Sputnik V vaccine perception and hesitancy in a tertiary health care centre transformed to Covid-19 vaccine centre: A case study.

BACKGROUND: Sputnik V vaccine was approved in India in April 2021 to tackle the pandemic situation. However, there was lack of information on the effects, side effects, and peoples' perception toward it. The present case study aims to evaluate the vaccine coverage, the awareness, and perception toward it and compare the adverse effects after each dose. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A unique case study was conducted in a sample of 200 participants comparing 2 groups of population who took first and second dose of Sputnik V vaccine during June to November 2021. The data were collected by a prevalidated questionnaire, follow-up telephonic interviews focused on knowledge, awareness, side effects of vaccine, and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. RESULTS: The vaccine coverage for first and second doses were 98.3% and 96.5%, respectively. The mean age of the participant was 29 + 9.5 years and majority 68.5% were males. Seventeen percent experienced the S/E for the vaccine with 9.5% from second dose. There were usual side effects; however, it was more after second dose of vaccination. Friends and healthcare workers were the main source of information (33.5%) and motivation (43%). Majority (73.5%) were aware of the side effects. Forty three point five percent took vaccine attributed to its protective role, availability, and peer pressure. There was no significant association between type of doses and side effects of the respective doses of vaccine. CONCLUSION: The vaccine coverage was >90%. Participants were well aware of the vaccine and side effects which were more in second dose. However, there was no significant difference between the two doses of vaccine.

Participatory cooking demonstrations: A distinctive learning approach towards positive health.

Background: Participatory cooking demonstration is a unique and effective way to teach nutritional concepts and basic cooking skills in a community setting. The present study attempted to develop the same in 4th-year nursing students through the intervention for a better nutritional health outcome. The objectives are to introduce and train nursing students on participatory cooking demonstrations in community households, evaluate the improvement of knowledge and self-efficacy of the participants, and assess the feedback of the study participants towards the intervention. Methodology: An educational intervention was carried out among BSc Nursing students in a tertiary healthcare institute from April to June 2019. A sample of 66 students were subjected to pre- and post-tests along with a self-efficacy evaluation and feedback survey. Results: Out of all, 91.1% were between 21 and 30 years, 77.8% belonged to rural areas, and 82% were in the lower-middle socioeconomic class. The knowledge was improved, and it was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The self-efficacy evaluation showed an enhancement of knowledge and awareness. The majority either strongly agreed or agreed that participatory cooking demonstrations helped them learn healthy cooking practices (80%), analyze specific nutritional problems (95.6%), and get hands-on experience in nutritional care (86.4%). The themes that emerged from qualitative data were discussed under liked, disliked aspects, challenges faced, and solutions offered. Conclusion: The hands-on sessions on participatory cooking demonstrations were successfully introduced and the knowledge and self-efficacy of the participants was improved. All participants were satisfied with the intervention as perceived by the participants.

Evaluation of participatory learning approach for developing competency of human immunodeficiency virus risk assessment skills among MBBS undergraduate students.

BACKGROUND: An Indian medical graduate needs to be competent in the diagnosis and management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients. This is crucial in terms of occupational safety. A participatory learning approach could be a possible way to change behavior and improve HIV risk assessment skills among medical students for better occupational safety and health care. The present study was planned to identify the need, provide different learning experiences for acquiring competency, and compare the effectiveness of participatory learning over traditional in developing HIV risk assessment skills. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An educational interventional (randomized controlled trial) was carried out at GEMS and Hospital. Needs assessment survey was conducted, which identified HIV risk assessment as a key competency. For which the outcome-specific learning objectives were defined, two different learning experiences were employed. A pretest was conducted to assess the baseline knowledge and attitude (n = 92); they were then divided into two equal groups (A and B). "A" group was taught by participatory approach, whereas "B" by traditional techniques followed by posttest and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess their HIV risk assessment skills. Statistical analysis: Paired t-test for assessing knowledge and attitude within the same group and unpaired t-test for assessing skills between the two groups were used in this study. RESULTS: Statistically significant improvement (P < 0.001) in knowledge and attitude scores was noticed that OSCE scores were significantly higher in the intervention group "A" (P < 0.001) as compared to "B" taught by traditional techniques. CONCLUSION: Participatory learning effectively builds upon existing knowledge and attitude to develop better HIV risk assessment skills.