Medical and Health Sciences

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    QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG PALESTINIAN BREAST CANCER WOMEN
    (An-Najah National University, 2025-04-17) Abu Sa A, Walaa Hani Abdul-Jabbar
    Background: Globally, the incidence and mortality rates of cancer are ranking withrising., with breast cancer ranking with the leading causes of death for women worldwide, including in Palestine (Devi, 2025; Elshami et al., 2022). This disease greatly affects the quality of life of affected women. Social support, meanwhile, plays an essential role in mitigating challenges and enhancing well-being in daily life. Aim: the main aim of current study is to assess the quality of life (QoL) among women diagnosed as breast cancer, evaluate the level of social support they receive, and examine the relationship between QoL and social support. Method: A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving 210 women diagnosed with breast cancer recruited from daycare units in hospitals across the West Bank of Palestine. A questionnaire was used to measure quality of life, the Arabic version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Scale (EORTC-C30), and to assess the support provided to women we used the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support (MPSS). Results: This study enrolled 210 participants women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer, the mean of age was 50.54 ± 11.83 years, regarding to marital status majority of them were married 72.4%, and 73.8% were unemployed. 51.4% of respondents resided in urban, about financial support the majority of them 73.3% depended on their family members. The mean QoL score was 52.33, reflecting a moderate level of overall well-being. A significant positive correlation was identified between social support and QoL (r = 0.65, p < 0.001). Furthermore, 78% of the participants reported moderate to high levels of social support. Conclusion: This study highlights the critical role of social support in improving the quality of life of women with breast cancer. The findings emphasize the importance of distinguishing types of social support and implementing tailored interventions to address individual needs effectively. Such personalized strategies are vital for enhancing QoL in this population. Keywords: Breast Cancer, Quality of Life, Social Support, Palestine
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    COMPARISON OF THE OUTCOMES BETWEEN PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION ALONE AND PHARMACOINVASIVE CORONARY INTERVENTION AMONG ST-SEGMENT ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION (STEMI) PATIENTS
    (An-Najah National University, 2025-02-03) Ma’ali, Basel Khairy Ali
    Background: Myocardial infarction is among the most diagnosed cardiological diseases in the whole world and in Palestine, and is managed mainly by invasive interventions to control or treat coronary artery occlusion, while some centers add tissue plasminogen activator to the plan in what so called pharmacoinvasive approach. The incidence of postoperative complications is inevitable, and therefore, the aim of the current study is to identify the most common complications compared between two myocardial infarction management approaches (percutaneous and pharmacoinvasive coronary interventions) in two tertiary centers in Ramallah and Nablus, and determine the most common risk factors associated with the differences between them. Methodology: The study utilized retrospective cohort design on a randomized sample of 160 adult (30 – 75 years old) patients who were admitted to intensive care cardiology departments of Palestine Medical complex (for pharmacoinvasive approach) and An-Najah National University Hospital (for percutaneous coronary intervention approach). The researcher used a data sheet that was developed based on previous literature, and data were analyzed using software. Results: Patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 82, 51.2%) were significantly older (mean = 59.8 ± 9.7 vs 56.2 ± 12.7) than pharmacoinvasive (n = 78, 48.8%). Catheter insertion site was mostly radial in percutaneous coronary intervention patients (95.1%) compared to pharmacoinvasive (15.4%), with no significant difference in MI location. Patients with percutaneous coronary intervention patients showed more significant decrease in white blood cells, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, triglyceride and heart rate, with more significant increase in troponin-I, and less increase in sodium, compared to pharmacoinvasive patients (p-value < 0.05) between pre- and post-operative phases. All postoperative complications, except for upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and mortality rate were significantly higher among pharmacoinvasive patients (p-value < 0.05). Lastly, significantly more postoperative complications were found among patients with dyslipidemia, valve regurgitation and cardiac hypokinesia. Conclusion: Patients who were treated with pharmacoinvasive approach showed higher postoperative complications and 30-day mortality rate. More research is needed in this area of cardiology management in Palestine. A prospective design is also recommended to be conducted for this topic in the future research.
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    DETERMINANTS AND OUTCOME INDICATORS FOR PATIENT SAFETY CULTURE AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS AT AN-NAJAH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, NABLUS, PALESTINE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
    (An-Najah National University, 2025-04-16) Kharof, Hamza
    Background: Globally, patient safety culture (PSC) is key to improving healthcare efficiency. In Palestine, PSC enhances patient trust, reduces medical errors, and raises care standards. Despite challenges, organizations aim to improve healthcare sustainability by implementing efficient reporting and training systems. This study aimed to assess the PSC among healthcare staff at An-Najah National University Hospital (NNUH), the only accredited academic medical center in the West Bank. Methods: A convenience sample of 232 healthcare providers, excluding part-time, new staff with less than six months of experience, and contracted services, participated between June 25, 2023, and July 8, 2023. Data collection utilized an online platform (SurveyMonkey) and the Arabic-translated version of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC 2.0) to Results: This study assessed patient safety culture (PSC) at An-Najah National University Hospital, revealing positive evaluations, with teamwork and continuous improvement as strengths. Response to error and staffing were areas for improvement. Conclusion: adopting proactive strategies is crucial to build a strong PSC organization; these findings are essential for hospital leadership to support staff and formulate effective patient safety programs. Keywords: Patient Safety, Perception, HSOPSC, Healthcare Providers.
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    TREATMENT SATISFACTION AND ATTITUDES TOWARD TAKING MEDICATIONS AMONG HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY FROM PALESTINE
    (An-Najah National University, 2025-02-13) Kareman, Yaseen
    Background: Millions of patients are living with hypertension worldwide. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of hypertensive patients toward taking antihypertensive medications and their satisfaction with the treatment. Methods: This research employed a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. This study was conducted in the primary healthcare centers of the Ministry of Health in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine. In addition to the demographic and clinical variables, the questionnaire also included the Arabic translated and culturally adapted Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) and the Arabic version of the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM). Results: In this study, 356 patients with hypertension were included. More than half of the patients (57.6%, n = 205) were on amlodipine. Additionally, valsartan was used by 117 (32.9%) of the patients. The vast majority of the patients (95.2%) believed that they benefited from their antihypertensive drugs, and in their opinion, the benefits of their antihypertensive drugs outweighed the drawbacks. The vast majority of the patients (95.2 %) believed that they benefited from their antihypertensive drugs, and in their opinion, the benefits of their antihypertensive drugs outweighed the drawbacks. The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) measures the attitudes and adherence of hypertensive patients toward their antihypertensive medications via 10 statements. The DAI-10 scores were affected by the time since diagnosis (p = 0.004), presence of a documented food or drug allergy (p < 0.001), body mass index (p = 0.004), perceived effectiveness of the antihypertensive medications (p = 0.010), side effects (p = 0.001), convenience (p = 0.040), and global satisfaction scores (p < 0.001). The perceived effectiveness of antihypertensive medications was affected by side effect scores (p = 0.002), convenience scores (p < 0.001), and global satisfaction scores (p < 0.001). The global satisfaction scores were affected by the time since diagnosis (p = 0.008), DAI-10 score (p < 0.001), perceived effectiveness of antihypertensive medications (p < 0.001), and side effects (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings of this study revealed positive attitudes and high levels of satisfaction with antihypertensive medications among patients, especially with respect to the perceived effectiveness and convenience of antihypertensive medications. The time elapsed since diagnosis with hypertension, the presence of documented allergies, and high BMI are important factors that can predict negative attitudes and low satisfaction with treatment. Healthcare providers and decision makers should consider measures to improve, maintain, and support positive attitudes and satisfaction with treatment among hypertensive patients. Keywords: Attitudes, Satisfaction, Hypertension, Antihypertensive medications, Treatment, Cardiovascular disease, Primary healthcare
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    .The RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SYMPTOMS SEVERITY, MENTAL HEALTH, LIFESTYLE FACTORS, AND GUT MICROBIOME AMONG IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME PATIENTS, A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY,WEST BANK,PALESTINE
    (An-Najah National University, 2025-03-24) Sa'd al deen Yasmeen
    Background: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a popular functional disorder, which is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, variation in bowel habits and bloating. IBS is one of the global disorders that constitute a burden on both healthcare organizations and patients' quality of life. Its pathophysiology is complex and involves an interaction of psychosocial and environmental factors. Also, dysbiosis of gut microbiota and gut-brain axis plays an important role in this disorder and affects patients' mental health which can affect symptoms of IBS. So the study objective is to determine the relationship between the symptoms of IBS patients and their mental health, life style, certain types of diet, and gut microbiota diversity and compare it with healthy control. Methods: in this cross-sectional study, we aimed to find the relationship between IBS patients' mental health, physical activity, MEDAS, and gut microbiota composition, and compare it between healthy control and between themselves according to the severity of symptoms. The total number of IBS patients who participated in this study was 237 and 30 healthy control participants. All participants fulfilled the questionnaire to evaluate their mental health, physical activity, adherence to the MEDAS diet, smoking habits, and the severity of symptoms for IBS patients to assess their severity of symptoms using the Birmingham IBS questionnaire. For analysis of gut microbiota, stool samples were collected from all the control and 30 IBS matching patients. DNA extraction was followed by a semi-quantitative PCR to quantify the following bacterial species (Butyricicoccus, Enterobacteriaceae, Fecalibacter, Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Roseburia) from all stool samples. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between mental health, physical activity, adherence to the MEDAS diet, smoking habits, and severity of IBS symptoms, as well as between the patient and healthy control. Results: Microbiota diversity analysis using alpha and beta diversity, got a good variance between healthy control and IBS patients, which was evaluated using Bray-Curtis dissimilarity with a value of 0.88. Mental health distress, physical activity, sleep problems, duration of, and smoking had a significant relationship between them, while no significant relationship was detected between BMI and MEDAS diet adherence. When using the Shannon index to assess alpha diversity between groups of patients with different severity of symptoms, different microbiota diversity was shown, with a significant relationship between smoking, sleep problems, and mental health distress. While no variation was shown between BMI, physical activity, and MEDAS diet adherence. Conclusion: This study shows differentiation in gut microbiota diversity between IBS patients and healthy controls. As well as, between groups of patients with different severity of symptoms. There is a significant relationship between mental health distress, smoking, and sleep problems for both. Physical activity between IBS patients and healthy control got significant relationship. These findings emphasize the significance of taking into consideration managing IBS patients based on their lifestyle and mental health status, together with traditional medication which can improve gut microbiota diversity.