International Journal of Healthcare and Medical Sciences

Online ISSN: 2414-2999
Print ISSN: 2415-5233

Quarterly Published (4 Issues Per Year)





Archives

Volume 6 Number 5 October 2020

Evaluation of the Relationship Between Socio-Economic Level and Severity of Emergency


Authors: Oriol Yuguero Torres ; Noemí Espies ; Queralt Sans ; Silvia Tormo ; Carme Bret ; Nuria Garcia
Pages: 100-105
DOI: doi.org/10.32861/ijhms.65.100.105
Abstract
Background; Social Class has shown relation with admissions at Emergency Departments. To assess whether there is a relationship between the level of triage and the social class of patients who attend the emergency department and whether there are other variables that can modulate this association. Methods Observational study with 1000 patients was carried out between May and July 2018 in the Emergency Department of the University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova in Lleida. Sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, country of origin and marital status were analyzed. The triage level and the main explanatory variable was social class. Social class was calculated based on the CSO-SEE 2012 scale. Results 49.4% were male and the average age was 51.7 years. Most of the patients (66.6%) attended the emergency department under their own volition and the most common triage levels were level III or Emergency (45%). There is a significant relationship between age and triage level. The younger patients had a lower triage level (p <0.001). The percentage of patients with lower social class who attended the emergency department for minor reasons was 42% higher compared to the rest of the patients (RR = 1.42; 1.21-1.67 95% CI, p <0.001). Conclusions; Patients with a lower socioeconomic class go to the Emergency Department for less serious pathologies.



Ecology and Health: Exploring the Status of Child Health Care in a Haor Village of Bangladesh


Authors: Md. Mokhlesur Rahman ; Shariful Alam Bhuiyan
Pages: 93-99
DOI: doi.org/10.32861/ijhms.65.93.99
Abstract
This paper will explore child health care and treatment seeking behavior of villagers and presents factors that discourage them from using public health facilities. The perspective of human health is not only stay behind in the contact between the disease and the human body and the extermination of the demon by providing few medicines rather it is a complex web where multiple factors are affecting human to live a sound life. The environment has a diverse effect on human life: some indulge humans with it extravaganza while some impose serious theaters but one thing in common, every environment shares basic problems of acquiring and allocating space, food, energy and resources for health. Haor people have endless problems to meet, starting from food to basic human rights. Maintaining a healthy life does end up with some formality of going to some popular and folk treatment though going to professionals is rare. Government and non-Governmental organizations have a variety of scope to improve the situation by providing health infrastructure, awareness building measures, eradicating superstition and including health education in the school curriculum.



Music and Biomarkers of Stress: A Systematic Review


Authors: Michael W. Ishak ; Nathalie Herrera ; Alicia Halbert ; Jiaobing Tu ; Wei Gao
Pages: 82-92
DOI: doi.org/10.32861/ijhms.65.82.92
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review literature on music and biomarkers of stress in order to (1) Identify music interventions and (2) Detail the biomarkers of stress associated with music. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in performing this systematic review. Studies published from January 1995 to January 2020 that pertain to biomarkers of stress and music were identified through the use of the PubMed database, using the keywords: ‘music’ AND ‘biomarker’ OR ‘marker’ OR ‘hormone’. Two authors independently conducted a focused analysis and reached a final consensus on 16 studies that met the specific selection criteria and passed the study quality checks. Results: The reviewed studies were all randomized controlled trials. Reviewed music interventions included Music Listening (ML), Meditational Music (MM), ‘Guided Imagery and Music’ (GIM), and Singing. The studies showed that music is associated with a decreasing trend in cortisol, salivary α-amylase, heart rate, and blood pressure, as well as an increasing trend in Immunoglobulin A (IgA), oxytocin, and EEG theta wave, while testosterone was associated with sex-related differences. Conclusion:  Music is associated with significant changes in biomarkers of stress, suggesting that it could be utilized for the development of stress reduction tools.



A Survey of Wound Care Practices by Nurses in a Clinical Setting


Authors: Builders Modupe Iretiola ; Joseph Simeon Oyepata ; Bassi Peter Usman
Pages: 74-81
DOI: doi.org/10.32861/ijhms.65.74.81
Abstract
Background: Nurse practitioners play a vital role in wound care and management because of the prevalence of wounds in the community and hospital setting. Aims and objectives: The purpose was to identify current knowledge and practices of nurses with respect to wound management. Method: A qualitative descriptive research was designed, nineteen nurses in wound care wards in Bingham University teaching hospital were recruited into this study. This was achieved with the aid of a self-administered questionnaire for a two-week period. Results:  Three groups of nurses responded to this survey (73.7% males; 31.6% aged 31-40 years). Registered nurses dominated (68.4%), majority of them worked in male ward (36.8%) and private ward (36.8%). Almost on full-time (94.7%), more than half were diploma holders (57.9%) with 1 to 5 years of experience (47.4%). Majority (84.2%) were involved in wound treatment and management, there were significant association between years of experience and wound classification, wound treatment, treatment failure and treatment failure factors. Conclusion: Wound care practices require accurate knowledge and assessment skills, a better understanding of wound management provides comprehensible, rapid patient wound care and minimizes patient mortality as well as reduces health services financial costs.