Dyah Anantalia Widyastari

How do laboratory technicians perceive their role in tuberculosis diagnostic process: a cross-sectional study among laboratory technicians in health centers of Central Java Province, Indonesia

Purpose Detection of acid-fast bacilli in respiratory specimens serves as an initial pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. Laboratories are the essential and fundamental part of all health systems. This study aimed to describe how laboratory technicians perceived their own self and work. This included perceived self-efficacy, perceived role, perceived equipment availability, perceived procedures, perceived reward and job, and perceived benefit of health education, as well as level of knowledge and attitudes related to work performance of laboratory technicians. Methods This was a cross-sectional quantitative study involving 120 laboratory technicians conducted in Central Java. Interviews and observation were conducted to measure performance and work-related variables. Results Among 120 laboratory technicians, 43.3% showed fairly good performance. They complied with 50%–75% of all procedures, including sputum collection, laboratory tools utilization, sputum smearing, staining, smear examination, grading of results, and universal precaution practice. Perceived role, perceived self-efficacy, and knowledge of laboratory procedures were significantly correlated to performance, besides education and years of working as a laboratory technician. Perceived equipment availability was also significantly correlated to performance after the education variable was controlled. Conclusion Most of the laboratory technicians believed that they have an important role in TB patients’ treatment and should display proper self-efficacy in performing laboratory activities. The result may serve as a basic consideration to develop a policy for enhancing motivation of laboratory technicians in order to improve the TB control program.

Urinating after Sexual Intercourse Prevents Pregnancy: Adolescents' Misconceptions of Reproductive Health Knowledge

Background: Although ANC coverage tends to be high, the pregnant women will not always giving birth by health provider. Jati Sampurna subdistrict, where most of the pregnant women prefer deliver their baby in Bekasi city and about 14.30% giving birth by traditional birth attendant. Objective: Analyze the maternal cohort data to prove correlation between compliance of ANC with selection of birth attendant in those area, which consisted of obedience of ANC, age, parity, birth spacing, pregnancy history, with selection of birth attendant. Methode: The retrospective cohort design study was used. After deciding several criteria: inclusion and exclusion criteria, and by simple random sampling, we achieved 372 subjects which consisted of 186 subjects in exposed group, and 186 subjects in unexposed group. Data analyzed by univariate, bivariate and multivariate. Result: The study showed that two out of five variables were statistically significant correlation, those are compliance of ANC [RR=2,41(95% CI 1,45-4,01)] and pregnancy history [RR=0,22 (95% CI 0,10-0,47)] or on the other result that [RR=4,55 (95% CI 2,13 -10,00)]. Conclusion: Promotion to pregnant women about the importance obedience of ANC and the selection of safe childbirth helper were in need of improvement. The measurement of history of pregnancy should be carried out consistently in ANC package as well. Keywords: Antenatal Care (ANC), birth attendant