Community-based maternal, newborn, and child health surveillance: perceptions and attitudes of local stakeholders towards using mobile phone by village health volunteers in the Kenge Health Zone, Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: In early 2016, we implemented a community-based maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) surveillance using mobile phones to collect, analyze, and use data by village health volunteers (VHV) in Kenge Health Zone (KHZ), in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The objective of this study was to determine the perceptions of households, attitudes of community health volunteers, and opinions of nurses in Health center and administrative authorities towards the use of mobile phones for MNCH surveillance in the rural KHZ in the DRC. METHODS: We used mixed methods combining phenomenological and descriptive cross-sectional study. Between 3 and 24 March 2016, we collected the data through focus group discussions (FGD) with households, and structured interviews with VHV, local health and administrative authority, and nurses to explore the perceptions on MNCH surveillance using mobile phone. Data from the FGD and interviews  were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques and descriptive statistics respectively. RESULTS: Health issues and services for under-five children were well known by community; however, beliefs and cultural norms contributed to the practices of seeking behavior for households. Mobile phones were perceived as devices that render quick services for people who needed help; and the community's attitudes towards the mobile phone use for collection of data, analysis, and use activities were good. Although some of community members did not see a direct linkage between this surveillance approach and health benefits, majority believed that there would be better MNCH services with the use of mobile phone. In addition, VHV will benefit from free healthcare for households and some material benefits and training. The best time to undertake these activities were in the afternoon with mother of the child, being the best respondent at the household. CONCLUSION: Health issues and services for under-five children are well known and MNCH surveillance using mobile phone by VHV in which the mother can be involved as respondent is accepted.

Perceptions and attitudes towards research amongst medical students at Shifa College of Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To understand medical students' perceptions and attitudes towards research to help facilitators design specific courses according to their needs. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan, from May to November 2013, and comprised undergraduate medical students. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection. Students' response was recorded on a Likert scale from 'strongly disagree' 1 to 'strongly agree' 5. Analysis was done using statistical SPSS17. RESULTS: Of the 195 students enrolled, 172(88%) responded. Overall, 78(45.3%) students said they were aware of research. Research was considered useful for their professional careers and relevant to their daily life by 133(65.7%) students, while 72(41.9%) did not consider it worthwhile to pursue research as a career. Besides, 71(41.3%) students enjoyed research, while 120(70%) perceived research as stressful and 107(62.2) complex. CONCLUSIONS: Most students considered research valuable but at the same time they perceived it as stressful and complex.

Knowledge and Beliefs about Herb/Supplement Consumption and Herb/Supplement-Drug Interactions among the General Population, including Healthcare Professionals and Pharmacists: A Systematic Review and Guidelines for a Smart Decision System.

The increased consumption of a variety of herbs/supplements has been raising serious health concerns. Owing to an inadequate understanding of herb/supplement-drug interactions, the simultaneous consumption of these products may result in deleterious effects and, in extreme cases, even fatal outcomes. This systematic review is aimed at understanding the knowledge and beliefs about the consumption of herbs/supplements and herb/drug-supplement interactions (HDIs). The study follows the PRISMA guidelines. Four online databases (Web of Science; PubMed; Cochrane; and EBSCOhost) were searched, and a total of 44 studies were included, encompassing 16,929 participants. Herb and supplement consumption is explained mostly by the reported benefits across multiple conditions and ease of use. Regarding HDIs, most people take both herbs/supplements and prescription drugs simultaneously. Only a small percentage of participants have knowledge about their interaction effects, and many reported adverse interactions or side effects. Nevertheless, the main reason for stopping the prescribed drug intake is the perceived lack of its effect, and not due to interactions. Therefore, it is important to increase the knowledge about supplement use so that further strategies can be elaborated to better detect or be alert for whenever a potentially dangerous reaction and/or interaction may occur. This paper raises awareness regarding the need for developing a decision support system and ends with some considerations about the development of a technological solution capable of detecting HDIs and, thereby, aiding in the improvement of pharmacy services.

Comparison of management and workers' perception, attitudes and beliefs toward health and safety in the Ontario manufacturing sector.

INTRODUCTION: The Ontario manufacturing sector is over-represented when it comes to workers' compensation claims in the province. A previous study suggested that this may be the result of compliance gaps with respect to the province's occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation. These gaps may be, in part, due to differences in perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs toward OHS between workers and management. This is noteworthy as these two cohorts, when working well together, can foster a healthy and safe work environment. Therefore, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of workers and management with respect to OHS in the Ontario manufacturing sector and to identify differences between the groups, if any. METHODS: A survey was created and disseminated online to get the widest reach across the province as possible. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data and chi-square analyses were performed to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in responses between workers and managers. RESULTS: In total, 3,963 surveys were included in the analysis, which consisted of 2,401 (60.6%) workers and 1,562 (39.4%) managers. Overall, workers were more likely to state that their workplace was 'a bit unsafe' relative to managers and this difference was statistically significant. There were also statistically significant differences between the two cohorts with respect to health and safety communication matters, the perception of safety as a high priority, whether people work safely when unsupervised, and whether control measures are adequate. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, there were differences in perception, attitudes, and beliefs toward OHS between workers and managers in Ontario manufacturing and these differences must be addressed in order to improve the sector's health and safety performance. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Manufacturing workplaces can improve their health and safety performance by strengthening labor-management relationships, including having routine health and safety communication.