Seyedeh Zahra Sadati, Hosein Haratipoor, Maryam Farjamfar,
Volume 5, Issue 1 (5-2019)
Abstract
Introduction and purpose: Over-consumption of antibiotics in the community has caused more concern worldwide about increasing microbial resistance. Several factors are associated with excessive consumption of antibiotics. This study investigated the level of parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic use and the factors influencing it in children under the age of 12 years who referred to Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital in Shahrood, Iran.
Methods: Totally, 97 parents of children who were under 12 years of age were enrolled in this descriptive cross-sectional study during 2017. The data were collected using parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices of antibiotic use questionnaire in children younger than 12 years of age. Moreover, the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20). P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: According to the results, the parental levels of knowledge were poor (n=11, 11.3%), moderate (n=23, 23.7%), and good (n=63, 64.9%). Moreover, the mean score of parental knowledge level was obtained at 8.7±2.66. In addition, the attitude levels were moderate and good in 27 (27.8%) and 70 parents (72.2%), respectively. The mean score of parental attitude level was estimated at 7.97±1.35. Furthermore, regarding the parental practice domain, 8 (8.2%), 30 (30.9%), and 59 (60.8%) parents were considered poor, moderate, and good, respectively. The mean score of parental practice level was determined at 5.8±2.07. It should be noted that parents with higher levels of education and previous history of infectious diseases in the family showed higher levels regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices in terms of antibiotic use.
Conclusion: The improvement of parental awareness and knowledge levels about antibiotic use will increase the level of attitude, decrease the demand for antibiotics, improve the practices of parents, and reduce the use of antibiotics, thereby decreasing the growth of antibiotic resistance in the community.
Zahra Rahnama, Mahshid Ahmadi, Alireza Khalilian, Maryam Sefidgarnia Amiri,
Volume 5, Issue 3 (11-2019)
Abstract
Introduction and purpose: Job burnout is a kind of psychological distress that results from various occupational factors and leads to the deterioration of job performance. This condition is usually characterized by weakness, disappointment, and nonachievement of career goals. Regarding this, the present study aimed to compare the frequency of burnout syndrome between general family and non-family physicians in Mazandaran province, Iran, in 2018.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 153 urban family physicians, 158 rural family physicians, and 295 non-family physicians (i.e., a total of 606 cases) selected using simple random sampling technique. In this study, Maslach Burnout Questionnaire was used, as the main tool for measuring the three dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal empowerment. Study participants included two groups of family general practitioners with more than two years of experience working in all shifts as a family physician, as well as non-family general practitioners working in health centers and offices affiliated to mazandaran university of medical sciences. General practitioners working in the hospital and staffing plan were excluded from the study. One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean values and the mean differences of burnout dimensions at two levels of urban and rural family physicians and those outside the family physician plan.
Results: Emotional exhaustion score in the non-family physicians was 14.6±10.31, while this score was obtained as 19.73±12.57 and 20.39±12.17 in the urban and rural family physicians, respectively, showing a statistically significant difference (P<0.0001). In this regard, family physicians (especially rural family physicians) had the highest occupational burnout in this dimension. However, regarding the other two dimensions, the difference between the family and non-family physicians was not statistically significant. Generally, emotional exhaustion had the highest prevalence (20.3 %), followed by depersonalization (29.4%) and personal accomplishment (24.1%). In addition, more than half of the subjects showed a high level of burnout at least in one of the three dimensions of this construct.
Conclusion: As the findings indicated, occupational burnout was more common in family physicians, especially in rural area family physicians, which can be due to working in remote places with more duties, fewer facilities, and more difficult environmental conditions. Many demographic and environmental factors account for the incidence of burnout. Therefore, it is required to perform further studies and develop plans targeted toward reducing occupational burnout, especially in family physicians, since resolving this situation can improve the quality of patient care services.