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Improvement of patient safety through implementation of electronic medical records
Get PDFIntroduction: Today, with the complexity of the process of conducting activities, the increase in diversity and the number of hospital services, and the increase in the expectations of clients - consistent with the fast technological advances - most of the hospitals in Iran have turned to mechanized systems to organize their daily activities and to register the patients\u27 information and the care provided. One of these technologies is electronic medical records, which is known as a valuable system to evaluate patients\u27 information in hospitals. The purpose of this paper was to examine the advantages of running electronic medical records in patient safety.
Methods: This study is a review paper based on a structured review of papers published in the Google Scholar, SID, Magiran, Pubmed, and Science Direct databases (from 2007 to 2015) and the books on the benefits of implementing electronic medical records in patient safety and the related keywords.
Results: Clinical information systems can have a significant effect on the quality of the outputs and patient safety. Various studies have indicated that the physicians with access to clinical guidelines and features such as computer reminders, doctors who did not have these features, presented more appropriate preventive care. Studies show that electronic medical records play a crucial role in improving the quality of patient health and safety services. Moreover, electronic medical record system is usually in connection with other technological tools: electronic drug management records,
electronic record of time and date of drug management are usually associated with bar code technology. Among the benefits of this system is the possibility to record clinical care by the treatment team, which would be especially beneficial for patient\u27s bedside record. If the treatment personnel forgets to ask the patient a particular question, system reminds him/her. Furthermore, electronic medical record is able to remind the nurses of the patient\u27s allergic reactions and medical history without the need for the patient to remind, which improves patient safety.
Conclusion: Implementation of electronic medical records boosts up the quality of health services, patient safety, people\u27s access to health care services, and the speed of patients treatment, leading to lower healthcare costs. Thus, considering the benefits mentioned and some other benefits of this kind, one can use this technology in clinical care provided to patients to come up with a safe and effective clinical care
HEALTH INFORMATION SEARCH ENGINE THE NEW TOOLS OF HEALTH LITERACY
Get PDFIntroduction:
Access to Health Information is very essential for promoting health literacy, self-care, shared decision making, medication adherence. The Internet is one of the main resources of health information. Many studies showed the main gateway for seeking health information was search engines. But finding qualified health information is a challenge. Therefore, this study aimed to introduce top health Searches engines and review their features.
Methods:
According to the literature review, 10 health Searches engines were selected. Common features of each search engine, such as the ability to create profiles, the type of health information provided, target users, health information sources contained in the search engine, and the unique feature and other features, were reviewed and the comparison table was provided. A common search scenario was also tested on all search engines and the result of the data retrieval was reported by the search engine.
Results:
health Searches engine like that PubMed، Med scape، McGraw-Hill Medical، iMediSearch، medicin.net, Hardin.Md، Health line ، EMedicine، Merck and Ovid were chosen and reported.
Conclusion:
The results of this study can help users such as patient to choose a valid health searches engine and also help them to find health searches engine appropriate for their health problem and know what features in health website is important
Modeling of the temperature field of a tumor tissue loaded by magnetic nanoparticles
Get PDFBackground: Magnetic hyperthermia is a recent therapy used to treat cancer. It is based on the heating of magnetic nanoparticles under the effect of an alternating magnetic field. A mathematical study was considered the effect of heating magnetic nanoparticles to obtain an increase in the desired temperature while causing minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. We investigated the thermal response of different materials. An analytical resolution is proposed to solve the bio-heat transfer problem in a two-zone tissue in spherical geometry with blood perfusion and metabolism. Bio-heat equation is used to predict the temperature rise in terms of characteristics of the different magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), applied magnetic field, and size of the tissue.
Methods: The tumor is selectively loaded with magnetic nanoparticles of which are inside the healthy tissue, which does not contain nanoparticles. Under application of the magnetic field, the tumor will experience a rapid increase in temperature, which causes necrosis of the latter while healthy tissue remains safe.
Results: Results of the thermal response of three ferro-fluid materials (fcc Fe Pt), magnetite and maghemite (volume fraction of MNPs p = 0.0001), on the tumor (size r =1[cm]) under application of alternating magnetic field (the strength and frequency of applied AC magnetic field H=10 [kA/m] and f=300 [kHz]) show an increase in temperature at the center, which vary from one material to another. It reaches 51°C for (fcc FePt); for magnetite and maghemite, it reaches 43°C. The simulations show that these nanoparticles provide the necessary power to conduct treatment with hyperthermia. The different parameters show that they have an influence on the temperature we observed, ranging from 45°C up to 51°C for volume fraction of MNPs ˆ = 0.00006, 0.00008, 0.0001. The strength of applied AC magnetic field varies as H= 5, 10, 15(kA/m) and shows significant variation for the temperature ranging between 42°C and 60°C. For the frequency of applied AC magnetic field varied as f=150,300, 450(kHz), the temperature varies between 44°C and 54°C. Finally, the effects of tumor size are considered, the temperature with parameters of (fcc FePt) MNPs, p=0.0001, H=10 (kA/m), and f=300 (kHz) at the center and at the interface of the tumor for a size of 10 mm radius is 51°C and 48°C, respectively. For a tumor of 5 mm radius, we note that the temperature decreases at 49°C and 47°C, which is due to the effect of blood perfusion.
Conclusion: Theoretical evaluation of nanoparticles as warming agents for magnetic hyperthermia is carried out by combining the heat generating model and bio-heat transfer equation. Accordingly, (fcc FePt) MNPs were found to have a heat capacity greater than that of other MNPs such as magnetite. This study shows that each item contributes to a significant change in temperature, which causes us to determine the best to achieve optimal treatment. This therapy proves to be promoted with its ability to eliminate tumor tissue while preserving healthy tissue
Study of hormone levels and semen parameters in infertile patients and fertile controls from Batna
Get PDFBackground: Male infertility or the inability of a man to procreate is a major public health problem and is a leading cause of marital discord in countries such as Algeria. Endocrine disorders that can be associated with significant medical pathology remain an important factor to be considered in the etiology of male infertility, and those disorders are usually associated with alteration of sperm count or in severe cases with azoospermia. In this study, we are evaluating semen parameters and hormonal levels of patients with idiopathic male infertility and comparing their results with healthy fertile controls.
Methods: We aim to study the impact of hormones; follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T) and prolactin (PRL) on idiopathic male fertility and their impact on semen parameters, we conducted a study on 71 male subjects with 39 infertile men and 32 fertile controls from the city of Batna (Algeria). Our study lasted six months and was conducted at the University Hospital of Batna and a private analysis laboratory.
Results: The results of semen analysis allowed us to determine that the most common pathology in our population is OANTS with a percentage of 21.05% followed by NS and NT with 13.16%; results of the permocytogramme show a predominance of atypical forms of the head with a frequency of 39.21%. Regarding the hormone dosage, prolactin was the most disturbed hormone with an average value of (18 ± 6.221 ng/ml), which is almost pathologic; the other hormones showed some disturbances but to a lesser degree. The results of spermiologique parameters of infertile men compared with fertile controls showed highly significant differences (P≤O.OOO1) regarding motility, concentration vitality, and spermatozoa morphology. The comparison of results of hormones between the two groups revealed differences in LH and prolactin levels; no differences were found regarding FSH and testosterones. Concerning the relationship between hormones and spermiologiques parameters, positive correlations were found between (LH and sperm concentration) (testosterone and sperm concentration), and, finally, a strong correlation was found between the levels of prolactin and the anomalies of intermediate piece of spermatozoa.
Conclusion: This study showed that hormonal disorders are not a common cause of male infertility in our study population. It further showed the relative frequencies of the various semen abnormalities during the study period. Also, we found associations between altered semen parameters and pathological levels of some hormones; however, a complementary study with a more subjects is needed
Optimization of environmental parameters followed for better clinical urolithiasis in Western Algeria
Get PDFMedicine attaches great importance to the influence of environmental and human health measures recommended to minimize problems related to the environment. One of the oldest diseases mentioned and described by doctors since antiquity is a kidney stone. The diversity of etiological factors involved in the process calculi requires us to undertake the operation of urolithiasis in a rational manner. To this end, we conducted a study on multifactorial urolithiasis in Western Algeria by using Statistica software for processing data collected in the laboratory of the University of STEVA Mostaganem. Of a total of 577 cases of lithiasic studied, 51% corresponded to 40% in men and women, confirming the prevalence of this disease; the study of the distribution by age groups shows that the age groups most affected are between 30 and 44 years with a rate of 41.8%, confirming the early attainment of this population gallstone. The study of crystalluria reveals a high rate of calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate as struvite, and is more abundant in women than in men, which usually leads to crystalluria in a composition of similar calculations with a dominance of calcium oxalate where Whewillite is 24.6% and 12.4% Weddellite. Optimization of environmental parameters allows better identification of the causes of the occurrence of urolithiasis and therefore proper treatment, which is preventive and effective for lithiasis
Comparing three data mining algorithms for identifying associated risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes
Get PDFIntroduction: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) shows increasing prevalence and global health burden, causing a concern among health service providers and health administrators. The current study is aimed at developing and comparing some statistical models that are useful in measuring or establishing such associations. The three particular statistical methods investigated in this study are artificial neural network (ANN), support vector machines (SVM) and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) using demographic, anthropometric and biochemical characteristics on a sample of 9528 individuals from Mashhad city.
Methods: The statistical methods involved in this study are also known as machine learning algorithms and require dividing the available data in to training and testing dataset. This study has randomly selected 70% cases (6654 cases) for training and reserved the remaining 30% (2874 cases) for testing. The three methods are compared with help of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.
Results: The prevalence rate of T2DM is 14% in our population. The ANN model has 78.7% , accuracy, 63.1% sensitivity and 81.2% specificity. Values of these three parameters are 76.8%, 64.5% and 78.9% respectively for SVM and 77.7%, 60.1% and 80.5%, respectively for MLR. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is 0.71 for ANN, in SVM model was 0.73 for SVM, and 0.70 for MLR.
Conclusion: The overall conclusion is that ANN performs better than two models and can be used effectively to identify associated risk factors of T2DM.
 
Effects of sexual education mobile applications on men’s sexual awareness and satisfaction: A randomized controlled trial
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Sexual education programs can improve sexual awareness and satisfaction. Yet, sex education is ignored in developing countries. Under such circumstances, we have used IT tools to improve sexual education.
OBJECTIVE: In this article, we used a mobile application (mHealth) to impart sex education.
Methods: A randomized controlled trial was held, in which participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: The control group, with 25 participants, which received only counseling from sex therapists, and the intervention group, with 25 participants, which received the mobile application system in addition to counseling from sex therapists. Participants were persons referred to sex therapists at a clinic. In each group, sexual satisfaction and awareness were evaluated. We measured sexual satisfaction with the help of the Larson questionnaire and sexual awareness by the Ann Hooper questionnaire.
Results: Our data demonstrated that sexual satisfaction was not statistically significant (P=0.44), but awareness showed statistically significant differences (P=0.007) in the intervention vs. the control group. Also, the mean in both groups had statistically significant differences before and after the intervention (P=0.001).
Conclusion: Our results showed that mobile applications can improve sexual awareness but cannot affect sexual satisfaction in the short term.
Trial Registration: The clinical trial was registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) under registration ID: IRCT2016110130640N
Medical and epidemiological impact of candidal biofilms, tridimensional architecture, and resistance
Get PDFA hospital can be considered an ecosystem where the patient is found in contact with the microbial world and faces the risk of contracting an infection that is termed the nosocomial. Some opportunist pathogens yeast parts of this universe, candida sp., is responsible for more than 75% of systemic fungal infections. These infections are primarily related to medical devices such as catheters that promote the formation of biofilms. That structure sets up nests for disease because it is not easily amenable to conventional antifungal therapy. The diagnosis of catheter-related candidiasis is difficult; however, the differentiation between catheter infection and a simple contamination is essential to establishing an antifungal treatment. In this context, we conducted our study between February 2011 and January 2012 at the Hospital University Center of Sidi Bel Abbès (Algeria), which is to assess the responsible yeast species, then, to check their power to form biofilms and to test their resistance against amphotericin B and fluconazol. From 457 samples, 37 strains of candida sp. were isolated, along with the dominance of C. glabrata. Nevertheless, 31 strains were able to form biofilms; in addition, it appears from this study that the antifungal tests clearly show that sessile cells of candida sp. were much more resistant than their planktonic counterparts (32 times higher toward AmB and 128 times to fluconazole). Moreover, images of electron microscopy show the formation of biofilms on the internal surfaces of catheters
Prospective observational study in early breast cancer at University Hospital of Tlemcen
Get PDFBackground: Breast cancer is the first cancer in women in Algeria. It affects a significant proportion of young women. Stage at diagnosis is made with a positive, massive, and often lymph node involvement. The objective of this study is to determine the clinicopathological and histological features of patients treated for invasive breast carcinoma.
Methods: This is an observational prospective study from January 2006 to December 2011 done at the medical oncology department at the University Hospital Center of Tlemcen: 103 patients with early breast cancer were included.
Results: Extreme age is between 29 and 70 years; 50% of patients are under 47 years. The average age at diagnosis of 46.45 ± 0.90 years; 54% are stage T2; 17% are stage T3 and 4% stage T4; stage III is the most frequent with 50.4%. Half of patients have four to nine nodes with relatively wide tumor size, and only one patient was stage I; 10% had more than 10 positive nodes. The infiltrating ductal carcinoma is the most common histological types (83.5%), followed by atypical carcinoma (5.82%). Note the predominance of grade II of Scarf Bloom and Richardson (58.25%), followed by grade III (36.89%) and grade I (1.91%). Over 50% of patients had a tumor size of 35.41 ± 1.82 mm. Hormone receptors were positive in 65% of patients (ER + PR +) and negative in 35%. HER2 status was determined in 82 patients, 12% expressed a positive score, and 67% of were negative. The luminal profile is the most common in our study population with 57.3%, followed by triple negative tumors or basal-like with 26.8%. Conservative surgical treatment was realized in 2.9% and an astectomy in most patients at 97%. Radiotherapy was performed in 83.5% of patients, and 65% of patients received hormone therapy according to hormone positivity.
Conclusion: The clinical and histological profiles of the patients in our study population are different from Western populations by the average age of diagnosis of 46 years, 10 years higher for Western women, and the stage is more advanced for our population. The majority are at stage III, while Western women are diagnosed at stage I or II through screening. Given the Algerian profile, women should be offered screening at aged 40 years for earlier diagnosis and improved survival rate
Recent Advances of Mechanical Engineering Applications in Medicine and Biology
Get PDFBackground: Mechanics is an area of science dealing with the behavior of physical bodies (solids and fluids) undergoing action of forces, it comprised of statics, kinetics and kinematics. The advances and research in Applied Mechanics has wide application in almost fields of study including medicine and biology. In this paper, the relationship between mechanical engineering and medicine and biological sciences is investigated based on its application in these two sacred fields. Some emergent mechanical techniques applied in medical sciences and practices are presented.
Methods: Emerging applications of mechanical engineering in medical and biological sciences are presented and investigated including: biomechanics, nanomechanics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Results: This review article presents some recent advances of mechanical engineering applications in medicine and biology. Specifically, this work focuses on three major subjects of interests:
Biomechanics that is increasingly being recognized as an important application of mechanical fundamentals in biomedical and biological sciences and practices, biomechanics can play a crucial role in both injury prevention as well as performance enhancement of living systems.
Novel techniques of nanomechanics including: Carbon nanotubes applications in therapy, DNA recognition, immunology and antiviral resistance. Nanorobotics that combines between nanotechnology, mechanics and new biomaterials to design and develop nanorobots based bacteria and biochips; these nanoscale robots can be involved in biomedical applications, particularly for the treatment of cancer, cerebral aneurysm treatment, kidney stones removal surgery, treatment of pathology, elimination of defected parts in the DNA structure, and some other treatments to save human lives.
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools that contribute on the understanding of blood flows, human organs dynamics and surgical options simulation.
Conclusion: Recent advances of mechanical applications in medicine and biology are carried out in this review, such as biomechanics, nanomechanics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). As perspectives, mechanical scholars and engineers can involve these cited applications in their researches to solve many problems and issues that doctors and biologists cannot