Journal of Occupational

 Background: Physicians and medical students are at risk of exposure to a broad range of viral pathogens through percutaneous injury, contact of mucous membrane with blood, and other potentially infectious body fluids. The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of physicians and medical students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, regarding standard precautions.

 Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional research based on a survey performed in 3 teaching hospitals affiliated with Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Subsequently, researchers distributed the questionnaires among the individuals who agreed to participate in the study. The participants were given instructions on completing the questionnaires. After completion of the questionnaires, they were collected and statistically processed with SPSS software using frequencies, percentages, the averages and standard deviations, and the independent t-test. All P values equal to or less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.

 Results: The response rate in this study was 95%. The mean age of subjects was 27.6 ± 5.3 years. The majority of subjects were female (62.1%), single (66.3%), and medical interns (78.9%). Most subjects were untrained on standard precautions (64.5%). The mean and standard deviations of KAP scores were 37.6 ± 7.4 (out of 46), 32.6 ± 4.5 (out of 45), and 33.06 ± 6.5 (out of 44), respectively. The independent t-test showed significant differences between knowledge and practice scores and marital status. It also showed significant differences between the practice score and training on standard precautions (P < 0.05). 

  Conclusions: The results showed that the knowledge score was desirable, but the attitude and practice scores were not desirable. Thus, educational programs with the foundation of blood-borne infections, infection control, safety recommendations, and different aspects of standard precautions are recommended.

Background: Safety culture and attitude form an integral part of organizations' cultures and their improved levels are influential in the prevention of occupational accidents and injuries. The present study was conducted to assess the safety culture and attitude of workers in the mining industry in Iran.

Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 workers employed in GolGohar Mine in Southeast Iran. Data were collected using a standard safety culture questionnaire, and then, analyzed in SPSS software using ANOVA, independent t-test, and the linear regression model.

Results: Participants' mean age and mean length of work experience were 38.13 ± 7.11 and 9.95 ± 4.84 years, respectively. The level of education was found to be significantly related to management commitment (P = 0.003) and training (P = 0.001). Age was found to be significantly related to management commitment (P = 0.044), exchange of information (P = 0.020), and training (P = 0.047). In addition, work experience was found to be significantly related to training (P = 0.010) and safety prioritization (P = 0.002). However, employment and marital status had no significant relationships with the culture of safety (P > 0.050). Participants had experienced no occupational accidents during the course of their work.

Conclusions: The present study showed the effectiveness of the level of education, age, and work experience in promoting the culture of safety. Adopting measures to increase the employment of better educated individuals, providing safety training prior to recruitment, and using more experienced workers’ recommendations can promote the culture of safety in the organization and reduce occupational accidents.

Background: Studies show that most students do not have sufficient scientific spirit and motivation and usually do not have the right attitude toward their chosen field of study. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of students in occupational and environmental health at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran, toward their disciplines.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study examined the attitudes of 150 students of environmental and occupational health in relation to their field of study. The participants consisted of students who were studying at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences between 2010 and 2013. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and P values of less than 0.05 were considered as significant.

Results: The mean and standard deviation score of attitudes of occupational and environmental health students toward their field of study and their future career were 39.6 ± 8.7 and 44.5 ± 8.5 (Total: 42), respectively. The mean score of environmental health students was close to the acceptable limit; however, the mean score of occupational health students was less than the acceptable limit. Mean score of attitude among male students was 43.2 ± 9.9, while it was 41.3 ± 8.3 among female students, indicating that the mean score of female students was below the acceptable limit and was not significant (P = 0.213). Mean score of attitude among single students was 42.6 ± 8.7, while it was 39.9 ± 9.2 among married students. The mean for married students was below the acceptable limit and this relationship was not significant (P = 0.015).

Conclusions: Although the attitudes of environmental health students toward their major were positive, occupational health students’ attitudes were negative. Thus, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education can accommodate students’ admission to these majors considering the needs of the labor market. Moreover, these majors’ curricula should be based on the real needs of society and creating new job markets should be a high priority.

Background: Brucellosis or Malta fever is a common disease between humans and animals mostly affecting livestock farmers, butchers, and veterinarians. The present study aimed to determine knowledge, attitude, and perceived threat of butchers in Rafsanjan city regarding Brucellosis in 2020-2021.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive correlational study was carried out on all butchers in Rafsanjan in 2020-2021using the census method. The data were collected through a questionnaire (demographic, knowledge, attitude, and perceived threat). SPSS (version 20) was used to analyze the data using one-way ANOVA, Independent t-test, and Pearson Correlation at a significance level of less than 0.05.
Results: The mean age of 130 participants in the present study was 39.68 ± 11.23 years. The mean score of butchers' knowledge, attitude, and perceived threat were 70.07, 78, and 78.33 out of 100, respectively. A positive and significant correlation of butchers' knowledge was observed with their attitude (p <0.001( and perceived threat (p <0.001 (. Further, there was a significant correlation between perceived threat and work experience (p = 0.007(.
Conclusion: Although the knowledge, attitude, and perceived threat of the butchers about Brucellosis was at a favorable level, it is better to design, implement, and evaluate training and retraining programs to teach more about the disease and prevent Brucellosis among at-risk individuals, especially butchers.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is transmitted through saliva and respiratory aerosols. Concerns among dental clinicians over cross-contamination are among the main challenges currently present in the dental profession. This study aimed to assess dental students’ distress level and attitude towards their professional future following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Materials & Methods: This descriptive study was carried out recruiting 369 dental students of the Guilan University of Medical Sciences (a census sampling method) using an online questionnaire consisted of the three main topics of students’ academic status, distress level, and attitude towards their professional future. The students received the link to the questionnaire via instant messaging applications. The Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Spearman’s correlation, the chi-squared test, the Fisher’s exact test, the binomial test, as well as the backward multiple logistic regression model were used for data analysis.
Results: The dental students had a low level of distress and a negative attitude towards their professional future. Accordingly, the distress level was significantly higher in females (P < 0.001) than in males. Besides, it had a positive correlation with the academic level. In addition, the attitude of the females and those attending the Rasht Dental School was more significantly negative than that of the males and those attending the Anzali Private Dental School (P = 0.01 and P = 0.009, respectively). Furthermore, attitude had a positive correlation with distress.
Conclusion: The subjects showed little distress over the pandemic. However, this level of distress showed a significant correlation with the negative attitude towards the professional future. In fact, this negative attitude stemmed from structural changes in the dental profession as well as the threats posed to financial conditions following the transmission of the disease and concerns over it.