Determinants of depression among undergraduate medical students of a private medical college in Lahore.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and determinants of depression in undergraduate medical students within their learning environment. METHODS: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan, from May to June 2015, and comprised medical students of all the five professional years. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Section one of the questionnaire related to demographic information, section two comprised Patient health questionnaire-9 for screening depression, and section three was the Dundee ready education environment measure inventory to gather students' perceptions of their learning environment. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. RESULTS: Of the 533 students, 206(39%) were males, 327(61%) were females, 213(40%) were of preclinical years and 320(60%) were of clinical academic years. Overall, 399(75%) students were found to be depressed. Of them, 255(64%) were females and 144(36%) were males. Among the students, 96(18%) had negative perception of their learning environment, and out of these, 91(95%) were found to be depressed. There was significant association of depression with female gender (p=0.037) and negative perception of the students of their learning climate (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of depression was found to be high among the medical students and it was associated with female gender and negative perception of the learning environment.

Medical Students' Perceptions Of Their Learning Environment At Lahore Medical And Dental College Lahore.

BACKGROUND: The present study was designed to assess medical students' perceptions of their learning environment at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. METHODS: It was a crosssectional descriptive study conducted at Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore. Five hundred and thirty-three students participated in this study. A questionnaire was used as a study tool, comprising of demographic information and the 'Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure' (DREEM) inventory. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS 21 package. A comparison of scores between different MBBS classes was done by using ANOVA. Comparison of scores between gender and high school education was done by using Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: Study population included 62% females and 32% males. About 58% of the participants were between 18-21 years and 42% were between 22-25 years of age. The mean total DREEM score was 120.27/200. The mean score of the domains: 'Students' perceptions of learning' was 28.31/48, 'Students' perceptions of teaching' was 26.92/44, 'Students' academic self- perceptions' was 21.37/32, 'Students' perceptions of atmosphere' was 27.72/48, and 'Students' social selfperceptions' was 16.40/28. Total DREEM and its subclasses score was significantly higher in F. Sc. students than the students with A level/American board (p-value <0.001). When DREEM scores were analyzed according to gender, perceptions of both male and female were positive. Age had no significant bearing on the total DREEM scores or scores in its subclasses. CONCLUSIONS: Overall perceptions or experiences of the MBBS students of their learning environment at Lahore medical and Dental College, Lahore were more positive.

Medical education: views and recommendations by final year MBBS students of a private medical college in Lahore.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the views and recommendations of final year MBBS medical students of Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore about various aspects of the current medical education. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Lahore Medical and Dental College, Lahore in October and November 2007. METHODOLOGY: Preformed close ended structured questionnaire regarding medical teaching and evaluation methods and recommendations was used to collect the data from students of final year MBBS (n=120) at Lahore Medical and Dental College. SPSS 15 program was used for analysis. Data was presented as frequency percentages. RESULTS: A majority of the students (79%) thought that multimedia was the most effective teaching tool, (54%) students viewed 45 minutes as ideal lecture duration. Measures suggested to improve the examination results were regular tests (54%), improved lecture content (32%) and regular tutorials (10%). MCQ's were the mode of examination questions preferred by 62% of students. Recommendations given by students for improving the current medical education were better teaching (26%) followed by increased motivation in students 54 (16%) and more hands-on training/practical field work (12%). CONCLUSION: Medical students in this study preferred multimedia, lecture duration less than 45 minutes and MCQ's as their preferred mode of evaluation. Students recommended increased emphasis on better lectures, increasing learning motivation in students and more hands on training/practical field work to improve current medical teaching.

Bullying of medical students.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency and forms of bullying experienced by medical students, and the associated factors. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The study was conducted at a private Medical College of Lahore, from January to February 2010. METHODOLOGY: All the students of first and fourth year classes were included in the study with voluntary and anonymous participation. Self administered-questionnaires were given to the students which were completed by them in the presence of the surveyor. A modified version of the British Medical Associations (BMA) medical student's welfare and education survey form was used for data collection. The data was recorded and analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences version 16.0. Data was described in the form of frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to test statistical significance between categorical variables at p < 0.05. RESULTS: More than half the students 70 (66%) had experienced some form of bullying in the past 6 months at the Medical College. It was found that 70% (49) of the students who were bullied were females. Sixty-seven percent of students reported experiencing a bullying episode at least once in a month, 26% less than once in a month and 7% at least once in a week. The most common forms were verbal abuse (n=44, 63%) and behavioural gestures i.e. making faces (n=36, 51%), followed by having been ignored or excluded (n=20, 29%). The common perpetrators of all types of bullying were fellow students followed by Professors. Feeling lonely or sad (p=0.024), not having a close friend (p=0.049) and knowledge amongst respondents regarding the availability of support services in their college (p=0.019) were significantly associated with being bullied. CONCLUSION: Most medical students reported of having been bullied in the last 6 months at the College, with verbal abuse being the commonest form of maltreatment and fellow students followed by Professors being the frequent perpetrators. A history of feeling lonely or sad, not having a close friend and knowledge amongst respondents regarding the availability of support services in their college were significantly associated with these experiences.

Needle stick injuries in nurses at a tertiary health care facility.

BACKGROUND: Needle-stick injury (NSI) is a major occupational health and safety issue faced by healthcare professionals globally. This study was aimed to assess the frequency and factors associated with NSIs in nurses of a tertiary health care facility in Lahore, Pakistan. It also focuses on safety measures adopted by these nurses after a needle stick injury. METHODS: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore from October 2009 to January 2010. All nurses have participated in the study with a response rate of 99%. These responses were obtained via a pretested self-administered questionnaire. The data was analysed using SPSS-16. Percentages of the categorical variables were computed and represented in various statistical data presentation forms, for analysis and comparison. Chi-square test was applied as a test of significance with fixing the p-value of 0.05 as significant. RESULTS: Out of 77 nurses who participated in our study, only 33 (42%) nurses were aware of the occupational hazards of their profession when they joined nursing. Needle stick injury was reported by 40 (71.9%) of the nurses in last one year. About 17 (31.5%) were injured at the time of recapping the syringe. The availability of needle cutters in the hospital was reported by 75 (97.4%) nurses while only 46 (60%) of them had undertaken a sharp management training course. Approximately 50 (64.9%) nurses failed to use gloves while administering injections. After getting stuck by a contaminated needle 71 (92%) of the nurses cleaned the wound with a spirit swab, 67 (87%) washed the area with soap and water and 58 (75%) applied a readily available bandage. Only 38 (49%) went on to inform the higher officials about a needle stick injury. Fifty-seven (74%) of the nurses were vaccinated against HBV, and 56 (72.2%) of needle stick injured nurses proceeded for HBV screening, while 53 (68.6%) for HCV and 37(48.5%) for HIV. CONCLUSION: Needle stick injury is the most important occupational health hazard in nurses with alarmingly high rates. Reporting to the concerned authorities, screening of nurses after needle stick injury and promotion of safety measures against it should be greatly encouraged.