Journal of Health Research in Community

1-10

Authors: Ahmad Jonidi Jafari , Mina Mohagheghi *

Introduction and purpose: Hospitals are among the major centers in the production of pharmaceutical wastes. Ineffective management and inappropriate disposal of pharmaceutical wastes in various healthcare centers cause environmental problems and threaten human health. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the composition and amount of the production rate of pharmaceutical wastes in a specialized hospital in Tehran, Iran, in 2017. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a specialized hospital under the supervision of Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran in 2017. For waste sampling, 19 active sections were selected in the present study. Method of separating and weighing wastes was used in this study. Finally, the total amount, production per bed, density, and weight percentage of waste components were determined in the present study. Results: According to the results, it was shown that the mean value of waste production was 60.14±5.81 kg/day in the studied hospital. Moreover, the waste production rate per bed was 85g/bed/day, and its density was obtained at 356.99±70.26 kg/m2. Results of physical analysis showed that 44.34% of vial and ampoule lesions, 12.4% of syringe lesions, 22.31% of buttocks and serum sets, and 29.24% of various lesions constituted the components. It should be noted that about 67.25% of vial lesions were related to antibiotics. Based on the findings, meroxan, cefazolin, and ciprofloxacin with 19.95%, 17.43%, and 14.56% were reported as the highest rates among the antibiotics, respectively. Conclusion: According to the obtained results of this study, the presence of household-like and infectious wastes among the components of pharmaceutical wastes indicated the proper separation. Proper separation of wastes leads to a lower amount of wastes and reduces management costs. In this regard, hospital managers should pay more attention to the management of these wastes.

19-30

Authors: Mehdi Salemi *

Introduction and purpose: Noise pollution can exert negative effects on mental health. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the noise levels in sugar factory of Debal Khozaei agro-industry complex in 2018. Methods: For the current study, sound and audio parameters were measured using a sound meter. These audio parameters included sound pressure level and minimum and maximum values measured in 9 units located in the interior space of the factory entailing 38 study stations with 30 points in open space. It is worthy to note that sound measurements were performed twice a week in morning and afternoon shifts at time intervals of 15 min. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using the ANOVA test. Results: Based on the results, the maximum and minimum sound pressure levels of power plants and white sugar warehouse were 0.86 ± 91.10 and 0.44 ± 91.10 dB, respectively. Additionally, the comparison of the average sound pressure level at different stations in the power plant and raw sugar production units, as well as some stations in the sugar refinery, lime kiln, and boiler exceeded the standard limit of 85 dB. However, this value was found to be below standard in the open space of the factory. Conclusion: The ongoing monitoring along with the application of noise reduction techniques is recommended due to the excessive noise levels in some parts of the factory.

41-51

Authors: Peyman Parvizrad * , Somayeh Sandakzehi

Introduction and purpose: Hospitals are seeking for maximum patient satisfaction, especially in the Pediatric Wards. This study investigated whether employees’ satisfaction correlated with maternal satisfaction, quality of services, and recovery process of children in a Pediatric Ward of a hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study included 16 employees and 30 mothers of hospitalized children in the Pediatric Ward of a hospital located in a deprived area in Iran with no sampling. The data were collected using two researcher-made questionnaires (i.e., employees’ and mothers’ questionnaires) with reliability values of 0.712 and 0.926, respectively, using Cronbach’s alpha. Moreover, the reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed by a group of professors who were experts in the health sciences. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 19) through the Chi-square and Fischer’s exact tests. Results: The results of this study showed that maternal satisfaction correlated significantly with imaging services (P=0.004), medical services (P=0.003), clinical staff views about the process of recovery (P=0.005), and the reception services as well as employees’ satisfaction (P=0.009). However, maternal satisfaction had no correlation with education (P=0.891), type of insurance (P=0.817), laboratory services (P=0.164), and patient services (P=0.064). Furthermore, employees’ satisfaction correlated significantly with the type of occupation (P=0.005), job benefits (P=0.015), and nutrition (P=0.029). Additionally, there was not a relationship between employees’ satisfaction and nurse supervisors or department heads’ attention (P=0.897). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, mothers had a moderate level of satisfaction with the services provided by physicians, nurses, and welfare services. It should be noted that more attention to the childcare by the clinical staff led to a higher level of maternal satisfaction. It is worth mentioning that timely and increased payment of salaries, as well as job benefits, can be effective in increasing staffs’ satisfaction and improving their performance.

61-72

Authors: Peigham Heidarpour , Farzad Motevali Haghi Seyed * , Roya Montazeri

Introduction and purpose: Currently, head louse is one of the sanitary problems in schools that results in physical, mental, and social problems in students. In this regard, the present study was conducted for the epidemiologic examination of head louse among the female students of the primary schools in Tonekabon, Iran, in 2017-2018. Methods: The present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was carried out for the examination of head louse on a total of 1466 students who were randomly selected from 5817 cases after the cluster sampling method. Then, the data were collected using a questionnaire and head examination, and the analysis was performed in SPSS software version 20 using the Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: Out of 1464 students, 292 (19%) subjects were infected with lice. In addition, the first-grade students were reported with a higher level of infection, compared to others. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between the prevalence of head louse with age, parental education, father occupation, personal hygiene, use of personal accessories, number of family members, neighborhood, number of taking showers, presence of a sanitary instructor in schools, sleeping beside others, and personal or family history of infection (P<0.05). Moreover, no significant relationship was observed between head louse with school-grade, mother occupation, as well as hair length and type (P>0.05). Conclusion: The obtained results showed that there was an inverse relationship between parental education, presence of a sanitary instructor, personal hygiene, and number of taking showers with the prevalence of head louse in female students in primary schools. In this regard, it is necessary to promote the level of knowledge in the community for the control and prevention of the infection.