Exploratory study of an e-mentoring professional coaching model of novice midwives in Morocco

INTRODUCTION

there is a high proportion of novice midwives assigned to healthcare centers located in rural area difficult to access geographically. To improve professional communication and professionalization of these novice midwives, e-mentoring is proposed as a solution to consolidate support of the novice midwives. The aim of our research is to explore the feasibility and the acceptability of an e-mentoring professional coaching model of midwives in our geographic and professional context.

METHODS

an exploratory study targeted the Newly Recruited Midwives (NRMW) having less than two years of practice (N = 31) in northern Morocco. The model is inserted in a "Slack" free software where two mentors admitted the NRMW who consented to participate (N=21) in our study. The mentors ensured a synchronous and asynchronous assistance to the participants in their workplace through this platform. A questionnaire was self-administered by the participants in the first meeting. It assessed the professional skills of the participants and their coaching and training needs. The mentors shared documents and set activities in the channels of the platform. Public channels and forums have been launched. The model lasted from April 22 to May 22, 2019.

RESULTS

participation rate was 67.7% (21/31). The interactivity with the platform was uninterrupted through the period test. A high level of digital familiarization was noted. A proportion of 95% expressed the willingness to participate in an e-mentoring professional coaching model associated with a remote mentor permanently.

CONCLUSION

the continuous interactivity of novice midwives with the e-mentoring model showed that it is feasible and acceptable in our context. Such model will solve the problems experienced by midwives in their workplace without delay or additive fees.

Assessment of the Nature and Severity of Pain Using SF-MPQ for Cancer Patients at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat in 2015

BACKGROUND

Cancer is a worldwide health problem and pain is among the most common and unpleasant effects affecting well-being of cancer patients. Accurate description of pain can help physicians to improve its management. Many English tools have been developed to assess pain. Only a limited number of these are applied in Arab countries. Our aim was to assess the quality, the nature and the severity of pain using the short McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) on cancer patients in the National Institute of Oncology (NIO) in Rabat, Morocco.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The tool used was the SF-MPQ inspired from the Arabic version of the MPQ. The subjects were cancer patients (N=182) attending the NIO, from 24th October 2015 to 8th January 2016, ≥18 years old, experiencing pain and coming to have or to update their pain medication.

RESULTS

The rate of participation was 96.3%. Eight patients haddif culties to express their pain using descriptors, but could use the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the body diagram. The most frequent sensory descriptors were 'Throbbing', 'Shooting', 'Hot-Burning'. The most used affective descriptor was 'Tiring-Exhausting'. The mean VAS was 6.6 (2.4). The mean score of all items was 11.9 (7.8). The patients were suffering from severe pain. The internal consistency of the form was acceptable.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that most of the patients attending the pain center of the NIO could use the descriptors of the SF-MPQ to describe their pain. They indicate the usefulness of the SF-MPQ to assess the nature and the severity of pain in cancer patients. This tool should now be tested in other Moroccan and Arabic contexts associated with other tools in clinical trials.

Antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis isolated between 1996 and 1997

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem. The antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis was investigated from 1996 to 1997. A total of 51 strains were collected within this period, 31 derived from human sources and 20 from food. Of the 31 human strains, 10 were resistant to antibiotics; 4 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Of the 20 food strains, 11 were resistant to antibiotics; 6 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results are similar to those obtained from strains isolated from other Mediterranean countries.

Antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis isolated between 1996 and 1997

Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide problem. The antibiotic resistance of Moroccan strains of Salmonella enteritidis was investigated from 1996 to 1997. A total of 51 strains were collected within this period, 31 derived from human sources and 20 from food. Of the 31 human strains, 10 were resistant to antibiotics; 4 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. Of the 20 food strains, 11 were resistant to antibiotics; 6 were resistant to two or more antibiotics. The results are similar to those obtained from strains isolated from other Mediterranean countries.

Effects of ethanol in vitro on some parameters of the immune response

The action of ethanol (ETH) on murine lymphocyte subpopulations and on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated in vitro by mitogens was studied. ETH caused a concentration-dependent decrease in DNA synthesis in the different murine cell types. ETH was more immunosuppressive for T lymphocytes than for B lymphocytes. An enhancement of the blastogenic response was observed for B cells at 0.5% ETH. Interleukin 2 synthesis by murine splenocytes was inhibited by ETH in a concentration-related manner; the lowest concentrations of ETH caused an increase in interleukin 2 synthesis. The highest concentrations of ETH tested decreased the size of the cell clusters formed in cultures of mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes, whereas an increase in PBMC cluster size was observed in the presence of 0.5 and 1% ETH.

Cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitors act differently on oxidative product formation by immune mononuclear cells: a flow cytometric investigation

The action of indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), a lipoxygenase inhibitor, on oxidative products formed by immune mononuclear cells was studied by flow cytometry. Jurkat T-cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were incubated with 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate; this substance is hydrolyzed in the cells leading to non-fluorescent 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin which is oxidized by oxygen reactive species into highly fluorescent 2,7'-dichlorofluorescein. Using this fluorescent probe, the formation of oxygen reactive species in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated mononuclear cells treated by NDGA or indomethacin was followed by flow cytometry. We observed that NDGA caused a marked decrease, both in the level of fluorescence intensity and in the number of fluorescent cells, whereas indomethacin caused a small increase in fluorescence intensity. On the other hand, NDGA inhibited and indomethacin increased the incorporation of tritiated thymidine by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes. These results suggest that oxygen reactive species are involved in the stimulation of immune mononuclear cells.

Flow cytometric analysis of oxidative product formation in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated ethanol-treated immune mononuclear cells

Oxidative products formed by immune mononuclear cells were studied by flow cytometry. JURKAT T cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were incubated with 2,7-dichlorofluorescin diacetate. This substance was hydrolysed in the cells, leading to a non-fluorescent product which was oxidized into highly fluorescent 2,7-dichlorofluorescein by oxygen reactive species. These latter products were analysed by flow cytometry in phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated ethanol (ETH)-treated mononuclear cells. The level of fluorescence intensity (FI) was found higher in stimulated cells than in non-stimulated cells. ETH displayed two different effects on the cells: either a decrease of FI associated with a decrease of the number of fluorescent cells (FC) or an increase in FI. Both effects were dose-dependent. ETH is an effective scavenger of .OH radicals, but it is also oxidized by the microsomal ETH oxidizing system with production of oxygen reactive species, which probably explains the opposite effects of ETH. In the presence of desferal, an iron-chelating agent, and nordihydroguaiaretic acid, an inhibitor of the lipooxygenase pathway, the cells showed a decrease of FI and FC. These results suggest that .OH and other oxygen reactive species are involved in stimulation by PHA of ETH-treated immune mononuclear cells.