Translation and pilot validation of the Moroccan version of Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) 3.0.

INTRODUCTION: The Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 appears to be a promising measure of health-related quality of life for stroke patients. However, the lack of a cross-cultural adaptation in Arabic dialect may limit its use in the Moroccan context. The objective of this study was to carry out a transcultural adaptation and pilote validation of the Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 in Moroccan Arabic dialect, commonly called « Darija ¼. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used for this study. The cross-cultural adaptation of the SIS 3.0 scale into Moroccan Darija was carried out following the guidelines proposed by Beaton et al (2000). Ceiling and floor effects were calculated for all scales. The internal consistency of multi-item scales was assessed using Cronbach's α coefficient. Convergent and divergent validity were evaluated using the Multi-Trait Multi-Method Correlation Matrix method. RESULTS: A total of 102 patients, with a mean age of 49 ± 12.9 years, participated in the study. The results revealed that the dimensions of the translated scale had no floor effect and no ceiling effect. The internal consistency of SIS 3.0 (Cronbach's alpha) was calculated, and all dimensions had good reliability, above the threshold of 0.70 (between 0.705 and 0.945). The results showed that the dimensions and their own items had correlation coefficients greater than 0.4, with good convergent and divergent validity. CONCLUSION: The darija version appears to be culturally acceptable with good psychometric properties and can be used to measure the quality of life of stroke survivors in Morocco.

Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Cervical Cancer among Women Living with HIV in the Souss-Massa Region, Southern Morocco: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus- positive women have an increased risk of precancerous lesions and invasive cervical cancer. This study aims to identify the level of awareness/knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer among women living with Human immunodeficiency virus in the region of Souss-Massa in southern Morocco.  Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted in the Souss-Massa region (southern Morocco) among women attending Human immunodeficiency virus treatment and care centers between March 2022 and September 2022. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The Chi-square test and logistic regression were deployed to identify factors associated with cervical cancer awareness among the target population. RESULTS: A total of 494 respondents to the questionnaire, 440 (89.1%) are aware of cervical cancer. Nevertheless, 405 (82.0%) and 369 (74.7%) were unaware of cervical cancer risk factors and symptoms, respectively. Only 125 (25.3%) knew the exact frequency of cervical cancer screening among Human immunodeficiency virus positive women, whereas 221 (44.7%) had ever been tested for cervical cancer. Factors associated with women's awareness of cervical cancer are as follows:  level of education (adjusted Odds Ratio = 3.78 with 95% CI, 1.23-11.65), time since diagnosis of Human immunodeficiency virus (adjusted Odds Ratio = 4.31 with 95% CI, 1.12- 16.52), knowledge of women with cervical cancer (adjusted Odds Ratio = 6.30 with 95% CI, 1.87-21.18) and heard the pap- smear/visual inspection with acetic acid (adjusted Odds Ratio = 4.92 with 95% CI, 2.35-10.33). CONCLUSION: The general knowledge of seropositive women regarding cervical cancer remains very low, which justifies the integration of cervical cancer prevention services with Human immunodeficiency virus care, and pinpoints the crucial role of patient education.

Factors affecting nursing and health technician students' satisfaction with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco: a descriptive study

PURPOSE: Distance learning describes any learning based on the use of new multimedia technologies and the internet to allow students to acquire new knowledge and skills at a distance. This study aimed to determine satisfaction levels with distance learning and associated factors among nursing and health technician students during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Morocco. METHODS: An descriptive study was conducted between April and June 2022 among nursing and health technician students using a self-administered instrument. The student satisfaction questionnaire consists of 24 questions categorized into 6 subscales: instructor, technology, course setup, interaction, outcomes, and overall satisfaction. It was based on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with student satisfaction during distance learning. RESULTS: A total of 330 students participated in this study, and 176 students (53.3%) were satisfied with the distance learning activities. A mean score higher than 2.8 out of 5 was obtained for all subscales. Multiple regression analysis showed that students' year of study (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28­4.27) and internet quality (aOR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.29­0.77) were the significant factors associated with students' satisfaction during distance learning. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the satisfaction level of students and factors that influenced it during distance learning. A thorough understanding of student satisfaction with digital environments will contribute to the successful implementation of distance learning devices in nursing.

The cultural epidemiology of stigma among people with schizophrenia : Adaptation and cross-cultural validation of the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC), in Dialectal Arabic (Darija), Morocco.

INTRODUCTION: Stigma underlies the violation of certain social, economic, and cultural rights of patients with schizophrenia, including their access to treatment and care. Measurement of stigma remains as complex and multifaceted as the phenomenon itself. Several measurement tools are available to assess the prevalence, intensity and qualities of stigma. The aim of the study was to carry out a cross-cultural adaptation of the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC), in the Moroccan Arabic dialect commonly known as "Darija". PATIENTS AND METHOD: The study was conducted in three psychiatric departments of public hospitals in the Souss-Massa region, located in southern Morocco. For the diagnosis of schizophrenia, the study was based on the decisions of the psychiatrists practicing at the study sites. The cross-cultural adaptation in Moroccan Darija of the stigma scale developed by Michel Weiss in the EMIC was carried out according to the six-step scientific method developed by Dorcas et al. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha (internal consistency) was 0.845. Convergent validity determined by Pearson's coefficient showed a significant inter-item correlation and the intra-class correlation coefficient (test-retest) was 0.975 (0.993; 0.991). The item added in relation to the COVID-19 situation presented psychometric values similar to the others. CONCLUSION: The Darija version is culturally acceptable and can be used to approach the phenomenon of stigmatization in Morocco.

COVID-19 prevention and control interventions: What can we learn from the pandemic management experience in Morocco?

COVID-19 is one of the worst outbreaks in infectious disease history. Through a succession of significant preventative and control interventions, Morocco has accumulated pandemic control experience. This study examines the available evidence on lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic management experience in Morocco. Social lockdown measures have helped restrain the exponential spread of new cases. These interventions appear to be reasonably successful. Their effectiveness must be confirmed by an assessment of other factors. This experience can help all countries develop effective pandemic prevention and control measures.

Neurocognitive state and quality of life of patients with glioblastoma in Mediterranean countries: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system (CNS). The most common subtype of glioma in adults is grade IV astrocytoma, known as glioblastoma (GB) multiforme. Despite advances in treatment, GB remains a lethal tumor with a poor prognosis, and patients face serious quality of life (QoL) issues. Its poor prognosis is a real public health problem. The present study aimed to determine the exact neurocognitive status and QoL in patients with GB in the Mediterranean region and the different predictive factors responsible for their deterioration. METHODS: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The protocol was registered in the PROSPERO (Identifier: CRD42020188936). The following databases have been independently searched by 2 authors: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were selected (n=13). Four studies (n=4) focused solely on cognitive assessment, five studies (n=5) focused on quality-of-life assessment, and four (n=4) were simultaneously assessed QoL and neurocognitive status. The majority of studies in this review use (Mini-Mental State Examination, MMSE) for an overall cognitive assessment (n=5), other studies use specific batteries for an in-depth assessment of cognitive functions (n=3). The study revealed several affected functions: short and long-term memory, executive functions (EFs), and visuo-constructive abilities. Scale of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy are among the most widely used instruments for assessing QoL. For factors influencing neurocognitive status and QoL, the present review found that: The Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), tumor location, age, sex and type of treatment are the most identified. Other studies have reported other factors, such as tumor progression, development of emotional distress, and coping strategies adopted. DISCUSSION: We conclude that there were many changes in patients with GB during the course of the disease and that most of them were related to age and disease progression. The use of coping strategies based on social support has a positive impact on the QoL.