JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM
Year:2016 | Volume:4 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Background: According to quality transformation of services during the time, the quality requirements and standards also change and recognition of these requirements and transformation process can assist in recognizing the quality dimensions of services. The aim of this research was to explain the transformation process, requirements and quality dimensions of services in hospitals.Methods: The present study is a descriptive research of correlational type that used measuring method. In the study, the hospitals affiliated to Medical Sciences Universities were chosen from 4 provinces of Tehran, Fars, Lorestan, and Yazd.432 staff members answered the quality requirements and transformation process questionnaires; 500 customers answered quality dimensions questionnaires. Data analysis was done using Pearson correlation coefficient, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation.Results: The results showed that quality transformation in the studied hospitals with an average of 3.34 was more than the satisfaction and the quality requirements with an average of 3.75 was in a good level; also, the quality dimensions with the average of 3.61 was also in a good level. Moreover, there was an inverse relationship between quality transformation and quality requirements and a direct relation between quality requirements and quality dimensions. There was no statistical meaningful and direct relationship between quality transformation and quality dimensions.Conclusion: Based on the results of the study, among 4 steps of quality transformation, our country Iran is in the quality control step. Moreover, based on opinions of hospital staff, professional requirement is the most important one among quality requirements components. Also, according to the customers’ viewpoint, if the service is provided with high security, then it is a high quality service. Therefore, quality control together with professional requirement can make a high secure service that contains all quality dimensions.

Background: Mastalgia is a common problem among women. Severe mastalgia can have a negative impact on sexual, physical and sleep activities and behaviors. Regarding the absence of a study on the prevalence and severity of mastalgia in southern Iran, the current study was conducted.Methods: This is an analytical cross-sectional study. The participants were women who referred to health centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz. The inclusion criteria were willingness to participate in the study, not being pregnant and breastfeed. The severity of breast pain was calculated with visual analog scale. The data of 845 questionnaires were analyzed with SPSS software.Results: The participants’ age ranged from 15-50 years; the mean age was 32.84±9.49 years. Among 845 participants, 33% (279) of them had experienced mastalgia in the past three months. Among those who had experienced mastalgia, 81% (226) had cyclical mastalgai and 19% (53) had non-cyclical mastalgia. The mean of pain score was 4.32±2.38 and 12.9% of the participants (36) had pain scores of 8 to 10. The impact of mastalgia on daily and sexual activities and sleep behaviors was reported 9.31% (26), 12.66% (29) and 13.97% (36), respectively.Conclusion: Results of this study showed that the spread of mastalgia in women referred to health centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences is lower than that reported in western studies and has lesser effects on their daily, sexual and sleep activities and behaviors. We suggest further studies about mastalgia in others locations in Iran.

Background: Due to the increasing global use of nutritional supplements, dietitians play a key role in raising consumer awareness and reducing supplementary side effects. Hence, determination of the states of knowledge, attitudes and practices of this group as to common dietary supplements is important.Methods: A list of all the dietitians employed in the health centers, nutrition clinics and private offices of Shiraz city was prepared; then, all the 36 qualified dietitians were referred to and the information of 25 dietitians was collected. To gather the data, we employed a 4-part questionnaire including demographic data and questions related to their knowledge, attitudes, and practices about prescribed dietary supplements. The knowledge scores of less than 50%, 50-75%, and over 75% were considered as low, medium, and good knowledge, respectively. And the classification of attitudes was determined based on quartile ranking. The data were statistically analyzed through SPSS, version19, using Chi-square and t-test statistical methods.Results: Most of the dietitians had moderate (80%) and low (20%) level of knowledge, while 100% of them had a positive attitude (3rd quartile) about the role of dietary supplements in health, side effects, and food interactions. The most common supplements recommended were those for anemia and growth of children. In this study, the dietitians who had higher level of knowledge significantly used nutritional journals to increase their awareness.Conclusion: Considering the key roles of dietitians and their knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the field of supplements and the results of the study, it appears that necessary measures should be taken to enhance the dietitians’ knowledge.

Background: Drivers of heavy motor vehicles are occupationally exposed to intense whole body vibration (WBV) for several hours per day over their working lifetime. Therefore, they are at risk of WBV-induced occupational disorders. This study aimed to investigate health effects of long-term exposure to whole body vibration among a group of heavy vehicle drivers in Fars province, southwestern Iran.Methods: Data on vibration-induced health effects were gathered through a checklist specifically devised for this purpose, interview and medical records of 155 male heavy vehicle drivers as well as 70 referent subjects. Signs and symptoms were classified into 6 categories of neuropsychological, gastrointestinal, ocular, auditory and metabolic and cardiovascular disorders.Results: Symptoms such as neuropsychological, musculoskeletal, metabolic, visual and hearing disorders were significantly more prevalent among drivers than in referent individuals.Additionally, logistic regression analysis revealed that there were statistically significant associations between exposure to WBV and several outcomes.Conclusion: Findings of the study indicate that longterm occupational exposure to WBV is a risk factor for neuropsychological, musculoskeletal, metabolic, visual and hearing disorders.

Background: Heavy metals have destructive and irreversible effects on the human, plants and animals. Some industries in Yazd enter industrial wastewater to municipal wastewater collection system. This can lead to high levels of heavy metals in wastewater and in turn in the wastewater treatment plant effluent.Methods: This study was carried out during four months from December 22, 2009 to May 20, 2010. The experiment was performed on the inflow, outlet of anaerobic pond and first and second facultative ponds of wastewater treatment plant and then transferred to the laboratory and measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy.Results: The results of the experiments showed that the average cadmium concentrations in the inflow, anaerobic pond outlet, and first and second facultative pond outlet were 0.0066, 0.0087, 0.0076, and 0.0083mg/l, respectively. The average amounts of chromium in the inflow, anaerobic pond outlet, and first and second facultative pond outlet were 0.0076, 0.0065, 0.0043, and 0.0056 mg/l, respectively.Cadmium concentration in the effluent was higher than standard.Conclusion: The comparison of the obtained data with Iranian standards for wastewater treatment for reuse in irrigation shows that the cadmium concentration exceeded the standard and the chromium concentration was lower than the standard. Therefore, it is not suitable for reuse in the crop farms and aquatic life.

Background: Anthropometry is a branch of Ergonomics that considers the measurement and description of the human body dimensions. Accordingly, equipment, environments, and workstations should be designed using user-centered design processes. Anthropometric dimensions differ considerably across gender, race, ethnicity and age, taking into account ergonomic and anthropometric principles. The aim of this study was to determine anthropometric characteristics of microscope users and provide a regression model for anthropometric dimensions.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, anthropometric dimensions (18 dimensions) of the microscope users (N=174; 78 males and 96 females) in Shiraz were measured. Instruments included a Studio meter, 2 type calipers, adjustable seats, a 40-cm ruler, a tape measure, and scales. The study data were analyzed using SPSS, version 20.Results: The means of male and female microscope users’ age were 31.64±8.86 and 35±10.9 years, respectively and their height were 161.03±6.87cm and 174.81±5.45cm, respectively. The results showed that sitting and standing eye height and sitting horizontal range of accessibility had a significant correlation with stature.Conclusion: The established anthropometric database can be used as a source for designing workstations for working with microscopes in this group of users. The regression analysis showed that three dimensions, i.e. standing eye height, sitting eye height, and horizontal range of accessibility sitting had a significant correlation with stature. Therefore, given one’s stature, these dimensions can be obtained with less measurement.

Background: Complete and fast diagnosis, registry and treatment programs are the main effective strategies for controlling infectious diseases. In addition, an organized and extended infectious disease surveillance system is crucial in designing and monitoring communicable diseases control programs. The quality of the surveillance system can be evaluated by several indices such as timeliness, completeness and sensitivity. This is an evaluation study to measure the mentioned indices for 3 zoonotic diseases (leishmaniasis, brucellosis and rabies) surveillance system.Methods: The indexes such as completeness, timeliness and sensitivity of surveillance system were measured using the data obtained from population based (door to door) interviews and recorded data obtained at each level of health and medical sectors or administrative centers within the diseases reporting system.Interviews were conducted for 5969 participants and the required information was obtained.Results: The total completeness, timeliness and sensitivity of case reporting for leishmaniasis were 26.9%, 103.2 days and 11.1%, respectively. These indexes forbrucellosiswere14.3 %, 58 days, 12.1% and those for suspected rabieswere100%, 83.4 days and 48.2%, respectively.Conclusion: It seems that so called immediate communicable diseases reporting system is not providing reliable, complete and timely information to the health authorities. Program monitoring and personnel training, especially physicians, are recommended to improve the quality of the surveillance system and the related indexes.

Dear Editor: Postpartum blues, as a transient phenomenon of mood changes, generally begins 1 to 3 days after the child birth. This phenomenon is accompanied with symptoms such as unstable moods, ranging from euphoria to sadness, high sensitivity, crying for no reason, restlessness, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, and anger. Prevalence of postpartum blues has been estimated 44.3% in Hong- Kong, 31.3% in Nigeria, 2 and 58% in India. In Iran, 22.3% of women suffer from weak postpartum blues, 10.8% have medium, and 21.1% suffer from severe postpartum blues. Interaction between different biological, psychological and social factors could affect the postpartum blues.