ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ward rounds are a cornerstone in the educational experience of junior doctors and an essential part of teaching patient care. Here, we aimed to assess the doctors' perception of ward rounds as an educational opportunity and to identify the obstacles faced in conducting a proper ward round in Sudanese hospitals. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted from the 15th to the 30th of January 2022 among house officers, medical officers, and registrars in about 50 teaching and referral hospitals in Sudan. House officers and medical officers were considered the learners, while specialist registrars were considered the teachers. Doctors' perceptions were assessed using an online questionnaire, with a 5-level Likert scale to answer questions. RESULTS: A total of 2,011 doctors participated in this study (882 house officers, 697 medical officers, and 432 registrars). The participants were aged 26.9 ± 3.2 years, and females constituted about 60% of the sample. An average of 3.1 ± 6.8 ward rounds were conducted per week in our hospitals, with 11.1 ± 20.3 h spent on ward rounds per week. Most doctors agreed that ward rounds are suitable for teaching patient management (91.3%) and diagnostic investigations (89.1%). Almost all the doctors agreed that being interested in teaching (95.1%) and communicating appropriately with the patients (94.7%) make a good teacher in ward rounds. Furthermore, nearly all the doctors agreed that being interested in learning (94.3%) and communicating appropriately with the teacher (94.5%) make a good student on ward rounds. About 92.8% of the doctors stated that the quality of ward rounds could be improved. The most frequently reported obstacles faced during ward rounds were the noise (70%) and lack of privacy (77%) in the ward environment. CONCLUSION: Ward rounds have a special value in teaching patient diagnosis and management. Being interested in teaching/learning and having good communication skills were the two major criteria that make a good teacher/learner. Unfortunately, ward rounds are faced with obstacles related to the ward environment. It is mandatory to ensure the quality of both ward rounds' teaching and environment to optimize the educational value and subsequently improve patient care practice.
Subject(s)
Learning , Teaching Rounds , Female , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Personnel , HospitalsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Tetanus vaccination is an indispensable component of the antenatal care (ANC) and is considered one of the most effective and protective measures against tetanus deaths. However, data on antenatal tetanus vaccination in Sudan are scarce. We aimed to explore the level of antenatal tetanus vaccination and to identify the influencing factors in a nationally representative population sample. METHODS: We used the latest available data (2014) of the Sudan Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). We assessed the level of antenatal tetanus vaccination among women of childbearing age who gave at least one birth preceding the survey and defined adequate antenatal tetanus vaccination according to the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The total number of women of childbearing age involved in this analysis was 5433. Most of the participants (28.6%) were 25-29 years old, and vast majority of them (73.7%) live in rural areas. The prevalence of mothers who had adequate tetanus vaccination was 60.0%. Antenatal tetanus vaccination was significantly associated with higher level of mothers' education (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.25-2.32), higher household wealth index (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.41-2.54), having four or more ANC visits (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.30-1.71), and living in areas with low intensity of armed conflicts (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.14-1.57). CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic status had a significant impact on adequate antenatal tetanus vaccination. The results indicate the existence of variable rates and unequal access to tetanus vaccination among women of childbearing age in Sudan.
