Assessment of immunization session practices in primary health care centers in Al-Najaf province.

Immunization has played a vital role in improving global health by reducing the transmission of infectious diseases. To ensure the successful implementation of immunization programs, it is crucial to thoroughly examine various elements within the Primary Health Care Centers, including immunization session management, cold-chain and logistics management, supervision, and reporting. The study aims to assess the immunization session practices in selected primary healthcare centers in Al-Najaf governorate. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at 26 primary healthcare centers, selected using simple random sampling, across six districts in Najaf governorate. A total of 143 healthcare workers, comprising 122 vaccinators and 21 doctors, were included in the study. questionnaires were utilized to assess immunization session practices. Data collection commenced on December 2, 2022, and concluded on March 2, 2023. Immunization session practices were evaluated as having poor vaccine and diluent management, fair cold chain management, communication with clients and caregivers, vaccine preparation and administration practices, and waste management practices. However, immunization session equipment availability, as well as card review and registration during immunization, received good evaluations. The overall assessment of immunization session practices was determined to be fair. In addition, the study identified significant associations between immunization practices and the number of non-vaccinators working in the immunization unit (P=0.035), and the average number of daily vaccine recipients in primary healthcare centers (P=0.046). The immunization session practices achieved a fair level of assessment, The increased number of daily visitors to the immunization unit and the number of health workers who are non-vaccinator in the unit affected negatively the immunization session practices.

Bibliometric analysis on research trends for contribution of photodynamic therapy in periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this bibliometric analysis was to ascertain the research trend regarding the application of photodynamic therapy as a treatment modality for periodontal disease. METHODS: An online search was administered using the Scopus database to retrieve all the relevant research literature published from 2003 till 26th Dec 2022. After applying the inclusion criteria articles pertinent to the topic were manually selected. Data was saved as CSV. Data was read using VOSviewer software and further analysis was performed using Microsoft excel. RESULTS: From a total of 545 articles, 117 scientific papers relevant to the field were evaluated. The keen interest of researchers was identified by an increase in the number of publications over the course of time, with the highest citations n = 827 attained during the year 2009. Brazil, India, and USA made significant contribution by publishing highest number of papers. Organizations from the USA produced the highest publications which attained high citations. Author Sculean A. published the highest number of papers. Journal of periodontology was the leading journal, by publishing highest number of papers (n = 15), followed by Journal of Clinical Periodontology. CONCLUSION: This bibliometric analysis provided detailed information regarding the total number of publications from 2003 to 2022 and the number of citations attained. Brazil has been identified as the leading country, whilst all the leading organizations which contributed significantly, were from USA. The Journal of Periodontology published the highest number of papers which had been highly cited. Sculean A, affiliated with University of Bern, Switzerland published the highest number of papers.

Assessment of Auscultation Skills Among Junior and Senior Healthcare Providers for Pediatric Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Background Heart murmurs are defined as whooshing or swishing sounds, unlike the normal lub-dub sounds detected by physicians while using a stethoscope. They usually develop due to numerous pathologies, with congenital defects accounting for the majority of pediatric murmurs. Few studies have addressed the difference in auscultating skills between senior and junior healthcare providers. Therefore, this study aims to collect local data on this topic as well as identify the gap between experienced and inexperienced providers in their ability to accurately detect heart murmurs. Methodology This study utilizes a quantitative retrospective design to collect data from King Abdulaziz Medical City and King Faisal Cardiac Centre, Saudi Arabia, from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019. The medical records of 292 pediatric patients, who were 14 years of age or below according to the centers' aging system, were collected from the Hospital Information System (BESTCare). Subsequently, it was determined whether a senior (R3-R4 residents and above) or a junior (R1-R2 residents and interns) healthcare provider ordered an echocardiogram (ECHO). Finally, using the centers' imaging system (Xcelera) the exact reason for referral, heart murmurs in the case of this study, was obtained, as well as whether a pathologic cause of a murmur was seen in the ECHO image. By obtaining the aforementioned data, the accuracy of each referral was analyzed using statistical analysis software. Results ECHO results were categorized into positive and negative outcomes depending on the presence of a structural heart defect, patent foramen ovale (PFO) was considered negative as it causes innocent murmurs. The majority of positive results were atrial septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, and ventricular septal defects. The majority of negative results were either a structurally normal heart or PFO, which a great number of providers ordered an ECHO for. The Pearson score p-value using the chi-square test was 0.432, leading to the conclusion that junior and senior providers had a similar accuracy of referrals during the study period. Conclusions Junior healthcare providers display sufficient knowledge of heart murmur auscultation skills similar to senior healthcare providers during the study period. However, because the data only included two local centers with a limited sample and the absence of further local research on this topic, it is necessary to conduct studies of a larger scope on this topic.

Prevalence and determinants of exclusive breastfeeding; a cross sectional study in Najaf city, Iraq.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of exclusive and continued breastfeeding in an urban setting, and the factors influencing the choice. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from February 1 to August 30, 2018, in Najaf, Iraq, and comprised children aged up to 2 years from 12 randomly selected primary healthcare centres. Data were collected using a predesigned questionnaire that had three parts covering the mother, the child and the demographic variables. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 373 subjects, 209(56.0%) were males. The overall mean age was 8.8± 6.2 months (range: 1-23 months), while the mean age of the mothers was 26.5±5.8 years (range: 15-46 years). Children aged <6 months were 169(45.3%), and, among them, exclusive breastfeeding was found in 66(39.1%) cases. There was significant relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and feeding of other siblings (p=0.001), admission to hospital (p=0.02), family support (p=0.009), husband's support (p=0.007). Child sickness in early life also had significant association with exclusive breastfeeding (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding was found within the reported estimate for low- and middle-income countries, but much lower than the World Health Organisation recommendation.