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Purpose: To explore the perspectives and experiences of mental health care workers (MHCWs) when speaking up about patient safety concerns. Method: A qualitative study was performed at Farshchian (Sina) Hospital in Iran, involving the purposive sampling of MHCWs from three inpatient psychiatric wards. From July to October 2022, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Three major patient safety themes were identified: (a) Voicing Concerns for Daily Safety (subthemes: daily safety check-ins and speaking up to prevent patient harm); (b) Speaking Up to Save Future Lives (subthemes: whistleblowing, leadership, and being open to communication); and (c) Hesitating to Speak Up (sub-themes: ineffectiveness of raising one's voice and whispering). Conclusion: MHCWs have various concerns about speaking up or staying silent. Failure to communicate can result in adverse events and missed opportunities to address patient safety. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(10), 41–49.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Respiratory transmission, especially in mass gatherings, is considered one of the main ways of influenza transmission. The Hajj ceremony, as one of the largest gatherings worldwide, can increase the distribution of influenza infection. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the incidence of influenza among Hajj pilgrims. Methods: In this present systematic review and meta-analysis, all English studies published by 2019 were extracted from several databases such as the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Finally, the data were extracted using a pre-prepared checklist and then analyzed by fixed and random effects model tests in the meta-analysis, Cochran, meta-regression, and Begg's test. Results: Eighteen studies with a sample size of 62 431 were entered into the meta-analysis process. The overall prevalence of influenza, in addition to the prevalence of types A, B, and C influenza, was estimated at 5.9 (95% CI: 4.3-8.0), 3.6 (95% CI: 2.6-4.9), 2.9 (95% CI: 2.8-3.1), and 0.9% (95% CI: 0.5-1.5), respectively. Conclusions: In general, influenza remains widespread regardless of vaccinating pilgrims and following health protocols. Therefore, it is recommended that comprehensive management and educational approaches be used to reduce the prevalence of influenza and its adverse consequences among the pilgrims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters have undesirable effects on health among individuals such as psychosocial disorders which may lead lead to suicide in some cases. Thus, the present study aimed to measure the rate of suicide death after disasters all over the world. In the present meta-analysis study, all of the articles published in English until the end of 2019 were probed in electronic databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, and Google Scholar. Then, the data were imported to STATA ver.13 software and analyzed through fixed- and random-effects models, meta-regression, and Cochrane statistical tests. A total of 11 studies including a sample size of 65495867 were considered. Suicide death rates before and after the disasters were calculated as 13.61 (CI95%: 11.59−15.77) vs. 16.68 (CI95%: 14.5–19:0) among the whole population, 28.36 (CI 95%:11.29−45.43) vs. 32.17 (CI95%: 17.71–46.62) among men, and 12.71 (CI95%: 5.98−19.44) vs 12.69 (CI95%: 5.17−20.21) among women. The rate of suicide death significantly increased in the whole population and men, while no significant difference was reported among women. Suicide death rate increases after disasters indicating the destructive impact of this phenomenon on peoples' health. Therefore, implementing supportive and interventional measures is highly suggested after disasters in order to prevent suicide death among the affected people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To manage life-threatening conditions and reduce morbidity and mortality, pre-hospital's on-scene decision making is an influential factor. Since pre-hospital's decision making is a challenging process, it is necessary to be identified this process. This study was conducted to explore the model of Iranian emergency medical technicians' decision making in emergency situations. Methods: This study was applied through grounded theory method using direct field observations and semi-structured interviews. Purposeful sampling with 26 participants including 17 emergency medical technicians including dispatchers, physicians of medical directions, managers and 1 representative for court affairs was performed. Interviews were lasted from October 2018 to July 2019. Corbin and Strauss approach, 2015 (open, axial and selective coding) were used to analyze data. Results: A paradigm model was developed to explain the relationships among the main categories. Decision making in the context of fear and concern was emerged as the core category. Unclear duties, insufficient authorities and competencies as well as lack of enough decision making's protocols and guidelines were categorized as casual conditions. Other important categories linked to the core category were interactions, feelings and "customer focus approach". Action--interaction strategies were taken by Emergency Medical technicians lead to some negative consequences that can threaten clinical outcome and patient safety. Conclusions: Based on the finding of this study, Emergency Medical technicians' decision making in the context of fear and concern, as the core concept of this model, lead to decrease in quality of the pre-hospital services, stakeholders' dissatisfaction, hospital emergency units' overload, decrease in reputation of the Emergency Medical Technicians, threat to patient clinical outcome and patient safety. To prevent of these negative consequences, facilitation of the Emergency Medical Technicians' on-scene decision making is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy rains in March 2019 led to severe floods in large parts of Iran, with severe financial and physical casualties (in the Golestan province, 11 districts were trapped in water). An increase in the EMS missions while serving a big portion of the needed population was a big problem for the health system during the flood; Therefore, a new solution was needed to overcome this problem. Using a farm tractor for transporting the patients and injured people was the first relief experience ever documented in the whole country. In the present report, despite the limitations and challenges, the tractor has been shown to be a proper and effective disaster relief vehicle. This report could help other similar countries face disasters, especially floods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moreover, despite the advances in disaster risk management, disaster risk perception is still one of the important determinants of preparedness and response to disasters. To the Editor, The first priority for action in Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction is understanding disaster risk.1 Risk perception affects risk management and, therefore, determines whether risk management is successful in reducing vulnerability.2 The degree of preparedness and response to risks is substantially determined by the quality and quantity of the information and the difference between the individuals' risk perceptions. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Domestic violence during pregnancy is a public health crisis, because it affects both mother and fetus simultaneously, resulting in irreversible consequences for mothers and their newborns. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy in the world and Iran as meta-analysis., Methods: This study is a meta-analysis on the prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy in the world and Iran that was conductedon Persian and English published articles up to 2015. To this end, through searching the information by key words and their compounds at SID, Medlib, Irandoc, Google scholar, Pubmid, ISI, Iranmedex, Scopus and Magiran, all related articles were extracted independently by two trained researchers. The results of studies analyzed using the STATA and Spss 16 software., Results: In the initial searching of 167 articles, 33 articles related to Iran, 40 articles related to other parts of the world and totally 73 articles met inclusion criteria for study. The prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy were estimated in the world 17% (CI 95%: 15% -18%) and in Iran 28% (CI 95%: 23%-32%). The prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy in Iran is 11 percent more than the world., Conclusions: According to the present meta-analysis results, the prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy in Iran is high. Given that sexual violence during pregnancy causes damage to the mother and infant, it is recommended that the relevant authorities with the implementation of intervention and educational programs reduce the prevalence of sexual violence during pregnancy.