Private Medical Institutions Research Articles

EFFECTIVENESS ENSURING OF PRIVATE MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS

The paper presents the results of study of the efficiency of Ukrainian private healthcare systems. The article is devoted to health care development idea. Many countries are facing serious problems in health care sector. This study illustrates an effectiveness concerning the private healthcare systems in Ukraine. The object of research is process of effective development of private medical institutions. The specificity of health care analyzed in Ukraine. The paper deals with essential problems of the specific activity of private medical institutions in Ukraine. Main advantages and problems for applying the benchmarking private health care sector are defined. The effective private medical services to the population in conditions of aggravation of crisis phenomena has been shown in the presented work. The investment attractiveness of the private healthcare sector in Ukraine has been shown. The study deals with private medical institutions complex characteristic. The paper shows the importance of improving the efficiency of private medical institutions. The key aspects of their functioning are analyzed on the basis of a detailed analysis of the problems. Ukraine need to implement healthcare reforms. The main legal, organizational and socio-economic trends and features of the process of functioning of private medical institutions in Ukraine have been revealed in the study. The results of successful introduction of these proposals on the private medical institution of Ukraine are described. The mechanism of private medicine performance management is presented in this article. Proposals for providing steady growth of private healthcare systems in Ukraine has been adduced. Recommendations for ensuring the effective functioning of private medical institutions in Ukraine are developed.

The situation of the management of private medical and pharmaceutical practice in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province by 2020

A cross-sectional descriptive survey aimed to demonstrate the current situation of the management of private pharmaceutical and medical practice in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province in 2020. The findings show that a total of 107 health workers those who are responsible for managing this job in the areas surveyed. There were 16 visits of inspection conducted by the competent agencies of private medical and pharmaceutical practice management from January to October 2020. 13 of which were found in violations at the inspected facilities. Through inspections, "practice beyond scope of expertise” is an error of violation found the most (accounting for 22.2%). All of these private practicing institutions (100%) met the condition of physical foundations. From the above survey results, the state management of private medical and pharmaceutical institutions should be intensified.

Grade 12 Students’ Perceptions of Distance Learning in General Chemistry Subject: An Evidence from the Philippines

The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic forces institution to close face-to-face classes, thereby resulting to a paradigm shift towards remote learning. Unconventional learning strategies were reinforced to continuously provide education amidst the crisis. This led to the conversion of classroom-oriented learning resources into learning resources adapted to distance learning. At present, the placement of alternative learning modalities in a new normal classroom setting has become a mainstream point of discussion in the education sector. In light of the new trend in education brought by the pandemic or other similar circumstances, this study aims to identify students’ perceptions regarding the utilization of synchronous and asynchronous distance learning resources in Grade 12 level. It also highlighted students’ preferences regarding the synchronous and asynchronous mode of delivering instructions. The participants were randomly selected 317 Grade 12 students enrolled in Special Health Sciences STEM track from a private medical institution situated in an urban area of Cavite in the Philippines. These Grade 12 students had immersed experience in synchronous online classes along with asynchronous learning activities. A dependent sample t-test was used to find out difference between the use of synchronous and asynchronous learning modalities. Conceptual understanding of students was measured based on their performance on summative assessments both in synchronous and asynchronous modalities. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were also used to present students’ evaluation on the different distance learning aspects particularly on the teaching approach, learning materials and instructions, activities, and assessments. Results revealed that students have high interest on the teaching approach in asynchronous modality consistent with obtaining better performance in the asynchronous assessment. Students valued the asynchronous threaded discussions, the availability of relevant learning materials, and teacher’s guidance and scaffolding on the learning process as essential components of distance learning (synchronous or asynchronous).

Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Based on Machine Learning Algorithm.

Prediction of type 2 diabetes (T2D) occurrence allows a person at risk to take actions that can prevent onset or delay the progression of the disease. In this study, we developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict T2D occurrence in the following year (Y + 1) using variables in the current year (Y). The dataset for this study was collected at a private medical institute as electronic health records from 2013 to 2018. To construct the prediction model, key features were first selected using ANOVA tests, chi-squared tests, and recursive feature elimination methods. The resultant features were fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c, triglycerides, BMI, gamma-GTP, age, uric acid, sex, smoking, drinking, physical activity, and family history. We then employed logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, XGBoost, and ensemble machine learning algorithms based on these variables to predict the outcome as normal (non-diabetic), prediabetes, or diabetes. Based on the experimental results, the performance of the prediction model proved to be reasonably good at forecasting the occurrence of T2D in the Korean population. The model can provide clinicians and patients with valuable predictive information on the likelihood of developing T2D. The cross-validation (CV) results showed that the ensemble models had a superior performance to that of the single models. The CV performance of the prediction models was improved by incorporating more medical history from the dataset.

HR management in private medical institutions

The article summarizes the arguments and counter-arguments within the scientific discussion on improving the HR management system in medical centers through HR policy tools. The study’s main purpose is to form proposals and focus on the prospects for the development of HR management in medical institutions. Systematization of learned treatises and approaches on the development of HR management systems showed problems in HR management’s current methods and systems. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that the improvement of HR policy could effectively form and modernize medical organizations’ personnel management systems. The study of improving the HR management system in medical centers was carried out in the following logical sequence: considering the basics of personnel management in the private organizations; studying the methods and current trends in personnel management; analyzing the current system of HR management and personnel management on the example of medical institutions of Ukraine; developing recommendations for improving the HR policy of medical centers have been formed considering the obtained results. The methodological tools of the study were the methods of comparison, the BSC system of Kaplan and Norton, the fundamental provisions of personnel management, the calculation method and the method of data analysis, and the Gantt chart. The object of the study is the HR policy of medical institutions in Ukraine. The article presents the empirical analysis results based on the identified problems of organizing a personnel management system. The essence and features of the HR policy of medical centers were determined. In the study, the authors considered the state of medical centers’ staffing and HR management methods in health care. To investigate the organizational structure and personnel in the current situation of HR management of medical centers, the analysis of personnel and financial indicators was conducted. The findings showed the deficiencies in the personnel document management and HR management system of medical centers and the reasons for staff turnover. The comparison method, Kaplan and Norton’s BSC system, Gantt chart, calculation, and data analysis allowed identifying the ways to improve the existing HR management system in organizations.

The gift of life: Knowledge and attitude toward organ donation among medical students in Malaysia

Background: In Malaysia, there is a large gap between the number of organ donors and recipients. Aim and Objectives: This study was done to determine the knowledge and attitude toward organ donation among medical students in a private medical institution in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June, 2019, among 122 randomly selected participants from MBBS students of a private medical university, Malaysia. Data were collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Results:The mean age of the study participants was 23.23 years (standard deviation ± 0.58 years). The male-to-female ratio was almost equal (49.2: 50.8%). All the participants (100%) had correct knowledge regarding brain death and the place of registration for organ donation. However, only 54 (44.3% students [95% confidence interval (CI): 35.49–53.11]) had adequate knowledge about organ donation and 59 (48.4%) students (95% CI: 39.53–57.27) had a positive attitude toward it. Younger respondents (odds ratio [OR] = 0.3685, P = 0.02) were more likely to have higher knowledge about organ donation. Positive attitude was more among male respondents (OR = 0.8788, P = 0.72) and those aged

Methodology for staff management assessment efficiency in the medical institutions

This paper considers human resources to be important for the effective functioning and development of the organization in current socio-economic conditions. Corporate management involves the impact on people (corporate staff) primarily. The authors noted that the staff management assessment is a powerful instrument to increase the management process’s effectiveness. The normative documents of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine define the following methods of quality control of medical services: clinical audit and monitoring. The purpose of a clinical audit is to find opportunities to achieve high-quality health care. Continuous tracking of staff provides an opportunity to make effective management decisions and increase productivity. An adequate system for assessing the quality of medical staff should respond not only to the result of medical care but also to prevent defects. Personnel management in health care quality should be carried out to avoid mistakes in the provision of medical care. This concept is designed to create an internal structural quality management system. Therefore, it is essential to understand the assessment process and its interactions at different stages of the management process within the organization. In the paper, the authors determined ways to enhance the medical staff management assessment. The study presents the essence and features of medical staff assessment based on the general principles and methods for assessing the effectiveness of public and private medical institutions. The authors analyzed the medical staff assessment system in medical institutions and identified its features under medical reform. Besides, the study provided the investigation of the current state of the staff assessment of medical institutions. It analyzed the areas of concern in the methods and mechanisms of staff assessment. To investigate the current situation in the medical institution, the structure and movement of medical staff were analyzed. The findings identified the gaps in the current staff assessment system and the reasons for the low rates of nursing staff. The authors highlighted ways to improve the current staff assessment system in the institution through the social satisfaction criterion, interviewing the parturient women and configuration management of quality based on the PDCA cycle. The obtained results showed that the medical institution had different reserves available to increase the parturient women satisfaction with the level of medical services received.

Operation Fund Financing and Management Performance of National and Public Medical Institutions and Private Medical Institutions

Operation Fund Financing and Management Performance of National and Public Medical Institutions and Private Medical Institutions

ОБЩЕНИЕ СРЕДНЕГО МЕДИЦИНСКОГО ПЕРСОНАЛА В ЧАСТНЫХ И БЮДЖЕТНЫХ МЕДИЦИНСКИХ УЧРЕЖДЕНИЯХ

The article discusses the professionally important qualities of physicians. Significant indicators of features of the communicative sphere of secondary medical personnel in private and budgetary medical institutions are revealed. Special attention is paid to differences in indicators of communicative competence of nurses. The necessity of forming effective strategies of their behavior is proved.

SOCIAL EFFICIENCY OF CREATING A COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT IN THE MARKET OF MEDICAL SERVICES: ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES

Purpose. The aim of the article is substantiation of the need to increase the competitiveness of health care institutions in the context of the quality of medical services, improving the image of medical institutions of various forms of ownership, strengthening the economic and environmental efficiency of their activities. Methodology of research.The theoretical and methodological basis of writing the article are the fundamental principles of economics, set out in the scientific works of domestic and foreign scientists on economic and environmental efficiency of health care facilities. Methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction were used to solve the tasks set in the research process (to characterize the levels of medical services, to argue the effects of competition in the market of medical services on the quality and availability of medical services, increase economic and environmental efficiency activities of health care institutions). Results. The risks and advantages of forming a competitive environment in the market of medical services, changes in the system of financing the medical industry are studied. The prospects of the level of territorial and financial accessibility of medical services in connection with the creation and operation, along with municipal medical institutions, of private medical institutions are substantiated. Due to the impact of environmental risks on the work of health care facilities, a system of measures to coordinate and control the state of the process of medical waste disposal has been proposed. Originality. The environmental and economic approach to increasing the competitiveness of health care facilities was improved. This approach in contrast to the existing substantiated the need to improve the quality of medical services, forming a positive image of medical institutions of various forms of ownership, strengthening economic performance, conscious management of medical waste raising the level of environmental awareness and responsibility. Practical value. The use of the proposed measures to improve the work with medical waste will reduce the level of environmental pollution, will improve the health of the population of Ukraine. Key words: health care system; medical services market; social and environmental efficiency; medical institutions; competitive environment; mortality rate.

КРІ model impact on employee motivation and competitiveness of private healthcare facilities

The Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that an individual, his/her life, and health are the highest state social values. The authors highlighted that the health care system is the basis of social policy, national security, public health, and economic development. The current reformation of medical and legal reforms in Ukraine are fully covered by health legislation. In the context of these laws, the government promotes the development of private, communal, and state healthcare facilities. The authors noted that private medicine is snowballing in Ukraine, but the competitiveness of private health care facilities is insufficient in state medical reform. The study emphasized the absence of appropriate tools and mechanisms to motivate staff in private healthcare facilities. Based on the findings, the authors proposed introducing a set of evaluation indicators combined into a single integrated system – key performance indicators (KPIs), which would be the basis for calculating the bonus payroll. In turn, this system of material incentives should encourage medical staff to work effectively, be active, and initiative. The mechanism for developing a set of KPIs should be approved at the administration of the private health care facility. At the same time, medical workers of all levels must participate in KPIs elaborating. The indicators of medical care quality could be further used to improve healthcare, differentiated work assessment of medical staff, and healthcare facility in general, in accreditation and certification of private health care facilities. In the study, the authors formed and analyzed groups of indicators for different categories of the medical staff of private medical institutions. The obtained results showed that different bonus rates are needed to motivate employees at various levels to create an additional incentive to build a medical career. Thus, it could be argued that private healthcare facilities should develop motivation policy and strategy, revise system and forms of remuneration, improve the mechanism of motivation and incentives, focus on increasing competitiveness indicators in private medicine.

Critique on the Private Health Sector Regulatory Framework in Sri Lanka

Introduction: Many governments have permitted private providers to invest in health care, as a cost sharing effort. However, it is essential to assure the reliability, quality and safety of their service provision. Therefore, Regulations have been set out and supervised by regulatory bodies to improve quality, safety and effectiveness of care. In this regard, Sri Lanka has enforced the “Private Medical Institutions (Regulation) Act- No 21 of 2006” which is the foundation for the private health sector regulatory framework. Description: Private Health Services Regulatory Council was formulated for the regulation, registration, monitoring and inspection of private medical institutions and facilitate their development. Many functions are in operation to accomplish its objectives. Feeling: I feel contented about the well formulated and enacted regulatory framework; and rapid expansion of private health sector in infrastructure and in high technology; however, I feel unhappy about not having a proper mechanism for performance evaluation and disciplinary actions for any malpractices; and about weaknesses in coverage of registration. Evaluation: Presence of a Private Medical Institutions (Regulation) Act, regulatory framework and a Regulatory Council; clear objectives, multidisciplinary stakeholders; involvement of the Provincial Director and Regional Directors, formulating guidelines, Quality Assurance programs, and Health Information Management System were identified as good. Monitoring for registration of GP centres; dealing with malpractices; attending public complaints; performance evaluations; fulltime medical staff and Health Information System seemed to be not satisfactory. Analysis: Some factors such as legislative power; participatory decision making; improved accountability and responsibility; availability of network of field officers; and aiming at a standardized system have positively impacted on the performance of private sector. At the same time, inadequate fulltime medical personal, resistance of labor unions; taxation issues; inadequacy of resources and coordination have negatively impacted. Conclusions: Private health sector regulatory framework has shown both strengths and weaknesses in implementation. Recommendations: Recommendations were suggested to strengthen development of permanent medical staff, monitoring over registration and operations, performance displaying, implementation of penalties for malpractices, maintenance of Health Information System, and price stability.

Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: Its deleterious and mortal repercussion in Pakistan

The detrimental consequences of Coronavirus infection are distinctly evident following its declaration as to the 6th Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization on 30th January 2020 and its distressing and negative implications experienced across the globe. Apart from drastically impacting the healthcare of the population, a worrisome reduction in the universal economy is also attributed to this menace.The government of Pakistan is cognizant of its responsibilities took stringent measures to curb the coronavirus infection by the endowment of services for early case detection, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine. Still, the first wave of COVID-19 resulted in a distressing scenario with the fast growth of this havoc in addition to those experienced in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. However, World Health Organization acknowledged the diligent efforts of the Pakistani government, healthcare professionals, and administrators in combating the first wave of COVID with an earlier reduction in effective Reproduction number (Rt) to 0.746 that was primarily attributed to Intermittent lockdown imposition, closure of educational institutes, avoidance of huge ceremonial gatherings and strict compliance to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).Although fewer chances of the second wave of COVID were anticipated in Pakistan due to early flattening of the curve during the first wave of COVID-19 in comparison with those of industrialized countries8 non-compliance to SOPs contributed to the rapid surge of the second wave. The government of Pakistan declared the occurrence of the second wave of COVID on 28th October 2020 when around 750 cases per day were reported. Active cases rapidly escalated to 11,000 and approximately 93 hospitalized patients were put on ventilators. Commencement of anti-government rallies and non-compliance to health guidelines are key contributors to this havoc. Currently, about 3499 active cases on daily basis are registered across the country with 39 deaths. About 410,000 active cases are detected nationally till now with 8260 fatalities. National Command and Operation Centre has accounted for a threefold ascend of infection since 12th October 2020. The steep ascend of cases during the second wave compelled the authorities to proceed with the shutting of learning institutes, the commencement of online education, and the postponement of all types of scheduled assessments except entrance exams. Even the employees of public and private sector medical institutes were vigilantly instructed to come to their offices on alternate days and keep working at home during the rest of the days from 25th November 2020 to 31st January 2021. Although these recommendations and initiatives by the concerned authorities can be of great assistance to curb the COVID pandemic but remaining extra cautious and strict observance of SOPs is of paramount significance to halt the rapid transmissibility of COVID. Stringent efforts of Rawalpindi Medical University-affiliated hospitals in battling the second wave of COVID are worth mentioning. Apart from Holy Family Hospital and Benazir Bhutto Hospital working to treat their respective catchment population, Rawalpindi Institute of Urology / Corona Hospital was reopened to cope up with the patient load amid the COVID pandemic. An adequate number of beds and necessary equipment were made available to manage the emerging infected cases.

Nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare undergraduates in Malaysia

Staphylococcus aureus is a common component of skin flora of healthy adults. However, it can cause serious infections such as bloodstream infections, pneumonia, or bone and joint infections. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is known to cause hospital- (HA-MRSA) and community-acquired (CA-MRSA) infections worldwide. Asia is reported to have highest prevalence rates of HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA. As there were very less number of epidemiological studies being done in Malaysia, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of MRSA infection among the healthcare undergraduates who will be engaging with patients soon. We analyzed nasal swabs of students from a private medical institution in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methicillin-resistance was accessed by sensitivity to the Oxacillin and Cefoxitin disks. In a total of 151 healthcare undergraduates, 117 of them were found positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Among the latter, 21 samples (13.9%) were resistant to Oxacillin and Cefoxitin. Our data shows significant high percentage of MRSA infection and therefore prevention strategies for MRSA need to be developed for the healthcare students before they engage with patients in clinic setting. Keywords: MRSA, nasal swab, healthcare undergraduates, Oxacillin.

Medical Students’ Perception and preferences on Methods of Anatomy Teaching- A survey between public and private institutes of Karachi, Pakistan

Anatomy is an essential and basic subject in the field of human sciences. The reforms and new teaching methodologies has been revolutionizing the world and helping the student in better understanding the anatomical landmarks and specific details in an interactive way. The present study evaluated the mode of anatomy teaching in public and private medical institutes of Karachi along with the opinion of students on the best teaching tool of anatomy. A total of 347 participants from private and public medical colleges of Karachi participated in the study. The data was collected by rotating questionnaires in the classrooms. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The mean age ± SD of our sample was 19.10 ± 0.77 years. In this study, majority of students from private sector institute were satisfied (58%) with the teaching methodology implemented for teaching Anatomy whereas, about (74%) participants from public sector institutes were not satisfied with the teaching methodology of teaching Anatomy. Students recommended that the use of Anatomy models may help in their better understanding of Anatomy. The present study indicates that public and private medical institutes were still using old multimedia based teaching methods of anatomy and the students were not very satisfied with the mode of teaching in their institutes. Amendments and reforms shall be implemented and efficacious teaching techniques should be applied taking into consideration the opinion of the students to bring out the best understaning in the field of Anatomy.

Medical Malpractice and Awareness of Professional Liability Insurance among Physicians and Surgeons in Nigeria

Although insurance is the traditional backbone of risk management of any modern country, yet only few people and organisations purchase insurance in Nigeria. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of awareness and use of professional indemnity insurance (PII) by Nigerian medical doctors in contending with medical litigations. The research is domiciled in five local government areas in Lagos metropolitan city Nigeria. The research data was collected from sampled respondents of 50 resident doctors in both private and public medical institutions. The results revealed that majority of the medical doctors in the sample were unaware of PII and rarely made use of it in contending with financial liabilities. The research therefore recommends that insurance managers in Nigeria should boost insurance awareness among medical doctors through market communications and public educational programmes, to stimulate the latent need for insurance services among medical doctors in Nigeria.

Development of a medical methodology for telemedicine screening of adult health in outpatient settings for population monitoring of chronic noncommunicable diseases

Today, in many countries of the world, there is a steady increase in public spending related to health. One of the promising options for optimizing these costs is the widespread use of telemedicine as a method of remote medical care. It is known that the main contribution to the health of an individual and the population as a whole is made by lifestyle. Effective screening, timely detection of risk factors and diseases at the early stages of their development, medical examinations, universal opening of health centers, prevention offices, health schools – all these measures are aimed at increasing the duration and quality of life of the nation. Despite the availability and relatively low cost of well-known programs for remote screening, it is impossible not to mention their significant disadvantages: the lack of final analytical documents, the coverage of one or more systems, the need for a face-to-face visit to the doctor to calculate risks and determine further patient management tactics. The article proposes a methodology for telemedicine screening of adult health in outpatient settings using a system for analyzing unstructured data for population monitoring of chronic non-communicable diseases. The development is based on risk calculation using the method of “decision rules” as a means of description used in the theory of fuzzy sets. The result of the method developed by the authors is a variant of telemedicine questionnaire screening, which allows determining health risks by specific profiles, forming a final conclusion with recommendations for a healthy lifestyle, further examination, treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. The development can be used in public and private medical institutions. Of particular interest is the possibility of integrating software into medical practice in the current conditions of the pandemic, as well as in the state projects “Lean polyclinic”, “Arctic doctor” and “Zemsky doctor”.

Стан та перспективи кадрового забезпечення ринку приватної медицини в Україні

The task of a modern developed state is to build an effective model of the health care system, achieve the highest level of health and ensure the development of a healthy nation in the near future. The consequences of the depleting use of ecological systems have a negative impact on the health of the population and lead to an increase in pathologies, which in turn leads to significant socio-economic damage for society. The contribution of private medicine market institutions to the financing of the medical sector as a whole remains underestimated. The article presents the differences in the activities of public and private medical institutions. It is also worth mentioning the significant distrust in the level of professional skills, abilities and experience of domestic doctors, despite the fact that one of the key factors in improving the efficiency of health care is the human resources. Today, there are 60 million health professionals in the world, but the shortage of medical staff is 4,3 million, including 2,4 million doctors. Despite the shortage of staff, the issue of providing practitioners in rural areas remains problematic. Despite the targeted referral of a significant number of graduates of higher medical institutions to rural areas, several thousand positions of doctors in Ukraine remain vacant. The article describes the basic principles, status and prospects of medical education in Ukraine, outlines the features of advanced higher medical educational institutions for the training of doctors and pharmacists, substantiates the need to change the development of medical science and the relevant requirements for professional abilities and competencies of medical professionals.Thus, the need for state regulation not only of the mechanism of training specialists for the health care system, but also of this industry as a whole, including the market of private medicine, is quite justified.

Temporomandibular Disorders and Perceived Emotional Stress Among Medical and Dental Students Studying in a Private Medical Institution in Kathmandu, Nepal

Introduction: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) is a collection of complex signs and symptoms that typically involves the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and masticatory muscles. Multifactorial etiologies of TMD include occlusal disharmony, oral habits, dysfunction of masticatory muscles and adjacent structures, emotional stress, and extrinsic and intrinsic changes on TMJ structure. Stress has been inflicted as one of the major etiological factors for developing TMD.
 Materials and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted among the medical and dental undergraduate students and interns studying in Nepal Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal from January 2018 to February 2018. Fonseca Amnestic Index (FAI) was used to evaluate and characterize the TMD signs and symptoms. The stress factor was assessed by the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS-10) which is a self-report measure of stress level which consists of 10 questionnaires in which the subjects respond on how much they suffer from the listed symptoms. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16.0. Association of different variables was tested, with Chi-square test, with a value less than 0.05 as statistically significant.
 Results: A total of 487 students had participated. Among them 32.4%were male and67.6%were female. Among the participants, 44.6%were from dental school (BDS), and 55.4%were from medical school (MBBS). The age group of the participants was 17 to 27 years. The prevalence of TMD was 50.3% in the study participants. Among the participants with TMD, 81.2% had mild TMD, 17.2% had moderate TMD and 1.6% had severe TMD. Out of the total participants, 16.4% had low stress, 76.6% had moderate stress and 7% had high stress. This study showed a statistically significant association between stress factor and temporomandibular disease (p <0.001).
 Conclusion: Higher rate of TMD and level of stress has become common in medical and dental college students. Identifying the TMD at an early age can control or at least minimize its long-term effects. Moreover, identifying the stress factor highlights the importance of providing support programs and implementing preventive measures to help students.

Applying the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) to medical, veterinary and dual degree Master of Public Health (MPH) students at a private medical institution.

PurposeWith the emergence of zoonoses such as Ebola, many medical educators, have recommended the need for providing Interprofessional Education (IPE) as a pedagogical tool for familiarizing medical (MD) students with the framework of One Health (OH). This is important as students need to understand, the wider impacts of animal and environmental health factors on human health. IPE initiatives which typically incorporate the principles of OH, can provide MD and veterinary (DVM) students with a greater awareness of the role that animal diseases and climate change have on global health. However, negative attitudes to IPE have been reported as a key limitation to IPE implementation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the differences in readiness for interprofessional learning of medical and other allied human health professional students, including veterinarians and students undertaking dual degrees in combination with a Master of Public Health (MPH). Reflecting on Role Theory (RT) and Social Identity Theory (SIT), the paper aims to contribute to the understanding of differences in perceptions that exist between different types of health professionals.MethodsStudents at a medical University enrolled in MD, DVM, DVM MPH and MD MPH programs, were invited to complete the standardized Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), which consists of 19 Likert scale items measuring concepts relating to teamwork, professional identity and roles and responsibilities. A total of 364 students across the four programs took part. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to assess differences between the programmes.ResultsResults indicate that MD students score lower on the different RIPLS items compared to DVM, MD MPH and DVM MPH students. DVM and DVM MPH students are generally more positive about the need for teamwork, while MD MPH and DVM MPH students have a stronger positive identity about the need for IPE.ConclusionsThe findings drawn from this study suggests that the MD students keep on seeing themselves as a separate group of health professionals in their own right. In order to guarantee an increased level of understanding on issues relating to the human-animal-environmental spectrum, medical curricula might benefit from the incorporation of shared learning and teamwork, as occurs within the MPH, enabling students to appreciate the value of interprofessional collaboration to their future practice. This is especially important during a time at which human-animal-environmental issues are affecting social and economic life worldwide.