Educational Level Of Participants Research Articles

Exploration of demographic prevalence of mild cognitive impairment using Montreal cognitive assessment: A cross-sectional pilot study in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana.

BackgroundThe Global prevalence of dementia is projected to rise, particularly in low and middle-income countries like Ghana. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an intermediate phase between normal cognitive aging and dementia, is characterized by an objective and subjective decline in cognitive abilities. Individuals with MCI have a greater likelihood of progression to dementia. PurposeThere is a paucity of studies focused on assessing the prevalence, risk factors and characteristics of mild cognitive impairment within the Ghanaian population. This study assessed the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment and explored its relationship with various sociodemographic factors. MethodsA prospective cross-sectional analytical study within Cape Coast, Ghana, evaluating the cognition of 100 participants using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. The prevalence of MCI was determined using simple descriptive measures. The two-way ANOVA was used to determine risk factors for developing MCI. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between educational level and MoCA score. ResultsA majority (65.4 %) of participants within the age group 40–49 years had mild cognitive impairment. 42.86 % of male and 40.54 % of female participants had MCI (MoCA score < 26). There was a significant correlation (r= 0.608, p= 0.0001) between the educational level of participants and the MoCA score. Participants classified as having MCI based on their MoCA score, performed significantly poorer in visuospatial, attention, language, abstraction and delayed recall domains compared to those with normal cognition. ConclusionThe MoCA tool is a useful for detecting MCI, particularly among Ghanaians with at least 7 years of formal education. The prevalence of MCI among individuals aged 40–49 years in the Cape Coast Metropolis represents an important health burden.

Assessing Oral Cancer Knowledge and Awareness among Dental Patients of Bengaluru City, India

Abstract Background Oral cancer (OC) is prevalent in India, with serious social and economic ramifications on the public, often resulting in poverty and societal imbalance. Knowledge of the risk factors and signs and symptoms may reduce the OC burden on the society. Objectives To assess the knowledge regarding risk factors and clinical indicators in early detection and prevention of OC among dental patients. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study, interviewer-administered questionnaire was conducted among 540 adult patients attending the outpatient department of dental hospital. The questionnaire contained items about participants' characteristics, including demographics, education level, and knowledge about major risk factors: use of tobacco products, alcohol, diet/nutrition, family cancer history, oral hygiene habits and dental aspects, and clinical presentation of OC. The SPSS software was used to analyze the data, and the significance threshold was set at p = 0.05. The subjects were counseled immediately after completion of the questionnaire regarding tobacco cessation, and was given advice on diet, oral hygiene maintenance, and other lifestyle modifications. Results A solid understanding of signs and symptoms was demonstrated by 72%. However, two-thirds of this group were unaware of the symptoms associated with OC. As for OC risk factors such as tobacco use and heavy alcohol consumption, 61.6% expressed good knowledge. Of the total, 38.3% reported visiting a dentist at least once a year for dental issues in the past 3 years, yet none of them had undergone OC screening. Additionally, less than 10% of the patients received OC counseling or tobacco cessation intervention from a dentist. Conclusion Knowledge of OC risk factors and signs and symptoms were average, which may adversely affect the practices regarding prevention and early detection.

The economic burden of visceral leishmaniasis and barriers to accessing healthcare in Tigray, North Ethiopia: A field based study.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important public health problem, which mainly affects the poor rural dwelling communities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. However, little is known about the health and economic burdens of this disease in East Africa, including Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the household level economic burden of VL among affected communities in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Between April and August 2020, a cross-sectional household survey was conducted on 96 patients who had been treated for VL within 12 months prior to the survey, in six districts of Tigray. Data on households' health seeking behavior, direct and indirect costs and coping strategies were collected using a structured questionnaire and the responses were analyzed using SPSS software. Most (82%) of the patients surveyed were males and the majority (74%) of them were between 16 and 30 years of age. The education level of participants was very low: over 33% had not received any form of education; 48% of patients were farmers dependent on subsistence agriculture and about 32% were daily laborers. Just under half of household families (46%) resided in "poor houses" with structures made from entirely local materials. Forty-one percent of patients from the surveyed households had traveled 48 to 72 kilometers to reach VL treatment hospitals. The median total household cost for one VL episode was estimated to be US$ 214. This is equated to 18% of the mean total annual household income or 72.5% of annual per capita income of the study population. More than 80% of the households surveyed incurred catastrophic costs of VL, where this is defined as exceeding 10% of annual household income. The median delay between the onset of symptoms and arrival at a care provider hospital was 37 days; once the patient arrived at hospital, the median delay during diagnosis was 3 days. Direct and indirect costs represented 44% and 56% of the total costs incurred, respectively. To cope with VL treatment costs, 43% of the households used more than one coping strategy: 48% took out loans, 43% sold livestock and 31% of households mobilized cash savings. VL in Tigray is concentrated among young males with low educational background and mostly engaged in subsistence economic activities. Despite the free diagnostic and treatment provisions that were available at public hospitals at the time of the study, our work shows that the household economic burden of the disease had significant impact among VL-affected communities in Tigray. Initiating community awareness towards prevention, early treatment seeking and decentralization of VL treatment centers are strongly recommended. In addition, we recommend efforts to reduce household treatment costs through transport and food provisions for patients (and their accompanying carers where possible) or through cash reimbursement for patients who complete treatment at public hospitals, in order to reduce the barriers to seeking treatment for this life-threatening disease.

Substance use patterns and negative urine opioid screen among patients on methadone treatment at a referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya

Background Substance use is a global health concern, with opioids contributing significantly to the disease burden. In Kenya, Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) programs using methadone have been implemented to address opioid use disorder. Despite the effectiveness of methadone, the concurrent use of other substances remains a critical challenge. This study aimed to assess substance use patterns at enrolment and evaluate the prevalence of negative urine opioid screens among patients attending a MAT clinic at a tertiary hospital in Kenya. Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the medical records of 713 patients enrolled in the MAT clinic between December 2014 and February 2018. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, concurrent substance use at enrolment, and urine opioid screen results at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months were collected. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors associated with concurrent substance use, and the likelihood of achieving negative urine opioid screens. Results At enrolment into the MAT program, nearly all participants (712 out of 713) reported concurrent use of additional substances, with tobacco (91%) and cannabis (82.9%) being the most common. Concurrent substance use was significantly influenced by participants age, gender, education level, and route of administration of the substance. The program achieved an 81.3% retention rate at 24 months. However, the prevalence of negative urine opioid screens was lower compared to other populations, with a gradual increase from 61.3% at 6 months to 81.4% at 24 months. Notably, male patients (HR = 1.411, 95% C.I. 1.063–1.873, p = 0.01700) and those receiving higher methadone doses (HR 7.052, 95% CI 3.408–14.593, p&lt;0.0001) were more likely to achieve negative urine opioid screens. Conclusions This study reveals a high prevalence of concurrent substance use among patients enrolling in the MAT program in Kenya, which may affect their likelihood of achieving negative urine opioid screens. These findings underscore the need for methadone treatment programs to adopt comprehensive approaches that address all substance use disorders to improve treatment outcomes.

S2071 A Lack of Transparency in Demographics, Education Level and Socioeconomic Status of Participants in Randomized Control Trials for Surgical and Non-surgical Management of Obesity

S2071 A Lack of Transparency in Demographics, Education Level and Socioeconomic Status of Participants in Randomized Control Trials for Surgical and Non-surgical Management of Obesity

Factors influencing HPV vaccine hesitancy among university students in China: A cross-sectional survey utilizing the 3Cs model

ABSTRACT The HPV vaccine, which has been demonstrated to be an effective method of reducing the risk of developing cervical cancer, is still being underutilized among college students in China. To assess the current status of HPV vaccine hesitancy among college students in Guangdong Province after the COVID-19 outbreak, and to systematically analyze the influencing factors of HPV vaccine hesitancy and construct a prediction model based on the WHO 3Cs model. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in June 2023 among female college students in four cities in Guangdong Province. The data were analyzed using binary logistic regression with a focus on the 3Cs model: Complacency, Convenience, and Confidence. LASSO regression was employed to analyze the variables deemed to be of significance and to construct predictive models. Out of 1399 participants, 86.5% expressed no hesitancy toward HPV vaccination. However, 11.9% exhibited hesitancy, and 1.6% refused vaccination altogether. Factors such as trust in vaccine efficacy, perception of HPV infection risk, price considerations, and constraints like distance or time were significant contributors to hesitancy. Knowledge of the HPV vaccine, socio-demographic characteristics, and the educational level of participants’ mothers also played a role in vaccine hesitancy. It is recommended that targeted interventions be implemented within educational institutions with the aim of raising awareness of cervical cancer and HPV vaccines, simplifying the scheduling of vaccination appointments, and increasing affordability through the implementation of strategic purchasing measures or subsidy schemes.

Forensic Odontology related awareness, knowledge and attitude among dentist and dental students in two Egyptian Universities: A survey-based study.

This study evaluated the awareness, knowledge, and attitude regarding forensic odontology (FO) among dental students and graduates at Beni-Suef University and Badr University in Cairo, Egypt. This cross-sectional study included 316 dentists and dental students in their final year of undergraduate study. An online self-administered questionnaire in English was used to obtain participants' responses. Less than half of the participants (47.5%) were aware of the branch of dentistry named FO. The highest percentages of correct answers in the knowledge assessment were reported in dental age estimation questions, while the lowest percentages were in items related to the use of FO in confirming sexual abuse and using palatal rugae as a marker in forensic identification. The most common source of knowledge was the internet (52.0%). Only 11.1% of the participants received FO courses in their colleges. Studying FO as a postgraduate course was interesting to 67.4% of the participants. The knowledge score was significantly associated with the participants' gender, graduation status, and educational level. This study revealed a lack of awareness of FO as a branch of dentistry among dental students and dentists in Egypt. Increasing awareness and knowledge of FO could be achieved by integrating FO into the dental curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Nomophobia, loneliness and depressive symptom levels of adults living in a district of Türkiye.

This study was conducted to evaluate whether smart cell phones detach people from social life, make them lonely, cause depressive symptoms and whether there is a relationship between them. This is a cross-sectional study using face-to-face survey method. The sample was determined as 376 participants, with 95% confidence interval, 50% probability depending on the probability of having a smartphone or not. Participants in the sample were determined by systematic random sampling from adults aged 20 and over in Çiftlik district of Niğde province. The NMP-Q, DASS-42 and UCLA-LS were used. The median age of the 376 participants (192 male, 184 female) was 30 and the mean age was 32.0 (±10.94) years. Participants that had social media accounts were 68.9% of the population. Over 70% of the participants had mild, moderate or severe nomophobia. Nomophobia status of the participants was affected by the mean duration of the first-time smartphone use (P = .017), the mean daily smartphone usage time of the participants (P < .001), the mean number of smartphone users in the participants' families (P = .003), the mean depression and stress scores of the participants (P < .001), having social media account (P = .001), and declaration of smart phone dependency (P = .005). Nomophobia status was not affected by participants' gender, mean age, educational level, employment status, economic status and marital status (P > .05). The duration of daily smartphone use, the duration of first-time smartphone use, and having multiple smartphone users in family increased nomophobia. Also, having active social media accounts and self-reported smartphone addiction found correlated to nomophobia. Smartphone addiction increases depression, anxiety, and stress scores of the participants.

Investigating the socio-demographic characteristics and smoking cessation incidence among smokers accessing smoking cessation services in primary care settings of Qatar, a Historical Cohort Study

BackgroundTobacco dependence is a chronic disease that often requires repeated interventions and multiple attempts to quit. Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of mortality. Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people smoke.In Qatar, Smoking cessation services (SCSs) are provided free of charge to citizens and at a minimal cost to non-citizens. This study aimed to measure the effectiveness of the smoking cessation program adopted by the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) of Qatar. This was achieved through calculating the percentage of smoking cessation service users (survival probabilities) who maintained the non-smoking status after selected follow up periods. Moreover, the study highlighted the possible association of selected explanatory variables with smoking cessation survival probabilities.MethodsIn this historical cohort study 490 participants were recruited by simple random sampling who attended the smoking cessation clinics (SCCs) in PHCC prior to 30/06/2021. The participants were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the study. The participants who agreed to participate in the study were interviewed utilizing a structured questionnaire.ResultsInitially 311 (63.5%) of the participants quitted smoking after receiving SCSs. There were statistically significant differences between quitting smoking and the nationality and the educational level of participants (p ≤ 0.001 and 0.02 respectively). About one fourth (23.3%) of individuals who initially quitted smoking relapsed and resumed smoking as early as 6 months after completing their SCC visits. This relapse rate increased to 38.7, 47.2 and 51.1% after 12, 24 and 36 months respectively. Less than a half (45.8%) maintained the non-smoking status after 42 months from their initially quitting.Conclusion and recommendationsThe findings of the study substantiate the effectiveness of SCSs designed within PHCC both in short- and long-term basis. Younger individuals, smokers with Arab ethnicity, smokers falling within high income and education groups were identified as high-risk groups and need highest focus. The accessibility to the service among the local population can be increased by upscaling the advertisement of the existing services.

Neurotype and participatory autism knowledge predict perceptions of an autistic employee in the workplace

IntroductionAutistic adults are unemployed at much higher rates than the general population. Differences due to autistic traits, including social skills differences, are often barriers to autistic adults obtaining and retaining employment in non-autistic workplaces. The double empathy problem (DEP) posits that autistic social differences are not due to assumed autistic social impairment but to mutual misunderstandings within the autistic/non-autistic social interaction. Consistent with the DEP, autistic adults are more likely to accurately interpret the behavior of an autistic employee, compared to non-autistic adults. This study examined additional factors, beyond neurotype, that are associated with accurate interpretation of the behavior of an autistic employee.MethodsA sample of 73 autistic and 140 non-autistic participants read a vignette about a hypothetical autistic employee in a non-autistic workplace having a difficult workday. Participants completed questions about their interpretation of the employee's behavior, an autism knowledge measure, autism experience questions, and demographic information.ResultsGeneral autism knowledge, but not autism experience, was an influential predictor of accurate behavior interpretation toward the autistic employee and negated the predictive influence of education level, income, and gender identity of participants (OR = 1.12, p &amp;lt; 0.001). However, regardless of the level of autism knowledge, autistic participants continued to be significantly more likely to accurately interpret the behavior of the autistic employee, compared to non-autistic participants (OR = 2.94, p = 0.02).DiscussionResults continue to contribute support for the DEP within the context of autistic employment challenges. Findings also point to autism education as a promising autism workplace support in addressing the DEP and barriers autistic adults face with obtaining and retaining employment.

A RESEARCH ON BANK EMPLOYEES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REMOTE WORKING MODEL

In this study, the effect of teleworking on bank employees is examined. In the study, a questionnaire was applied to private and public bank employees in Van using the teleworking policies scale. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 26 and Lisrel 8.80 software with t-test, One-Way Analysis of Variance, and Pearson Correlation tests. In the Independent t Test (t) analysis of the participants according to gender, marital status, and bank type; while there was no significant difference between the sub-dimensions of the teleworking policies scale according to gender, bank, and marital status, a significant difference was found in the sub-dimension of the teleworking policies scale according to marital status. In the ANOVA analysis according to the participant's education level, age, working time in the organization, and the type of position worked; there was no significant difference between the sub-dimensions of the teleworking policies scale according to the education level, age, working time, and the type of position worked; according to the type of position worked; a significant difference was found in the sub-dimension of the teleworking policies scale in job performance. The Pearson Correlation method was used to find the relationship between the variables and a significant positive relationship was found.

Upaya Pencegahan Infeksi Saluran Pernafasan melalui Edukasi Vaksinasi Secara Daring

Pneumonia, a severe respiratory disease, can have deadly consequences. Increased air pollution in Jakarta can increase the risk of respiratory tract diseases, including Pneumonia. The risk of Pneumonia infection in adults can be reduced by vaccination. The Pharmacy Department of the Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia held an in-depth seminar on Pneumonia and vaccination to provide information and invite all people to understand the urgency of vaccination. Educational activities are conducted as online seminars using a video conferencing platform. Two speakers gave interactively educational information about Pneumonia and vaccination, and more than 60 people attended the seminar. Demographic data on participants shows that the gender of most participants was female, the age of most participants was 26-45 years old, and the education level of most participants was university level. Of the participants who attended, as many as 63.7% had never been vaccinated against Pneumonia, and 68.1% were willing to be vaccinated against Pneumonia. In conclusion, this seminar successfully increased the knowledge and awareness of the public about Pneumonia and vaccination.

Reporting of Participants' Sex, Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status in Pituitary Surgery Literature.

Introduction Social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with differential outcomes after pituitary tumor treatment. However, the specific impact of SDOH is not well characterized. One reason may be the lack of collection and reporting of sociodemographic variables in the literature. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of reporting and distribution of participants' sex, race, ethnicity, income, and education level within pituitary surgery literature. We will compare the reported clinical research population demographics to the 2020 U.S. census. Methods A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases for pituitary surgery clinical research published between July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. We excluded studies that lacked a comparison group, were not original research (i.e., systematic reviews, meta-analysis), or included national databases and registry data. Results The final analysis included 92 studies. A total of 99% of studies collected data on subject sex. On average 49% (range: 14-100%) of study populations were male. Only 4% ( n = 4) studies included racial demographic data. Two studies included information on participants' ethnicity and two included education background. No studies included income or insurance data. Four U.S. studies included demographic distribution, and the reported race and ethnicity percentages are similar to the U.S. 2020 census distribution. Conclusion Most clinical pituitary research collects and reports data on participant sex. However, very few studies collect and report data on other sociodemographic variables that can play a role in outcomes. The lack of sociodemographic information in clinical research literature makes it difficult to determine the role of SDOH on pituitary surgery outcomes.

The Psychosomatic Health Status of Polish Psychiatric Nurses in Relation to Socio-Demographic Variables

Objective: The main aim of the study was to assess the psychosomatic health status of psychiatric nurses based on sociodemographic variables. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted at the Mazovian Provincial Hospital in Ząbki on a group of 101 individuals working in nursing positions. All participants gave voluntary and free consent to participate in the study. The study obtained approval from the bioethical committee. The health status of the respondents was assessed using a standardized, validated GHQ-28 questionnaire. The level of significance was set at p=0.05. Results: Social dysfunction among participants increased with age and length of employment at the current workplace (p &lt; 0.05). Significantly higher scores (p &lt; 0.05) in this area were observed in individuals in marital relationships and those with higher education. The intensity of anxiety and insomnia was significantly higher (p &lt; 0.05) in individuals in marital relationships, respondents with secondary education, and those with a total work experience exceeding 30 years and over 15 years in the current workplace. The intensity of depressive symptoms was associated with a lack of higher education among respondents. The factor with the greatest impact on somatic symptoms among surveyed nurses (p &lt; 0.05) was age over 50. Conclusions: There is a significant association between the intensity of somatic symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and functional disorders and the age of participants. There is a significant association between the intensity of anxiety and insomnia symptoms, functional impairments, and the marital status of participants. There is a significant association between the intensity of depressive symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, and social dysfunction and the education level of participants.

Knowledge about the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Taif City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross sectional study

Background: Diabetes patients are significantly more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Lack of understanding about the disease’s risk for CVDs would increase morbidity and mortality. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the level of awareness among persons with type 2 diabetes in Taif, Saudi Arabia, regarding their risk of CVDs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 300 type 2 diabetic patients through an online survey. Results: The mean knowledge of risk of cardiovascular disease among adults in Taif was 15.4 ± 5.4. 26% of the participants had an age range from 50-59 years and 57.1% were females. Most of the participants had an age at diabetes diagnosis more than 30 years and 41.7% had a duration of disease less than 5 years. Regarding knowledge of participants it was reported that, a family history of heart disease 55.8%, old age 66%, smoking 79.5%, high blood pressure 76.9% and bad cholesterol (LDL) 74.4% at higher risk for developing heart disease. 64.4% knew\ they should keep their blood pressure under control and 80.1% knew regular exercise can reduce their risk of developing heart disease. There was a positive relationship between participants education level and knowledge. Conclusion: This study found that adults with type 2 diabetes in Taif have a high level of knowledge about the risk of cardiovascular disease. Education and preventive measures for patients about CVD risk factors and diabetes management can improve health and reduce the risk of CVD. Keywords: knowledge, risk, CVD, DM, adults, Taif

Understanding migraine in Saudi society: An assessment of public knowledge and attitudes: A cross-sectional study.

This study aims to assess the knowledge and perceptions of the public toward migraine in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional survey assessed the knowledge and perceptions of migraine among Saudi Arabian individuals. The study was conducted over three months in 2023 (1st of June 2023 to 31st of August 2023) using a prevalidated online questionnaire divided into four sections. A total of 1,975 adults aged between 18 and 64 completed the web-based survey. Of these, over half were male (n = 1,268; 64.2%). The main causes of migraine identified by the participants were genetic disease (n = 540, 27.3%), followed by physical disease (n = 341, 17.3%), head trauma (n = 274, 13.9%), and psychiatric disease (n = 157, 7.9%). The main symptoms identified by the participants were photophobia (21%), followed by inability to control urine (14.1%), vomiting and nausea (13.8%), and vision loss (8.3%). The majority of the participants in this study had a good knowledge of migraines, while 49% had poor knowledge. The migraine knowledge score was significantly associated with the participants' gender (p = 0.002), age (p = 0.0001), educational level (p = 0.001), employment status (p = 0.001), monthly income (p = 0.0001), region (p = 0.0001), and history of migraine (p = 0.0001). Although one-third of the participants exhibiting good knowledge, deficiencies existed in certain clinical aspects, emphasizing the need for targeted educational interventions to enhance public awareness and understanding of migraines.

Awareness of chronic kidney disease and the perception of the community towards organ donation and renal transplantation in Riyadh province of Saudi Arabia

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant health problem associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Awareness of CKD in people is crucial to decrease mortality, morbidity, and complications. CKD can lead to end-stage renal failure that needs renal transplantation. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the awareness of chronic kidney disease and the community's perception of organ donation and renal transplantation. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 503 Saudi adults between June and September 2022 in Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia. We distributed online self-administered questionnaires among the general adult population utilizing convenient sampling. Results: Most of the participants had university degrees (67.2%). Of the total, 40.6%, 24.5% and 29.2% of participants knew that painkillers, hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are risk factors for CKD, respectively. A significant relationship was observed between knowledge about risk factors of CKD and educational level (p&lt;0.05), but an insignificant relation with gender (p&gt;0.05). Most of the participants (53.3%) supported organ donation, and a significant relationship was observed with the gender and educational level of participants (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: The current study showed low awareness of CKD and poor knowledge about kidney transplantation and organ donation in the community of Saudi Arabia. Mass media and campaigns can be central in raising awareness about CKD and organ donation to help facilitate disease identification and prevention. Keywords: Chronic renal disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, attitude

Evaluation of a novel augmented reality educational tool and its effects on patient experience: A randomized controlled trial.

Patient education is an essential element of the treatment pathway. Augmented reality (AR), with disease simulations and three-dimensional visuals, offers a developing approach to patient education. We aim to determine whether this tool can increase patient understanding of their disease and post-visit satisfaction in comparison to current standard of care (SOC) educational practices in a randomized control study. Our single-site study consisted of 100 patients with initial diagnoses of kidney masses or stones randomly enrolled in the AR or SOC arm. In the AR arm, a physician used AR software on a tablet to educate the patient. SOC patients were educated through traditional discussion, imaging, and hand-drawn illustrations. Participants completed pre- and post-physician encounter surveys adapted from the Press Ganey® patient questionnaire to assess understanding and satisfaction. Their responses were evaluated in the Readability Studio® and analyzed to quantify rates of improvement in self-reported understanding and satisfaction scores. There was no significant difference in participant education level (P = 0.828) or visit length (27.6 vs. 25.0 min, P = 0.065) between cohorts. Our data indicate that the rate of change in pre- to post-visit self-reported understanding was similar in each arm (P ≥ 0.106 for all responses). The AR arm, however, had significantly higher patient satisfaction scores concerning the educational effectiveness and understanding of images used during the consultation (P < 0.05). While AR did not significantly increase self-reported patient understanding of their disease compared to SOC, this study suggests AR as a potential avenue to increase patient satisfaction with educational tools used during consultations.

Consumers Awareness of Nutritional Information in Food Labels in Benghazi/Libya

A nutritional label is a list of nutrient level of a product displayed on the food label. The current paper aims to study consumers' awareness of nutritional information in food labels in Benghazi, Libya. Study included four hundred participants; data were collected by questionnaires. Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics. Chi-Square test used to examine the significant differences in the sample. Findings showed that, most participants were aware that pre-packaged foods must carried nutritional label, while more than half of them had low awareness level of nutrition label information. Fat and total energy were the most sought for nutrient information among participants who used nutrition label. The use of “no preservatives” phrase for measuring consumer awareness level of nutritional label was the only parameter that give high consumer awareness level of nutritional label in comparison with other parameters such as brand name of products and the components of nutrition label. Statistically significant association were observed between nutrition label awareness and age, gender, job, marital status and education level of participants.

Usability Evaluation of Emergency Department Information System: A Case of Discharge and Admission Sections of an Educational Hospital

Introduction: The emergency department is amongst the most important parts of the hospital, which has a great impact on the performance of other departments. In this regard, Emergency Department Information System (EDIS) plays a vital role in providing effective and appropriate healthcare services.Material and Methods: To evaluate the user-perceived usability of admission and discharge sections of the Emergency Department Information System of Shohada-e-Tajrish Educational Hospital, the study is carried out utilizing SUS and PSSUQ scales. Research participants include all users in the admission and discharge sections of the emergency department of the Hospital.Results: The mean score of the system usability based on the results of the SUS scale was 49.62±23.23, which is lower than the acceptable level (score above 68). The results generated by the PSSUQ tool revealed that the information quality (4.79), interface quality (4.91), and system usefulness (4.42) of admission and discharge sections of the EDIS do not have appropriate scores and need to be improved in this regard. .The worst usability score was related to system usefulness. There was no statistically significant correlation between the age of participants and usability scores. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference between the user-perceived usability and the education level of participants (p&gt;0.05).Conclusion: The study revealed that users are not satisfied with system usability. In the event that the usability of the system is suboptimal, the user fails to effectively utilize the system, thereby impeding the attainment of the intended ultimate objective for which the system has been designed. Regarding the importance of admission and discharge sections in the EDIS, strides need to be made to improve the usability of the system which is used at the emergency department of Shohada-e-Tajrish educational hospital.