Medical and Health Sciences
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
- ItemFACTORS AFFECTING PATTERNS OF MANAGERIAL DECISION-MAKING IN GOVERNMENTAL HOSPITALS IN THE NORTHERN WEST BANK – PALESTINE, QUALITATIVE STUDY(An-Najah National University, 2025-05-14) Bny-Fadel, Ola ArafatBackground: Decision-making in public hospitals is challenged by multiple, constantly shifting political, financial and leadership considerations. The unstable environments and lack of resources in developing regions such as Northern West Bank present challenges that add further complexity to the intricacies of the decision-making process. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors affecting managerial decision-making in governmental hospitals in Northern West Bank. It looks into the impact of political pressures, monetary constraints, and leadership styles upon decision-making while observing the influence of demographic variables such as age, gender, level of education, and administrative experience. A qualitative approach was used, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews. 15 administrative and technical directors in government hospitals in the northern West Bank were interviewed. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo software, coding responses into themes and subthemes, including political factors, financial constraints, and leadership styles. Demographic characteristics were also analyzed to evaluate their influence on the decision-making process. The study found political pressures-such as directives from outside entities and unstable environments-and financial constraints, such as limited resources and budget constraints, as factors with the strongest impact on decision-making. Transformational and participatory leadership styles have strong connotations of effectiveness; however, they do meet with difficulty in implementation owing to systemic reasons. In addition, among demographic characteristics, administrative experience and age are the two that are most influential—experienced managers demonstrate a greater ability to adapt and solve problems. In sheer terms, external political and financial challenges play an overriding role in managerial decision-making in the public hospitals of the Northern West Bank. Although leadership styles may countermeasure these factors, their effectiveness is largely curtailed owing to systemic impediments. Age and experience further enhance decision-making effectiveness. This makes it imperative to call for ensuring adequate authority to hospital managers, independent resource mobilization and investment in leadership development programs directed at improving decision-making in public health systems.
- ItemTHE EFFECT OF A PREOPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM ON PATIENT OUTCOMES FOLLOWING CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT SURGERY: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY(An-Najah National University, 2025-08-04) Zaid, Emad Aldeen NaserBackground: Coronary artery diseases (CADs) is a development of construction or blockages in the coronary arteries. In complex conditions of CADs, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or open heart surgery usually used. Preoperative education is a key component to enhance the recovery post-surgery; patients undergoing cardiac surgery often seek additional information if they have high anxiety levels about their procedure and recovery. Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effect of educational program before open heart surgery on the clinical outcomes of patients having coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Material and method: Quasi experimental design was used among the patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery in West Bank, Palestine. Data was collected by using four tools (Socio demographic and Physical Assessment, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) used to assess the pain, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) for anxiety assessment, Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living used for functional abilities assessment). The sample size was 50 patients taken by convenience method and divided equally to control and intervention groups (25 patient in each droup). Result: Regarding pain's score, in post-operative phase, there's no significant association between two groups regarding pain score (p = 0.394). Also regarding postoperative anxiety scores, patients who received education showed a significant decrease in the levels of anxiety (mean = 43.56, standard deviation = 6.65), while the control group recorded slightly higher mean scores (mean = 49.00, standard deviation = 7.30), with (p = 0.004). Postoperatively, the comparison of functional ability items between both groups weren't significant between all individual items and the total functional score, with all p-values exceeding 0.05. For the associated factors, the results showed that for postoperative anxiety, the marital status was statistically significant (p = 0.039), with widowed participants reporting higher anxiety (mean = 55.25). Also history of cardiac catheterization had a significant impact on anxiety (p = 0.042), with patients with a previous catheterization reporting lower anxiety scores (mean = 45.32). Also cardiac catheterization's history was the only variable that significantly affected postoperative functional capacity (p = 0.023), with those who had undergone previous catheterization scoring higher in functional capacity (mean = 15.29) Conclusion: Implementing organized education program could positively affect the clinical outcomes such as anxiety and functional ability among patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft.
- ItemPSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECT OF CO-EDUCATIONAL VERSUS NON CO-EDUCATIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS TOWARD COPING WITH UNIVERSITY LIFE FOR SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS AT AN-NAJAH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY(An-Najah National University, 2025-07-10) Agbaria, NagamBackground: For many years, people have questioned whether co-educational schools are more effective than single-sex schools. The topic is critical since it directly influences kids' futures and intersects with critical areas such as academic success, job choices, and social relationships. Aims: This study investigates the psychological effect of co-educational versus non-co-educational secondary schools toward coping with university life for second- year students at Anajah national university . Methods: A quantitative approach is used to fulfill the study's objective. The researcher selected the sample through a convenient sampling method from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences. About 294 students were selected, divided as 147 students in Co-Educational Versus 147 students in Non-Co-Educational secondary schools. Results: Results reveal four key findings. First, co-educational students consistently reported lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, while non-co-educational students exhibited markedly higher rates of moderate to severe symptoms. Second, co-educational students demonstrated significantly better coping abilities, as evidenced by higher mean ranks and a statistically significant Mann-Whitney U value. Third, coping strategies were found to be strongly related to mental health outcomes in both school types, with more pronounced correlations in non-co-educational schools, suggesting that ineffective coping may exacerbate psychological distress in these settings. Finally, age and income variables had a significant association with mental health issues and coping levels in co-educational schools, whereas gender and place of residence did not yield notable differences. Conclusion: Co-educational schools have a more supportive environment for students' mental health compared with non-co-educational schools. Findings indicate that co-educational students experience lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, while non-co-educational students report higher rates of psychological distress. Additionally, co-educational students demonstrate significantly better coping abilities, highlight the protective role of mixed-gender environments in easing university transition. Strong correlations between coping strategies and mental health outcomes were observed, particularly in non-co-educational schools, where ineffective coping exacerbates distress. The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions in non-co-educational settings to enhance coping skills and reduce psychological stress.
- ItemA CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF SELF-REPORTED SIDE EFFECTS OF BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PALESTINE(An-Najah National University, 2025-01-16) Breek, KarinBackground: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in terms of incidence. This study aimed to determine the side effects of breast cancer treatment reported by Palestinians with breast cancer and their quality of life. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. The study was undertaken in Nablus. The data collection instrument was divided into two distinctive sections. Part (A) collected data covering sex, age at diagnosis, clinical symptoms, complications, treatment measures, and side effects of the treatments. While part (B) of the questionnaire involved the quality-of-life assessment tool, the current study employed the WHOQOL-BREF (Arabic version) as an assessment tool. Results: A total of 258 patients with breast cancer participated in this study. In addition to breast cancer, 207 (80.2%) patients had one or more comorbid conditions. Of the patients, 153 (59.3%) were diagnosed less than 3 years ago. With respect to disease stage, 147 (57%) patients were in Stage I, 51 (19.8%) patients were in Stage II, 54 (20.9%) patients were in Stage III, and 6 (2.3%) patients were in Stage IV. Among the patients, 207 (80.2%) received chemotherapy, 159 (61.6%) underwent lumpectomy, 156 (60.5%) received radiotherapy, and 102 (39.5%) underwent mastectomy. When screened for the adverse effects of breast cancer treatments, the patients reported adverse effects and health issues that were categorized as follows: pain, gastrointestinal, skin and hair, health issues; pain, sleep and mental health, and respiratory/mouth and throat, hematologic, genitourinary, sensory, and general health issues. Multiple linear regression showed that the overall scores were negatively associated with having comorbidities, having advanced-stage breast cancer, receiving mastectomy, and experiencing headaches, vomiting, depression, anxiety, mood swings, mouth and throat sores (mucositis), fever, and insomnia. Conclusions: The findings of this study highlighted the heavy burden of disease and therapy-related adverse effects on the quality of life of patients with breast cancer who received treatment in Palestine. A multidisciplinary holistic care plan for breast cancer patients who integrates physical and mental health support is urgently needed to improve the quality of life of these patients.
- ItemSYNTHESIS OF CARBON NANO DOTS FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF SUGARS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS(An-Najah National University, 2025-05-26) Qassim, Samah GaziIn the world, cancer ranks second among the leading causes of death, prompting the exploration of various treatment methods such as chemotherapy with or without radiation and surgery, as well as biological and gene therapy. Due to the significant side effects of traditional therapies, alternative treatments are in high demand. Modern medical research has turned to nanotechnology, particularly nanoparticles ranging from 1–100 nanometers, to develop new cancer therapies. Carbon nanodots (CNDs) are highlighted for their unique physical, chemical, electrical, mechanical, and optical properties, making them a promising option in cancer treatment. This project aimed to employ a green and simple hydrothermal route as a bottom-up approach to producing carbon nanodots from various types of sugars (glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, and maltose). The synthesis process is achieved by carbonizing the sugars in an autoclave at 200 °C for 24 hours. The prepared CNDs were characterized by different techniques, including AFM, FT-XPS, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The characterization of the CNDs confirms their solubility in water, their tiny size, and their luminescence. According to the findings, they pose particle size range of 2.7-4.5 nm , an average quantum yield of 2.35%, an average product yield of 15% and they are soluble in water with an average ζ potential of -24.08 mV. Consequently, the prepared CNDs were exposed to two classes of cell lines, including: hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B and Non-cancerous LX-2 hepatic stellate cells served as a comparative model to evaluate the selectivity of CNDs against hepatocarcinoma cells. The exposure of the cells resulted in an anticancer activity against the Hep3B cells, while the LX2 cells remained unaffected. The selectivity index (SI) analysis revealed that glucose- and maltose-derived CNDs exhibited the most favorable selectivity toward hepatocellular carcinoma cells, with SI values of 2.69 and 2.55, respectively. These results indicate that certain sugar-derived CNDs can effectively target cancer cells while minimizing harm to normal hepatic cells, supporting their potential as selective anticancer agents. The supportive explanation of the anticancer activity is the generation of small reactive oxygen species ROS, indicating the specificity of the CNDs against only abnormal cells. These results support the therapeutic potential of structurally optimized, sugar-derived CNDs for the targeted treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, demonstrating favorable selectivity indices.