Half Of Doctors Research Articles

Debulking the Myth of the ‘Social’ Admission – A Retrospective Review of Acutely Admitted Medical Patients in Wexford General Hospital

Abstract Background “Acopia”, “social admission” and other synonymous terms are frequently provided reasons requiring admission to acute hospitals and represent a common encounter for the Geriatric clinician. These cases are usually so called when the patient’s social circumstances are felt to need urgent attention, yet their medical health has not acutely deteriorated. Such non-diagnostic labels often mask underlying complex medical issues which can have detrimental health outcomes if not addressed appropriately. Despite this, they persist in the vernacular of modern medicine with almost half of doctors, junior and senior, finding the term useful (43.5%) and acceptable as a diagnosis (30.9%)1. We sought to examine what percentage of adult medical patients admitted to an acute hospital did not have an appreciable medical cause for their presentation. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of 191 patients admitted under medical teams in Wexford General Hospital across a 13-day period. Inclusion criteria included adult patients admitted under a medical team from the Emergency Department. Exclusion criteria applied to any patient admitted from OPD or by non-medical specialities. Results 191 cases were analysed. The average age was 65.8, median age was 70 and majority were male (n=105, 55%). There were only 2 patients (1%) who had no acute medical concerns following medical review. In one, the patient’s home oxygen supply had run out and the intended delivery of oxygen had been delayed. Another patient required increased home care supports however their medical status had not changed. Conclusion Our findings suggest that most patients presenting to acute hospitals following a robust medical review will evidence an acute medical issue. Dismissive phrases such as “acopia” and “social admission” need to be challenged for the superficial assessment that they are, and this reductive approach must be expunged from clinical practice to avoid misdiagnosis and malpractice in the care of the older adult.

Whether Present Era Demand Change in Pharmaceutical Promotional Ways to be More Eco- and Doctor-Friendly? An Observational Study.

Pharmaceutical promotion is the principal aspect of the healthcare system. In this study, we aimed to portray the opinion of doctors and medical representatives (MRs) on conventional pharmaceutical ways (usage of promotional or educational paper materials and physician drug samples) for pharmaceutical promotion. In this cross-sectional observational study, data were collected from doctors and MRs across India using self-administered Google forms. Data were analyzed, and results were drawn. A total of 314 doctors and 272 MRs participated in the study. As per 95.5% of doctors, continuing medical education (CME)/books/online information is the most common and convenient method to update medical knowledge, whereas 67.9% of MRs also think the same. Only 5.5% of doctors prefer paper material provided by pharmaceutical companies to update their knowledge. Most doctors say paper materials provided by pharmaceutical companies contribute less than 25% to product information, rather CME, books, and online information contribute significantly. MRs also think similarly. 66.2% of MRs agree that more than 25% of paper material gets wasted due to non-distribution. 73.2% of doctors and 75.4% of MRs agree that the use of paper materials for product promotion is not cost-effective, even if it contributes to deforestation. Only 51% of doctors use more than 50% of medical samples in patient care and only half of doctors and MRs think expired medical samples are disposed of correctly. 56.1% of doctors and 71.4% of MRs think a significant amount of medical samples are wasted and are hazardous to the environment. Both doctors and MRs are of the opinion that the conventional method of paper promotion, that is, paper material and drug samples, is not cost-effective and also not eco-friendly. Hence, need to rethink - is there a need to change with time?

Screening and prevention of preterm birth: how is it done in clinical practice?

To ascertain how screening for preterm birth is performed among obstetricians working in public and private practice in a middle-income country. Cross-sectional study of 265 obstetrician-gynecologists employed at public and private facilities. An online questionnaire was administered, with items designed to collect data on prematurity screening and prevention practices. The mean age of respondents was 44.5 years; 78.5% were female, and 97.7% had completed a medical residency program. Universal screening (i.e., by ultrasound measurement of cervical length) was carried out by only 11.3% of respondents in public practice; 43% request transvaginal ultrasound if the manual exam is abnormal, and 74.6% request it in pregnant women with risk factors for preterm birth. Conversely, 60.7% of respondents in private practice performed universal screening. This difference in screening practices between public and private practice was highly significant (p < 0.001). Nearly all respondents (90.6%) reported prescribing vaginal progesterone for short cervix. In the setting of this study, universal ultrasound screening to prevent preterm birth was used by just over half of doctors in private practice. In public facilities, screening was even less common. Use of vaginal progesterone in cervical shortening was highly prevalent. There is an unmet need for formal protocols for screening and prevention of preterm birth in middle-income settings.

Challenges experienced by health care providers working in both hospital and home-based palliative care units in Dhaka city: A multi-center based cross-sectional study.

Palliative care is paramount in the modern clinical field worldwide. However, in Bangladesh, its acceptance is limited compared to other related sectors, despite the country suffering from a huge burden of life-limiting diseases. Besides, PC teams and their approach to care are entirely different from the conventional clinical approach. This study aimed to explore the challenges faced by healthcare providers working in the palliative care unit in Bangladesh, including all groups. This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey involving palliative care providers. A self-administered pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square at p <0.05. The mean age of the respondents was 33.59 ± 8.05 years, and barely most (82.5%) had served for 7-9 years. More than half (51%) of doctors and 31% of nurses claimed patient agitation as a challenge. Almost all groups of respondents exhibit ethical dilemma as a barrier, although a significant relationship was found between professional level and ethical dilemma. More than half of doctors (51%), 41.5% of nurses, and 29.5% of PCA-ward staff mentioned the lack of telemedicine facilities as a challenge. Nearly half (47.1%) of doctors and nurses claimed that patients' families had made patient care difficult, on the other hand, PCA-ward staff (70%) group ignorance of family did the same thing. Opioid phobia of other health professionals restricted the growth mentioned by the majority of all four groups of respondents. A significant relationship was found between limited dose formulation and experience of HPs (p<0.07). At the institutional level, 93.3% of nursing staff agreed that the lack of supporting staff was a drawback. A significant relationship was also found between the type of institution and the lack of a support system to conduct home-based care (p<0.002). Moreover, the majority (83.3%) of PCA-WS exhibit a lack of career development opportunities (p<0.001) as a barrier, besides, more than 7 out of 10 doctors (7.2%) felt social discrimination as a challenge(p<0.001). Introducing new concepts comes with obstacles, but proper planning and awareness can make it necessary. Incorporating it into primary healthcare can create new job opportunities and increase familiarity among the general population. Training healthcare professionals on opioid handling can also increase its acceptance.

A Smartphone use in Medical Photography

The modern era is becoming more and more digital. The use of smartphones for taking photos is widespread in the medical field. Most often, these photos are used for patient care, but also these photographs are used for educational and teaching purposes. Through a survey carried out among our university hospital doctors (HU), we wanted to establish an inventory of current practices in terms of taking but also using and storing medical photos and/or videos. Methods Prospective cross-sectional study, carried out among 1400 HU teaching doctors affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis, via a Google Forms questionnaire pre-established by the digital pedagogy committee, and sent by email through institutional mailing lists. Results We received 223 (15.9%) survey participants, divided into 52 specialties. Only 2.7% did not use their “smartphones” to take medical photos. Smartphones were used for taking photos and/or videos of patients (76.7%), medical records (70.9%), and slides, samples or radiological images (72.2%). Twenty-two percent of respondents were reluctant to use a smartphone for taking medical photos, due to the risk of loss or theft of the phone (69.2%) and a question of confidentiality and ethics (59. 3%). The taking of medical photos and/or videos was for patient care (81.6%), for educational purposes or for research (90.6%), for personal reference (39.5%), for entertainment or for social networks (0.9%). The smartphone would be the most accessible and the easiest to use (non-accessibility of a traditional camera (58.7%)). The classic camera, on the other hand, is considered the most secure. Nearly half of doctors (48.4%) stored their medical photos in a dedicated database, 21.5% with their personal photos and 42.2% on their personal computer. An inter-colleague exchange of medical photos via instant messaging on social networks in 47.3% of cases. The patient’s oral consent is always requested in 58.3% (46% however consider this to be insufficient). Written consent is obtained in 4.5%. However, 7.6% do not request any. The need to establish legal procedures for taking these photos, by establishing standardized consent forms, was mentioned by most of the responses. Conclusions The use of smartphones for taking medical photos and/or videos is widespread, easy and useful. However, consent must be detailed. Standardized procedures must be put in place to protect patients but also doctors.

Prescribing Opioid Analgesics: what Preventive Measures Taken by Doctors to Avoid Their Problematic Use?

Introduction: Opioid analgesics, whether strong or weak, carry a risk of dependence, abuse, and misuse, influenced by various factors, including individual terrain, environment, properties of the opioids, and pain. The risk of opioid use disorder when taking prescription opioids is approximately 3% over 2 years, highlighting the importance of early detection of patients at risk. Methodology and Objectives: This study is a descriptive and analytical survey that questioned 120 doctors about their opioid prescribing method. It took place over two months using Google Forms software. The goal was to understand how doctors prescribe opioids and what they look for in patients' profiles to detect risks of opioid use disorder. Discussion: Our study highlights that half of doctors do not take the patient's profile into account, even if they have a psychiatric and addictological history. A Canadian study shows that the assessment of the risk of misuse is more frequent than in our study. In addition, Morocco does not have specific recommendations for the risk of addiction, unlike some countries such as Canada. In our study, codeine is widely prescribed, mainly due to doctors' lack of awareness of its addictive potential, followed by Tramadol. However, in the literature, Tramadol and Codeine are more commonly used. Opioids are prescribed for severe pain in most cases, but sometimes for pain without an appropriate indication, such as migraine or fibromyalgia. Studies show high inappropriate use, especially for chronic non-cancer pain. It is crucial not to extend the prescription of opioids beyond three months in the absence of improvement and not to exceed 150 mg of morphine equivalent per day. In addition, it is essential to regularly monitor the pleasant and euphoric effects of opioids, as well as to provide training and information to practitioners while creating a prescribing guide. Conclusion: The dosage of opioids must be adjusted individually according to pain, with ......

Study of physicians' preferences for optimizing the pharmacy assortment of glocose-lowering drugs

For the stable operation of the pharmacy and the proper support of patients with diabetes, it is necessary to optimize the assortment of glucose-lowering drugs (GLD), taking into account the significant prevalence of this disease. The demand for prescription drugs is formed by doctors who choose therapy and prescribe drugs.&#x0D; The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence of choosing GLD for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and the preferences of doctors when choosing GLD for therapy.&#x0D; They used a remote questionnaire form using Google forms. 732 doctor questionnaires were processed. Statistical processing was carried out using structural, comparative and graphic analysis.&#x0D; A survey of doctors established the factors that influence the prescription of drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes: high effectiveness and inclusion of drugs in treatment standards, their safety, and their own positive experience in prescribing drugs. It was also found that when choosing a GLD type, almost half of doctors take into account the patient's purchasing power and the presence of a GLD in the reimbursement program. The survey showed that a third of doctors prefer domestic GLD, and half of the respondents do so sometimes. When choosing foreign medical medications, doctors prefer German, French, and Swiss-made medical drugs. A significant part of doctors do not have preferences when choosing trade name (TN), but the majority of doctors who have preferences prefer TN mainly of foreign production and prolonged forms. It was found that about 10% of the responding doctors do not prescribe combined GLD. The majority of respondent doctors have preferences for combinations: metformin/glimepiride, dapagliflozin propanediol/metformin and sitagliptin/metformin. Problems have been identified at the stage of pharmacological supervision of GLD. Despite the fact that doctors noted in their practice the side effects of drugs in patients, only a fourth (22.7%) of respondents recorded these effects in accordance with the current legislation and made reports.&#x0D; It is advisable to use the results of the questionnaire to improve the care of patients with diabetes and to meet their needs by optimizing the pharmacy assortment.&#x0D; It is advisable to increase the list of International Nonproprietary Name of GLDs for reimbursement, which will contribute to the availability of modern treatment regimens, because the price of medicines limits the quality of modern treatment regimens for type 2 diabetes.

Job Satisfaction among Doctors during COVID-19 Pandemic; A Study in a tertiary care Hospital of Lahore Pakistan

Background: Hospital staff during a pandemic like Covid-19, are prone to stress and it may affect their job satisfaction. Objective: To determine job satisfaction in doctors amidst COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital (ULTH), Lahore, and to identify factors that influence job satisfaction the most. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study was done from April 30 to October 30, 2021, at ULTH, Lahore. A total number of 135 doctors (House officers, Medical officers &amp; Consultants) working for a duration of 3 months in COVID-19 unit at ULTH were included. Pre validated online questionnaire was used. The data collected were analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPPS, 25th version. A 6-point Likert scale for satisfaction was used to assess the job satisfaction level of doctors. For quantitative variables, percentage scores and cumulative percentages were calculated. Results: More than half of the doctors were male and less than 30 years. Majority (67%) were working during COVID-19 pandemic for more than 6 months. About 90% of doctors willingly performed their duty in this pandemic. About half (40%) of doctors were assessed for stress, anxiety, and depression. About 78% did not get free health care services when infected. About 32 % of them experienced physical abuse and 67.4% verbal abuse by the patients. Meanwhile, 31.1% of doctors were somewhat satisfied with the distribution of workload and about 30 % were satisfied with the availability of PPE. Conclusion: Most of the doctors performed their duties willingly during COVID-19 pandemic in ULTH, Lahore, and were somewhat to completely satisfied with their jobs.

Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction in Pediatric Intensive Care Professionals.

Paediatric ICU doctors and nurses' quality of professional life is influenced by the intense emotions and distress experienced when caring for suffering children and their families. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of compassion satisfaction (CS) and compassion fatigue (CF) in Paediatric Intensive Care Units in Greece. Out of 147 intensive care professionals in public hospitals in Greece completed the ProQOL-V scale as well as a socio-demographic and professional-life characteristics questionnaire. Almost two thirds of participants reported medium-risk for CF (74.8%) while 23.1% and 76.9% of professionals expressed high or medium potential for CS respectively. More than half of doctors and nurses in paediatric ICUs report being overprotective towards members of the family as a result of their professional life and that their work-life affects their attitude towards life in general. Recognizing factors related to CF may support paediatric intensive care professionals in avoiding the costs of exposure to the trauma and loss experiences of patients and their families. A trauma-informed intensive care culture and continuing trauma-informed education may shield professionals from the erosive effects of lingering emotions which may trigger secondary traumatic stress symptoms and also facilitate adequate reflection on their emotional reactions in the landscape of intensive care.

Communication Skills with the Unsighted and Visually Impaired During Medical Interview - Mosul, Iraq

Background: Disability is any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity (WHO, 2022). The numbers of visually impaired persons globally was 285 million during 2020 and grows by up to 2 million yearly (Jabnoun et al., 2016). They receive the least benefits from health care services (Pratt et al, 2018). Realizing the principles of human rights regarding health care provision (Duffly, 2022), communication is an important human feature during the medical interview (Ben-noun, 2014) and it is very important to deliver a useful health service in any health system (Kaplonyi, 2017). It has been noted that unsighted persons suffer from communication problems with health care providers that affect their health care. Aim: To identify needs of unsighted persons during the medical interview. Materials and Methods: This study was done in Um Al-Rabean Development Foundation for Blinds and Purblinds in Mosul, Iraq, using a case series study design from January1 to February 1, 2022. Sixty-seven blind (unsighted) persons. Data were collected by using an electronic data collection Google form consisting of two axes, the 1st one included the demographic information of the study sample, and the 2nd one included the doctor- communication skills followed during the medical interview with the unsighted patients. Results: This study revealed that the participants’ response rate was equal among both sexes. Most of them were aged 18 years and above and about one third were married. The percentage of celibacy was high, about 58.2%. Only (44.8%) of respondents had access to education, and the percentage of government employees was very low at 26.9%. The doctors’ communication skills followed during the medical interview with the participants were weak; more than half of doctors did not introduce their names, lower their voice, or give enough time for the patient to present their problem; adding to that, 74.6% did not shake hands with patients (before the COVID-19 pandemic). 20% of doctors did not assist during seating, only one third asked permission before giving help, and only 25.4% of doctors treat unsighted patients as normal persons. Roughly one fifth of doctors called the participants by their names more than once. Conclusion: Training of doctors in communication skills techniques concerning this group is seriously needed. We recommend broader research work on a larger sample to study this topic from the point of view of doctors and patients.

Study finds COVID‐19 first responders prone to MH problems

More than half of doctors, nurses and emergency responders involved in COVID‐19 care could be at risk for one or more mental health problems, including acute traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol use and insomnia, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The researchers found that the risk of these mental health conditions was comparable to rates observed during natural disasters, such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, Science Daily reported Jan. 12.

Instruments and Perspectives of Coping with Pandemic COVID-19 in the Assessments of Medical Workers of the Kharkiv Region

Groups with special qualities in the eyes of the public can help to overcome barriers to vaccination and other anti-pandemic measures. Such groups can be opinion leaders to advance the pandemic response. One of these groups is specialized doctors. A research question: how ready are they today to act as a group opinion leader in promoting vaccinations and other responses to the pandemic? We present original data that allow us to draw the local (national) characteristics of attitudes towards measures to coping the pandemic of medical workers in Ukraine, and about their potential as an agent for informational promotion of vaccination. We used a questionnaire survey of medical workers (797 medical workers were interviewed in March-September 2021) in the Kharkiv region to collect empirical material. We focused on their assessment of the readiness to vaccinate their environment – as an indirect indicator of assessing the prospects for mass vaccination and their own ability to act as agents of promoting mass vaccination. According to the results of the survey, the social group potential of medical workers in promoting vaccination is relatively high. About half of doctors with higher education, who are included in the pandemic topics of the information space and are confident in the need for mass vaccination, can be the agent core of the information promotion of anti-pandemic tools, particularly vaccination.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Mental Health of Health Care Workers (Literature Review)

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a serious psychological impact on healthcare workers. There is an operational restructuring of medical institutions, the working conditions practically correspond to an emergency situation. Every day, medical workers receive a huge amount of new information in the form of orders, guidelines. This creates an additional load in the form of continuous "information noise". The problem of emotional burnout of doctors was acute even before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to numerous studies in different countries, almost half of doctors have high rates of emotional burnout, which is two times higher than those of the population employed in other areas of professional activity. The aim of the study is to review the theoretical and methodological foundations of the formation and development of emotional burnout in medical personnel during an increased epidemic threshold for a new coronavirus infection. The paper provides an analysis of literary sources devoted to the problem of burnout syndrome in medical workers presented in the Scientific electronic library eLibrary, as well as in the English-language textual database of medical and biological publications PubMed. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with many reasons that can adversely affect the formation and development of emotional burnout in medical personnel during an increased epidemic threshold for a new coronavirus infection. The provoking factors of the burnout syndrome (professional burnout) are the organizational factor (high workload, lack and shortage of PPE, insufficient (at the first stage) accumulated knowledge about the new coronavirus infection COVID-19); feeling of safety, threat and risk of infection; social isolation.

Combining data from consumers and traditional medicine practitioners to provide a more complete picture of Chinese bear bile markets

Abstract Understanding wildlife consumption is essential for the design and evaluation of effective conservation interventions to reduce illegal trade. This requires understanding both the consumers themselves and those who influence their behaviour. For example, in markets for wildlife‐based medicines, both consumers and medical practitioners have a role in which products are consumed. We used mixed methods to triangulate data on bear bile consumption from 3,646 members of the public, 80 pharmacy workers and 38 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctors in four provincial capital cities across China. Bear bile can be sold legally in packaged TCM products made from farmed bile, or sold illegally, often as raw gallbladders from wild bears. We interviewed medical practitioners, and surveyed the public using both direct questions (DQ) and the Unmatched Count Technique (UCT), an indirect method used to improve reporting of sensitive behaviours. We applied a ‘combined’ UCT‐DQ analysis to produce a more robust consumption estimate. In all, 140 (3.8%) survey respondents directly reported recent (&lt;3 years) bile consumption, but the combined UCT‐DQ estimate was 11.2%. In total, 14 survey respondents (0.4% sample and 10% recent consumers) self‐reported recent wild bile consumption. Almost a quarter of doctors and half of pharmacy workers had ever prescribed bile. Around half of doctors and over a quarter of pharmacy workers said that bear bile was the best medicine in certain situations. More than half of doctors and over a third of pharmacy workers thought wild bile was more effective than farmed, although we found no evidence of wild bile being formally prescribed. Consumers could name specific treatment uses of bile but almost half of recent consumers did not know the source of bile they had consumed. We show that gathering perspectives from different wildlife market actors can generate a more complete picture of trade. In China, bile consumption may be limited by its specific TCM treatment uses, but whether practitioner views on the greater effectiveness of wild bile are passed to consumers must be investigated further. With potential overlap between farmed and wild consumption, any interventions to change these markets must carefully consider how both consumers and practitioners may react. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

My journey into mental healthcare as an international medical graduate (IMG).

Over half of doctors who joined the General Medical Council's (GMC) medical register in the UK in 2020 were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background, and I am one of them. Having experienced clinical settings across three different countries, I think my journey deserves to be shared with others as a unique experience. My story will help medical students and early career doctors have a general idea of different clinical settings and hopefully will encourage them to chase their dreams. I hope to inspire people.

The pandemic of the new coronavirus infection SARS-CoV2 and the burnout syndrome in medical workers

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a serious psychological impact on health care workers. There is an operational restructuring of medical institutions, working conditions almost correspond to the emergency situation. Every day, medical workers receive a huge amount of new information in the form of orders and methodological recommendations. This creates an additional load in the form of continuous «information noise». The problem of professional burnout of doctors was acute even before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to numerous studies in different countries, almost half of doctors have high rates of professional burnout, which is twice as high as the same indicators in the population engaged in other areas of professional activity.

Assessment of the practices and knowledge among cardiologists regarding radiation protection in Tunisia

Introductionles procédures de cardiologie interventionnelle sont devenues complexes et chronophages avec un sur-risque d´exposition aux rayonnements ionisants. L’objectif de notre étude était d’évaluer le niveau des connaissances et des pratiques en radioprotection des cardiologues Tunisiens exposés au rayon X.Méthodesnotre étude est descriptive analytique réalisée en octobre 2019, organisée sous forme de questionnaire anonyme des connaissances et pratiques en radioprotection et envoyé à tous les Cardiologues Tunisiens exposés aux rayons X.Résultatsparmi 126 cardiologues exposés aux rayons X et ayant reçu le questionnaire, 58 médecins ont répondu au questionnaire (48%), avec une prédominance masculine (72%, n=42). Trente-huit médecins (65%) exerçaient dans le secteur public. L´expérience professionnelle était en moyenne de 12,02 ans (ET 6,88 ans). La moitié des médecins avaient un score de connaissances inférieur à 50%. La moyenne du score des pratiques était de 43,83 (ET 13,95%). Le port du tablier en plomb, de la cache thyroïde, du dosimètre, des lunettes en plomb, du calot en plomb était respectivement de 100% (n=58), 86,2% (n=50), 30,7% (n=18), 12,1% (n=7) et 1,7% (n=1). Il n´y avait pas de corrélation entre les scores et l´âge du médecin ainsi que la durée de l´expérience professionnelle. Les scores de connaissances ne différaient pas statistiquement entre les 2 sexes (p=0,06) ni entre le secteur public et le secteur privé (p=0,9). Le score de pratique était significativement plus élevé chez les hommes (0.007) et les cardiologues interventionnels comparés aux rythmologues et cardiopédiatres (p<0.001).Conclusionle niveau des connaissances et des pratiques des cardiologues Tunisiens en radioprotection est globalement insuffisant. Ce qui interpelle les autorités sanitaires à organiser un plan de formation régulier pour cette population.

USE OF EXPRESS TESTS IN THE PRACTICE OF FAMILY DOCTORS AND PEDIATRICIANS

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Rapid diagnosis significantly reduces the patient’s expectation of effective medical care. As a result, rapid or POC-tests are becoming increasingly important in the world. However, the frequency of their use, the avail- ability of tests in medical facilities, the aware- ness of physicians about diagnostic capabilities and the need for them are currently unclear. The aim of our study was to determine the lev- el of awareness of physicians about the use of rapid tests for influenza, RS-virus, β-hemolytic group A streptococcus and laboratory markers of inflammation in the form of POC-tests in dai- ly practice. The study was conducted by inter- viewing 78 pediatricians and family physicians in Kyiv and Kyiv region who work at the pri- mary and secondary levels of medical care. A questionnaire from EAPRASnetT (European Academy of Pediatric Research in the network of outpatient settings) was used for the survey. Our research has shown that hospital physicians are more informed about the use of rapid diag- nostics and are more willing to use it in the treat- ment and diagnostic process. A rapid antigen test for influenza is available to the vast major- ity of inpatients (78%) and only half of outpa- tients (46.3%). Half of primary care physicians (56.1%) and the vast majority of secondary care professionals (73%) are willing to use this test in practice if it is available. The results of our study also showed a higher adherence to this rap- id test of inpatients, as only 2.7% of them would like to confirm the results of POC-tests by lab- oratory tests (compared to 22% of outpatients). Most doctors in both outpatient clinics (61%) and inpatients (75.7%) are ready to use a rapid test for respiratory syncytial virus. Only 2.7% of&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; hospital doctors would like to have a laborato- ry version, and outpatients would be completely satisfied with a quick test. However, due to the lack of trust in 14.6% of cases, they would like to confirm its results by laboratory testing. About a third of physicians (39%) use the rapid test for β-hemolytic group A streptococcus in the outpa- tient clinic, but half (51.2%) stated the need for this test and its unavailability. In the hospital, the data obtained were the opposite: half of doctors already use this test (59.5%), and another third would like to have it (35.1%). Rapid C-reactive protein testing is poorly used by physicians in both health care settings (12.2% in the outpa- tient setting and 29.7% in the inpatient setting) due to low security and lack of awareness. This is confirmed by the fact that 75.6% of primary and 64.9% of secondary care physicians stated that the test is not available, but they are ready to use this test if available. POC-test for C-reactive protein is used more in the hospital than in the outpatient clinic. At the outpatient stage, 12.2% of physicians do not consider it appropriate to use C-reactive protein in the diagnosis of diseas- es, in the hospital of such physicians 5%. About 10% of doctors in both groups expressed distrust in the rapid CRP-test, as they would like to use only the laboratory version. Doubts about the ac- curacy of almost twice as many outpatients, as more often would like to check it with a labo- ratory version (19.5% vs. 10.8% of inpatients). Therefore, one in five physicians in the outpa- tient clinic would use both the laboratory and POC versions. The rapid test for procalcitonin is used by every 5th doctor in the hospital and only 7% of the primary care, which can be attributed to the low availability of the test in medical prac- tice, poor provision of medical institutions with POC-tests, as 62.2% and 78% of doctors the hos- pital and the clinic replied that they would use it if it was available. As for the complete general analysis of blood with leukocyte formula, only 17.1% and 35.5% of doctors of the polyclinic and hospital would like to use its POC version. Interviewed physicians would prefer a laborato- ry version of the test. It is necessary to raise awareness of physi- cians, especially primary care, about modern di- agnostic methods, namely the practice of POC-tests and make them more accessible, which would significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients, would have a positive im- pact on public health and significant economic effect.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Doctors\u2019 smoking control knowledge, attitudes and practices: a cross-sectional study conducted in Shandong Province, China

BackgroundDoctors play an important role in smoking control. This study aimed to assess doctors’ smoking control knowledge, attitudes and practices to help doctors raise awareness of smoking control assistance.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited 1046 doctors from Shandong Province, China, by using multistage sampling. Participants’ information was collected by questionnaire. Pearson’s χ2 test and Fisher’s exact probability method were used to compare the distributions of categorical variables between/among groups.ResultsAmong the participants, 14.7% were current smokers. Approximately 50.3% of participants had heard of smoking cessation drugs and 59.2% of participants thought that low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes were as harmful to health as common cigarettes. Approximately 98.2 and 60.9% of participants agreed that smoking was related to lung cancer and male sexual dysfunction, respectively. Although 72.0% of participants believed that doctors should actively provide smoking cessation assistance, only 58.1% of participants considered that doctors should be responsible for providing smoking cessation assistance. Similarly, 85.2% of participants often asked about the smoking history of patients or their family members, while only 4.9% of participants had prescribed smoking cessation drugs for patients. Pediatricians had a higher proportion of “Agree” responses to the assessment items than doctors in other departments.ConclusionsThe results showed that doctors in Shandong Province did not have sufficient knowledge of smoking control. Slightly more than half of doctors thought that providing smoking cessation assistance was their responsibility. Only a few participants had prescribed smoking cessation drugs.

Positive trend of Ukrainian surgeons’ attitude to simultaneous operations: analysis of survey results

In recent years, there has been an increase in attention to simultaneous operations, but their frequency does not meet real needs. The aim of the study was to determine the dynamics of surgeons’ awareness of simultaneous surgery in combined abdominal pathology. The results of the survey of surgeons of surgical inpatient departments of regional, district and city hospitals, as well as institutes and university clinics of Poltava, Sumy, Rivne, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions (except for territories not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities) were analyzed. The sample was random within a homogeneous general population of surgeons. The first survey, which included 724 doctors, was conducted in 2016. The re-survey, conducted in 2020, involved 153 doctors. The subject of the survey was the state of simultaneous surgical interventions in surgical departments departments and the personal attitude of specialists to this type of intervention. The comparison of the survey results in 2016 and in 2020 was carried out using the criterion χ2. In response to questions about the feasibility of simultaneous implementation, there is an increase in the proportion of doctors who consider these losses appropriate - from 86.3% to 96.7%. The following questions show that practicing surgeons are more likely to perform simultaneous interventions themselves - their share has increased from 66.3% to 86.3%. At the same time, the number of doctors with skills and knowledge of a related specialty increased by 20% (from 27% to 47.1%), however, it is still less than half of doctors. The share of physicians who consider it appropriate to master a related specialty to be able to perform a wider range of simultaneous interventions increased from 68.0% to 80.4%. The share of physicians with minimally invasive techniques to perform simultaneous operations increased from 26.0% to 55.6%. There is a positive trend in the attitude of practitioners to simultaneous operations. For the further development of simultaneous operations in combined pathology, it is necessary to train “endoscopic surgeons”, who must have the skills of related specialties.