Isfahan University Research Articles

Formulating Optimal Strategies for Engaging in Health Tourism Sector in Isfahan Province

This study aims to formulate optimal human resource strategies for engaging in health tourism in Isfahan. The expert population of study consists of the professors of Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, managers of cultural heritage organisation, and administers of Isfahan hoteliers and tourism agencies. Strategic plans were formulated using SWOT matrix and space matrix. The indices of medical tourism locating were first extracted for four parts of SWOT matrix, i.e., strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities using Delphi technique. Then, SWOT matrix was developed based on which industry attractiveness, financial power, environment stability and competitive advantage were configured in space matrix. Then, the competitive situation was determined using fuzzy Delphi technique. Finally, human resource (HR) strategies were prioritised aligned with competitive strategies using QSPM.

Awareness and attitude of students and professors of medical sciences universities toward social determinants of health: Design and preliminary psychometrics of a questionnaire.

BACKGROUND AND AIM:Considering the important role of universities in advancing educational, social, cultural, economic, and political affairs and given the significant and effective role of social determinants of health (SDH) in personal and social life, this study aimed to design a preliminary questionnaire to assess the awareness and attitude of students and professors of relevant medical sciences departments toward the SDH.METHODS:This is a descriptive survey study of the instrumentation type and is done on the students and professors of Isfahan and Kashan medical sciences universities in 2019. The content and face validity of the questionnaire were assessed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the correlation coefficient for each question as well as the total score of the questionnaire were reported for this attitude measurement questionnaire. The difficulty coefficient, optimum difficulty level, discrimination coefficient, and the relevant variance were calculated for every question in the awareness measurement questionnaire.RESULTS:The internal consistency of the questionnaire for the awareness toward the SDH for 15 questions was 0.742. This consistency was acceptable for 18 questions in the attitude measurement questionnaire after omitting two questions with not appropriate distinguishing ability. The difficulty level of the questions was relatively high.CONCLUSION:Given that no tool was observed in the search strategy to measure the SDH, therefore, the design and psychometrics of such a tool can be used to measure the awareness and attitude of the target audiences; since this tool had an acceptable validity and reliability at its initial stages, researchers are suggested to apply it for standardization in different academic societies.

SURVEY THE ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF TOBACCO (NICOTIANA TABACUM L.) ON CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) GROWTH AND GERMINATION

Allelopathy is the direct influence of chemical released from one plant on the development and growth of another plant. The trial accomplished in seed technology laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University of Isfahan, in 2018. A factorial layout within completely randomized design with four replications was used. Treatments included plant organs extract (leaf, stem, root and total plant), and different tobacco extract densities includes four levels of 0%, 25%, 50% and 100%. Control treatment (0% of tobacco extract) had obtained the highest value of germination rate, germination percentage, coleoptile weight, radicle weight, radicle length and coleoptile length. The maximum germination rate, germination percentage, coleoptiles weight, radicle weight, radicle length and coleoptiles length was related to extract of stem extract which had meaningful differences with other treatments. Both radicle and coleoptile length decreased with increase in concentration of tobacco extract. Tobacco extract has negatively effects on corn seeds by decreasing the germination rate. Tobacco may increase the presence of secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, all of which may have different effects on seed germination percentage. The highest germination percentage (91.91%), coleoptile weight (0.046 mg), radicle weight (0.0161 mg), radicle length (7.24 mm), and coleoptiles length (6.45 mm) was related to interaction between control treatment (0% of extract) and stem extract. It is concluded that the extract of Nicotiana tabacum had both inhibitory and stimulatory effects on seedling growth of Zea mays.

Outsourcing in Health Facilities: Challenges in Medical University of Isfahan in Focus.

Introduction:Outsourcing is one of the major strategies for keeping competitive gain in today's highly varying markets, especially in health systems. This study endeavored to identify operational challenges of outsourcing health facilities affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2019.Methods:This qualitative study was conducted with content analysis approach. To conduct the interview, key informants were from the managers of health facilities and decision makers of health deputy and managers from private sector were selected through purposive sampling. The saturation point was reached at 12 semi-structured interviewees; this way, data were collected through interviews with experts. A thematic analysis was employed to analyze the transcriptions by MAX QDA10.Results:According to the results of thematic analysis, seven major themes identified as operational challenges of outsourcing health services in health facilities with 40 sub-themes.Conclusions:Outsourcing health services in health facilities needs to be done more scientifically and logically. Decision makers must predict the challenges and apply solutions before outsourcing, supervise, and evaluate the impacts of outsourcing after at least 1 year.

Factors related to the international research collaboration in the health area: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND:International research collaboration (IRC) is known as one of the important indicators of productivity, efficiency, and validity of universities in the world. In other words, IRC is necessary for the scientific trade-off between researchers in international scientific societies. The study aimed to address the experiences of an academic researcher about factors related to IRC.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The present study was conducted using a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis method. The participants consisted of 19 experienced faculty members and researchers from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, who were selected based on the purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using the content analysis technique. Guba and Lincoln's evaluative criteria, including credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability, were applied to evaluate the trustworthiness of the study.RESULTS:According to the research findings, factors of “personal skills,” “personality,” “professional position,” and “scientific activities” under the category of personal factors; “rules and regulations” and “equipment and facilities” under the organizational factors; and “domestic policies” and “foreign policies” were identified under the government factors category.CONCLUSION:Research collaborations are influenced by individual, intra-academic, and extra-academic factors; thus, research policymakers can help further to enhance the quantity and quality of scientific output and promote the university's placing in international rankings through providing conditions that enable international interactions.

Automatic evaluation of crown preparation using image processing techniques: A substitute to faculty scoring in dental education

Background:This study presents a new and innovative experimental method, including software and its prerequisite instruments, to use image processing techniques for crown preparation analysis.Method:A platform was designed and constructed to take images from artificial teeth in different angles and directions and to process and analyze them by the proposed method to evaluate the quality and quantity of crown preparation. For each tooth, two series of images were taken from the artificial teeth before and after preparation, and image series were registered by two semi-automated and automated methods to transform them into one coordinate system. Region of interest was segmented by user interaction, and tooth region was segmented by substeps such as transformation to hue, saturation, and value color space, edge detection, morphology operations, and contour extraction. Finally, the amount and angle of crown preparation were computed and compared with standard measures to evaluate the quality of crown preparation. The proposed method was applied to a local dataset collected from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Results:Difference between the angle of crown preparation computed by the proposed method and that of the experts showed a mean absolute error of 7.17°. The correlation between the segmented regions by the proposed method and those of the experts was also evaluated by the Intersection over Union (IOU) criterion. The best and worst performances achieved in cases by IOU were 0.94 and 0.76, respectively. Finally, the segmentation results of the proposed method indicated an average IOU of 0.89 in all images.Conclusion:Students can use this method as an assessment tool in preclinical tooth preparation to compare their crown work with standard parameters.

Stress as a challenge in promoting mental health among dementia caregivers.

BACKGROUND:Caregiver stress is harmful to the health of both caregivers and people living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. The present study was conducted to assess stress and its predictors of people living with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias' caregivers.METHODS:The present descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study was conducted in December 2017–June 2018 in Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected by interviewing 99 caregivers had at least 6 months of experience caring for a patient diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, through questionnaires developed by the researcher. A convenience sample (easy access) of caregivers was recruited from calling the home of formally diagnosed with Alzheimer's patient, that have registered in educational hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and psychiatrists' office both paid caregivers (formal) and unpaid caregivers (family). All caregivers provided informed consent. The type and severity of the relationship between the dependent (stress) and independent variable were assessed using Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients, the independent t-test, and the multivariate regression analysis.RESULTS:The caregivers' mean stress score was 25.4 ± 10.9 (range: 4–54). About 80% of the caregivers were female. Age and stress score was correlated (P = 0.004), the mean stress score was significantly higher in female caregivers (P = 0.04), informal caregivers (P < 0.001), and significantly lower in the caregivers with previous experience of caring for Alzheimer's patients (P = 0.02) or those introduced by service companies (P = 0.005). Variables including the family relationship with the patient (P = 0.01), kind of caregiving (P = 0.03), and previous experience of caring for Alzheimer's patients (P = 0.04) were stronger predictors of the stress score.CONCLUSION:Stress is a challenge in promoting mental health among dementia caregivers. Providing social support with an emphasis on physical, mental, and social health is mandatory, especially for female and family caregivers, to promote stress management, mental health in this group, and enable optimal and purposeful care.

Reproductive health self-care for female students: Educational needs assessment, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences 2018.

CONTEXT:Young people play major roles in the future of a society and face major challenges in the field of reproductive health during this period. Therefore, it is particularly important to investigate their educational needs for the reproductive health self-care.AIMS:The present study aimed to provide a needs assessment and determine the educational needs of reproductive health self-care in female students.SETTINGS AND DESIGN:Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The present research was descriptive cross-sectional.SUBJECTS AND METHODS:Data were collected from 96 female students who were selected using quota sampling and also 15 providers of reproductive health services. Data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire comprising two parts of the demographic information and the reproductive health needs assessment. The content and face validity were determined by the cooperation of ten reproductive health and adolescence health experts, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaires.STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED:Data analysis was done by descriptive statistics (mean and frequency distribution) and one-sample t-test using the SPSS 20 version.RESULTS:The total mean of needs for reproductive health education was 3.51 out of 5 in female students. Apart from the high-risk behavior, mean scores of other fields were significantly greater than the average (3). Three educational priorities included cervical cancer, violence against women, and ovarian cysts. In addition, among the popular educational methods, most people chose the non-attendance method and mostly mobile applications and then educational booklets.CONCLUSIONS:Results indicated that female students had a great need for self-care education in different fields of reproductive health; hence, it seems essential to implement the educational programs in accordance with their needs by taking advantage of the available learning opportunities in universities, particularly universities of medical sciences for their health promotion and empowerment to acquire self-care skills. Furthermore, the present research emphasized the need to pay attention to education using the Internet applications.

A roadmap for implementing general policies of resistance economy in the Isfahan Universities of Medical Sciences.

CONTEXT AND AIMS:The country development can be promoted through applying policies of the resistance economy in the health system and universities. Therefore, this paper aimed to provide a scientific analysis of resistance economy policies and providing a roadmap for their implementation in the field of health care of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This is a qualitative study. The basis, general purposes, and strategies of the resistance economy were extracted from the review of the policy of the resistance economy with a political research approach. Then, effective programs and indicators to achieve the goals of the resistance economy were proposed by holding 10 sessions of a centralized group discussion. Finally, the implementation of the resistance economy in the deputies of the University of Medical Sciences was approved by these programs and indicators along with other components and Delphi questionnaire to 30 experts. Framework analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data from the group discussion and the Delphi stage, respectively.RESULTS:Implementation of general policies of resistance economy in the field of health and treatment of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences with eight thematic bases, 39 goals, 54 strategies, and 98 programs and indicators were approved by experts. The eight areas of people-centered, economic growth, economic justice, support for internal services, economic flexibility, economic stability, economic influence, and economic health were identified as the thematic bases of communicative policies of the resistance economy in the field of health.CONCLUSION:The implementation of resistance economy policies entails planning in the long run, culture-building, appreciating the resistance economy in health issues, cooperation, and synergy among different institutions, restructuring the education system at different levels of the health system, and entrepreneurship training.

Education promotion based on "mobile technology" in the Critical Care Nursing Department: Four-phase intervention.

INTRODUCTION:Evaluation of students’ clinical performance is an essential part of nursing education. Mobile technology is one of the new methods of evaluation that has opened a new horizon for nursing professors. Therefore, this study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate mobile health technology in critical care nursing department in four-phase intervention.METHODS:This study was a four-stage educational intervention in which all postgraduate students of intensive care nursing in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences participated in the study. The four steps were designing and developing a logbook, needs assessment, designing and implementing an Android app, and evaluating users (students) of the Android app. Subjects’ satisfaction scores were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire with 14 questions. Data were analyzed using SPSS 14 software.RESULTS:In this study, a clinical practice evaluation app was designed at four levels of access (student, professor, department manager, and faculty dean). The results showed that more than half of app users reported this technology in terms of an overall response to the tool (87.5%), tool specificity (100%), the amount of information displayed (75%), page layout (62.5%), information rate (75%), recall information (87.5%), and ease of doing instructions (100%) were positive.CONCLUSION:Evaluation of clinical practice using technology was associated with increasing students’ satisfaction with evaluation method. In addition, this application enabled the simultaneous interaction between the professor with the higher and lower ranks, including the department manager and student and vice versa and the simultaneous recording of this interaction.

Nurses' Empathy in Different Wards: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background:Empathy is an important component of the nurse-client relationship and nursing care. The current study aimed to compare nurses' level of empathy with patients in critical care units, psychiatric, and emergency wards.Materials and Methods:The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 112 nurses selected by convenience sampling in three educational hospitals affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran from June to September 2017. Data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic data (such as age, gender, and work experience) and Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) containing 20 items, scored according to Likert scale from totally agree (7 points) to totally disagree (1 point). In total, the maximum score was 140 and the minimum score was 20. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 as well as descriptive and analytical statistical tests (multiple regression).Results:The mean (SD) empathy score of nurses working in critical care units, emergency, and psychiatric wards was 87.51 (6.65), 87.59 (4.90), and 90.71 (7.12), respectively. Regarding the regression models, it was observed that only the work experience was a significant predictor for empathy (β = 0.19, p = 0.04). This model predicted 3.50% of variances in the nurses' empathy.Conclusions:Nurses' level of empathy in this study was above average with equal scores in different wards. Therefore, increasing the nurses' level of empathy is essential in interventional studies.

Maternal health improvement through root cause analysis of severe maternal morbidity (maternal near miss) in Isfahan, Iran.

INTRODUCTION:Investigating severe maternal morbidity and near-miss cases are applied internationally as a new indicator to examine the quality of maternal care and as an effective strategy to reduce maternal mortality. This study aimed to determine the root causes of severe maternal morbidity in order to improve maternal health.MATERIALS AND METHODS:The present research is a descriptive case series study. The data was obtained from the hospital and health records of mothers admitted to hospitals affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences due to severe morbidity in the first 6 months of 2018, which were selected randomly. The data collection was completed by interviews with the mentioned mothers and 14 related health-care staffs and that led to the development of the morbidity story. The compiled story of each case was evaluated by the root analysis team's opinion. Causes of morbidity were determined according to a root cause analysis checklist composing of factors such as health-care services (human and structural factors), family-social status, and disease status of maternal morbidity.RESULTS:The findings indicated that human factors related to the health system led to severe maternal morbidity more than any cause. Inadequate knowledge and skills of service providers, disregard for guidelines and protocols, lack of teamworking, and lack of considering competency were the most important human factors. Disease condition, family, and social status were the other related factors, respectively.CONCLUSION:Human factors are the most important cause of maternal morbidity based on the results of this study. Therefore, modifying the health structure can be one of the most important reducing factors for maternal mortality in order to improve the services for these individuals.

Comparison of autogenous bone graft and tissue-engineered bone graft in alveolar cleft defects in canine animal models using digital radiography.

Autogenous bone graft is the gold standard for repair of bone defects. However, osteoprogenitor stem cells are suggested as an alternative treatment. Aims: To quantitatively compare bone formation in autogenous bone graft and tissue-engineered graft using digital radiography densitometry software in canine alveolar cleft model. This experimental study on animal models was conducted in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were obtained from subcutaneous adipose tissue of 4 dogs. Undifferentiated cells were incubated with a hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffold in an osteogenic medium for 21 days. A maxillary defect simulating human alveolar cleft was created from the alveolar crest to nasal floor with 15 mm width bilaterally. Two months later, the defect was filled with autogenous bone graft harvested from tibia on one side and tissue-engineered graft from MSCs on the other side. Digital radiography was performed on days 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 after grafting. Radiographic density was calculated by the mean numeric value of pixels of the desired area ranging from 0 (darkest) to 255 (lightest) by associated software. The data were analyzed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences using descriptive statistics and two-way repeated-measure analysis of variance test (α = 0.05). Mean density measured for autogenous bone graft group was 110.72, 82.70, 75.76, 93.57, 100.22, and 100.32 in days 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, respectively and 120.7, 87.62, 83.72, 92.02, 92.30, and 93.77 in stem cell group. Although the time lapse was a significant factor in two groups (P = 0.01), the results indicated that the difference between two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.942). Tissue-engineering can be used as an alternative method in reconstruction of bony defects with predictable clinical outcomes.

Evaluation of in-person continuing education programs from the perspective of ward nurses.

BACKGROUND:Assessing how programs are implemented from the perspective of the learners themselves is one of the most effective ways to improve the quality of continuing education. The aim was to evaluate the implementation of in-person continuing education programs from the perspective of nurses.METHODOLOGY:Setting of the study was the selected hospital of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (Al-zahra hospital). This study is a descriptive cross-sectional one. Using a researcher-made questionnaire, the implementation of continuing education programs in four areas of the aim, educational techniques, educational content, and educational field was evaluated. The sample consisted of 236 nurses working in these hospitals who participated in the study through convenience sampling. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 19 using descriptive statistics.RESULTS:Based on the results, “the need for new content learning” was mentioned as the first priority in continuing education programs. The majority of participants scored each of the following domains (aim, educational techniques, educational content, and education field) as well as all items related to the continuing education program evaluation as “moderate.”CONCLUSION:Most nurses assessed the implementation of in-person continuing education programs implemented in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in general and in each of the domains as “moderate.” Therefore, in order to improve the quality of programs, it is necessary to take steps to match the goals with the needs of learners, improve teaching techniques, improve the quality of program contents, and optimize the scope of the programs.

Investigation of hospital water systems contamination to bacterial agents of nosocomial infections

Aim: Nosocomial infections have become increasingly a major health concern in many hospitals. Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), including Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Legionella have emerged among the most problematic microorganisms in hospital settings, which can cause a variety of nosocomial infections, especially in susceptible individuals. Biofilm formation allows these waterborne agents to persist in hospital water systems for extended periods. Since the transmission is the initial step in disease occurrence, effective prevention of nosocomial infections requires a better knowledge about waterborne bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of presence of GNB in hospital water systems by a rapid and reliable assay. Materials and Methods: A total of 33 water samples were collected from 11 hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran and analyzed for the presence of GNB by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with the application of specific primer sets. Results: From the 11 hospitals surveyed, 91% (10 of 11) were positive for at least one of the types of GNB. GNB were detected in 58% (19 of 33) of water samples. 45% (15 of 33) of samples were positive for legionella. A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa were detected in 18% (6 of 33) of water samples. The mean concentration of heterotrophic bacteria was 36 CFU/ml. Conclusion: Detection of GNB in hospital water systems with a relatively high frequency revealed that hospital water may act as an important route for transmission of nosocomial infections. The results emphasize the importance of rapid microbiological monitoring and the implementation of strict control measures in hospital water systems.

The Effect of Foot Massage by Mother on the Severity of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Children Aged 6-12.

Background:Various pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches have been proposed to control the symptoms of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot massage by a mother on the severity of ADHD symptoms in children.Materials and Methods:This study was a randomized controlled trial conducted on 56 children who referred to psychiatric clinics affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran, 2018. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. In the intervention group, after giving massage therapy training to the mother, the mother massaged her child's foot three times a week for 1 month. The data were collected using the ADHD questionnaire. Data were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics (independent t-test, paired t-test, Mann-Whitney test, and Chi-square test).Results:Comparison of the mean score of ADHD symptoms, after the intervention, showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the dimensions of the memory and attention deficit (t47 = 3.42, p = 0.001), lack of responsibility and organization (t47 = 7.16, p < 0.001), lack of cooperation with others (t47= 5.23, p < 0.001), and the total score of symptom severity (t47 = 3.78, p < 0.001).Conclusions:Massage therapy is affordable and low-cost care that together with pharmacotherapy programs can reduce some symptoms of ADHD.

Assessment of success of financial information system in educational, health, and medical centers affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND:Financial information system is one of the subsystems in management information system that is very important in health institutions. The use of financial information system creating effective and efficient information flow will greatly assist the management in decision-making, so that it can achieve institutional goals easier. This study is endeavored to assess the success of financial information system in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This descriptive-correlational study was performed on the research population consisting of financial information system users in educational, health, and medical centers affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences during 2018 that were studied by the census method (n = 108) because of a small number of these users. The data were collected using a questionnaire. The content validity of questionnaire was confirmed by pooling the ideas of five academic members of the health information management and two financial information system users. The reliability of questionnaire was also estimated by Cronbach's alpha. Then, the AMOS software was used to analyze the gathered data.RESULTS:The result shows that system quality was positively correlated to the use and user satisfaction whereas use and user satisfaction was positively correlated to net benefit (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the information quality was positively correlated to the user satisfaction (P < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS:As per the finding of this study, to improve user's intention to use the financial information system and their satisfaction toward the system, managers need to develop useful, easy-to-understand, easy-to-learn, and easy-to-use information systems.

Improving service delivery using the self-reporting of errors by midwives and midwifery student.

INTRODUCTION:Reporting medical errors is one of the common methods for identifying and preventing mistakes in-hospital care. This study was conducted to identify the status of reporting and related factors in two groups of midwives and midwifery students.METHODOLOGY:This research was analytic correlational; it was conducted among all the midwives working in the midwifery and labor departments and midwifery students in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool included a checklist of errors and the researcher-construed questionnaires of awareness and attitude toward reporting errors. The results were examined using descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficient, and independent t-test) by SPSS software version 20.RESULTS:In this research, the error reporting in midwifery staff was 79.1% and the most frequent error was related to the patient's process of testing; the error reporting among the students was 90% and the most frequent error occurred in the labor processes. The present study also showed that there was a direct relationship between awareness and attitude toward reporting medical errors (P < 0.001), while there was not a significant relationship between the midwifery students’ awareness and attitude toward reporting the medical errors (P = 0.31).CONCLUSION:According to the study, hospital midwives reporting is less than midwifery students. Accordingly, it is recommended to focus on the error and risk management committee to strengthen the reporting system.

Effect of Olive Oil in Preventing the Development of Pressure Ulcer Grade One in Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Background:Detecting pressure ulcer is an important nursing diagnostic care required for the patients hospitalized in ICU. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of olive oil in preventing the development of pressure ulcer grade one in ICU patients.Methods:In this clinical trial, 72 patients eligible for hospitalization in hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences were divided randomly into two groups; control and intervention (receiving olive oil). The standard program of skincare was implemented on both the groups; in addition, olive oil was applied topically in the intervention group. The data was collected on the first day through demographic information and Braden pressure ulcer risk assessment scale. An infrared thermometer was used to record the local temperature of the ulcers daily. Assessments were made based on pressure ulcer scale for healing (PUSH) tool and the pressure ulcer area was examined per square cm on the first, fourth, and seventh day. The data collected was analyzed by Fisher's exact test, independent sample t-test and repeated measure analysis using SPSS (version 22).Results:On the fourth and seventh day, the PUSH score was lower in the olive oil group (7.50 ± 2.823 and 5.44 ± 3.806) than in the control group (9.50 ± 1.732 and 8.83 ± 2.864) (P-value <0.001). Also, a significant improvement of ulcer was observed in the olive oil group (mean difference = 3.56; P value <0.001) but no change was observed in the control group (mean difference = 0.75; P value = 0.052).Conclusions:Based on the effect of olive oil in the reduction of ulcer area and the average PUSH score obtained in ICU patients, the application of olive oil is recommended for healing grade one pressure ulcers.

Needs assessment of the public health curriculum based on the first-level health services package in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

INTRODUCTION:After graduation, public health students should be able to work as health care givers providing first-level health care services. Therefore, the educational objectives of public health bachelor's programs should ensure that they acquire the capabilities necessary for this purpose. This study identified the educational objectives that are essential for these students and compared them with the current curriculum in Isfahan, Iran.METHODS:This needs assessment study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the essential educational objectives were identified using a qualitative approach, which involved eight focus group discussions held by a group consisting of experts of the public health headquarters and public health network administration offices of Isfahan province and the public health graduates working in the province's comprehensive health service centers, who were chosen using the purposive sampling method (n = 59). In the second phase, a comparative study was performed by turning the list of essential educational objectives into a checklist and using it to compare these objectives with the objectives in the current course plan in the examined curriculum. In the end, a list of educational objectives not included in the current curriculum of the public health bachelor's program was created.RESULTS:The focus group discussions produced 433 educational objectives in the cognitive domain, 79 objectives in the affective domain, and 179 objectives in the psychomotor domain, which were arranged in eight competency categories. Comparison of the essential educational objectives with the current curriculum showed that the current curriculum does not cover any of the essential objectives regarding care for the age groups of 18–29 and 30–59 and the first aid and only partially covers essential objectives in other competency categories.CONCLUSION:This study found that considering the requirements of first-level health services and the tasks expected from public health graduates to be providing these services, the current curriculum does not cover all essential learning objectives and should be revised to meet additional essential educational objectives.