. Additionally, a convenience sample of subjects were asked to evaluate the included apps for perceived sleep behavior changes. Results: The average MARS app quality score on a 5-point scale was 3.3. Between 30-50% of participants believed that sleep tracker apps are likely to increase awareness about sleep patterns and sleep hygiene, infuence sleep hygiene habits, and are likely to encourage help seeking for sleep hygiene when required. Conclusion: Apps available for sleep self-management and tracking may be valuable tools for self-management of sleep disorder and/or improving sleep quality, yet they require improvement in terms of quality and content, highlighting the need for further validity studies.
ABSTRACT
Background: The novel coronavirus outbreak is now shifting the way educational institutions operate around the world. This study aims to assess the online learning experience during the pandemic and recognize its perceived barriers according to university professors in Jordan. Methods: This is a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. A web-based survey was distributed to all university professors and lecturers in public universities across Jordan. Results: A total of 508 educators responded to this study. Males (67.5%, n=343) dominated the study population compared to females (32.5%, n=165). Educators spent an average of 20.2 ± 15.9 hours/week using the internet for educational purposes during the pandemic. Positive attitudes towards online teaching were seen, as 65.7% reported being prepared for online teaching, while 40.8% were comfortable communicating with students via online platforms. Institutional support for online learning also appears to have increased following the coronavirus outbreak. An overwhelming majority (81.9%, n=416) stated that their universities supported online education during the pandemic, compared to 56.5% (n=287) before. The main recognized barriers for online teaching were poor internet connection (78.3%, n=398), disadvantages in old learning tools (e.g., uploading capacity) (70.9%, n=360), and family atmosphere (69.3%, n=352). Participants also recognized technical (74.0%, n=376) and computer skills (49.2%, n=250) as areas requiring development. Conclusion: Despite the positive attitudes of educators towards online teaching, many barriers need to be overcome before the shift from traditional learning is implemented. Faculty training and inter-departmental communication are warranted for the success of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infection of the zoonotic coronavirus, is presenting a healthcare challenge around the globe. This study aims to assess the levels of disease knowledge and risk perception among pharmacists. We also recognize predictors of risk perception and perceived media roles. Methods This is a questionnaire-base cross-sectional study. The questionnaire was developed on a web-based platform and invitations were sent to pharmacists nationwide to participate in the study using social media applications. Results A total of 486 pharmacists participated in this study, where females were dominant (78.6%, n = 382). Most (40.4%, n = 198) pharmacists scored 4 out of 5 in basic disease knowledge, and more than half were able to recognize common methods of spread. Risk was highly perceived among participants, and was predicted by gender, living area, and having children (p < 0,05). Frequency of watching the media and sources of information also influenced both risk perception and perceived media roles. Conclusion Disease awareness among pharmacists, as well as risk perception must be considered for effective risk communication planning. The role of media in shaping perceptions should also be carefully studied to encourage compliance with government containment measures and engagement in preventive behaviors.