Medical and Health Sciences

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11888/18295

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 69
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    THE EFFICACY OF PLAY THERAPY PROGRAM IN REDUCING CONDUCT DISORDERS AMONG CHILDREN OF RESIDENTIAL INSTITUTIONS
    (An-Najah National University, 2024-11-03) Takrori, Roaa
    Background: Family deprivation is one of the worst experiences a person can have. Children living in residential facilities and separated from their families suffer from many psychological damages. These psychological issues can be reflected in their behavior, leading to conduct disorders. Aim: To identify the conduct disorders of children deprived of their family environment and residing in residential institutions. It also aims to assess the effect of play therapy on these disorders. Method: In this study, we used a quasi-experimental design. It was divided into a control and an experimental group. The Burks Behavior Rating Scale (Arabic version) (Al-Qaryouti & Jarrar, 1987) was administered to the participants. The Play Therapy Program was implemented, and data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 24. Results: The results indicated that play therapy is effective in reducing the severity of conduct disorders among children residing in residential institutions. Conclusion: Symptoms of conduct disorders are prevalent among children residing in residential institutions. Effective interventions, such as play therapy, can help reduce these disorders. It is essential to increase awareness in residential institutions, schools, and similar settings about conduct disorders and effective strategies for managing them. This can be achieved through workshops, lectures, and training courses focused on play therapy.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF PHYSICIANS AND NURSES TOWARDS MENTAL DISORDERS AND RELATED HEALTH SERVICES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY IN PALESTINE
    (An-Najah National University, 2024-10-23) Qattawi, Ayat
    Background: The provision of mental health services faces several financial and health challenges, while the healthcare professionals (HCPs) should acquire the appropriate levels of knowledge and attitude towards mental disorders and mentally ill patients, which the current study aimed to identify, as well as the most common demographic and professional factors that related to them. Method: The study utilized a cross-sectional, quantitative design, in which the researcher recruited a convenient sample of 89 doctors and 232 nurses from private and governmental hospitals and primary health clinics (PHC) in Nablus – Palestine. The study questionnaire consisted of demographic data, Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and Attitude to Mental Disorders (AMI) tools, which were analyzed using SPSS. Results: The median age of recruited HCPs was 31 years old (IQR = 8), 46.4% males, 60.4% married, 58.3% of more than 5 years of experience, and 60.1% not received a course on mental disorders. The median knowledge score was 68.42% (IQR = 12.63), with 69.5% having a moderate knowledge level, which was not significantly related to any factor (p-value > 0.05). The median attitude level was 63.70% (IQR = 11.85), with 62.0% having moderate attitude level, and was significantly higher in females (p-value < 0.001), lower income (p-value = 0.002), other social status (p-value = 0.016) and non-hospital workplace type (p-value < 0.001). A significant, moderate, positive correlation between knowledge and attitude was found (r = 0.252, p-value < 0.001). Conclusion: The Palestinian nurses and doctors in Nablus city have moderate knowledge and attitude levels towards mental disorders. More focus on mental disorders is needed and recommended by the policymakers, health sector, universities and HCPs themselves. Further research is needed in the Palestinian context, including longitudinal and qualitative approaches. Keywords: mental health, mental disorders, psychiatric disease, knowledge, awareness, perception, attitude, doctors, physicians, nurses.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    ASSESSMENT OF PATIENTS’ EXPERIENCE IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS IN WEST BANK – PALESTINE: A QUANTITATIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY
    (An-Najah National University, 2024-10-23) Abdallah, Sojoud Bashar
    Introduction: The experience of patients in healthcare institutions is a complex and multifactorial, and is related to sociodemographic, cultural, and institutional factors, and their perceptions of healthcare services. This is more obvious in critical and overcrowded settings like emergency departments (EDs), in which the following study aimed to assess patients’ experience in selected Palestinian hospitals, as well as the main demographic and patient-related factors affecting the general experience level. Method: The study implemented a cross-sectional, quantitative design on a convenient sample of 405 adult patients who visited EDs in the targeted hospitals, and were asked to fill in a valid questionnaire called the Accident and Emergency Department Questionnaire (A&ED) that was translated and back-translated to Arabic language, and validated by 5 experts. Data were treated in anonymity and confidentiality and were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The median age of patients was 28 years old (IQR = 2), with 57.8% females, 24.2% visited the ED for respiratory system indication, 27.2% care for others, and 72.8% of the questionnaires were filled in by the patient. More than half of the patients reported being treated in dignity and respect all of the time (56.0%), which was reflected by positive opinions related to waiting, communication, environment, and other domains, resulting in a satisfactory median score of overall experience (7 out of 10), which was significantly higher with age (r = 0.114, p-value = 0.022), female patients (p-value = 0.010), who did not suffer from health conditions for the last 12 months (p-value = 0.012), who do not care for others (p-value = 0.038) and when the questionnaire was filled in by the patient himself/herself (p-value < 0.001). Conclusion: The overall experience of Palestinian patients in EDs is moderate, and affected by several factors, which should be considered in continuous and evidence-based programs that enhance environmental and institutional factors and target the improvement of HCPs skills and emergency dynamics. Further longitudinal research is needed that covers more related factors. Keywords: patient, experience, perception, emergency department, emergency room
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    THE PERCEPTION OF RADIOGRAPHERS IN RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PICTURE ARCHIVING AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (PACS) SYSTEM IN PALESTINIAN PUBLIC HOSPITALS
    (An-Najah National University, 2024-08-07) Shalabi, Nada
    Introduction: Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), is one of the most necessary systems recured in radiology department for archiving and retrieving medical imaging. The perception of its users considered as one of the important impacts on its adaptation. The aim of this study is to measure the acceptance of PACS in Palestinian public hospitals. Method: in 2023 a cross-sectional study was conducted at Palestinian general hospitals. The targeted population was all radiographers working in radiology department at general hospitals. Out of (170) participant only (151) answered the distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of five inter- related variables i.e., socio-demographics factor, external environment, expected outcome, expected challenges and satisfaction. These factors were designed to measure the acceptance of PACS in radiology department. Results: this study showed a significant relationship between the acceptance of PACS and the related variables i.e., socio-demographics factor, external environment, expected outcome, expected challenges and satisfaction. It also explained the positive impact of PACS. Conclusion: this study showed the positive perception of users toward PACS in Radiology department. Also, the effect of PACS on users’ productivity and the ability to adopt the system in radiology department. The result of this study aims to provide health care worker a better understanding to increase the adaptation of PACS from radiographers in radiology department.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    EVALUATION OF SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF PHARMACOLOGICAL AND NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS USED BY IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME PATIENTS
    (An-Najah National University, 2024-10-14) Sarhan, Reem
    Background: Many people in Palestine suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Some people deal with the disease using medications, while others prefer non-pharmacological treatments and avoid food that aggravate the symptoms. Objectives: The study aims to assess the severity of IBS, the lifestyle the patients live and evaluate the safety and efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological modalities to treat irritable bowel syndrome among Palestinian patients. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study using a data collection form to collect data from patients by a face-to-face interview. Patients were met from gastroenterology outpatient clinics, community pharmacies and hospital pharmacies in Bethlehem. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences was performed using statistical analysis (SPSS version 21). Results: A total of 407 patients with irritable bowel syndrome in Bethlehem and surrounding areas participated in this study. The mean age was 36.87±13.8 years old. Among them, 253(62.2%) were females, 263(64.6%) were married and 201(49.4%) were living in the city. Regarding clinical and disease characteristics, 258(63.4%) did not have a family history of IBS, 201(49.4%) had alternate diarrhea and constipation, 229(56.3%) had mixture of solid and watery stool, 310(76.2%) had abdominal pain, 352(86.5%) had abdominal bloating, 350(86%) had abdominal gases, and 69(17.0%) had a bloody stool. Furthermore, the disease affected patients’ life by different ways; 248(60.9%) became nervous, 129(31.7%) couldn’t sleep well. Regarding non-pharmacologic treatments, 206(75.2%) used herbs to sooth IBS symptoms, and 234(57.5%) avoided food that irritates colon. It was found that using herbs that sooth the IBS, increasing liquids, avoiding food that irritates the colon and having exercise were all significantly associated with improvement in IBS symptoms; P-values were <0.001, 0.032, 0.001 and 0.029 respectively. About pharmacologic treatments, 188(46.2%) had taken chlordiazepoxide and clinidium bromide, and 143(35.1%) had taken probiotics to treat IBS symptoms. 148(36,4%) patients told that they had full improvement from pharmacological treatments. Use of probiotics, synthetic fibers, (chlordiazepoxide & clinidium bromide) and hyoscain significantly associated with improvement in symptoms, P-values were <0.001, <0.001, <0.001 and 0.030 respectively Conclusion: Irritable bowel syndrome is a bothering problem that affects daily life, many patients try non-pharmacological treatments with accepted efficacy. Even with pharmacological treatments many patients could not attain satisfactory improvement