Answer Options Research Articles

Physicians' and pharmacists' perspective on clarity and clinical relevance of absolute contraindications in "Summaries of Product Characteristics".

Previous work has identified several limitations in "Summaries of Product Characteristics" (SmPCs), which are associated with risks for patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate pharmacists' and physicians' interpretation of contraindications in SmPCs and reasons for their nonadherence in clinical routine. For 20 commonly missed or ignored absolute contraindications, an anonymous online survey providing 24 clinical example cases (one or two per contraindication) for physicians and pharmacists was developed. Experts in medication safety were asked whether the respective case fulfilled the definition of the contraindication in the SmPC: (a) formally, irrespective of the clinical relevance of the contraindication (17 cases), and (b) whether the contraindication was deemed clinically relevant in each respective case (24 cases). Twenty-seven pharmacists and 27 physicians completed the survey. For only one case (1/17; 5.8%) did all experts agree on the same answer option regarding the formal fulfilment of a given contraindication statement. Experts gave heterogeneous answers regarding the interpretation of a contraindication. For instance, among 10 predefined answer options for the contraindication "active liver disease" in the SmPC of simvastatin, every option was selected by at least six experts. In 17/24 (70.8%) clinical example cases a majority of experts agreed on the clinical relevance of a given contraindication. Key reasons for nonadherence to contraindications were "patient monitoring possible", "lack of alternative treatment" and "acute/severe situations". Experts' disagreement on the interpretation of contraindications in SmPCs using clinical example cases indicates that further efforts are needed to improve their usability in clinical routine.

Evidence of The Psychometric Properties of The Feelings of The Informal Primary Family Caregiver Scale

Objective: to analyze the psychometric properties of the Feelings of the Informal Primary Family Caregiver Scale. Methodology: This is a methodological, descriptive, and analytical study. The sample consisted of 115 informal primary family caregivers from a city in the south of Minas Gerais. The sample was a non-probabilistic convenience sample. The Information and Feelings of the Informal Primary Family Caregiver instrument was used, which consisted of two sections. The first section was entitled Information on the Caregiver's Daily Life and consisted of close-ended questions with only one answer option. The second section consisted of the Feelings Scale, containing 17 items and four factors, namely: Life and health compromises; Mental health compromises; Perspectives on providing care and Insecurities on providing care. Each item has five answer options, as follows: Never (5 points); Almost Never (4); Sometimes (3); Almost Always (2); and Always (1). The minimum score on the scale is 17 points and the maximum is 85. This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of a Federal Higher Education Institution. Results: After exploratory factor analysis, the scale consisted of 17 items and four factors with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.8 for Factors 1, 2, and the total scale, and 0.6 for Factors 3 and 4. In discriminant validity, there was discrimination in the caregiver's daily information with the aforementioned scale (p= < 0.05). Conclusion: the Scale showed adequate psychometric properties for use in the Brazilian context, both in research and in care.

Cross-sectional survey of health literacy among high school students in Armenia

Abstract Background We assessed the level of health literacy (HL) and explored its predictors among 15-17 years old adolescents in Armenia. Methods We conducted a survey among adolescents in public and private schools in the capital Yerevan and an adjacent province in 2023. The instrument included items on HL, general interest in health and socio-demographics. Ten questions measuring HL with four answer options were summed into the HL score (0-30). Multivariable regression model explored the independent associations of socio-demographic factors and interest in health issues with the HL. Results Overall, 366 students completed the survey. About 64% were females. The majority were interested in health issues (80.7%). Most participants felt they, in general, received sufficient health information (75.1%), could follow physician’s instructions (80.1%), were confident in advising family or friends on health improvements (70.5%), could easily give examples of health-promoting actions (76.8%), and explain their choices for health (77.6%). Additionally, 82.2% could judge the environmental impact of their actions, 82.0% could find understandable health information when needed, and 85.3% could assess how their behavior affects their health. Fewer respondents were confident in figuring out if the health information is correct (68.2%) or identifying correct health information when faced with conflicting data (67.1%). The average HL score was 17.41 (SD = 4.47), with a 58.0% percent score. In the regression analysis, being from private school vs. public and being interested in health vs. not were significant predictors of higher HL. Conclusions Despite having moderate HL level, a significant portion of Armenian adolescents lacked confidence in discerning correct health information. Interventions should prioritize enhancing HL, emphasizing critical evaluation skills and providing accessible and reliable health information resources tailored to adolescents, particularly in public schools. Key messages • The health literacy among Armenian adolescents was moderate with many lacking confidence in identifying correct health information and differentiating when faced with conflicting data. • Attending a private school and having an interest in health were significant predictors for higher health literacy, emphasizing the need for targeted health and policy interventions.

Gaze and hand behaviors during haptic abilities testing-An update to multimedia learning theory.

The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) suggests humans learn through visual and auditory sensory channels. Haptics represent a third channel within CTML and a missing component for experiential learning. The objective was to measure visual and haptic behaviors during spatial tasks. The haptic abilities test (HAT) quantifies results in several realms, accuracy, time, and strategy. The HAT was completed under three sensory conditions using sight (S), haptics (H), and sight with haptics (SH). Subjects (n = 22, 13 females (F), 20-28 years) completed the MRT (10.6 ± 5.0, mean ± SD) and were classified as high or low spatial abilities scores with respect to mean MRT: high spatial abilities (HSA) (n = 12, 6F, MRT = 13.7 ± 3.0), and low spatial ability (LSA) groups (n = 10, 7F, MRT = 5.6 ± 2.0). Video recordings gaze and hand behaviors were compared between HSA and LSA groups across HAT conditions. The HSA group spent less time fixating on mirrored objects, an erroneous answer option, of HAT compared to the LSA group (11.0 ± 4.7 vs. 17.8 ± 7.3 s, p = 0.020) in S conditions. In haptic conditions, HSA utilized a hand-object interaction strategy characterized as palpation, significantly less than the LSA group (23.2 ± 16.0 vs. 43.1 ± 21.5 percent, p = 0.022). Before this study, it was unclear whether haptic sensory inputs appended to the mental schema models of the CTML. These data suggest that if spatial abilities are challenged, LSA persons both benefit and utilize strategies beyond the classic CTML framework by using their hands as a third input channel. This data suggest haptic behaviors offer a third type of sensory memory resulting in improved cognitive performance.

Exploratory Data Analyses Indicate an Overuse of Dietary Supplements among Male Gym Users in Germany

Background: Dietary supplements (DS) are very popular with the general population, physically active people and professional athletes are often taken without professional advice. Adverse effects on consumer health are increasingly being reported and there are concerns about overdoses of certain nutrients. There are initial indications that some groups of people have a higher affinity to DS than others. It appears that the type of sport and possibly gym membership could have an influence on consumer behaviour. Therefore, this study aimed to identify high consumer groups of DS among the general population in Germany. Methods: The consumption of DS was assessed using an online questionnaire including information about physical activity, gym membership and the consumption and intake doses of DS. Completed questionnaires were returned by 244 participants (m=153, f=91; 30.7±10.4 years SD). The answer options were valued, and subjects were categorized in low, average and high consumers (indicating overdosing). A configural frequency analysis was performed using the independent variables gender, gym membership, consumption. The configurations were tested with an exact binomial test and the p-value was corrected according to Bonferroni (0.05/12=0.0042). Results: Three significant configurations were found (p≤0.0042). The configuration, ‘male-gym member-average consumption’ as well as ‘male-gym member-high consumption’ were significantly overrepresented. Male gym members with low consumption behaviour were significantly underrepresented. Conclusion: This analysis suggests that male gym users in the German population have a higher risk of excessive DS consumption than other subgroups. Awareness campaigns regarding the risk of intake and overconsumption of DS can be targeted to high-risk groups. Due to the small sample size and the different types of fitness gyms, further studies are needed to make clearer statements and identify more precise risk groups.

Empirical validation of the use of projective techniques in psychological testing using Galois fields

It is shown that the problem of the adequacy of psychological testing methods, which are varieties of “projective techniques”, is far from being universally recognized. To solve this problem, we used an empirical method based on collecting of statistics of respondents’ answers, as well as a method of analyzing this statistics by means of representing permutations through functions taking values in Galois fields. Based on experimental data, it is shown that the distribution of respondents’ answers to a test in which they are asked to rank pictures in accordance with their own preferences is not homogeneous. Experimental data show that there are answer options that are statistically most common. An interpretation of testing is proposed in which passing the test is considered as “connecting” an external additional layer to the neural network formed by the respondent’s brain. In accordance with this interpretation, the most frequently occurring answer options can be considered as the basis for the formation of classification characteristics. It is shown that during using tests of this type it is advisable to take into account the code distances between the answer of a particular respondent and the codes corresponding to the most frequently occurring sequences. The possibilities of generating psychological tests directly based on experimental data and images generated by neural networks are discussed.

Burnout among veterinary anaesthesia specialists: time to ‘rock the boat’ (part 1)

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of burnout among veterinary anaesthesia specialists and explore correlations with sociodemographic variables. Study designCross-sectional, online, anonymous, voluntary survey. PopulationA total of 530 worldwide veterinary anaesthesia specialists affiliated to American (ACVAA) and/or European (ECVAA) Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia Colleges. MethodsAn electronic questionnaire, incorporating the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel [MBI-HSS (MP)] and a sociodemographic questionnaire, was used.The MBI-HSS (MP) assessed the three burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA) using 22 questions, each with a 7-point Likert-type scale answer option, to compute a total score for each dimension. Thresholds for high levels of EE ≥ 27, DP ≥ 10 and for low level of PA ≤ 33. Responders were categorized as high risk for burnout with EE ≥ 27 and DP ≥ 10, and as having burnout syndrome with EE ≥ 27, DP ≥ 10 and PA ≤ 33. Data were investigated with descriptive statistical and regression analysis; p-value < 0.05. ResultsParticipation rate was 54% (286/530 Diplomates); 65% were identified as women; mean age was 44 years; 59% were married/civil partnership; 52% were ACVAA affiliated; 50% were working in North America; and 51% in academia. The prevalence of high risk for burnout was 42.6% (122/286), and for burnout syndrome was 24.5% (70/286). Number of hours worked per week positively correlated with EE (p < 0.0001) and DP (p = 0.02). Out-of-hours duty positively correlated with EE (p = 0.01) and DP (p = 0.04) and negatively correlated with low PA (p = 0.04). Higher burnout prevalence was identified among younger Diplomates, those working ≥ 40 hours per week, in academia/research, and in North America. Conclusions and clinical relevanceConcerted effort is required to address the unacceptably high risk of developing burnout and burnout syndrome observed among ACVAA/ECVAA Diplomates.

BEYOND – Building an Experience to Yield Optimal Nautical Displays – Measuring Nautical Situation Awareness

Abstract The growing digitisation and integration of ship operations, navigation, communication, safety equipment and systems have expanded the functional scope of modern navigation systems. However, this has also increased the workload for the crew, making it more challenging to cultivate situation awareness and make appropriate decisions, particularly in critical situations. The research project, BEYOND – Building an Experience to Yield Optimal Nautical Displays, aims to develop and validate a test methodology for evaluating maritime Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI). Besides system usability and user experience, maritime HMIs are generally evaluated in terms of the situation awareness acquired during navigation. For this purpose, the established Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) was adapted such that participants experienced a series of simulated navigation scenarios and were interrupted at unexpected intervals to answer situation awareness questions. This paper addresses the challenge of formulating the appropriate situation awareness questions and their associated frameworks. An assembly of questions reflecting the knowledge of a navigator was created, taking into account different categories of information, including the own ship, the route taken, and the surrounding area. The number of questions needed to capture the necessary knowledge comprehensively was also defined. Additionally, it was crucial to determine the appropriate answer options for each question. Besides graphically presented multiple-choice questions, where the answer had to be selected based on a screenshot of the environment, there are also alphanumeric questions where the participant had to retrieve knowledge from the situation and enter numerical values. For instance, this included information about the course, navigation hazards, etc. A major challenge in assessing these numerical values was determining the acceptable range, i.e., the thresholds that define an answer as correct or incorrect. This paper outlines the BEYOND methodology developed for the comprehensive testing of maritime HMIs, focusing primarily on situation awareness assessment. It describes the steps taken to compile a list of situation awareness questions and their corresponding accuracy thresholds based on the findings from expert interviews. The paper also discusses the experimental results of a user study conducted to test the overall methodology.

ZNO-Eval: Benchmarking reasoning capabilities of large language models in Ukrainian

As the usage of large language models for problems outside of simple text understanding or generation increases, assessing their abilities and limitations becomes crucial. While significant progress has been made in this area over the last few years, most research has focused on benchmarking English, leaving other languages underexplored. This makes evaluating the reasoning and robustness level of language models in Ukrainian particularly challenging. The purpose of this work is to establish a comprehensive benchmark for the reasoning capabilities evaluation of large language models in the Ukrainian language. This paper presents the ZNO-Eval benchmark based on real exam tasks from Ukraine's standardized educational testing system: the External Independent Evaluation and the National Multi-subject Test. With single- answer options, multiple-choice, matching, and open-ended questions from diverse subjects, including Ukrainian language, mathematics, history, and geography, this dataset paves the way toward a thorough analysis of reasoning capabilities across different domains and complexities. Evaluation of several well-known language models, such as GPT-3.5-Turbo, GPT-4o, GPT-4-Turbo, Mistral Large, Claude 3 Opus, and Gemini-1.5 Pro on this benchmark demonstrated the superiority of GPT-4o in both common knowledge reasoning and intricate language tasks. At the same time, Gemini Pro and GPT-4 Turbo excelled in the arithmetic domain, leading in single-answer and open-ended math problems. While all models were close to max performance in text-only common knowledge tasks like history and geography, there still is a gap for Ukrainian language and math, thus highlighting the importance of developing specialized language benchmarks for more accurate assessments of model capabilities and limitations across different languages and contexts. This research introduced ZNO-Eval, an effective benchmark for evaluating reasoning capabilities, and thoroughly explored the abilities and limitations of modern solutions in the Ukrainian language. Future research should aim to expand the scope of ZNO-Eval to other modalities like images commonly used for exam problem description.

Assessing AI-generated (GPT-4) Versus Human Created MCQs In Mathematics Education: A Comparative Inquiry into Vector Topics

Using multiple-choice questions as learning and assessment tools is standard at all levels of education. However, when discussing the positive and negative aspects of their use, the time and complexity involved in producing plausible distractor options emerge as a disadvantage that offsets the time savings in relation to feedback. The article attempts to understand whether, with the AI conquests on the educational landscape, we can now remove this aspect from the list of drawbacks. This paper aims to determine the suitability of GPT-4 for generating questions and answer options for multiple-choice questions using prompts in Estonian on topics related to vectors and their similarities and differences compared to questions and answers created by a human expert. The results show that GPT-4 can generate multiple-choice questions and answer options based on given learning objectives, theory, and sample problems. However, the suggested correct answer option often requires correction and is not yet linguistically at such a level that teachers can use the questions without editing. Verifying the generated tasks still becomes labour-intensive for teachers. Nonetheless, it is more crucial that the AI tool accurately determines the correct answer than that some of the generated distractors are not plausible.

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire for use in Brazil.

To translate, cross-culturally adapt to Brazilian Portuguese, and evaluate the reliability of the Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ). This cross-sectional study involved patients from the Smoking Prevention and Cessation Center (PrevFumo) who participated in at least four of the eight scheduled remote meetings with the PrevFumo psychologist in 2020, 2021, or 2022. Participants were contacted by telephone and asked to answer the 14 questions of the TSQ three times at intervals of 7 or 10 days. We assessed 53 patients (73.3% women). The mean age was 49.7 ± 10.2 years. The mean smoking history was 35.32 ± 24.8 pack-years. Of the 53 patients evaluated, 30.2% had completed high school or had some higher education, and 32.1% were classified as socioeconomic class B2 (A being the highest and E being the lowest). Forty-nine (92.5%) of the patients attended all eight meetings. The TSQ with only three answer options showed high reliability, with approximately 90% agreement after three applications. Patients were satisfied with telemedicine. The TSQ is rapidly applied, is easy to complete, and showed high reliability in our patient sample. Patients declared that they were satisfied with their telemedicine experience.

Perceived Traffic Risk on Road Infrastructure Conditions among Car Drivers in Lhokseumawe City, Aceh, Indonesia

According to the Indonesian Department of Transportation, 86% of traffic accidents are attributed to human factors. Additionally, road conditions are identified as a contributing factor to road accidents. Therefore, this study aimed to explore road conditions and their impact on the driving behaviour of car drivers. Data for this exploration were collected by distributing questionnaires to 200 respondents, utilizing a Likert scale for answer options. The technique used was random sampling, utilizing descriptive statistical analysis and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis model. Consequently, the result showed that each latent variable construct examined by car drivers had a value exceeding 80%. The most prominent latent variable was the "Condition of Road Surface Facilities," accounting for 88.1% and featuring eight indicators. The indicator "Disturbed when passing through a narrow road," part of the latent variable "Condition of Road Equipment Facilities," had the highest standardized value at 1.223. Finally, this study suggested that the government should prioritize attention to road infrastructure conditions to enhance driver comfort and mitigate the risk of traffic accidents.

Picture Cards Game: The Strategy to Facilitate Differentiated Learning in Teaching English Writing Skills for Young Learners

Developing strong writing skills is essential for young students. This research investigates the implementation of picture card games as a tool to facilitate differentiated learning in writing instruction. This study explored how picture card games can be adapted to meet the diverse needs and abilities of young students. It examines the effectiveness of this approach in improving writing skills, including vocabulary and sentence structure. It also explored the impact of picture card games on students' engagement and motivation in writing activities. This study explored the potential of picture card games as a learning tool in middle school located in Dlingo, Yogyakarta. This study investigated the use of mixed methods to understand students' experiences with the use of picture card games. This study used a mixed methods approach, which combined quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. In the quantitative aspect, this study used questionnaires to collect data from a group of seventh grade students consisting of 32 students. These questionnaires tended to ask closed questions with pre-determined answer options, which allowed this study to collect numerical data on students' perceptions. The findings showed a moderately successful implementation (76%) of picture card games, suggesting a positive student response and contribute to the understanding of different learning strategies and their potential to improve students' writing skills in a fun and engaging way. Additionally, with a moderate rating of 77.3%, the study confirmed the benefits associated with using picture card games for English vocabulary learning. The findings suggest that there are still possibilities for improvement to maximize the potential of the picture card game.

The Use of Evaluation Methods for Physiotherapy Treatment in Infants With Bronchiolitis—a Survey Study

Aims The aim of this study was to identify and describe methods that physiotherapists use to evaluate the immediate effects of their interventions for infants in hospital with acute respiratory tract infections. Methods We constructed an anonymous digital survey to physiotherapists working with infants aged 0–24 months in Sweden. The survey was distributed by e-mail and posted on web pages for seven weeks, which included a reminder. Results Replies were obtained from 88 respondents, and 52 completed surveys remained to be analyzed. All 21 counties in Sweden were represented. The most prevalent answer options were as follows: more productive/increased or decreased cough (73%), increased oxygen saturation (35%), changed secretion sounds (33%), reduced work of breathing (20%), and parental report (16%). Conclusions The physiotherapists reported to use diverse methods for evaluation of their interventions. However, to a large degree they used subjective measures, which depend on the individual clinician’s assessment and interpretation. The evaluation methods vary in psychometric properties and robustness. This study identifies the need for consensus about valid, reliable, and clinically relevant evaluation methods for this patient group.

Assessing the Impact of Social Media on SME Performance Using Structural Equation Modelling

Social media technology plays a crucial role in boosting productivity and competitiveness within various industries. It has made a substantial impact on the growth and vitality of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the global economy. Through the utilization of social media technologies, SMEs can efficiently reach markets and interact with stakeholders while keeping costs to a minimum. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence SMEs' adoption of social media and the subsequent impact on their performance. The research team conducted a comprehensive study on the difficulties encountered by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), considering various aspects such as technology, organization, and the environment. To gather data for the investigation, a survey with predefined answer options was administered. By adopting a quantitative methodology, the researchers analyzed 395 responses using structural equation modelling from industries such as Pharmaceutical, Automobile parts components, Electronics, IT solution Provider, Logistics, Financials, Khadi, Ceramics and glass product in Jharkhand. The results suggest that social media is becoming increasingly important for SMEs. By focusing on studying the innovative use of social media, managers and decision-makers in SMEs can improve their performance. However, Business performance refers to how well an organization achieves its goals and objective, typically measured through Sales, Brand Awareness and Customer Relationship. Additionally, incorporating social media into their operations acts as a positive mediator between technology, organization, environment, and SME performance. This research also highlights the advantages of using social media for organizations and provides insights into the motivations behind investing in this digital platform. It will help SME owner/Manager to improve marketing practices via social media adoption.

Persepsi Peserta Didik Terhadap Aplikasi Teknologi Geospasial Pada Pembelajaran Geografi Kelas X SMAN 1 Sungai Tarab

The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of class X students at SMAN 1 Sungai Tarab towards Geospatial Technology Applications. Geospatial technology is a technology that measures, analyzes, and visualizes objects or events on earth. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach. The selection of subjects in this study used a total random sampling method consisting of 255 class X students. The research data were collected using a semi-open questionnaire method with a google form consisting of 25 questions given the answer options yes, no, and others. The results showed that there were 68.41% of students answered yes with the Good category, on the indicator of using geospatial technology applications as learning media. There were 64.61% of students answered yes with the Good category, on the indicator of the use of geospatial technology as learning material. And there are 70.44% of students answered yes with the Good category, on the indicator of the use of geospatial applications in everyday life. From the perception of students, there are still many students who do not know and use geospatial technology applications. Based on observations made at SMAN 1 Sungai Tarab, it appears that geography teachers have not utilized this geospatial technology application-based learning media.

Measurement of basic psychological needs for physical activity participation for college students with intellectual disabilities: A validation study.

Measurement instruments to understand self-determined motivation towards physical activity among college students with intellectual disabilities are needed to develop programs to support physical and psychological health and well-being. The purpose of the current study was to validate a modified questionnaire measuring basic psychological needs towards physical activity among college students with intellectual disabilities. A total of 108 college students with intellectual disabilities completed the modified questionnaire. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire was examined. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated a six-factor model had good model fit. Cronbach's alpha values showed acceptable reliability evidence of the instrument as a whole, although some alpha values in subdomains of the instrument were below acceptable values. The modified questionnaire was found to have acceptable validity evidence. Further studies are needed with refinement of answer options and the addition of more questions to increase reliability.

Exploring the administrative burden faced by hematologists: a comprehensive study in Italy.

Administrative burdens have been identified as a major issue impacting patient care, professional practice, and the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. The aim of this study is to assess the administrative burden faced by Italian hematologists. A cross-sectional survey that included both closed-ended quantitative questions and open-ended free text answer options was administered to 1,570 hematologists working with malignancies and members of Italian GIMEMA Foundation - Franco Mandelli ONLUS and the Italian Linfomi Foundation (FIL). The survey was conducted online from May 24 to June 30, 2023. Descriptive statistics were computed for the quantitative data to clearly summarize the responses and descriptive analysis of free text responses was carried out. Surveyed hematologists spend an average of 47.07% of their time on administrative tasks, with 63.22% (n=110) of respondents reporting spending at least half of their time on these activities. More than half (57.47%, n=100) reported that "Patient care" is the medical task most affected by a lack of time. Additionally, 55.17% (n=96) reported experiencing burnout in the past 6 months, with filling out "Forms" being identified as the top contributing administrative task by 27.59% (n=48) of respondents, followed by "Scheduling" (24.71%, n=43) and "Managing IT system failures" (21.84%, n=38). Nearly half of the surveyed hematologists (45.40%, n==79) identified patient care as the top priority requiring more time. The study confirms that the administrative workload of hematologists has a significant impact on patient care, communication, and burnout risk, reducing the time available for patient care, leading to exhaustion and concern about clinical errors.

The effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on ophthalmologic practice from the egyptian population’s point of view

Aim The aim of this study is to understand the impact of COVID 19 on patients’ view of and willingness to seek ophthalmic services in Egypt. It analyzes if there were changes in their eye care habits and under which conditions they would seek advice or undergo elective procedures. Patients and methods It is a cross sectional observational study using a questionnaire that was sent online. The questionnaire included 29 questions. All questions were closed ended questions, provided with a list of optional answers (single answer or multiple answer options). Patients were divided according to age (below 60 years and 60 and above). A follow up survey was done 2 months later and included 13 questions to compare their answers with the initial questionnaire. Results This study included the responses of 596 participants, who answered our questionnaire fully and 198 participants answered the follow-up questionnaire. The vast majority of the participants claimed they would not visit an ophthalmologist during the pandemic, would not undergo any elective surgery and relied on social media for information. On follow- up, the participants were more willing to visit an eye doctor, continue routine follow-ups, took more safety precautions and relied more on medical sources for information. Conclusion Age, contact with vulnerable groups, presence of the chronic diseases and duration of the pandemic significantly affect the patients’ willingness to seek ophthalmic services. Changes in populations’ information and doctor practice are needed in this pandemic.

Features of the use of art therapy in working with members of military families

The article is devoted to the analysis of the peculiarities of the use of art therapy in working with members of military families. The concepts of art therapy, social adaptation, and coping resources are characterized. The concept of grief and its course during war, in particular when a loved one is lost in war, is defined. The results of an empirical study on the severity of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic growth of women who lost relatives in the war are presented. The art therapy technique "Painting grief" is characterized. The purpose of this article is to determine the possibilities of using art therapy in working with military family members. The tasks of the article are to define the concept of grief and its course during war, in particular when a loved one is lost in war; analysis of the results of an empirical study on the severity of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic growth of women who lost relatives in the war, an outline of the possibilities of implementing the art therapy technique "Painting grief". To achieve the goals of the study, we used the following methods: Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) Post-traumatic growth questionnaire (PGI). The hospital scale of anxiety and depression is designed to assess the severity of depression and anxiety in the conditions of general medical practice, contains 14 items, each of which corresponds to 4 options of answers that reflect the degree of increase in the corresponding symptomatology: normal, borderline state, moderately expressed anxiety/depression, severe form of anxiety /depression. Questionnaire of post-traumatic growth (R. Tadeshi and L. Calhoun) contains 21 statements with six possible answer options that form five scales: attitude to others, new opportunities, personal strength, spiritual changes, increased value life, as well as the general index of post-traumatic growth. According to the HADS method, subclinically expressed depression, the so-called borderline state, was detected, however, in the case of the death of a loved one in the war, relatives feel moderately expressed anxiety, while after death from diseases or simply death in civilian life, relatives note the absence of reliably expressed symptoms. Personal growth means the feeling that after a loss a person has become more merciful, tolerant towards himself and others, learned to forgive himself and the people around him, and look optimistically at the future. Although the loss of a loved one is a natural life event experienced by all people, it is also one of the most difficult experiences in a person's life. For many people, the loss of a loved one is accompanied by an intense emotional and devastating period. Experiencing the death of a loved one causes great stress both because of the loss and because of the encounter with mortality. Numerous stressors also occur when a bereaved person attends various events and services that are not normally included in the routine of daily life, including memorial services in a church. Many bereaved people find a path that leads to the restoration of a relatively normal life. However, some people do not cope effectively with loss. They experience grief very emotionally, often denying the fact of loss, trying to avoid reminders of death and helplessly focusing on the nagging waves of painful emotions. One of the effective methods of dealing with grief is art therapy.