Women's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception on Personalized Risk-Stratified Breast Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study in Malaysia

AIM

Breast cancer is commonest cancer among Malaysian women and screening is essential for the early detection. Therefore our study aimed at measuring the levels of knowledge, attitude and perception towards personalized risk stratified breast cancer screening in Malaysia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Malaysia to assess the knowledge, perception and attitudes of the women in Malaysia. The study was conducted using an online questionnaire, and samples were obtained using convenience sampling. The questionnaire was distributed trilingual in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese. The data was collected with content validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and General Linear Model analysis in SPSS (Version 27).

RESULTS

A total of 201 respondents' data were analyzed. From our study we were able to summarize that the women in Malaysia have a suboptimal knowledge towards personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening as only 48.9% aware of the term for personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening. Meanwhile, the majority of the respondents (96.7%) showed positive attitudes towards the importance of risk assessment and screening. Experience of participating in health education programmes about breast cancer and personalized risk-stratified screening was found to be significantly associated with knowledge, attitude and perception towards personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening.

CONCLUSION

General population's awareness of individualized risk-stratified breast cancer screening was insufficient despite their favourable attitude towards the disease. A multimodal strategy may be used to improve women's knowledge, attitude, and perception of individualized risk-stratified breast cancer screening.

Risk-Stratified Breast Cancer Screening in Malaysia: Challenges and Opportunities

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer is the commonest cancer among Malaysian women. Current clinical practice guidelines (CPG) by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia comprise recommendations based on a risk stratification approach.

AIM

This paper reviewed and reflected on the challenges and uncertainties that needed to be considered regarding the implementation and delivery of risk-stratified breast cancer screening in Malaysia.

METHODS

Our iterative writing, discussions and reflections revolved around the results of key relevant literature search from the Ministry of Health Malaysia website, PubMed, and Google Scholar, and on feedback from local clinical experts in the field of breast cancer screening practice. The articles related to risk-stratified breast cancer screening, genetic testing, screening guidelines for the Malaysia population, and articles published in English were included in this narrative review.

RESULT

Further infrastructure and workforce capacity building is needed in order to achieve successful wider implementation e.g.; genetic counselling and testing services are limited in Malaysia. Furthermore, there is a need to elicit Malaysian women's views and evaluate their acceptance of risk-stratified breast cancer screening. The primary healthcare setting is an obvious potential avenue to introduce and deliver initial risk assessment and stratification. However, the workload and willingness of Malaysian primary healthcare doctors to practice risk-stratified screening is yet to be explored to have a better understanding on their perspective.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Identifying a valid and appropriate risk model tailored to the population profile and needs of Malaysian women and conducting a pilot project of risk-stratified screening, guided by implementation science would provide lessons and insights for policymakers, health service managers, and public and primary health care professionals. The results of these activities would increase the likelihood that decisions and plans would lead to the successful implementation in Malaysia of a sustainable and effective breast cancer screening strategy that incorporates a patient-sensitive, risk-stratified approach.

Setting research priorities for global pandemic preparedness: An international consensus and comparison with ChatGPT's output

Background

In this priority-setting exercise, we sought to identify leading research priorities needed for strengthening future pandemic preparedness and response across countries.

Methods

The International Society of Global Health (ISoGH) used the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) method to identify research priorities for future pandemic preparedness. Eighty experts in global health, translational and clinical research identified 163 research ideas, of which 42 experts then scored based on five pre-defined criteria. We calculated intermediate criterion-specific scores and overall research priority scores from the mean of individual scores for each research idea. We used a bootstrap (n = 1000) to compute the 95% confidence intervals.

Results

Key priorities included strengthening health systems, rapid vaccine and treatment production, improving international cooperation, and enhancing surveillance efficiency. Other priorities included learning from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, managing supply chains, identifying planning gaps, and promoting equitable interventions. We compared this CHNRI-based outcome with the 14 research priorities generated and ranked by ChatGPT, encountering both striking similarities and clear differences.

Conclusions

Priority setting processes based on human crowdsourcing - such as the CHNRI method - and the output provided by ChatGPT are both valuable, as they complement and strengthen each other. The priorities identified by ChatGPT were more grounded in theory, while those identified by CHNRI were guided by recent practical experiences. Addressing these priorities, along with improvements in health planning, equitable community-based interventions, and the capacity of primary health care, is vital for better pandemic preparedness and response in many settings.

Prevalence of Suicidal Behavior Among Students in South-East Asia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Estimation of rates of suicidal behaviors (ideation, plan, and attempt) would help to understand the burden and prioritize prevention strategies. However, no attempt to assess suicidal behavior among students was identified in South-East Asia (SEA). We aimed to assess the prevalence of suicidal behavior (ideation, plan, and attempt) among students in SEA.

METHODS

We followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and registered the protocol in PROSPERO (CRD42022353438). We searched in Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO and performed meta-analyses to pool the lifetime, 1-year, and point prevalence rates for suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts. We considered the duration of a month for point prevalence.

RESULTS

The search identified 40 separate populations from which 46 were included in the analyses, as some studies included samples from multiple countries. The pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 17.4% (confidence interval [95% CI], 12.4%-23.9%) for lifetime, 9.33% (95% CI, 7.2%-12%) for the past year, and 4.8% (95% CI, 3.6%-6.4%) for the present time. The pooled prevalence of suicide plans was 9% (95% CI, 6.2%-12.9%) for lifetime, 7.3% (95% CI, 5.1%-10.3%) for the past year, and 2.3% (95% CI, 0.8%-6.7%) for the present time. The pooled prevalence of suicide attempts was 5.2% (95% CI, 3.5%-7.8%) for lifetime and 4.5% (95% CI, 3.4%-5.8%) for the past year. Higher rates of suicide attempts in the lifetime were noted in Nepal (10%) and Bangladesh (9%), while lower rates were reported in India (4%) and Indonesia (5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Suicidal behaviors are a common phenomenon among students in the SEA region. These findings call for integrated, multisectoral efforts to prevent suicidal behaviors in this group.

Marital status and suicidal behavior in South Asia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and Aims

The connection between marital status and suicidal behavior has been poorly assessed in South Asia. We aimed to see the proportion of marital status in individuals with suicidal behavior in South Asian countries.

Methods

We followed PRISMA guidelines and registered the protocol in advance (PROSPERO 2023 CRD42023399906). A systematic search was conducted in Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO. Meta-analyses were performed to pool the proportion of married individuals with suicidal behavior (total [suicide + suicide attempts], suicide, and suicide attempt) in South Asian countries. We considered suicidal behavior consist of suicide and suicide attempts (nonfatal).

Results

Our search identified 47 studies for this review from 6 countries published from 1999 to 2022 with a sample size ranging from 27 to 89,178. The proportion of married individuals was 55.4% (95% CI: 50.1-60.5) for suicidal behavior, 52.7% (95% CI: 44.5-60.7) for suicides, and 43.1 (95% CI: 32.9-53.9) for suicide attempts. The proportion of married persons among suicide attempts varied significantly across countries (p = 0.016) which was highest (61.8%; 95% CI: 57.2-66.2) in India, followed by Bangladesh (52.5%; 95% CI: 41.8%-62.9%) and Pakistan (45.1%; 95% CI: 30.9-59.9). The pooled proportions did not differ significantly in relation to the quality of the studies (p = 0.633).

Conclusion

This review identified married persons died more than others by suicide in South Asian countries while single persons attempted suicide than married. As the current study did not assess any cause-and-effect association, a cautious interpretation is warranted while considering married marital status as a risk factor.

Knowledge of mpox and its determinants among the healthcare personnel in Arabic regions: A multi-country cross-sectional study

Background & aim

The monkeypox virus (MPXV), an Orthopoxvirus family member, is the zoonotic agent that causes mpox (formerly known as monkeypox). The ongoing mpox pandemic has caused cases across continents involving 110 countries. This study aimed to assess mpox knowledge and its determinants among healthcare personnel.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 6 to June 25, 2022, among 17 Arab countries. The self-administered questionnaire consists of 53 questions assessing the knowledge about the monkeypox virus.

Results

In total, 5874 medical students and clinical doctors from 17 Arab countries participated in this study. Only 13.8% (n = 812) of respondents have ever received information about mpox during their studies in medicine. The mean knowledge score was 13.84, and the median score was 15 (range 1-34). More than half (51.3%, n = 3012) have heard about mpox before. A low proportion of the participants had a good level of knowledge on mpox. Only 11.7% of respondents had correctly identified the natural host and the incubation period of mpox. More than half (58.9%) were aware of the signs and symptoms of mpox. Few respondents (28%) believed that mpox and smallpox have similar signs and symptoms. Specialist doctors had higher knowledge of mpox (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI = 2.24-3.92, p < 0.001) than other cadres.

Conclusion

Mpox awareness among Arabic medical students and practitioners is low; hence immediate action in creating awareness among arab healthcare professionals is the need of the hour. This is crucial in the mpox early detection and prevention of its spread.

Testing the validity of a new scale designed to assess beliefs and perceptions about colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer screening in Malaysia: a principal component analysis

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a cultural adaptation and validation of the Champion Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS) for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening (CHBMS-CRC-M) in order to assess and investigate perceptions and beliefs about CRC screening in Malaysia.

DESIGNS AND PARTICIPANTS

The results from an evidence synthesis and the outcomes from an expert panel discussion were used to shape CHBMS scale content into an assessment of beliefs about CRC screening (CHBMS-CRC). This questionnaire assessment was translated into the official language of Malaysia. An initial study tested the face validity of the new scale or questionnaire with 30 men and women from various ethnic groups. Factorial or structural validity was investigated in a community sample of 954 multiethnic Malaysians.

SETTING

Selangor state, Malaysia.

RESULTS

The new scale was culturally acceptable to the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia and achieved good face validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.66 to 0.93, indicating moderate to good internal consistency. Items relating to perceived susceptibility to CRC 'loaded' on Factor 1 (with loadings scoring above 0.90); perceived benefits of CRC screening items loaded on factor 2 and were correlated strongly (loadings ranged between 0.63 and 0.83) and perceived barriers (PBA) to CRC screening (PBA) items loaded on factor 3 (range 0.30-0.72).

CONCLUSION

The newly developed CHBMS-CRC-M fills an important gap by providing a robust scale with which to investigate and assess CRC screening beliefs and contribute to efforts to enhance CRC screening uptake and early detection of CRC in Malaysia and in other Malay-speaking communities in the region.

Mental health, risk perception, and coping strategies among healthcare workers in Egypt during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease-19 emerged in December 2019. Healthcare workers were exposed to this highly infectious virus during the pandemic and suffered several social and psychological consequences, such as anxiety, psychological distress, and burnout.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the psychological distress, anxiety, depression, coping strategies, risk perception, and attitude toward interprofessional teamwork among Egyptian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional online survey which consisted of five sections. The primary outcomes were anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9), risk perception towards COVID-19, interprofessional teamwork attitude, and coping strategies during the Coronavirus disease-19 pandemic. The web-based questionnaire was distributed to Egyptian healthcare workers from the 20th of April 2020 to the 20th of May 2020. A snowball sampling method was used. Regression analysis was conducted to test the relationship between the socioeconomic characteristics and the previously mentioned outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 403 participants responded to the online questionnaire. The majority were females (70.5%) and within the age group of 26-40 years (77.7%), with 2-5 years of work experience (43.2%). Most participants were pharmacists (33%) and physicians (22.1%). Eighty-two participants (21%) reported moderate to severe anxiety, and 79 participants reported (19.4%) moderate to severe depressive symptoms. In the univariate model, the marital status was associated with depression (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.28-0.78), anxiety (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.32-0.85), and an attitude toward interprofessional teamwork (β = -1.96 95% CI -2.72 to -1.2). Providing direct care to the patients was associated with lower anxiety symptoms (AOR 0.256, 95% CI 0.094-0.697). More severe anxiety and depressive symptoms were associated with difficulties in everyday life and the professional work environment (AOR 4.246 and 3.3, P = 0.003 and 0.01, respectively). Availability of mental health facilities at the workplace was associated with a lower risk perception towards COVID-19 (β = -0.79, 95% CI -1.24 to -0.34) and a more positive attitude towards teamwork (β = 2.77 95% CI 1.38-4.15).

CONCLUSIONS

According to our results, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with mild anxiety and depression among healthcare workers in Egypt, especially pharmacists and physicians. We recommend more research targeting the mental health of healthcare workers in Egypt. If proven cost-effective and needed, wide-scale mental health screening and public health campaigns can facilitate effective prevention and treatment strategies. In addition, the availability of mental health facilities at the workplace could alleviate some of the risk perception associated with health emergencies and improve interprofessional teamwork.

Digital health literacy for COVID-19 vaccination and intention to be immunized: A cross sectional multi-country study among the general adult population

Introduction

It is clear that medical science has advanced much in the past few decades with the development of vaccines and this is even true for the novel coronavirus outbreak. By late 2020, COVID-19 vaccines were starting to be approved by national and global regulators, and across 2021, there was a global rollout of several vaccines. Despite rolling out vaccination programs successfully, there has been a cause of concern regarding uptake of vaccine due to vaccine hesitancy. In tackling the vaccine hesitancy and improving the overall vaccination rates, digital health literacy (DHL) could play a major role. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the digital health literacy and its relevance to the COVID-19 vaccination.

Methods

An internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to August 2021 using convenience sampling among people from different countries. Participants were asked about their level of intention to the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants completed the Digital Health Literacy Instrument (DHLI), which was adapted in the context of the COVID Health Literacy Network. Cross-tabulation and logistic regression were used for analysis purpose.

Results

Overall, the mean DHL score was 35.1 (SD = 6.9, Range = 12-48). The mean DHL score for those who answered "Yes" for "support for national vaccination schedule" was 36.1 (SD 6.7) compared to 32.5 (SD 6.8) for those who either answered "No" or "Don't know". Factors including country, place of residence, education, employment, and income were associated with the intention for vaccination. Odds of vaccine intention were higher in urban respondents (OR-1.46; C.I.-1.30-1.64) than in rural respondents. Further, higher competency in assessing the relevance of online information resulted in significantly higher intention for vaccine uptake.

Conclusion

Priority should be given to improving DHL and vaccination awareness programs targeting rural areas, lower education level, lower income, and unemployed groups.

Women's health beliefs and uptake of breast cancer screening in Malaysia

OBJECTIVES

This study investigated women's health beliefs, the use of breast cancer (BC) screening services, and the factors that potentially influence uptake of screening.

METHODS

Face-to-face interviews were conducted with a randomly selected community sample of 992 women (>40 years old) in Selangor State, Malaysia.

RESULTS

Approximately 35% of women received a clinical breast examination (CBE) and 27% had a mammogram within the last 1 to 2 years. The regression analyses indicated that Chinese ethnicity has higher perceived susceptibility to BC compared to Malay ethnicity (mean 7.74, SD: 2.75; 95% CI 0.09, 1.03) whilst a lower perceived susceptibility was observed in women aged ≥70 years (mean 6.67, SD: 3.01; 95% CI -1.66, -0.24) compared to women aged 40-49 years. Indian Malaysian women (mean 16.87, SD: 2.59; 95% CI 0.12, 1.01) and women who had received a CBE (mean 16.10, SD:2.35; 95% CI 0.18, 0.89) were more likely to have higher perceived benefits scoring. Indian ethnicity, secondary education and tertiary education, top 20% income group, past history of CBE and mammogram uptake were significantly associated with lower barriers scoring.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to target BC screening uptake improvement programmes towards communities in which women experience disadvantages related to income, education, employment, and, in particular, to tailor programmes to take into consideration differences between ethnic groups regarding their beliefs about cancer screening.

Digital health literacy, online information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of Covid-19 information among the university students of East and South-East Asia

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing interest in online information about coronavirus worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the digital health literacy (DHL) level, information-seeking behaviour, and satisfaction of information on COVID-19 among East and South-East Asia university students. This cross-sectional web-based study was conducted between April to June 2020 by recruiting students from universities in China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. University students who have Internet access were invited to participate in the study. Items on sociodemographic variables, DHL, information-seeking behaviour, and information satisfaction were included in the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were conducted. A total of 5302 university students responded to the survey. The overall mean score across the four DHL subscales was 2.89 (SD: 0.42). Search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Yahoo) (92.0%) and social media (88.4%) were highly utilized by the students, whereas Websites of doctors or health insurance companies were of lower utilization (64.7%). Across the domains (i.e., adding self-generated content, determining relevance, evaluating reliability, and protecting privacy) higher DHL was positively associated with higher usage of trustworthy resources. Providing online information on COVID-19 at official university websites and conducting health talks or web-based information dissemination about the strategies for mental health challenges during pandemic could be beneficial to the students. Strengthening DHL among university students will enhance their critical thinking and evaluation of online resources, which could direct them to the quality and trustworthy information sources on COVID-19.

Changing Health Beliefs about Breast Cancer Screening among Women in Multi-Ethnic Malaysia

This study evaluated the impact of the 'Be Cancer Alert' mass media campaign for breast cancer (BCAC-BC) in terms of changes to women's health beliefs regarding BC susceptibility and the benefits and barriers of breast cancer screening in Malaysia. Pre- and post-campaign surveys evaluated changes in health beliefs among women aged 40 years and above (n = 676). The perceived susceptibility to breast cancer was significantly higher at follow-up (mean ± SD: 7.30 ± 2.77 vs. 7.63 ± 2.58, p = 0.008) whereas the mean score for the perceived benefits of undertaking screening was high at baseline and follow-up (16.34 ± 2.36 vs. 15.95 ± 2.07, p = 0.001). The perceptions or beliefs about barriers to screening did not change significantly (31.70 ± 8.26 vs. 31.77 ± 7.63, p = 0.841). Regression analyses indicated that mean scores for the barriers subscale were significantly lower among Chinese women (-2.61, 95% CI -4.67, -0.55, p = 0.013) compared to Malay, and among single compared to married women (-2.40, 95% CI -4.60, -0.21, p = 0.032) after adjustment for other demographic variables and past screening history. Malaysian women appeared to already have positive perceptions before the BCAC-BC mass media campaign about the benefits of BC screening. However, the campaign appeared to be linked to both an increased awareness of the susceptibility to breast cancer and to positive beliefs that countered emotional barriers to screening, particularly among single women and Chinese-Malay women.

Factors Influencing Decision Making Regarding the Acceptance of the COVID-19 Vaccination in Egypt: A Cross-Sectional Study in an Urban, Well-Educated Sample

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the necessity to rapidly develop safe and effective vaccines to limit the spread of infections. Meanwhile, vaccine hesitancy is a significant barrier to community vaccination strategies.

METHODS

An internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from March to April 2021 during the start of the vaccination campaigns.

RESULTS

A total of 1009 subjects participated, and the mean age (±SD) was 29.11 ± 8.2 years. Among them, 68.8% believed that vaccination is an effective method to control the spread of the disease, 81.2% indicated acceptance of the vaccine, and 87.09% reported that their doctor's recommendation was essential for decision making. After adjusting for socioeconomic characteristics, rural residency (AOR 1.783, 95%CI: 1.256-2.531), working a part-time job (AOR 2.535, 95%CI: 1.202-5.343) or a full-time job (AOR 1.951, 95%CI: 1.056-3.604), being a student (AOR 3.516, 95%CI: 1.805-6.852) and having a partner (AOR 1.457, 95%CI: 1.062-2.00) were significant predictors for higher vaccine acceptance among the study participants. Believing in the vaccine's efficacy showed the strongest correlation with vaccine acceptance (Spearman's r = 0.309, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Although general vaccine acceptance is high (32.85%) in participants in our study, gender and geographic disparities were observed in the investigated urban population of young, well-educated Egyptians.

Risk perception, mental health impacts and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic among Filipino healthcare workers

Background

COVID-19 pandemic has caused an extraordinary situation, especially for the healthcare workers (HCWs), leading to increased psychological stress. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of different grades of anxiety and depression across different centers in the Philippines and identify demographic factors associated with them.

Design and Method

A cross-sectional, web-based, multi-center study was conducted among HCWs of Philippines from April 20- May 20, 2020. The study instruments used were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Risk perception scores were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test. Logistic regression was done to identify factors significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression determined.

Results

A total of 516 HCWs were included in the study. Most of them have anxiety symptoms (70.74%), but only half of them have symptoms of depression (50.97%). In addition, gender, age, marital status, living status, occupation, work premises, and availability of mental health services were significantly associated with the participants' anxiety symptoms. In contrast, gender, marital status, occupation, and work premises were significantly associated with depression symptoms.

Conclusion

This study reiterates the fact and demonstrates that COVID-19 has disrupted the mental well-being of HCWs in the Philippines. Majority of HCW was psychologically affected by COVID-19. Therefore, there is a dire need to address mental illness amongst HCWs and frame guidelines based on proven algorithms to overcome these mental illnesses.

Quality of online news reporting of suicidal behavior in Myanmar: Adherence to the World Health Organization reporting guidelines

BACKGROUND

Media reporting of suicide has an essential role in the suicidal behavior of the general population.

AIMS

The aim of this study is to assess the quality of online news reports of suicidal behavior in Myanmar against the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting guidelines.

METHODS

We performed a content analysis of all available suicide-related news reports published in vernacular online newspapers of Myanmar.

RESULTS

A total of 285 reports were analyzed, consisting of 87.4% suicides and 12.6% nonfatal suicidal attempts. Potentially, harmful information reported in the text includes the methods of suicide (100%), the word or term in Burmese related to suicide (89.5%), the name of the person (56.5%), life event (50.5%), and photo or suicidal person (17.9%). Meanwhile, helpful information such as prevention programs and the contact information for suicide services to the readers have been infrequently reported.

CONCLUSION

The study found that the newspaper reporting of suicide in Myanmar is grossly nonadherent to the WHO media guidelines.

Breast Cancer Screening in Malaysia: A Policy Review

Background:

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer among Malaysian women. The implementation of prevention measures including screening has the potential to reduce the burden of breast cancer which caused by late presentation.

Aims:

This paper aimed to review the public health policy relating to breast cancer screening in Malaysia that was undertaken in order to contribute to policy development regarding cancer prevention, detection and the improvement of services for Malaysian women.

Methods:

The policy review strategy included a specific search of the website of the Ministry of Health in Malaysia for relevant policies. In addition, we searched Google and Pubmed for breast cancer screening programmes, policies, and guidelines for women in Malaysia. In addition, experts and stakeholders provided additional resources, published in Malay language. Relevant guidelines in the Malay language were translated into English and included the document review.

Results:

The policy analysis indicated that although it is known that screening, early detection and diagnosis improve survival rates, delayed diagnosis remains a significant issue. The Ministry of Health policy stipulates the provision of opportunistic mammography screening. However, the uptake is varied, and implementation is challenging due to a lack of awareness about screening and difficulties related to accessing services, especially in rural areas. The establishment and implementation of referral guidelines is essential to receive timely treatment for breast cancer patients. There is a need to enhance the cancer reporting by the doctors to the national cancer registry, in collaboration with government services and the private cancer-care sector to improve the monitoring and evaluation of cancer control policies and programmes.

Conclusion:

A focus on raising awareness, increasing the accessibility of screening facilities and improving referral processes and the overall connectivity of the cancer care system are key steps to down-staging breast cancer in Malaysia.

How healthcare workers are coping with mental health challenges during COVID-19 pandemic? - A cross-sectional multi-countries study

Background

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has a social and psychological impact among healthcare workers worldwide and appropriate coping strategies are essential to avoid the negative mental health effects. This study aimed to investigate the coping strategies among the healthcare workers from different countries and their attitude towards teamwork during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted by using an online, web-based questionnaire, which was distributed to healthcare workers from 32 countries during April and May 2020. The respondents were recruited by the non-random convenience sampling method.

Results

A total of 2166 respondents responded to the survey and the majority were working in low- and middle-income countries. Among them, 36% were doctors, 24% were nurses and 40% worked in other healthcare sectors. More than 70% of the respondents answered that “getting family support” and “positive thinking” were coping methods for them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately half of the respondents worshiped according to their belief and conducted prayers (58.4%) and had adequate sleep and food intake (48.2%). The significant associations were observed between attitude score towards interprofessional teamwork and gender (p = 0.009), age (31–45 years) (p < 0.001), marital status (p < 0.001), occupation (p < 0.001), working experience (2–5 years) (p = 0.005), current workplace (clinics) (p = 0.002).

Conclusion

The local healthcare authorities should promote coping methods and develop an innovative way to encourage practicing among healthcare workers. Digital mental health support interventions or workplace mental health support teams should be accessible to protect mental wellbeing among healthcare workers.

Impact of a mass media campaign on breast cancer symptoms awareness and screening uptake in Malaysia: findings from a quasi-experimental study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of a mass media campaign in terms of improving breast cancer (BC) symptoms awareness and screening uptake.

DESIGN

Before-and after-study with comparator groups.

SETTING

Selangor State, Malaysia.

PARTICIPANTS

Malaysian women aged >40 years (n=676) from randomly selected households.

INTERVENTION

A culturally adapted mass media campaign (TV, radio, print media and social media).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary endpoint was BC symptoms awareness, which was assessed with the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure precampaign and postcampaign. Secondary outcomes included campaign reach, self-efficacy to notice BC symptoms and clinical outcomes. Clinical breast examination and mammogram screening data were collected from hospitals and clinics.

RESULTS

Most participants recognised at least one of the campaign materials (65.2%). The odds of seeing the campaign were lowest for Chinese women (adjusted OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.40) compared with Malays and for women aged >70 years (adjusted OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.94) compared with younger women. Participants who recognised the campaign were significantly more likely to have improved awareness postcampaign compared with non-recognisers particularly for key symptoms such as 'a lump or thickening in your breast' (88.9% vs 62.1%) and 'discharge or bleeding from nipple' (79.7% vs 55.3%). Improvement in symptoms awareness scores was not associated with sociodemographic variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation in Malaysia of an evidence-based mass media campaign from the UK that was culturally adapted appeared to lead to improved awareness about some BC symptoms, though various modes of media communication and perhaps other health education approaches may be required to extend the reach to diverse, multiethnic populations and all age groups.

Mental Well-Being and Its Associated Factors Among Myanmar Migrant Workers in Penang, Malaysia

International migration has become a global phenomenon bringing with it complex and interrelated issues related to the physical and mental well-being of the people involved. This study investigated the mental well-being and factors associated with mental health among Myanmar migrant workers (MMW) in Malaysia. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Penang, Malaysia by using the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Scale (WHO-5) and the Mental Health subscale of 36 items in the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Among 192 migrant workers who were understudied, 79.2% had poor mental well-being according to the WHO-5 scale. The duration of stay in Malaysia and without receiving financial aid from their employers despite having a physical illness were significantly associated with poor mental well-being. Mental health support groups should target migrant workers for mental health education and find ways to provide assistance for them. Furthermore, premigration training should be delivered at the country of origin that also provides information on the availability of mental health support in the host country.

Postgraduate students' perspective on using Twitter as a learning resource in higher education

CONTEXT

In the era of technology, social networking has become a platform for the teaching-learning process. Exploring international students' perspective on using Twitter would reveal the barriers and potential for its use in higher educational activities.

AIMS

This study aimed to explore the postgraduate students' perspective on using Twitter as a learning resource.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This qualitative study was conducted as part of a postgraduate program at a university in the United Kingdom. A focus group discussion and five in-depth interviews were conducted after receiving the informed consent. The qualitative data were analyzed by R package for Qualitative Data Analysis software.

ANALYSIS USED

Deductive content analysis was used in this study.

RESULTS

Qualitative analysis revealed four salient themes, which were (1) background knowledge about Twitter, (2) factors influencing the usage of Twitter, (3) master's students' experiences on using Twitter for education, and (4) potential of using Twitter in the postgraduate study. The students preferred to use Twitter for sharing links and appreciated the benefit on immediate dissemination of information. Meanwhile, privacy concern, unfamiliarity, and hesitation to participate in discussion discouraged the students from using Twitter as a learning platform.

CONCLUSIONS

Using social media platforms in education could be challenging for both the learners and the educators. Our study revealed that Twitter was mainly used for social communication among postgraduate students however most could see a benefit of using Twitter for their learning if they received adequate guidance on how to use the platform. The multiple barriers to using Twitter were mainly related to unfamiliarity which should be addressed early in the learning process.

Translation and Validation of the Breast Cancer Awareness Measurement Tool in Malaysia (B-CAM-M)

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Malaysia, and the incidence of 31.1 per 100,000 population is comparatively higher than other Southeast Asian countries. Diagnosis tends to occur at later stages which may be due, partly, to inadequate knowledge about warning signs and symptoms. Therefore, this study investigated the validity and reliability of a UK-developed measure in the context of assessing women's awareness of breast cancer in Malaysia.

AIMS

This study aimed to translate, adapt and validate the internationally recognised Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (B-CAM) into the Malay language.

METHODS

The original B-CAM (Cancer Research UK) was forward and backward translated and content validation was ascertained. Face validity (n=30), test-retest reliability (n=50) and the internal consistency of the B-CAM-M (M for Malay language) were assessed in a community sample of adults (n=251) in 2018.

RESULTS

The translated B-CAM-M was validated by an expert panel. The Item-Content Validity Index ranged from .83 to 1.00. The results from the survey (n=251) indicated that the B-CAM-M was well received by Malay-speaking women across the main ethnic groups (85 Malay, 84 Chinese and 82 Indian adults). Cronbach alpha scores for the knowledge about breast cancer symptoms (0.83) and the barriers to healthcare seeking items (0.75) were high. Test-retest reliability (separated by 2-week-interval) with 50 randomly selected participants from the community survey produced intra-class correlations ranging from 0.39 to 0.69.

CONCLUSION

The Malay-version, the B-CAM-M, is a culturally acceptable, valid and reliable assessment tool with which to measure breast cancer awareness among Malay-speaking women.

Development and Validation of Medical Students’ Professionalism Assessment Scale (MSPAS) In OSCE: Simulated Patients’ rating scale

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. BackgroundTo provide the reliable and immediate feedback on the medical students' professionalism during the OSCE, we developed a modified Medical Students' professionalism assessment scale (MSPAS) which is relevant in the history taking and physical examination OSCE stations.MethodsWe developed two sets of questionnaires, Medical Students' Professionalism Assessment Scale- History taking (MSPAS-H) and Medical Students' Professionalism Assessment Scale- Physical Examination (MSPAS-PE).The Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis was carried out.ResultsThe Content validity index was calculated by using the expert's rating on relevance and all the 12 items in the MSPAS had above 0.85 of CVI. Reverse scoring was required for item No 4 (MSPAS-H) and item No 5 (MSPAS-PE). The Cronbach's alpha was calculated for reliability and found to have 0.87 for MSPAS-H and 0.92 for MSPAS-PE.DiscussionAll the 6 items in the history taking and 6 items in the physical examination were loaded in each scale with the factor loading of 0.5 and above for all the items. This MSPAS is short and simple scale, it can be completed in a short time period if the simulated patients are provided the proper training on this assessment.

Medical students' knowledge and perception toward family planning services: A preliminary intervention study

INTRODUCTION

Family planning and contraception is the effective strategy to reduce maternal mortality, child mortality, abortion, and unwanted pregnancies. Since the medical students are the future doctors, it is important to have proper knowledge and training on family planning services. This study aimed to explore the effect of teaching-learning process at maternal and child health (MCH) clinics on the students' knowledge, perceptions toward contraception methods, and family planning counselling.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the private medical institution in Malaysia. The same questionnaire was used to administer twice, before and after the posting. Moreover, a qualitative question on the issues related to family planning and contraception utilizations in Malaysia was added to the after posting survey. The quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS (version 20) and qualitative data by RQDA software.

RESULTS

A total of 146 participants were recruited in this study. Knowledge on contraception method before posting was 5.11 (standard deviation [SD] ±1.36) and after posting was 6.35 (SD ± 1.38) (P < 0.001). Thematic analysis of the students' answer revealed four salient themes, which were as follows: (1) cultural barrier, (2) misconception, (3) inadequate knowledge, and (4) improvement for the health-care services.

CONCLUSIONS

The teaching-learning process at the MCH posting has an influence on their perception and upgraded their knowledge. It also reflects the role of primary health-care clinics on medical students' clinical exposure and training on family planning services during their postings.

Medical students' reflection on the family planning services at primary health clinics in Malaysia

CONTEXT

Family planning is crucial for everyone within the reproductive age to promote the health and welfare of every member of the family. For the medical students, it is essential to have core knowledge, understanding of family planning concept, and competency in communication skills with the patients. The final-year medical students are posted in Maternal and Child Health Clinics for 3 weeks to gain the knowledge and practical experiences on the primary healthcare in the community.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of final-year medical students on family planning services offered at community clinics in Malaysia.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN

This was qualitative study.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This qualitative study used the data of the students' reflection written in the case reports on family planning. Coding, identification of subthemes, and themes were done by two researchers independently using RQDA software.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED

Thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Final-year medical students who had exposure to the clinical services at primary care clinic, regarding Malay word (Klinik Kesihatan) gained the learning opportunities during family planning session such as learning by observation, clerking, and counseling the patients, understanding the barriers to utilizing services and learning for their self-improvement. These learning opportunities lead to developing the positive attitudes on their learning experiences and the positive attitudes toward the concept and services of family planning.

CONCLUSIONS

To have the better understanding of family planning services and provide the better care to the community in the future, the clinical exposure at the primary care clinics should be promoted for medical students in Malaysia.

Knowledge and attitude of mandatory infectious disease notification among final year medical students

Background

Disease surveillance is one of the major components to combat against infectious diseases. As health-care professionals are indispensable to mandatory notifiable disease surveillance, their knowledge and attitudes toward infectious disease notification played an important role for timely and effective reporting to the surveillance system. Therefore, we aimed to determine the knowledge of mandatory notifiable infectious diseases in Malaysia and attitude towards infectious disease reporting among final year medical students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2017 in the private medical college in Malaysia.

Materials and Methods

We purposively selected the final year (semester 10) medical students and a total of 124 students participated in this study. We collected data using a self-administered, structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way analysis of variance.

Results

Among the final year medical students, 47.5% had moderate knowledge but 4.2% had good knowledge of mandatory infectious disease notification. Only 3.2% of the students correctly answered all the notifiable diseases listed in the questionnaire. Most of the students had positive attitude toward communicable diseases reporting, rewards, and penalty for notification. There was no significant relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge and attitude of infectious disease notification.

Conclusions

The majority of the final year medical students had moderate level of knowledge and positive attitude of infectious disease notification; however, there were some deficiencies. Better instruction and training on infectious disease notification procedures of Malaysia should be provided to the final year medical students which could not only reduce underreporting but also improve timely and effective reporting in future.