The effectiveness of the WHO school mental health package in promoting mental health literacy among secondary school teachers in Qatar: a randomized controlled trial.

Teachers' mental health literacy (MHL) is fundamental for recognizing and assisting students with mental disorders. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the World Health Organization School Mental Health Program (WHO-SMHP) in promoting MHL among secondary schools' teachers in Qatar. We conducted a two-arm randomized control trial. Teachers working in governmental secondary schools were eligible for selection. A total of 16 schools (8 intervention, 8 control) randomly selected and stratified by gender then randomly assigned (1:1). Participants and study team were aware of group assignment. Assessment of teachers' MHL was at day 0, 3 then 3 months afterward. Bivariat analysis and Generalized Estimating Equations were used in analysis. The primary outcome was teachers MHL. Secondary outcome was the influence of sociodemographic characteristics on the level of MHL. Between October 30, 2018 and March 21, 2019, we randomly assigned 195 teachers from 16 schools to attend training workshop on WHO-SMHP (n = 95) or usual practice (n = 100). Compared with controls, teachers from intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in the level of MHL at day three (mean difference = 19.1, 95% CI = 17.0-21.2, Cohen's d = 2.63; p < 0.001).) and after three months (mean difference 16.61, 95% CI = 13.96-19.26, Cohen's d = 1.86; p < 001). There were no significant differences related to influence of other variables on MHL. To our knowledge, this is the first trial to prove the effectiveness of the (WHO-SMHP) in promoting teachers MHL, which can be successfully implemented in a wider scale.

Prevalence and trends of transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors in the State of Qatar, 2013-2017.

BACKGROUND: Millions of lives around the world are being saved annually through blood transfusion. However, blood transfusion is among the essential vehicles for transmitting infections. The overall prevalence of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors differs around the world, reflecting the variation in the prevalence of these infections. This study aims to assess the prevalence and trends of Transfusion Transmissible Infections among blood donors in Qatar. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study utilizing donation records of 5 years from January 2013 to December 2017. We included in the study results for all screening and confirmatory tests for Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Syphilis and Malaria. RESULTS: Among the 190,509 donations received at the donation centre during the study period, about 91% of donations were received from males and 9% from females. The overall positivity rate for all tests was 1.87, 2.23, 1.78, 2.31, 2.67% for the years 2013 through 2017, with an increasing yearly trend by 6% each year. The overall positivity rates for Hepatitis C Virus, Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria (2013-2017) were 0.60, 0.18, 0.30, 0.43 and 0.20%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The overall positivity rate of all tests combined for the Transfusion Transmissible Infections demonstrated a gradually increasing trend from 2013 to 2017. However, the trend for each infection (Hepatitis C Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, Syphilis and Malaria) was fluctuating except for Human T-lymphotropic Virus-I/II, which was increasing. Supporting the development of effective prevention and control strategies requires further comprehensive investigations for better estimation of the burden of these infections.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding human papilloma virus vaccination among physicians in Qatar.

BACKGROUND: The human papilloma virus is a global problem that affects sexually active women and men, with cervical cancer being the most serious associated disease. Most cervical cancer cases can be prevented by vaccination against the human papilloma virus early in life. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices among physicians working in Qatar, regarding the human papilloma virus, infection, and prevention using vaccines. STUDY-DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study using quantitative data collection. METHODOLOGY: An online survey targeting physicians working in Qatar was conducted, using a web-based pretested questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised four sections capturing a few demographic details, 33 questions in the Knowledge Section, 12 questions eliciting the attitude, and 14 practice-related questions. Mean knowledge score was calculated and those with a score more than the mean score were considered to have sufficient knowledge. Association between knowledge and attitude/practices/independent variables were looked for using bivariate and multivariate analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify the predictors for recommending human papilloma virus vaccines. RESULTS: Of the 557 physicians who participated, 83.7% had sufficient knowledge, but only 69.1% knew that human papilloma virus vaccines were available in Qatar. The majority (89.4%) knew that human papilloma virus infection could be asymptomatic and 96.1% knew at least one symptom; 77% believed the human papilloma virus vaccine would substantially decrease the chances of human papilloma virus infection and related cancers and 46.5% felt physicians were less motivated to promote the human papilloma virus vaccine. The perceived barriers to community acceptance of the human papilloma virus vaccine were lack of awareness regarding the relationship between human papilloma virus and cervical cancer (61.6%), doubts regarding efficacy (32.5%), fear regarding safety (26.9%), concern that the human papilloma virus vaccination may encourage risky sexual behavior (26.8%), and perceived low-risk (23.3%) and cost (24.6%). Only 21.5% commonly discussed sexual health with their clients. More than one-third were not interested in recommending the human papilloma virus vaccine. Bivariate analysis showed nationality, specialization, discussing with patients, and recommending vaccine to be significantly associated with knowledge. Bivariate and regression analysis identified that female gender and physician's religion were significant predictors to recommend the human papilloma virus vaccine. CONCLUSION: Most physicians have good knowledge. Less than one-fourth commonly discussed sexual health with their clients. More than one-third were not interested in recommending the human papilloma virus vaccine. This issue might affect the human papilloma virus vaccination program implementation if not well addressed.

To achieve the 2030 goal, targeted education are required to address the gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of health care providers and tailored advocacy activities with suitable approaches to empower them in addressing the perceived barriers and misunderstanding and to encourage them in proactive enrollment through effective communication. Nearly half the physicians had sufficient knowledge regarding human papilloma virus infection and human papilloma virus vaccine; however, quite a high number did not know that the vaccines were available in Qatar. Physicians were not commonly discussing sexual health with their clients; however, a reasonable proportion recommended the human papilloma virus vaccine. The proportion of physicians willing to vaccinate their adolescent daughter with the human papilloma virus was not high. Many reasons were stated, of which not being sexually active was the most common. Physician-perceived barriers to community acceptance of human papilloma virus vaccines included gap in knowledge of the relationship between the human papilloma virus and cancer, concerns regarding vaccine efficacy and safety, and cost and fear of risky sexual behavior that could be encouraged by vaccination. These gaps and challenges mandate the setting of appropriate strategies and organizing interventions and services for the enhancement of a comprehensive cervical cancer control program in Qatar.

Evaluation and Enhancement of Triaging Services Through Quality Improvement Tools at Primary Health Care Level: A Clinical Audit Study.

BACKGROUND: The effective and efficient operation of emergency services at healthcare depends on triage decisions. Successfully implementing a triage system improves patient care, communication, and self-assurance. METHODS: A baseline audit was conducted by reviewing a sample of 554 triage health records in September 2021. Many gaps were identified in the practice, and action plans were developed for improving it. Following the implementation of the action plan, a re-audit was conducted in September 2022 with a sample of 470 medical records. RESULTS: Evidence suggested that nurses had made progress in correctly allocating the medical emergency triage category from 63% at baseline to 90% at the reaudit. The over-triage decreased in accordance with this adjustment, from 37% to 10%. Compliance with the suggested time target of 5 minutes for physicians to attend medical emergencies has shown a small improvement from 48% at baseline to 55% in the re-audit. Similar improvements were demonstrated in the other triage categories. CONCLUSION: A problem may have several causes, and since it is impossible to address every one of them, prioritizing the causes is usually the best course of action. Inadequate triage classification by nurses was one of the key reasons for the delay in physician appointment times in triage clinics. Triage nurses' abilities should be enhanced to make this triage judgment. The audit team suggested that nurses should be given problem-based training, which will enhance the entire triage procedure.

Mental health literacy in Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Mental health literacy (MHL) has been relatively neglected, despite the increase of mental health illnesses worldwide, as well as within the Middle East region. A low level of MHL may hinder public acceptance of evidence-based mental health care. AIM: This systematic review aims to identify and appraise existing research, focusing on MHL among adults in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, PsychInfo, and Medline) was carried out from database inception to July 2019, in order to identify peer-reviewed journal articles that investigated MHL in the GCC countries. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were: cross-sectional studies, reported in English, targeted adults (aged 18 and above), conducted in any of the GCC countries, include at least one outcome measure of the main components of MHL: knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatment, stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illnesses, and seeking help for self and offering help. RESULTS: A total of 27 studies (16,391 participants) were included. The outcome across studies varied due to disparity in the tested populations. Findings show that limited MHL was observed among participants, even health care professionals. Results also show a high cumulative level of stigma and negative attitude towards mental health illness in the public. Negative beliefs and inappropriate practices are common, as well. The majority of studies yielded a moderate to high risk of bias. CONCLUSION: This work indicates that research on MHL must be tackled through well-designed large-scale studies of the public. Campaigns to promote early identification and treatment of mental illness is also encouraged to improve overall level of MHL in the general population of the GCC region. Registration number: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018104492.

Knowledge and Practice of Emergency Physicians Regarding Food-borne Disease Surveillance at Hamad General Hospital in Qatar.

Introduction According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foodborne diseases (FBD's) have become a global health issue. In Qatar, foodborne diseases are among the top ten events reported to the Ministry of Public Health. Efforts to enhance FBD surveillance cannot succeed without involving the emergency department (ED), which is typically the first point of contact for the FBD victims with the healthcare system. Therefore, we aimed to explore the knowledge and practices of emergency physicians regarding stool sample collection as part of FBD surveillance efforts in Qatar. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the ED of Hamad General Hospital (HGH) between July 22 and September 12 of 2018. The enrolled participants were invited to participate in an online survey at the "QSurvey" platform. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel (Version 2016). Descriptive statistics such as frequency tables, proportions, and percentages were applied as appropriate. Results A total of 65 responses (response rate: 29.27%) were received within the duration of the study. Most participants were specialists (45%), graduated between 2000 and 2013 (64%), and worked for one year or more at HGH-Hamad Medical Corporation (95%). Regarding their knowledge of FBD surveillance, most participants (80%) reported that a stool culture is a necessary laboratory investigation for patients with acute bloody diarrhea and fever. Also, a large percentage of physicians identified salmonella (75%), Clostridium difficile (70%), and E.coli O157:H7 (70%) as pathogens of nationally notifiable diseases. Regarding the respondents' practice towards FBD surveillance, almost three-quarters of the physicians (72%) who encountered a patient with acute diarrhea did not order a stool culture. Subsequently, about two-thirds (62%) of the participants who requested a stool culture reported not following up on the results of such request. Regarding the history taken from patients with acute diarrhea, a large percentage of respondents reported asking about the patient's travel history (100%), presence of any sick contacts (93.6%), and presence of any associated symptoms (abdominal pain, fever, bloody stool) as well as other details. Conclusion The current research identified several gaps regarding the knowledge and practice of emergency physicians towards the surveillance of foodborne disease. Such results serve as a basis for future research and intervention strategies to augment surveillance activities related to food-borne diseases in the State of Qatar.