Asuman Güraksin

Thalassaemia screening in a non-prevalent region of a prevalent country (Turkey): is it necessary?

OBJECTIVES Haemoglobinopathies are the most widespread inherited disorders in the world, and are also common in Turkey. Haemoglobinopathies are preventable with control programmes. Therefore, the Ministry of Health initiated a control and prevention programme in 33 provinces in Turkey. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of haemoglobinopathies in Erzurum as part of the programme mentioned above, and to discuss the need for premarital screening in a non-prevalent region (Erzurum) of a prevalent country (Turkey) as part of a national control programme. STUDY DESIGN Epidemiological and descriptive survey. METHODS This study was conducted between May 2005 and February 2006 in Erzurum. Subjects were couples who attended for premarital screening. All blood samples were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine haemoglobinopathies. RESULTS In total, 1610 individuals were screened. The frequency of beta-thalassaemia trait was 0.68%. Haemoglobin D was the most common (0.12%) abnormal haemoglobin. Haemoglobins S, C and E were not detected. The frequency of beta-thalassaemia trait and other haemoglobinopathies in Erzurum was quite low compared with other provinces in Turkey. CONCLUSIONS Premarital haemoglobinopathy screening should not be mandatory in a non-prevalent region of a prevalent country as part of a national control programme. If screening is mandatory, it should be performed by total blood count or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which are simple, rapid and less expensive than HPLC.

Seroprevalence of human brucellosis in rural endemic areas in eastern Turkey

In this cross-sectional, community-based study, sera were obtained from 573 subjects. Brucella seropositivity was detected in 5.4% according to the standard tube agglutination test, rising to 11.9% when the Rose-Bengal test was used. Brucellosis is a serious public health problem in eastern Tur key.

Willingness to Receive the Influenza A(H1N1) Vaccine and its Determinants among University Students during the 2009 Outbreak in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE The study aimed to determine the willingness to receive the Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine and its determinants in a large group of university students. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a self-administered questionnairre based cross-sectional study. Students being educated at health and non-health faculties were invited to participate in this attitude survey. RESULTS A total of 974 students were included in the study, of whom 51.3% (n=500) were in health related faculties. The rate of willingness to receive the Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine was 11.9 and 7.5% for health and non-health groups, respectively (p<0.05). For the health group, having been vaccined with seasonal influenza was a significant determinant of being willingness to receive the Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine (O.R [95% C.I.]), (O.R: 2.9 [1.5-5.6]) and to believe that the Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine prevents swine flu (O.R: 1.7 [1.09-2.8]). For the non-health group, the only determinant was to believe that Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine prevents from swine flu (O.R: 19.1 [5.7-64.1]) which found to be affected by confusing news in media. CONCLUSION The public health professionals who will organize the efforts to improve the acceptability of Influenza A vaccines during influenza outbreaks should try to increase the vaccination rates of seasonal influenza. Information provided by the media should be organized in order not to cause fear and confusion, which was shown to decrease willingness and belief in the Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine.

Levels of burnout and their associated factors among physicians working in Northeast Anatolia

Context: The concept of burnout is a condition seen in occupational groups working face-to-face with people and resulting in emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low professional productivity. Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine burnout levels and associated factors in physicians practicing in Erzurum, Northeast Anatolia, Turkey. Settings and Design: This research was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study. The research sample size was calculated at 663 participants with a 99% confidence interval and a 3% margin of error using Epi Info software. A 10% incomplete or nonresponse rate was added, for a target cohort of 730 individuals. Seven hundred and eleven physicians agreeing to take part were enrolled. Subjects and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of questions concerning sociodemographic characteristics and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used as the data collection tool. The questionnaires were distributed by the authors and completed by the physicians in person. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive data were expressed as percentage, mean, median, and standard deviation. Data were analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U tests and binary logistic regression analysis. P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed on SPSS 15.00 software. Results: The mean age of the physicians in the study was 34.4 ± 7.7 years. Mean MBI subdimension scores were 15.6 ± 7.0 for emotional exhaustion, 5.7 ± 3.9 for depersonalization, and 21.0 ± 4.4 for personal accomplishment. Mean emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores were significantly higher and personal accomplishment scores significantly lower in physicians aged under 25, not taking vacations, working in public hospitals, who were working as research assistants. Conclusions: Burnout levels among the participants were low (emotional exhaustion in 75%, depersonalization in 76.2%, and low personal accomplishment in 69.6%).