ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, over 3.5 million Syrians have fled to Turkey. Considering the massive burden of healthcare service needs of this population, the Turkish government has launched an initiative as employing Syrian doctors to provide health services to their citizens in Refugee Health Centres. In this study, we aimed to explore the social adaptation status of Syrian physicians living in Turkey using a structured questionnaire and the Social Adaptation Self Evaluation Scale (SASS). METHODS: Between November 2016 and April 2018, 799 physicians who participated in "Syrian Physicians' Adaptation Training" were enrolled in the study and underwent a structured questionnaire that questioned socio-demographic data and the SASS. The participants were divided into two groups as having poor and normal/high SASS scores. The binary SASS groups were compared with some demographic data. RESULTS: The median SASS score of the respondents was found as 43 (min. 10, max. 60, IQR 10) which can be accepted as normal. In the binary grouping, it was seen that 107 (13.39%) participants had poor social adaptation, whereas 692 (86.61%) participants had normal or high social adaptation scores. The physicians who were certain about not going back to Syria had significantly higher SASS scores. CONCLUSION: The social adaptation scores of the Syrian physicians were considerably high. The adaptation status was found to be associated with some characteristics like living in Turkey for a long time and having pre-knowledge about the Turkish healthcare system.
Subject(s)
Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Health Services/supply & distribution , Physicians/psychology , Refugees/psychology , Social Adjustment , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Cultural Competency , Female , Humans , Male , Primary Health Care/organization & administration , Refugee Camps , Syria/ethnology , Turkey/epidemiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: High emotional intelligence and leadership traits are essential for physicians in managing their responsibilities and thus building successful interactions with patients. This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership traits among family physicians. METHODS: Participants (2975 men, 972 women, mean = 42.0 ages, SD = 7.47) were family physicians working at family health-care centers across the seven geographical regions of Turkey who were contacted by e-mail. The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) and Leadership Traits Tool were used to collect data. Data were analyzed concerning physicians' sex, age, health-care experience, and geographical region. The correlation between Trait Emotional Intelligence (TEI) and leadership was also being examined. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that family physicians' TEI differs based on sex, age, health-care experience, and the geographical region where they work. Women had higher mean values than did men for well-being, emotionality, and global TEI. Physicians aged younger than 29 years had the lowest mean values for emotional intelligence. As physicians' health-care experience increased, they received higher scores for emotional intelligence. Physicians working in the Mediterranean had the highest mean TEI scores. There was a positive correlation between family physicians' emotional intelligence and leadership traits. Higher emotional intelligence was correlated with increased leadership traits. CONCLUSION: Emotional intelligence and leadership traits play crucial roles in increasing physicians' personal and professional development. This may also increase physicians' caregiving competencies and thus the quality of health services, as well as potentially decreasing physicians' burnout and health-related costs.
Subject(s)
Emotional Intelligence , Physicians, Family/psychology , Physicians, Family/statistics & numerical data , Self-Assessment , Self-Control , Adult , Age Factors , Clinical Competence , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Physicians/organization & administration , Sex Factors , Surveys and Questionnaires , TurkeyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the reasons constituting the definition of 'difficult patient' and to evaluate attitudes and behaviors of physicians in coping with these patients and their relatives. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in May and June 2013 with 400 randomly selected physicians from different specialties working in two training and research hospitals in Ankara. A questionnaire was created by reviewing the relevant literature, by family medicine clinic, and delivered to the physicians following a pilot study. RESULTS: In our study 92.8% of the physicians participating had experienced a negative contact with patients and/or their relatives, previously; 46.8% of the participants stated that they used their own experiences in coping with those situations. The frequency of negative communications was higher in surgical departments, increasing with average daily working hours and number of patients and decreasing with the experience of the physicians. The ways of coping with a difficult patient were nonjudgmental listening, patience, tolerance, and empathy, in declining order of importance. CONCLUSION: Physicians frequently experience negative communications with patients and/or relatives. Awareness of physicians about the concept of difficult patients and the causes and solutions should be enhanced.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Physician-Patient Relations , Physicians/psychology , Physicians/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Communication , Conflict, Psychological , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Personality , Young AdultABSTRACT
Introducción. El consenso mundial acerca de la lactancia materna es que el bebé debe ser exclusivamente amamantado hasta los seis meses de vida. A pesar de ello, la tasa de lactancia materna exclusiva es baja durante los primeros seis meses de vida en muchos países, incluida Turquía. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el conocimiento, las actitudes y las experiencias de los profesionales sanitarios en relación con la lactancia y la leche materna en una ciudad metropolitana de Turquía. Materiales y métodos. Este estudio se llevó a cabo entre julio de 2012 y diciembre de 2013. Los sujetos del estudio fueron profesionales de la salud que trabajaban en hospitales universitarios, hospitales de formación e investigación, hospitales públicos y privados, centros de servicios para niños, adolescentes, mujeres y de servicios de salud reproductiva, centros de salud general y centros de salud comunitarios ubicados en Ankara. Los datos se recogieron por medio de un cuestionario. El programa SPSS 11.5 se utilizó para el análisis estadístico. Resultados. En total, 715 personas participaron en este estudio. Entre los que tenían hijos propios, el 3,4% (n= 16) no había amamantado a sus bebés y el 7,6% (n= 36) había amamantado a sus bebés hasta el segundo año de vida. Se observó que el nivel de conocimiento sobre la lactancia y la lecha materna era deficiente en el 28,4% de los participantes, promedio en el 43,1% y adecuado en el 28,5%. Conclusión. Este estudio refleja la falta de conocimiento acerca de la lactancia y la leche materna entre los profesionales de la salud de Turquía. Si bien la gran mayoría de los participantes están de acuerdo con la recomendación de la OMS acerca de la duración de la lactancia materna, el porcentaje de profesionales de la salud que amamantaron durante el período recomendado fue muy bajo.
Introduction: Worldwide consensus about breastfeeding is that the infant should exclusively be breastfed until six months of life. Despite this, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of age is low in so many countries including Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, the attitudes and the own experiences of health professionals about breastfeeding and breast milk, in a metropolitan city in Turkey. Materials and methods: This study was performed between July 2012 and December 2013. Study subjects included healthprofessionals working in the university hospitals, research and training hospitals, public and private hospitals; child, adolescent, women and reproductive health services centers, family health centers, and community health centers located in Ankara. A questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 11.5 package program was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 715 people participated in this study. From those who had children themselves 3.4% (n= 16) had not breastfed their babies at all, and 7.6% (n= 36) had breastfed their baby until second year of age. It was found that 28.4% of the participants had poor, 43.1% had average and 28.5% had good knowledge level about breastfeeding and breast milk. Conclusion: This study reflects the lack of knowledge about breastfeeding and breast milk among the health professionals in Turkey. Although a great majority of participants agree the recommendation of WHO about the duration ofbreastfeeding, the percentage ofbreastfeeding of health care professionals during recommended period was very low.
Subject(s)
Humans , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Breast Feeding , Attitude of Health Personnel , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Milk, Human , Turkey , Urban Population , Cross-Sectional StudiesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Worldwide consensus about breastfeeding is that the infant should exclusively be breastfed until six months of life. Despite this, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of age is low in so many countries including Turkey. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, the attitudes and the own experiences of health professionals about breastfeeding and breast milk, in a metropolitan city in Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was performed between July 2012 and December 2013. Study subjects included healthprofessionals working in the university hospitals, research and training hospitals, public and private hospitals; child, adolescent, women and reproductive health services centers, family health centers, and community health centers located in Ankara. A questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 11.5 package program was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 715 people participated in this study. From those who had children themselves 3.4% (n= 16) had not breastfed their babies at all, and 7.6% (n= 36) had breastfed their baby until second year of age. It was found that 28.4% of the participants had poor, 43.1% had average and 28.5% had good knowledge level about breastfeeding and breast milk. CONCLUSION: This study reflects the lack of knowledge about breastfeeding and breast milk among the health professionals in Turkey. Although a great majority of participants agree the recommendation of WHO about the duration ofbreastfeeding, the percentage ofbreastfeeding of health care professionals during recommended period was very low.
INTRODUCCIÓN: El consenso mundial acerca de la lactancia materna es que el bebé debe ser exclusivamente amamantado hasta los seis meses de vida. A pesar de ello, la tasa de lactancia materna exclusiva es baja durante los primeros seis meses de vida en muchos países, incluida Turquía. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el conocimiento, las actitudes y las experiencias de los profesionales sanitarios en relación con la lactancia y la leche materna en una ciudad metropolitana de Turquía. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Este estudio se llevó a cabo entre julio de 2012 y diciembre de 2013. Los sujetos del estudio fueron profesionales de la salud que trabajaban en hospitales universitarios, hospitales de formación e investigación, hospitales públicos y privados, centros de servicios para niños, adolescentes, mujeres y de servicios de salud reproductiva, centros de salud general y centros de salud comunitarios ubicados en Ankara. Los datos se recogieron por medio de un cuestionario. El programa SPSS 11.5 se utilizó para el análisis estadístico. RESULTADOS: En total, 715 personas participaron en este estudio. Entre los que tenían hijos propios, el 3,4% (n= 16) no había amamantado a sus bebés y el 7,6% (n= 36) había amamantado a sus bebés hasta el segundo año de vida. Se observó que el nivel de conocimiento sobre la lactancia y la lecha materna era deficiente en el 28,4% de los participantes, promedio en el 43,1% y adecuado en el 28,5%. CONCLUSIÓN: Este estudio refleja la falta de conocimiento acerca de la lactancia y la leche materna entre los profesionales de la salud de Turquía. Si bien la gran mayoría de los participantes están de acuerdo con la recomendación de la OMS acerca de la duración de la lactancia materna, el porcentaje de profesionales de la salud que amamantaron durante el período recomendado fue muy bajo.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Breast Feeding , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Milk, Human , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Turkey , Urban Population , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND/AIM: An opinion survey was conducted to investigate the opinions and attitudes of the Turkish population regarding cancer if they or one of their family members were to receive a diagnosis of cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The opinion survey was completed by 6566 subjects and consisted of questions about the demographics of the participants and their overall opinions about cancer. The other points of the investigation asked whether they would inform relatives who had cancer about the diagnosis and whether they would prefer to be informed if they were the one with the cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: The median age of the participants was 33 years (range: 18-100) and 53.3% were male. It was found that 57.7% of the participants would prefer not to disclose a cancer diagnosis to their first-degree relatives. The diagnosis had been disclosed to relatives with cancer in 69.9% of cases. When asked about their overall opinion of cancer management, 76.5% of participants were optimistic, 16.3% were pessimistic, and 2.9% had mixed opinions. CONCLUSION: This study represents one of the largest surveys done in Turkey to identify the thoughts of healthy people about cancer and their opinion on informing their relatives about the diagnosis if the relatives have cancer. It is comparable with reports from East Europe and Asian countries.
Subject(s)
Neoplasms , Truth Disclosure , Access to Information/psychology , Adult , Attitude to Health , Data Collection , Family , Female , Humans , Male , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms/psychology , Prognosis , Public Opinion , TurkeyABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to determine whether the dimensions of the distal femur and proximal tibia joint surfaces affect the etiology of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study comprised the records of 1,324 patients who had been admitted to hospital with knee pain. Anterioposterior (AP) and lateral radiographs of the knee were taken. Using the Kellgren-Lawrence Scale, the patient group comprised Stages 2, 3, and 4 radiographs and the controls comprised Stages 0 and 1 radiographs. Four lengths were measured for each patient in both groups: femur mediolateral (femur ML), tibia mediolateral (tibia ML), femur anteroposterior (femur AP), and tibia anteroposterior (tibia AP). Osteophytes were not included in the measurements in the patient group. All the measurements were repeated by two researchers at two different times. The groups were compared in terms of these measurements and the correlations between them. The mean femur ML length was significantly greater in the patient group than the control group (P = 0.032) and the mean femur AP length was significantly less (P = 0.037). In addition, the difference between the femur ML and AP lengths was significantly high in the patient group (P < 0.001). The difference between the tibia and femur ML lengths was significantly high in the patient group (P < 0.001) and the difference between the tibia and femur AP lengths was higher in the control group (P = 0.001). A longer femur ML and a shorter femur AP, together with a greater difference between these two lengths and a greater difference between the tibia ML and femur ML lengths, could be a risk factor for developing knee OA. More extensive anatomical and biomechanical studies in the future will enable these results to be corroborated.
Subject(s)
Femur/anatomy & histology , Osteoarthritis, Knee/pathology , Tibia/anatomy & histology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Body Weights and Measures/methods , Female , Humans , Knee/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , RadiographyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to suggest a safe management method for the diagnosis and treatment of ankle sprains in pregnant patients. METHODS: Between November 2005 and January 2013, 96 pregnant patients with ankle sprains referred to the department of orthopedics and traumatology were evaluated, retrospectively. The Ottawa ankle rules were used to assess the need for radiologic evaluation. Radiological procedures: Surface USG, X-ray (0,6 mGy, mortise view), MRI (T1 and STIR) and fluoroscopy with 0,8 mGy/s doses 0,4 ms single shot views in surgery room. The results of the operated patients were evaluated with AOFAS scoring system. RESULTS: Forty-four (45,8%) patients were treated with conservative methods and there was no need for radiological evaluation. USG was used in 17 (17,7%), MRI in 24 (25%), X-ray in 4 (4,1%) and both USG and MRI in 7 (7,2%) patients during diagnosis. An algorithm was created for the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant patients with ankle sprains. No complications due to radiological and surgical procedures occurred over pregnancies. The AOFAS score was 83 (65-100) in the operated patients. CONCLUSION: There is no standard management method for the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant patients with ankle sprains. The algorithm presented in this study may be useful. Good results can be obtained with an appropriate preparation and surgical technique.
Subject(s)
Ankle Injuries/diagnostic imaging , Pregnancy Complications/diagnostic imaging , Ankle Injuries/therapy , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/therapy , Radiography , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Cabergoline on insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, and carotid intima media thickness in prolactinoma patients. Twenty-one female, newly diagnosed patients with prolactinoma were included in the study. None of the patients were treated previously. Cabergoline was given as treatment, starting with 0.5 mg/day and tapered necessarily. Blood samples were taken for prolactin, highly sensitive C-reactive protein, homocysteine, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, fasting glucose, insulin, and HOMA (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) score was calculated, prior to and 6 months after starting treatment. The body mass index (BMI) was measured and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) was evaluated for each patient prior to and 6 months after the treatment. The prolactin levels and LDL decreased significantly after cabergoline treatment. Insulin sensitivity improved independently from the decrease in prolactin levels and BMI. The significant decrease in homocysteine and hs-CRP was not related with the decrease in prolactin levels. The significant decrease in CIMT was independent from the decrease in prolactin levels, HOMA score, and BMI. Our data suggest that cabergoline treatment causes an improvement in insulin sensitivity and inflammatory markers and causes a decrease in CIMT independent from the decrease in prolactin, LDL cholesterol, and BMI. We conclude that short term cabergoline treatment can improve endothelial function independently from the changes in metabolic disturbances and inflammatory markers.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/pharmacology , Biomarkers/blood , Carotid Intima-Media Thickness , Ergolines/pharmacology , Inflammation/blood , Insulin Resistance , Pituitary Neoplasms/drug therapy , Prolactinoma/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/therapeutic use , Cabergoline , Ergolines/therapeutic use , Female , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Middle Aged , Pituitary Neoplasms/blood , Pituitary Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Pituitary Neoplasms/metabolism , Prolactinoma/blood , Prolactinoma/diagnostic imaging , Prolactinoma/metabolism , Young AdultABSTRACT
Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended from birth until the first six months and then with complementary feeding up to age two. In our country, only 41.6% of infants are exclusively breastfed during the first six months, and the average duration of breastfeeding is 16 months.The term 'relactation' is used for the resumption of breastfeeding in infants who were not breastfed before or who quit suckling due to an illness of the mother or infant, breast problems, rejection of suckling by the infant, insufficient milk production, the mother's change of mind about breastfeeding, or adoption.Relactation is a laborious process that requires motivation and trained personnel. In our case, the process of achieving successful relactation in an eight-week-old infant who had not been breastfed before is described. The infant's young age and mother's strong motivation led to the success in relactation in this case.
Subject(s)
Breast Feeding/methods , Breast Milk Expression/methods , Directive Counseling , Humans , Infant , Lactation , Male , Milk, Human/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Tokat Region with demographic, socioeconomic and medical factors in the adult population. METHODS: A sample was selected from the province of Tokat. A total of 5162 participants over 18 years (1885 women and 3277 men) were included in the study. Demographic factors, family history of selected medical conditions, and lifestyle factors were obtained and blood pressure levels were measured for all participants. Obesity was defined as BMI > or = 30 kg/m2 and overweight as BMI between 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that the prevalence of overweight was 27.6% in men, 34.2% in women and 30% for overall. Obesity was prevalent in 33.6% men, 22.3% women, and 29.5% overall. The prevalence of obesity increased with age. Age, gender, educational level, marital status, hypertension, family histories of selected medical conditions were independently associated with obesity. Prevalence of hypertension increased with the degree of obesity. Results were in accordance with recent Turkish population-based obesity studies. CONCLUSION: The data obtained showed that obesity prevalence was high in the study area. Primary prevention through lifestyle modifications may have a critical role in the control of obesity.
