Hope for Autism.

We all love nothing more than our children, and the thought of having an autistic child is frightening. Autism's behavioral, social, verbal and non-verbaldisturbances affect children in major ways. Autism is a mysterious disorder; there is little understanding of its cause. What causes Autism? A short time ago, the only sentence that we can say “we have no idea.” Fortunately, the researchers are recently starting to deliver the answers. We now understand that there isn't a single cause for autism, we also know that there are multiple types of autism. Recently, researchers have reported a scale of gene polymorphisms linked to autism. However, only some of these polymorphisms are capable of causing autism directly. Both of gene polymorphisms and environmental factors affecting brain growth appear to be the cause of major cases of autism.

If the genetic risk factor for autism is present, a number of nongenetic, or “environmental,” factors are also having a role in increasing a child’s chance for becoming autistic. The risk factors for autism include what happened before and through birth, for example old parental age at time of pregnancy - both mother and father, not just the mother; maternal diseases; and some complications during birth, especially fetus’ brain oxygen deprivation. It is very important note that autism risk factors do not cause autism by themselves. But, in addition to genetic factors, they can increase the risk. Recent growing research reports that a mother can decrease her risk of delivering an autistic baby by taking folic acid tablets and/or eating meals rich in folic acid (500 mcg per day) during the months before and after pregnancy.(Read more)

Experimental Results of Phoebe Framework: Optimal Formulas for Estimating Fetus Weight and Age

Fetal age and weight estimation is to predict the birth weight or birth age before delivery. It is very important for doctors to diagnose abnormal or diseased cases so that she/he can decide treatments on such cases. This research is relevant to apply regression model into the birthestimation. Fetal ultrasound measures such as bi-parietal diameter (bpd), head circumference (hc), abdominal circumference (ac), fetal length (fl), arm volume (arm_vol), and thigh volume (thigh_vol) are recorded and considered as input sample for regression analysis which results in a regression function.

This function is formula for estimating fetal age and weight according to these ultrasound measures. Note, some terminologies such as regression function, function, regression model, estimate function, estimate model and estimate formula have the same meaning.(Read more)

Patients’ Level of Satisfaction with the Health Care Services Received at Outpatient Departments in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

Traditionally, quality of health care services has been measured by means of professional standards ignoring the importance of patient’s satisfaction. The level of patients’ satisfaction isimportant for improving the quality of care provided. Based on different studies, there is a high variation of patients’ level of satisfaction between countries and within country.

In developed countries, patients are highly satisfied (90-95%) with the basic services provided at outpatient departments (OPD, while in developing countries it has been shown that, the range of patients’ satisfaction vary between 95% to <50%. In Nigeria 84% are satisfied while in Ethiopia 77% are satisfied with the health services rendered at the OPD. In Tanzania, at Muhimbili National Hospital satisfaction level was found to be high (90%-95%) while in Morogoro (Kilosa District Hospital) satisfaction level was moderate (70%) but at Mwananyamala Referral Hospital, satisfaction level was found to be low (<50%).If patient’s level of satisfaction on quality of care does not meet their standards, patients may decide to seek treatment somewhere else out of the formal health system that may lead to poor health seeking behaviors resulting in poor initial uptake of services, poor adherence, poor retention of services and at the end this may contribute to high morbidity and mortality.(Read more)

Patient Safety Culture: The Key to Sustained Quality Improvement

Research conducted in industries outside of medicine demonstrates a strong association between safety culture and outcomes. In surgery, however, few studies have assessed this important relationship. Safety culture is defined as “the product of the individual and group values, attitudes, competencies and patterns of behavior that determine the commitment to, and the style and proficiency of, an organization’s healthand safety management”.

Historically, analysis of surgical safety culture proved difficult to quantify with solid methodology and scientific rigor. The landscape surrounding patient safety culture changed with the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) 1999 report “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System”. The IOM found a significant level of morbidity and mortality related to medical errors and concluded that healthcare organizational leaders have a mandate to work to create a patientcentered culture of safety.(Read More)

A Forensic Psychological Research Question of Whether or Not High Profile Cross-Racial Police Incidents Compromise Officer Safety: A Dissenting Voice on Bias Training.

Research to date has offered few insights when examining the forensic psychological impact that assessed bias (i.e., explicit-implicit) may have on police officer safety as a consequence of high profile cross-racial police incidents. This editorial reflects on 21st Century law enforcement complexities as noted by the stressful in-the-street policing work performed through using a multilayered public safety framework. From a forensic psychological perspective, by default, the lawful execution of police duties means that the calculated creation of a culture of safety is a critical psychosocial trust factor in diverse communities. 

Most informed police departments fully understand that public safety is an immediate product signaled by community markers like ethnoracial values, attitudes, perceptions, officer cross-cultural competencies, trust and historical patterns of procedural justice. However, high profile cross-racial police incidents are actually more known for reactivating unresolved residual affect that stems largely from the trans-generational communication of the perceptions from previous law enforcement offenses.(Read more)

Socio-Demographic Determinants of Satisfaction with Training Process among Final Year Nursing Students at Kenya Medical Training College

Satisfaction is the good feeling that one has when she/he achieves something or when something she/he wanted to happen does happen. Jaradeen et al. defined satisfaction as a psychological state which results from confirmation of expectations with reality. Studies point out that certain factors exert positive and significant influences on student satisfaction. 

These factors include, student background characteristics, participation in the community, access to and use of college facilities and services, faculty style of instruction, academic and social integration, learning activities, courses, quality and usefulness of education. A study done by Rognstad, found that Norwegian nursing students were motivated to join a nursing career by the need for human contact and need for helping others. They viewed nursing as a vocation and felt compelled to do it.(Read more)

Influence of Nurse Education on Healthy Lifestyle Habits of Students: A Literature Review

Health-promoting habits assisting the good health and healthy lifestyles as well as strengthening and promoting practices that foster the achievement of full and total health situation from all known perspectives have been terms irretrievably linked to the profession of nurse for many years. Nursing professionals are a fundamental part of the patient teaching process, as well as of the adoption or support of health promoting behaviour. 

 It is essential for the Nursing students to receive adequate training throughout the university years, since they will transmit the knowledge and skills learned in order to improve the quality of people’s lives in the future. Nursing professionals spend more time with the patients than any other professional; therefore patients take the nurses as a reference or a model of healthy habits.(Read more)