Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de santé de la Méditerranée orientale = al-Majallah al-ṣiḥḥīyah li-sharq al-mutawassiṭ
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · Jul 2007
Safe injection practice among health-care workers in Gharbiya Governorate, Egypt.
We assessed safe injection practices among 1100 health-care workers in 25 health-care facilities in Gharbiya Governorate. Questionnaires were used to collect information and 278 injections were observed using a standardized checklist. ⋯ Reuse of used syringes and needles was reported by 13.2% of the health-care workers and 66.2% had experienced a needle-stick injury. Only 11.3% had received a full course of hepatitis B vaccination.
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · Jul 2007
Epidemiology of tuberculosis among Afghan immigrants in Fars province, southern Islamic Republic of Iran.
Rates of tuberculosis are high among migrants from high-incidence countries. This study determined the epidemiology of tuberculosis among Afghan immigrants in Fars province, southern Islamic Republic of Iran. ⋯ Of the 278 new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, 157 (56.5%) were sputum smear-positive and 121 (43.5%) were sputum smear-negative. The incidence of tuberculosis per 100 000 Afghan population in Fars province was estimated at 96.2, 88.2 and 63.5 in 2000, 2001 and 2002 respectively.
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · Jul 2007
Environmental risk factors for refractive error among Egyptian schoolchildren.
This study evaluated the preventable environmental risk factors of refractive error (RE) among 1292 Egyptian schoolchildren aged 7-15 years, chosen from 12 schools using multistage random sampling. A questionnaire was completed, covering personal, medical, social and environmental data. Statistical analysis revealed that living in an area with many sources of environmental pollution, age, sex, family history of RE, socioeconomic status, ocular problems, school level and amount of near-work (hours/day) were significantly associated with RE. Logistic regression, after adjustment for sex, found that school level, near-work, socioeconomic status and family history were associated with RE.
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East. Mediterr. Health J. · May 2007
Quality improvement programme for diabetes care in family practice settings in Dubai.
A continuous quality improvement programme for the care of registered diabetes patients was introduced in 16 government-affiliated primary health care centres in Dubai. Quality improvement teams were formed, clinical guidelines and information systems were developed, diabetes nurse practitioners were introduced and a team approach was mobilized. ⋯ For example, the proportion of patients with glycosylated haemoglobin levels < 7% increased from 20.6% to 31.7% and with LDL cholesterol < 100 mg/dL increased from 20.8% to 33.6%. Mean systolic blood pressure of registered patients fell from 135.3 mmHg to 133.2 mmHg.
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Tobacco control interventions in Bahrain started in the late 1970s and tobacco legislation was introduced in 1994. The tobacco control approach incorporated the international recommended strategies according to the Gulf Cooperation Council and World Health Organization. ⋯ This report examines the Bahrain tobacco control approach, focusing on tobacco legislation, youth smoking, waterpipe smoking, tobacco surveillance and the smoking cessation plan. A number of recommendations for further improvement are discussed.