JOURNAL OF MILITARY MEDICINE
Year:2012 | Volume:13 | Issue:4 (50)|Papers Count:15

Aims: Personality is one of the most fundamental concepts of psychology that is affected by various experiences .Having an acceptable character is an ideal view and a remarkable point for military forces. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of military training on personality traits of non-athlete students who enter the military environment.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was carried out in 2011. The study subjects were 105 non-athlete male students who entered one of the Cadet Universities of Iran in the academic year of 2010-11 and were selected by simple random sampling. The data gathering tools were personal characteristics questionnaire and Bern Reuter Personality Inventory. Data were analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and dependent T-test using SPSS 16 software.Results: Military training had a significant positive effect on four of the studied characteristics and increased self-confidence, dominancy, extroversion and the decrease of neurotic tendency (p=0.001). This happened while military training had a significant negative effect on sociability (p=0.002) and self-sufficiency (p=0.001) and caused increase in isolation and decrease in sociability.Conclusion: Military training increases emotional balance, extroversion, self-confidence and dominancy in students, while it results in dissociability and isolation of students. Authorities should consider necessary arrangements during military training in order to wash out negative effects and enhance more positive effects of this period on students' personality traits.

Aims: Awareness of the prevalence and intensity of acoustic traumas and the permanent impairments has an important role in planning preventive programs. This study was performed to evaluate temporary or permanent hearing threshold shift with the help of Pure Tone Audiometry among a group of military personnel in the shooting gallery.Methods: In this cohort study performed in 2010, 40 military forces from a military unit in Tehran were selected by simple randomized sampling method. Pure Tone Audiometry was performed on samples before and immediately after gunshot exposure and also a week later. Threshold Shift (TS) analysis and comparison was done separately and for the mean frequency of 3 to 6 KHz. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods, Chi-square test and paired T-test by SPSS 17 software.Results: After exposure to impulse noise, 28 individuals (70%) reported at least one hearing symptom that tinnitus was the most common one. Sixteen individuals (40%) showed TS increase in at least one of the studied frequencies. TS was only significant in the frequency of 4000 Hz for the right ear (p=0.0001) while separately evaluating the frequencies. The clinical findings and audiogram changes had remained in 8 and 6 participants respectively after one week.Conclusion: Temporary or permanent threshold shift due to impulse noises can be detected by Pure Tone Audiometry. Assessment of hearing health in military personnel during the training courses and use of proper personal protective equipment is highly recommended.

Aims: Random sampling and performing bacteriological tests are of the most important methods for examining the bacteriological quality of foods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bacteriological quality of ready-touse foods and salads in four restaurants affiliated to a military center in Tehran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2009.288 food and salad samples from four restaurants affiliated to a military center were chosen randomly and examined for Total Bacterial Count, Coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella using standard methods. Results were analyzed by SPSS 15 software using descriptive statistical indices and ANOVA test.Results: The highest Total Bacterial Count was detected in the samples of restaurant B and the highest Coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus contamination was detected in the samples of restaurant A.5 samples had Escherichia coli contamination, but no salmonella contamination was observed in tested samples.Conclusion: Bacterial contamination in some served foods and salads of the studied restaurants is more than standard level and regular control of these restaurants along with complementary studies is essential.

Aims: Recently many models have been introduced for organizational excellence. Among these models, Baldrigemodel improves the principles of Total Quality Management for healthcare organizations. The enhancement of organizational knowledge and improvement of knowledge management quality is one of the important criteria of the Baldrige model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of knowledge management in one of Tehran military hospitals based on the Malcolm Baldrige Excellence model.Methods: This qualitative and cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was performed in 2010. The statistical population was managers, employees, documents and processes of a military hospital in Tehran. Data were collected by the standard checklist of Baldrige excellence model (the version of 2009-2010). Data were analyzed based on the Baldrige scoring matrix. The results were plotted and analyzed by Excel 2007 Software based on the obtained scores in the matrix.Results: The studied hospital gained 43.67 (48.52%) scores out of 90 points of the "Knowledge Management" criterion. In addition, the hospital gained 67.5% of the score of "Performance Measurement", 52.5% of the score of "Performance Analysis and Review", 55% of the score of "Performance Improvement", 40% of the score of "Data, Information and Knowledge Management" and 37.5% of the score of "Management of Information Resources and Technology".Conclusion: The studied hospital has taken appropriate measure in infrastructure development by the establishment of Health Information System, but promotion in education and human resources and efficient use of Health Information System capacities is needed.

Aims: Nowadays organizations play an important role in career management because of the change in career models. Career management functions helps individuals to achieve valuable goals. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between career management functions and career satisfaction among the employees of a military unit.Methods: In a descriptive correlation study in 2011, 92 employees of a military unit were selected by random sampling method. Kong et al model was used for evaluating career management and Greenhouse et al model was used for the evaluating career satisfaction. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, one sample T-test, simple regression and stepwise regression.Results: There was a significant positive relationship between career management functions and career satisfaction (p<0.05). Furthermore, the effect of all career management functions on career satisfaction came out to be significant (p<0.05) and forecasted about 86% of dependent variable variation.Conclusion: Career management functions including career evaluation, development and training have strong positive impact on career satisfaction in the studied military unit.

Aims: Application of Information Technology in health domain has led to improvement of treatment, optimization of management methods and reduction of health costs. The aim of this study was to propose a framework for healthcare employees' health monitoring system assessment and treatment based on the timetable, questions and the indexes of assessment.Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 2010. The statistical population consisted of individuals who were familiar with electronic health systems and had related job experience.35 people were selected by systematic sampling method. Library research, Internet search and e-mail were used for data collection and indexes were classified based on their importance and a 20-question questionnaire was designed based on it. Data were analyzed by SPSS 14 software using Pearson correlation and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests.Results: There was significant relationship between the health monitoring system assessment efficacy and efficiency improvement (p<0.001), between the health monitoring system assessment recognition of the weak points of the services (p<0.05), between the managers' decision making and the employees' health situation (p<0.001) and between the system assessment and responding the researchers' needs (p<0.001). There was no significant relationship between the given scores and age, gender, job experience and education level (p>0.05).Conclusion: Most assessments of health monitoring systems focus more on economic factors, but human factors and knowledge development should also be observed. Assessing the Health Information System in three areas of effectiveness measurement, efficiency improvement and knowledge development before, during and after the system administration are presented in the suggested framework of the present research.

Aims: The health system of Iran annually spends great amount of costs for supplying drugs. The general goal of the present research was studying the effects of smart card application in drug consumption management of MS patients in Tehran Medical Services Insurance Organization.Methods: This research is a correlation study that was conducted in 2010 in Tehran. The statistical population of the present research was all MS patients covered by Tehran Medical Services Insurance Organization. Data were collected by field method by direct refer to the documents and using the data transfer form. In order to analyze the findings after and before smart card application, the average per capita of drug consumption, credits and prescriptions were analyzed. Then T-test, F-test and SPSS 16 Software were used for the analysis of the obtained data.Results: There was positive significant relationship among smart card application during years 2007 (before application), 2008, 2009 (after application) and the rate of drug consumption (p<0.009), drug credits (p<0.005) and prescriptions (p<0.001).Conclusion: Applying smart cards for recording medical and pharmaceutical related data can be an effective step towards reducing the drug consumption per capita, the rate of prescriptions and the patients' referring load.Therefore, application of smart cards results in the improvement of drug consumption management and control.

Aims: Recognition of common sport related injuries and their causing factors is one of the ways of injury prevention. The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence, type and mechanism of injuries among the participants of International Unity & Friendship Karate Cup.Methods: This descriptive survey was carried out in 2009. The statistical population was 165 male karatekas who participated in the 9th International Unity & Friendship Karate Cup and were selected by census method.Data were collected by injury report forms and weight of the athlete, the intensity of the injury, the injury site and the type, time and mechanism of injury were recorded. Descriptive statistical methods and SPSS 16 software were used for data analysis.Results: 75 injuries were recorded, with the mean incidence of 0.32 injuries per match.80% of injuries were minor, 17.3% moderate and 2.7% were severe. The injuries were most commonly located in the head and face (49.3%). The injuries consisted primarily of muscle contusion (60%) and hemorrhage (21.3%).24% of injuries took place at the first minute of the competition, 37.3% of injuries in the second minute, 17.3% in third minute and 21.3% out of the competition time.Conclusion: The majority of injuries are minor in Karate and severe injuries are uncommon. The injuries consisted primarily of muscle contusion. Most of injuries occur during the second minute of competition and injuries are most commonly located in head and face.

Aims: Today, measuring the job satisfaction is of the challenges that have increasingly occupied managers' minds. Considering the lack of a standard tool for measuring job satisfaction among the health care workers, this study was planned and carried out with the main purpose of preparation and standardization of the Job Satisfaction Survey questionnaire.Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in September 2010.301 employees of the Najmiyehe Subspecialty Hospital were selected by stratified sampling method and answered the Job Satisfaction Survey questionnaire. Concurrent validity and confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis were used in order to examine the construct validity and Cronbach's Alpha method was used to examine the reliability. SPSS 16 and AMOS 18 were used to analyze data, using analytical statistical methods including Chi-square test.Results: Samples consisted of 301 subjects including 239 (81.8%) women and 53 (18.2%) men. The explanatory Factor analysis showed 7 factors with 62% total variance and 0.82 Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Index. The results were also confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis (relative Chi-square=1.18, RMSEA=0.04, GFI=0.93, AGFI=0.91). The reliability of the questionnaire was reported 0.86 using the Cronbach's Alpha method.Conclusion: Considering that the validity and reliability indexes of the questionnaire are reported in acceptable range, the new version of Job Satisfaction Survey questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire for measuring job satisfaction among military health care workers.

Aims: Military forces are exposed to specific diseases and risks due to job conditions. Military medicine operates as an academic discipline related to the health needs of military forces. Specialized military medicine has started its activity almost since the onset of modern warfare in the twentieth century. Considering the world situation including the growing trend of war events, terrorism and natural disasters and also new changes in weapons and war strategies and their side effects, military medicine is evolving nowadays. This review article was written with the aim of evaluating the role, position and approaches of military medicine, assessing the military physicians' curriculum and the evaluating the priority of establishing specialty majors in the field of military medicine in Iran.Conclusion: Military physicians need excellent knowledge, attitude and skill. Nowadays, military medicine has the following approaches: being professional and mobile, resuscitating and stabling the victims at the scene and strengthening pre-hospital measures. Establishing military emergency medicine with a special curriculum is a priority and can provide the needs of armed forces in accomplishing their tasks. The military medicine departments of military medical universities should plan and design new curriculums with the specialized military medicine approach and develop it based on newly established needs. A specialized physician who has passed the military emergency medicine curriculum will be the best and the most appropriate choice for Iranian armed forces in emergency tasks and conditions.