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Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the awareness of cross-infection control measures followed by DHCPs during the 5th wave of Covid-19 pandemic, Omicron variant in a government sector university of Karachi, Pakistan. Method(s): A Cross-sectional study was conducted from June till September 2022 at Sindh Institute of Oral Health Science during the 5th wave of Covid 19 pandemic, Omicron variant. Data was collected from 153 DHCPs from government sector university using a self-administered questionnaire, comprising of 20 closed ended question to assess the awareness and practice of cross infection protocols by DHCPs. Result(s): 98.7% of the participants were vaccinated against Covid 19. 96% of the participants used surgical gowns, face shields, and face masks as part of PPE during examining patients and while performing procedure. After treatment 99.3% of participants washed hands with hand wash, soap or used antiseptic solution. 77.1% of participants asked for Covid 19 test report and 68.6% of participants asked for proof of vaccination against covid 19 before treating patients. 96.1% of participants recommended disinfection of dental unit after every patient. 98% of participants changed glove after every patient. 88.2% of the participants said they would carry all elective and emergency procedures. Conclusion(s): The results of this study show that DHCPs practicing at government sector university have adequate knowledge regarding prevention of cross infection protocols and their importance to limit spread of infections. But their practice of prevention of cross infection during Covid 19 pandemic is not ideal as percentage of DHCPs requiring proof of vaccination or negative reports for Covid 19 were rather low and the percentage of DHCPs willing to carry elective procedures along with emergency ones was rather high.Copyright © 2023 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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In Pakistan, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on 26 February 2020, having the travel history from Iran. Islamabad and Rawalpindi have also been affected by COVID-19 epidemic. On 23 March 2020, the Government of Pakistan has declared smart lockdown all over the country including Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The aim of the study was to identify the status of the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among the general population of the twin cities (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) in Pakistan during the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from 5 to 19 May 2020, the week during smart lockdown in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Demographic characteristics were compared with independent-samples t-test, one-way, or Chi-square test. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with low knowledge score. Data analyses were conducted with SPSS version 21.0. A total of 1,282 participants completed the questionnaire. Among this final sample, the average age was 30.65 years. Among the survey respondents, 680 (53%) were women, 1096 (86%) held a bachelor's degree or above, 634 (50%) were engaged with the government and private sector and 606 (47%) were married. The overall correct rate of knowledge was 70%. The majority of the respondents agreed that COVID-19 will finally be successfully controlled (59%). Most of the participants had not visited any crowded place (74%) and 95% responded that they have reduced their outdoor activities. In response to precaution measures, 86% stated that they would isolate themselves if they ever felt a fever or cough. The study findings suggest that residents of the two cities have reasonable levels of knowledge on COVID-19. However, it is necessary to launch health education and awareness campaigns to improve the knowledge and practices about COVID-19, to control its transmission. © 2022 The Author(s).
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Objective: To find out an association between covid and sleep and how covid lockdown has affected the sleeping habits of the youth in Pakistan compared to pre-lockdown sleeping patterns. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration: Current research was conducted at HITEC (IMS-HITEC) Institute of Medical Sciences, Taxila Cantt Pakistan from 5th may to 15th may 2020). Material(s) and Method(s): It was a quantitative study in which participants filled out an online survey form. The data was collected on Google forms shared through social media focusing on undergraduate individuals from 16 to 24 years of age to acquire a homogenous example of responders, since youth are more liable to digital media use and their routine is more prone to be affected by the lockdown. The participation rate was 98.2%. SPSS was used for the data entry and analysis purpose. The data obtained was compiled, tabulated and analysed statistically. Chi square test was used to check whether the variables yielded significant or insignificant results. Result(s): Out of a total of 100 participants, 60 (60%) were females and 40 (40%) were males. The mean age was 21 years and the participants were mostly university students. A set of questions were also asked to determine which social media apps the participants were increasingly using, most of the participants spent time on Instagram (68%) and YouTube (64%), while modest people spent time on Netflix (41%), Snapchat (30%) and Facebook (33%). Lesser participants spent time on TikTok (11%) and Skype/Zoom (25%). Practical Implications: The use of e-learning and other forms of social interaction are becoming increasingly significant in the education of our young people. The findings of the current research make it possible for us to evaluate the influence of lockdown measures on Pakistani population in light of previously published studies that were carried out during the same time period in other countries and continents. Conclusion(s): Participants in the lockdown reported spending more time in front of screens and suffering delayed sleep habits. It was found that risky behaviours were associated with increased screen screen time.. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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Background: The inflated use of digital screens has completely changed the lives of people physically, mentally and psychologically. The covid-19 pandemic has also compelled people of all age groups to shift to digital media. The average screen time usage is 7-9 hours a day which is alarming. Aim(s): To find out the relation of screen time with ophthalmic problems among medical students. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Community Medicine, HITEC-IMS Taxila from 1st January 2020 to 30th June 2020. Methodology: One hundred and fifty two medical students were included using non probability convenience sampling technique. An electronic questionnaire was developed and Google forms were used for data registration. Result(s): The relation between screen time duration with difficulty in refocusing (p=0.05) and eye redness (p=0.05). No relation was found between screen duration and headache, eye strain, blurred vision and refractive errors. Conclusion(s): High screen time is found to be related to ophthalmic problems like difficulty refocussing and eye redness which if not addressed properly might result in detrimental effects. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
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Purpose: This practitioner paper intends to explore how Public Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs) in Pakistan could strategize alumni to encounter the financial sustainability challenges and achieve their organizational potential relevant to academic, research and public services. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a hermeneutic (interpretive) phenomenological approach, this study used interviews and focus group discussion data with 26 alumni from eight different PHEIs in Pakistan to explore their attitudes toward engagement with their institutions. Findings: This study shows a clear shift in institutional strategies between the developing and developed economies regarding the importance and value given to alumni and engagement practices employed. Practical implications: This study recommends that PHEIs in Pakistan can enjoy alumni engagement benefits to strengthen their organizational standing, provided they view alumni as a valuable entity and observe a proactive approach to engage alumni in a manner that may reflect the mutually beneficial and trustworthy relationship. Further, it would help institutions attain long-term financial sustainability, which is threatened by state-funding cuts and, more recently, COVID-19 pandemic-led recession. Originality/value: Scholarship shows that institutions in the developed economies have built a strong bond with their alumni to seek their support. However, the voices of institutions from the developing economies have not been heard yet. In this regard, this study appears to highlight the current alumni engagement practices and how institutions could improve on them to strategize alumni for a sustainable future. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the landscape of teaching pedagogies, assessment methods, supervision, and student engagement in higher education institutions. Exploration of students’ perception on online teaching and learning (T&L) in terms of their level of satisfaction is an important core indicator of their acceptance to enhance the long-term impact of the online (T&L) activities. The objective of the study is to determine the level of satisfaction of online (T&L) activities and its involved technical support among postgraduate students in the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). A validated questionnaire was used to conduct the survey. A total of 81 postgraduate students were recruited using purposive sampling in the study. Results showed that more than 86% of the students were satisfied with the online T&L activities except for two areas where 50% of the students felt that the curriculum structure design was too heavy and they felt stressed after attending the first online class and examination. On the other hand, more than 70% of the students were satisfied with the technical support for the online T&L. Although the satisfaction level for both was high, there was no association between them, χ2 (1, N = 162) = 3.8, p = 0.42. In conclusion, the postgraduate students of the Faculty of Health Sciences, UKM are satisfied with the online T&L process, which implies a good reception. A review of curriculum structure and design that considers the psychological and behavior changes among students during online T&L is also recommended for the online T&L continues to be effective in the future. Copyright © 2022 Ghazali, Zainodin, Madhavan, Gnanasundram, Nisar, Abd Rashid, Muniandy and Tang.
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Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is clinical threat to healthy individuals around the world. Risk of disease and related complications are high among immunocompromised individuals and those with pre-existing chronic diseases. Aim: To assess the fear of Covid-19 among patients having chronic diseases and to determine its relationship with preventive practices among them. Study Design: Cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Community Medicine, HITEC Hospital Taxila from 1st September2020 to 31st March 2021. Methodology: Three hundred and seventeen patients having chronic diseases were included. Fear of Covid-19 scale used to assess the fear level and questions related to preventive practices. Results: Fear of Covid-19 was high among females, hypertensive, diabetics and those having cardiovascular disease. Fear was found among 133 (42%) participants. Regarding Covid-19 preventive practices, 8(2.5%) had unsatisfactory, 115 (36.3%) had satisfactory and 194(61.2%) had good preventive practices. Covid precautions were significantly practiced among those having fear. Statistically significant positive correlation was found between mean Covid fear and practices scores (r=.30, p=.001) Conclusion: Fear of Covid is a recognized risk factor for anxiety and depression among people. However, fear is found to promote risk perception and health related preventive behaviors among chronic patients that can positively ensure safety, decrease the risk of infection and serious complications among chronic patients.
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Novel Coronavirus is an infectious disease, whose outbreak has brought human life to a standstill. This virus has surged throughout the planet, affecting oodles of lives. In order to test an infected patient, throat swabs are collected and diagnosed with the help of RT-PCR testing kits, risking the lives of healthcare workers and the people coming in contact with the infected. The brisk upsurge in the quantum of positive cases with new variants emerging worldwide, it has become a serious concern to come up with an alternative detection of the virus. This paper aims to specifically discuss the deep learning techniques and different Convolution Neural Networks using medical modalities such as chest X-rays for the detection of the virus by training the pre- trained models. The different models are compared and different parameters are evaluated. © 2021 IEEE.
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Objective: This study was conducted to find out the pattern of blood group distribution among Covid-19 patients in this part of world. Study Design: cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the department of Pathology, Margalla Hospital Taxila from April to June during first phase of Corona followed by second wave in October to December 2020. Materials and Methods: In this study, 3936 participants were included using non-purposive consecutive sampling technique, who were tested for COVID 19 by real-time reverse RT-PCR. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Frequencies for different blood groups were calculated. Cross tabulation was done for RT-PCR positive and negative blood groups and chi square test of significance was applied. Results: Out of 3936, 436 (11.1%) tested positive by RT-PCR. Majority of males tested positive (64%, p=.001). Most frequent blood group among covid patients was B (38.7%, p= .001), followed by O (29.3%), A (22.7%) and AB (9.1%). Out of total 436, 399 (91.5%) were Rh positives. Conclusion: Blood group B and Rh positives were more frequent among study population;however, it doesn’t conclude that these blood groups increase susceptibility to covid infection.