Assessment of COVID-19 Control and Prevention Measures in Student Dormitories at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 2021.

Background and purpose: Adherence to the principles of personal protection and commitment to health guidelines and principles of prevention perform important roles in controlling COVID-19 in a community. In this re3search we studied necessary measures to prevent COVID-19 in university dormitories at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 2021. Material(s) and Method(s): In this descriptive-analytical study, 114 students in active dormitories during the COVID-19 pandemic participated in an online survey and their views and knowledge about COVID-19 preventive measures in the dormitories were examined. The samples were recruited using census method and data were analyzed in SPSS. Result(s): The results of the Chi-square test showed a significant relationship between adherence to preventive measures and educational level (P=0.015). Following personal hygiene was found to be significantly different according to being a local student, having underlying diseases, and the number of students at rooms (P<0.05). Findings showed that physical distancing and screening had no significant relationship with any of the variables studied (P>0.05). Conclusion(s): The study showed that among the four areas investigated, personal hygiene practices and following the principles of prevention of COVID-19 were in a good condition, while physical distancing and screening were not satisfying. Therefore, university authorities should make serious changes to improve these issues at dormitories.Copyright © 2023, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEIVED STRESS AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF NURSES WORKING IN COVID-19 WARDS

BACKGROUND: Stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a lack of concentration and lack of energy to achieve career goals, fatigue, poor performance, burnout and reduced quality of life of many people, especially nurses.METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was completed with the aim of determining the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life of nurses working in the care wards for patients with COVI D-19 in hospitals affiliated with the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (Mazandaran, Iran) during 2020-2021. Inclusion criteria included willingness to participate in the study, having at least a bachelor's degree in nursing and working in care wards of patients with COVID-19. Data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire, Cohen Perceived Stress Questionnaire and WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, Mean and standard deviation indices were used to describe the variables. Also, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to ass the relationship between variables.RESULTS: The Mean (SD) age of participants was 33.48 (6.64) years. Most were female (%73.3). The total scores of quality of life and perceived stress variables of nurses were 47.63 +/- 24.31 and 27.62 +/- 4.61, respectively. Nurses' scores of quality-of-life domains included physical health, psychological, social relationships and environmental domain were (46.52 +/- 12.69, 46.57 +/- 12.70, 46.39 +/- 19.45 and 50.52 +/- 10.52), respectively. Nurses' quality of life had a direct significant relationship with the variables of sleep quality and job satisfaction (P<0.001). Perceived stress score also had a significant inverse relationship with physica l and social dimensions and total quality of life score (P<0.001).CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, and the negative effects of nurses' perceived stress on their quality of life, it is necessary to pay serious attention to nurses' concerns in these work situations. It is recommended that considered appropriate interventions to reduce perceived stress and improve the quality of life in nurses who care for patients with COVID-19be implemented.

Mental Health and Resilience in Emergency Medical Services Practitioners During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The prevalence of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, as one of the biggest global health threats, has had psychological impacts on healthcare workers (HCWs) and all aspects of their mental health, particularly resilience. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mental health and resilience in prehospital emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners. Methods: This descriptive/analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020 using a web-based questionnaire, wherein the data were collected from a total number of 115 EMS practitioners working in 115 EMS stations in Golestan province, northern Iran, selected using convenience sampling. The data collection tools were also the General Health Questionnaire-28 (score range: 0 - 84) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (score range: 0 -100). The relationship between both questionnaires was then examined by structural equation modeling via maximum likelihood estimation. In addition, multiple linear regression (MLR) was applied to reflect on the factors affecting the resilience mean score. Results: The mental health and resilience mean scores in the EMS practitioners were 25.73 +/- 8.90 and 72.25 +/- 12.63, respectively. Furthermore, 43.5% and 49.6% of the subjects had good and mild mental health conditions, respectively. The correlation coefficient between both questionnaires (-0.51) revealed that mental health deterioration diminished resilience in the EMS practitioners. Additionally, the type of employment and mental health mean score had a significant effect on the resilience mean value (R-2 in MLR = 0.54). Conclusions: The study results demonstrated that more than half of the EMS practitioners had moderate mental health status, and their resilience mean score was high. Therefore, it is suggested to evaluate the prevalence of other common types of mental problems, such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic at the national level in future studies.

Comparing Anxiety and Depression among Midwives and Nurses Working in Pediatric Wards and Other Clinical Settings during the Covid-19 Outbreak

Background: This study aims to compare the COVID-related anxiety and depression between Midwives and nurses working in pediatric wars and the other clinical settings during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Random sampling method was implemented for sample selection. Modified Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to measure anxiety and depression related to COVID-19;and the data was analyzed through linear regression. Results: In this study, 88.6% of the participants were female and the mean age of nurses was 30.41 +/- 6.59 years. 36.4% of the nurses were midwives, 35% were pediatric nurses and the rest were other nurses. The mean and standard deviation of anxiety and depression scores were 12.76 +/- 7.75 and 1.78 +/- 2.27, respectively. 92.9% of the participants were anxious and 11.4% were depressed. The variables of marital status and sports activity had a significant effect on nurses' depression scores. Conclusion: Anxiety and depression scores were not significantly different among the treatment staff. The prevalence of COVID-19 anxiety was high among hospital staff in Iran and the prevalence of depression was moderate, which can have detrimental effects on the quality of care provided by nurses and midwives to the patient.

Assessment of grief reactions following the death of first-degree relatives due to COVID-19

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made the grief process more complicated and brought about loads of unexpressed grief. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the severity of grief reactions following the death of first-degree relatives (FDRs) due to COVID-19.