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: Determining quality requirements and quality dimensions is one of the most reliable ways of providing high quality services. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between quality requirements and quality dimensions according to the points of view of physicians, nurses, and patients.

Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in hospitals under supervision of Medical Sciences Universities, in 4 provinces of Tehran, Fars, Lorestan, and Yazd (Iran). A group of 432 physicians and nurses answered the Quality Requirements Questionnaire which includes the 4 components of competitive, ethical, professional, and accountability requirements. Furthermore, 500 patients answered the Quality Dimensions Questionnaire, including the 11 dimensions of security (safety), professionalism, empathy (friendship), politeness, reliability, accountability, working speed, competency, accessibility, flexibility, and tangibles. The Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression method were used to analyze the data in SPSS software.

Results: The mean quality requirements and quality dimensions scores in the studied hospitals were, respectively, 3.75 and 3.61, both of which were at a higher than medium level. Moreover, the results of Pearson correlation coefficient suggested that the competitive, professional, and ethical components of quality requirement had a significant and direct association with quality dimensions. However, there was no significant association between the accountability component and quality dimensions variables. Furthermore, based on the results of multiple regression and the determination coefficient, it is possible to claim that approximately 13% of variance in quality dimensions depend upon the mean of components of quality requirements.

Conclusions: It can be concluded that work commitment, attention to work, respect for ethical principles, and fair competition at the work place between physicians and nurses lead to the provision of safe and high quality services in hospitals.

Background: Job satisfaction could be assessed using the single-item global approach or the multidimensional approach. This study aims to assess the work facets predicting the overall single-item job satisfaction measure among resident doctors.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from August to October 2018 among 195 resident doctors. The survey instrument, i.e. the Minnesota satisfaction questionnaire (MSQ), was used to assess satisfaction among resident doctors with 20 job facets. In addition, the single-item satisfaction measure was adopted to assess overall job satisfaction among the respondents. Both satisfaction measures were assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. The MSQ sum scores for the 20 items ranged from 20 to 100. The correlation between each satisfaction facet and the single-item overall job satisfaction was determined using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Besides, a linear regression model of the overall job satisfaction, including facets significantly correlated, was developed to control age and work experience. P-value ≤ 0.05 was regarded statistically significant.
Results: The respondents expressed above-average satisfaction with only two work facets, namely compensation (56.7%) and creativity (52.5%). Satisfaction had the lowest rate for the facets of recognition (4.8%), supervision-human relations (5.3%), and responsibility (7.5%). Accordingly, only the facets of ability utilisation (p = 0.005), advancement (p < 0.001), supervision-human relations (p = 0.035), variety (p = 0.012), and working conditions (p = 0.001) significantly predicted overall job satisfaction.
Conclusions: Overall job satisfaction was mostly predicted by factors intrinsic to the job, so these could be specifically targeted for interventions.
 

Background: Due to their difficult working conditions, physicians are prone to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders affecting different parts of the body. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among physicians at Mortaz hospital in Yazd, Iran (2020)
Materials and Methods: The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on 50 physicians at Mortaz Hospital in Yazd. The Nordic questionnaire and the Quick Exposure Check (QEC) method were employed to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and analyze body postures at work. Chi-square and t-test were used to determine statistically significant relationships.
Results: Seventy percent of the subjects were male. The mean age of the samples was 47.3 ± 8.4 years. The point prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in the lower back, neck, and knees were 52%, 30%, and 24% respectively; and the periodic prevalence of these disorders were 56%, 38%, and 34% in the back, neck, and shoulders respectively. According to the QEC results, 76% of the subjects needed further investigation and intervention in the future, and 20% were at an unacceptable risk level needing to be addressed immediately.
Conclusion: Physicians are exposed to many risk factors due to the working conditions that make them prone to various musculoskeletal disorders. Hence, to reduce the risk and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, interventional measures should be taken.

Background: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic can have many adverse personal and professional consequences for physicians and medical students. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the psychological consequences of the COVID-19 disease in physicians and medical students during the pandemic.
Materials and Methods: Using the census method, this cross-sectional study was conducted on 132 physicians and medical students working in Rafsanjan hospitals, Kerman province, Iran, from May to August 2020. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), and Impact of Event Scale (IES) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using SPSS 22, and descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square and Multiple logistic regression) methods were applied.
Results: More than half of the participants were female and married. According to GHQ, fifty-one and a half of the participants had psychological disorders. Based on the results, 24.2% of the participants had GAD, and 33.3% had PTSD. The results also showed that only occupation significantly correlated with psychological disorders (P = 0.01). The risk of psychological disorders in medical students was 2.38 times higher than among physicians (OR= 2.38, 95% CI= 1.11- 5.10, P = 0.026).
Conclusion: Physicians and medical students were faced too much stress in the COVID-19 pandemic. They were at great risk of mental health disorders and the psychological consequences of COVID-19 due to their job condition. Managers and health policymakers need to take the necessary mental health interventions to reduce such risks.