Knowledge and Practice Gaps in Medicolegal Aspects of Teledentistry Among Dentists in India

Background Competence-based education is increasingly recognized as essential in dental education, particularly in implant dentistry. This shift focuses on ensuring students achieve and demonstrate essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills required for independent practice. However, the competencies required for dental educators, especially in the context of implant dentistry, are not well-documented. This study aims to assess the current competencies of dental educators in implant dentistry in India and identify the need for further development. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenience sampling strategy. Data were collected from 125 faculty members across twenty dental institutions in India between June 2022 and June 2023. A self-administered competency-based survey instrument was distributed via Google Forms. The survey included sociodemographic information and assessed perceptions and self-assessment of competencies using Likert scales. Data were analyzed statistically to determine relevance, existing competency levels, and interest in competency development. Results The study found that 90-95% of participants reported a need for an educational competency program. Participants demonstrated basic knowledge and moderate experience in competencies. Relevance of competencies was rated between 69-78%, willingness to develop skills was 80-95%, and existing competency levels were 25-35%. Variations in educational preferences were noted based on age, gender, and qualifications of respondents. Conclusion The results indicate a significant need for competency development programs in implant dentistry among dental educators in India. Such programs are essential to address current gaps in knowledge and practice, ensuring that dental educators are well-equipped to train the next generation of dental practitioners effectively.

Melanoma reporting to central cancer registries by US dermatologists: An analysis of the persistent knowledge and practice gap

Objectives: To identify gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the use of corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire including 12 knowledge questions, 13 attitude assessment statements, 5 barrier assessment statements, and 7 practical scenarios. We counted the total numbers of correct answers in knowledge, positive attitudes, barriers, and appropriate practices and fitted using Poisson regression to examine factors associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Results: A total of 182 participants were included in this study, a large proportion of them had never heard of corticosteroids (34%) and NSAIDs (54%) before. Physicians were the source of information regarding corticosteroids and NSAIDs in 83% and 84% of the cases, respectively. Gastric ulcer was the most commonly recognized adverse drug reaction (ADR) for corticosteroids (64%) and the only ADR recognized for NSAIDs (95%), while only few patients were aware of life-threatening ADRs. The primary barrier, with a 40% agreement, was health care providers’ time constraints in providing medication information to patients. Our study findings did not reveal any gaps in practice, nor did they show any correlation between patients’ knowledge and attitudes to the practice of using corticosteroids and NSAIDs. Conclusion: There were gaps in knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to information access regarding NSAIDs and corticosteroid use in Vietnamese patients with chronic rheumatic diseases. Potential solutions include allocating more time for information exchange between physicians and patients, creating new channels to provide reliable information for patients, and emphasizing the important ADRs.

Sir, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19), an emerging viral respiratory illness, has become a pandemic. Further, COVID 19 infection among health-care workers (HCWs) has become a huge threat. HCWs are at the frontline of any outbreak response and are at great risk of acquiring the infection. We have already seen the morbidity and mortality of this highly infectious disease suffered by the HCW in different countries. For HCW, the psychological effects of such exposure can jeopardize the medical care they provide. WHO and CDC have also given recommendations for preventing infection to HCW.[12] Suboptimal adherence to infection control measures among HCWs is one of the major risk factors for acquiring the infection.[3] Adherence to these measures in HCWs is largely influenced by their knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) concerning COVID 19. An online cross-sectional survey was done among HCWs, including physicians, nurses, and technicians working in various hospitals in India with the aim to identify gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practices. A self-administered, pre-tested questionnaire consisting of 30 questions on demographic characteristics, sources of COVID information and knowledge, attitude and practices and an open-ended question regarding COVID was designed and, after a pilot study, sent to different participants as a Google survey form. Among the 546 respondents, poor knowledge was apparent in 12.1% of respondents regarding the disposal of the dead body of COVID-19 patient, screening tests and oxygen therapy. However, participants had good knowledge regarding hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and the use of masks and surface disinfection. About 97.8% of respondents agreed that it is important to participate in infection control programs, and majority agreed that proper use of PPE can prevent infection. Regarding practices, only 46.2% made standard operating protocols regarding for their departments. In the last open-ended question regarding suggestions for future, valuable inputs like patient relative education, telemedicine, visitor policy, changing the teaching pattern of medical students, and strengthening public health laboratories at district levels for diagnosis of emerging diseases was obtained. After getting the responses, a PPT document was mailed to respondents with information regarding this disease, which would probably enhance their knowledge and help practicing guidelines related to this disease. A study has already highlighted insufficient knowledge of HCWs toward COVID 19.[4] All countries have made substantial efforts to train HCWs on infection control measures against COVID19. The success of these training programs can be measured by doing KAP analysis of healthcare workers. Generating such data at this critical point will help in identifying gaps and strengthening training programs. However, KAP surveys should be conducted at regular intervals. Tailored, periodic infection prevention and control training in healthcare facilities based on these survey results will improve the infection control practices. Apart from continuing education, newer interventions for improving the gaps in practices should be explored. More of reinforcement tools should be designed to effect long-lasting changes. Thus more studies are required to highlight the unreached gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers with the aim to reduce the risk of infection among HCWs and preparing institutes for future outbreaks. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.

P3.02b-049 EGFR-Mutated NSCLC: Clinical Practice Assessment and Gap Analysis: Topic: EGFR Clinical

Background: The period of adolescence, beginning with the onset of puberty, is a crucial transition into adulthood. There is a substantial lacuna in the knowledge, belief and practice about menstruation. This study addresses the gap in knowledge, belief and practice regarding menstruation among adolescent girls. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted over a period of one year, in an urban area of Belagavi among 625 adolescent girls in the age group of 16–19 years. Data was collected by house to house visit using a predesigned, pretested questionnaire. Results: The mean age (±SD) at menarche was found to be 12.8±1.73 years. Our study showed that as the knowledge increased, there was increase in the use of sanitary pad (p<0.001) and increase in the number of girls practicing cleaning of external genitalia during menstruation (p<0.01). However, it was found that 276 (50.5%) and 175 (37.7%) of the girls did not use sanitary pads and practice cleaning of external genitalia during menstruation even after having correct knowledge showing a gap in knowledge and practice. Similarly, among the 494 girls who knew that menstruation is a natural process, 93 (18.8%) girls wrongly believed she shouldn’t sleep in the same place as usual, 124 (25.1%) said she shouldn’t enter the kitchen, 186 (37.7%) believed that certain foods should be avoided and only 37 (7.5%) rightly believed that girls could go to place of worship during menstruation showing a gap in knowledge and belief. Conclusions: The study reported a gap in knowledge, belief and practice among adolescent girls. To bridge this gap causes have to be identified and addressed.

The main research objective was: to identify Knowledge and practice Gaps of fishermen in Lake Burullus regarding fishing Law Number (124) of 1983 through achieving objectives: idintifing the level of Knowledge and practice Gaps of fishermen, Identifying the relationship between Knowledge gaps and independent variables, Identifying the relationship between practice gaps and independent variables, Identifying the contact degree between fishermen and extension sources. To achieve the goals of research was selected a sample of 110 fishermen from a central Balteem and Sidi Salem at random from among fishermen obtaining fishermen card, data has been through a questionnaire to collect personal interview during the month of March 2013, and was used the following statistical methods: frequencies, percentages, and the coefficient of the simple Pearson correlation were used to analyze data. The main results of the research were: medium level of Knowledge gaps of all items (50 item) studied law for (53.6%) respondents, while the practice gaps were a medium for more than half of the respondents about (62.7%) respondents. There was a significant relationship between the Knowledge gaps and the following dependent variables: education, experiance, membership in organizations, frequencies on Urban centers, degree of exposure to media, degree of social participation and Knowledge sources. There was a significant relationship between the paractice gaps and the following dependent variables: Training, frequencies of Urban centers, membership in organizations, social participation, exposure to media, and Knowledge sources. There was low contact degree between fishermen and extension source (Extension Center, symposium, meetings and guidance on the Law No. 124 fishing, research institute, authority General wealth Fisheries Development and Cooperative Union of wealth water sources.

To evaluate the practice of TB care among physicians at private facilities. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires on knowledge, attitude, and practice related to TB care. The responses to these scales were used to explore latent constructs and calculate the standardized continuous scores for these domains. We described the percentages of participant's responses and explored their associated factors using multiple linear regression. A total of 232 physicians were recruited. The most important gaps in practice included requesting chest imaging to confirm TB diagnosis (~80%), not testing HIV for confirmed active TB cases (~50%), only requesting sputum testing for MDR-TB cases (65%), only requesting follow-up examination at the end of the treatment course (64%), and not requesting sputum testing at follow-up (54%). Surgical mask was preferred to N95 respirator when examining TB patients. Prior TB training was associated with better knowledge and less stigmatizing attitude, which were associated with better practice in both TB management and precautions. There were important gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of TB care among private providers. Better knowledge was associated with positive attitude towards TB and better practice. Tailored training may help to address these gaps and improve the quality of TB care in the private sector.

Vital sign monitoring is a fundamental nursing skill critical for early identification of clinical deterioration and effective patient management. However, gaps in knowledge and inconsistent practices among nursing students can compromise patient safety. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nursing students regarding vital sign monitoring in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 nursing students enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Post Registered Nurse (Post RN) programs. Data were collected using a structured, prevalidated questionnaire covering demographic details, knowledge, and attitudes related to vital sign monitoring. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 26, with descriptive and inferential statistics employed to summarize findings and identify associations. Results: The study revealed moderate knowledge levels among participants, with 58.6% able to relate vital signs to pathophysiology. However, 53.4% reported limited knowledge in interpreting vital sign changes. Attitudes were generally positive, with 45.1% relying on standard respiratory rate ranges when SpO2 levels were normal. Practical gaps were noted, including reliance on technology rather than manual monitoring. Education and experience significantly influenced knowledge and attitudes (p < 0.05).Conclusion: While nursing students demonstrated moderate knowledge and positive attitudes, critical gaps in practices and specific knowledge areas were identified. Enhanced training programs, simulation-based learning, and regular competency assessments are essential to improve vital sign monitoring skills among nursing students, ensuring better patient safety outcomes.

Background: patients on hemodialysis are at risk of nosocomial infections especially Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV). Nurses’ adherence to infection control procedures is instrumental to control the transmission of the virus among patients. The identification of gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of nurses aims at tailoring related training programs. Aim: the study was conducted to determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses working in dialysis units regarding standard recommendations of infection control. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2014 and January 2015 targeting all nurses in three dialyses units affiliated to the Ministry of Health in Abha city. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess nurses’ KAP and an observation checklist to report on the environmental aspects. Results: one hundred and nine nurses were included with a response rate of 94.78%. Most of them were Saudi nationals (62.39%) and holding a diploma (78.90%). The percentage score was 60.18+17.51 for knowledge, 85.59+8.09 for attitudes and 92.11+7.98 for practice. Nurses’ practice was high despite the deficiency in knowledge. Gaps in practice were identified including not always adherent to hand washing (15% to 18%), use of eyewear when blood splash is likely (31.19%), simultaneous care for positive and negative patients (24.77%), passing needles from hand to hand (29.36%) and recapping needles after use (25.69%). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that attitudes towards infection control, attempt to access infection control guidelines, on job training and being non-Saudi independently predicted higher practice scores. Conclusion: nurses’ knowledge is deficient but their performance is significantly related to their attitudes. Nurses tend to be adherent to certain infection control practices than the others. Training in infection control should address the gaps in performance with emphasize on creating favorable attitude.

Nature-based solutions are increasingly promoted in regional and national policies as actions to address societal challenges and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation while leading to co-benefits to human well-being and biodiversity. However, several challenges limit the mainstreaming of nature-based solutions in decision-making. Through the presentation of case studies from the island state of Malta, we analyse the (a) use of urban ecosystem service assessment to prioritise nature-based solutions based on existing distributional patterns, (b) recent case-studies of nature-based solutions implementation, and (c) barriers and enablers to mainstreaming nature-based solutions in decision-making. We show how urban ecosystem service assessments can support greening strategies by identifying the most effective nature-based solutions that can play a redistributive role by addressing existing inequalities in ecosystem services supply within cities. Our results also indicate that while nature-based solutions were used to address multiple societal challenges, including tackling drought and heat risk, low place aesthetic value, low green infrastructure availability, and biodiversity and knowledge loss, several gaps in practice remain. We show how nature-based solutions uptake has been more strongly associated with the environmental sector, and social and economic benefits, such as green job creation, social cohesion and ownership by communities, were less often identified in the analysed case-studies. We also show how current bottlenecks, including knowledge gaps regarding the scope, cost-effectiveness and benefits arising from nature-based solutions, and limited practical experience, act as barriers to implementation while the arising public relations, adoption of interdisciplinary approaches involving multiple stakeholders, and the availability of regional guidelines were considered as key enablers. Drawing on these case-studies, we present recent collaborative work aiming at addressing some of the gaps in knowledge and practice, while engaging with communities to co-create nature-based solutions and evaluating the impacts of implementation.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the practice of TB care among physicians at private facilities.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires on knowledge, attitude, and practice related to TB care. The responses to these scales were used to explore latent constructs and calculate the standardized continuous scores for these domains. We described the percentages of participant’s responses and explored their associated factors using multiple linear regression.ResultsA total of 232 physicians were recruited. The most important gaps in practice included requesting chest imaging to confirm TB diagnosis (~80%), not testing HIV for confirmed active TB cases (~50%), only requesting sputum testing for MDR-TB cases (65%), only requesting follow-up examination at the end of the treatment course (64%), and not requesting sputum testing at follow-up (54%). Surgical mask was preferred to N95 respirator when examining TB patients. Prior TB training was associated with better knowledge and less stigmatizing attitude, which were associated with better practice in both TB management and precautions.ConclusionThere were important gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of TB care among private providers. Better knowledge was associated with positive attitude towards TB and better practice. Tailored training may help to address these gaps and improve the quality of TB care in the private sector.

The purpose of this review is to provide an update on occupational contact dermatitis including gaps in knowledge and practice. Occupational contact dermatitis is the most common occupational skin disease. New sources of exposure for known allergens and new allergens are continually being reported. Through clinical databases and surveillance systems, effects of prevention efforts or introduction of new allergens or new uses of known allergens can be monitored. Though the diagnostic process is clear, there are delays in workers seeking care. As early detection and intervention improves outcomes, screening should be implemented. Gaps in primary prevention in the workplace are identified and should be addressed to reduce the burden of disease. Surveillance systems support the prevention mandate. Understanding limitations of our knowledge and identifying gaps in practice can lead to initiatives to address research and practice needs and improve prevention of occupational dermatoses.

Background: Dental fluorosis is a significant public health problem in India as drinking water with high fluoride is widespread throughout the country. Although dentists are key players in the prevention and management of the condition, little is known about their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to fluorosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study on an Indian dentist population was conducted. A 13-question survey was completed by participants in January 2023 - April 2023 using simple random sampling. The questionnaire included some demographic data and information on the source of knowledge and risk factors of fluorosis, related diseases, proper diagnostic measures and treatment and the point of view concerning prophylaxis. Data analysis was done using SPSS Version 23. Results: Nearly half were aware of drinking water as a key source of fluoride, however all had gaps in knowledge regarding additional sources and adequate level of fluoride. Most of dentists wanted bleaching and veneers; preferences varied while attitudes towards prevention were positive, the study found a gap in applying sections of the essential knowledge and identified that competence in fluorosis management should be improved with educational interventions. Conclusions: Knowledge and practices regarding fluorosis are variable among Indian dentists, with significant gaps in understanding of this condition and its diagnosis. There is a need for educational programs, interdisciplinary work and public awareness in these areas to improve management of fluorosis and oral health. Integration of the subject of fluorosis in the undergraduate courses are recommended to fill the gaps of knowledge and competence in health professionals.

Context The American health care system is dynamic and ever evolving. As athletic training continues to advance, our understanding of and the ability to integrate best practices in policy construction and implementation, documentation, and basic business practices is critical to promoting optimal patient care. Objective To identify and compare knowledge gaps of clinicians and educators regarding health care delivery systems and administration. Design and Setting Cross-sectional, Web-based survey. Patients or Other Participants Athletic trainers (N = 485), representative of the national demographic of the profession (age = 37 ± 12 years, experience = 14 ± 11 years). Intervention(s) We used a multi-part assessment including a perceived knowledge questionnaire, validated knowledge assessment (21 items: knowledge retrieval [11 items], knowledge utilization [10 items]), and self-efficacy scales. Main Outcome Measure(s) We calculated the knowledge assessment total score and compared educators (n = 41) and clinicians (n = 444). We calculated the knowledge gap with a Spearman ρ correlation to determine the relationship between perceived knowledge mean and the knowledge retrieval subscore. We calculated the practice gap with a Spearman ρ correlation to determine the relationship between self-efficacy mean and the knowledge utilization subscore. Results Athletic trainers scored less than 50% on a knowledge assessment (mean = 10.27 ± 2.41 of 21) about health care delivery systems and administration. We identified that educators scored approximately 1 point higher (11.65 ± 0.4) than clinicians (10.14 ± 0.11), equivalent to 7% to 10% higher on the knowledge assessment. We identified, relative to health care delivery systems and administration, a knowledge gap (Spearman ρ = .161, P < .001) between perceived knowledge and knowledge retrieval and a practice gap (Spearman ρ = .095, P = .037) between self-efficacy and knowledge utilization. Conclusions Athletic trainers demonstrated knowledge and practice gaps related to health care delivery systems and administration. To meet the expectations of the practice analysis and the needs of patients in today's American health care system, we must engage in professional development in this domain of practice.