Laila M. Akhu-Zaheya

Health Service Utilization among Syrian Refugees with Chronic Health Conditions in Jordan.

Introduction The influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan presents an immense burden to the Jordanian health system, particularly in treating chronic health conditions. This study was undertaken to assess utilization of health services for chronic health conditions among Syrian refugees in non-camp settings. Methods A survey of Syrian refugees in Jordan was undertaken in June 2014 to characterize health seeking behaviors and issues related to accessing care for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and arthritis. A cluster design with probability proportional to size sampling was used to attain a nationally representative sample of 1550 non-camp Syrian refugee households. Results Of 1363 cases with a chronic health condition diagnosis, 84.7% had received care in Jordan. Public facilities faced a heavy burden serving over half (53.9%) of care-seekers; the remainder received care in the private (29.6%) and NGO/charity (16.6%) sectors. Individuals with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the central region of Jordan and with arthritis had the lowest rates of care-seeking when compared to other regions and conditions. Overall, 31.6% of care-seekers had an out-of-pocket payment for the most recent care-seeking event which averaged 18.8 USD (median = 0 USD), excluding cost of medications. Discussion Forced displacement presents major challenges to those with NCDs, which have the potential to seriously impact both the quality of life and life expectancy amongst refugees. NCD patterns among Syrian refugees indicate the importance of continuing support to public sector services in Jordan to adequately meet expanding needs and ensure appropriate prevention and control of priority NCDs.

Health service utilization and access to medicines among Syrian refugee children in Jordan

Summary Background With over one million Syrian refugee children in the region, we undertook this study to characterize care‐seeking behaviors and health service utilization for child refugees with the aim of informing humanitarian programming for non‐camp settings in Jordan. Methods A survey of Syrian refugees living outside of camps in Jordan was conducted using a 125 × 12 cluster design with probability proportional to size sampling to obtain a representative sample. The questionnaire focused on access to health services, including a module on care seeking for children. Results Care seeking was high with 90.9% of households with a child less than 18 years seeking medical care the last time it was needed. Households most often sought care for children in the public sector (54.6%), followed by private (36.5%) and charity sectors (8.9%). Among child care seekers, 88.6% were prescribed medication during the most recent visit, 90.6% of which obtained the medication. Overall, 49.4% of households reported out‐of‐pocket expenditures for either the consultation or prescribed medications at the most recent visit (mean

Sexual information needs of Arab-Muslim patients with cardiac problems

US21.1 and median

Jordanian patients' and caregivers' use of the internet for seeking health information.

US0). Conclusions Syrian refugees had good access to care for their sick children at the time of the survey; however, this has likely deteriorated since the survey because of the withdrawal of free access for refugees. The number of refugees in Jordan and relative accessibility of care has resulted in a large burden on the health system; the Jordanian government will require additional support if current levels of health access are to be maintained for Syrian refugees.

Baccalaureate nursing students’ anxiety related computer literacy: a sample from Jordan

Cardiac diseases have direct and indirect effects on sexuality. Health care providers, especially nurses, have a major responsibility in addressing and discussing sexual concerns and providing sexual counseling needs for patients with cardiac diseases. Discussing sexual issues in Arabic Muslim countries is considered a taboo. Lack of information about sexual life can affect the quality of life for patients with cardiac diseases. In this study, concerns regarding counseling needs and sexual information pertaining to Jordanian patients with cardiac diseases are addressed. Non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive designs were employed, accompanied by a self-report questionnaire, as well as a structured interview using the Steinke Sexual Concerns and Sexual Activity questionnaires for cardiac patients. A convenient sample of Jordanian male and female patients with cardiac problems was recruited. Results revealed that only 11% of the participants with cardiac diseases reported receiving information regarding sexual life following cardiac-related events. Most patients (71%, F=81) preferred cardiologists to provide them with sexual information, and almost two-thirds of them (62%, F=75) considered nurses’ gender to be a barrier, preventing them from inquiring about their sexual life. Patients with cardiac diseases had sexual concerns, but none of incredible importance. However, most patients (76%, F=94) reported changes in sexual activities following cardiac-related events. Cardiac patients had sexual concerns and sexual counseling needs that they would not discuss. Health care professionals should arrange sexual counseling plans with the patient; as every patient has individual, specific, and unique sexual counseling needs, dependent upon their lifestyle, health conditions, and their type of cardiac disease.

The Effectiveness of Hologram Bracelets in Reducing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Among Adult Patients With Cancer.

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate Internet use among Jordanian patients and caregivers. The study included a convenience sample of patients with different health problems and diseases and caregivers. A survey modified from a study by Dickerson et al was used. A total of 78 patients and caregivers participated (37 patients and 41 caregivers), and 56.4% of the respondents were Internet users. Among Internet users, the Internet accounted for only 4.6% of their sources of health information, while physicians accounted for 11.3% and 17.6% among users and nonusers, respectively. Twenty-five of the participants (32.0%) reported high dependence on the media to obtain health information. Among all participants, a surprising percentage (37.2%) did not seek health information from any sources. The results of the survey provide insight into the need to study information-seeking behavior in general before studying specific technology to seek health information.

Undergraduate nursing students’ stress sources and coping behaviours during their initial period of clinical training: A Jordanian perspective

The learning environment extends beyond the classroom, in a way, necessitating integration of computer literacy with education, establishing e-learning culture within future nursing education and facilitating life-long learning, which goes hand in hand with reshaping the future of the nursing practice. Despite the rapid integration between computers and different health care issues, studies indicated that nursing students have extremely low levels of computer literacy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the anxiety-related computer literacy rates of a few nursing students in Jordan. A convenient sample of 441 undergraduate nursing students was selected. A descriptive study utilised a self-administered questionnaire of the Arabic version of the Computer Anxiety Rating Scale and Computer Literacy Scale Data between 20 May and 30 July 2009. Study results indicated that there was a significantly negative relationship between computer anxieties and computer literacy rates. This implies the need for frequent use of computers in various educational and training activities. Frequent use of the computer would reduce computer anxiety and thus enhance computer literacy rates.

Prevalence and care-seeking for chronic diseases among Syrian refugees in Jordan

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) affects cancer patients’ quality of life, despite the provision of antiemetic medication. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the clinical effectiveness of the hologram bracelet in the management of CINV among adult patients with cancer. Methods: An experimental, double-blinded design spanning 3 courses of chemotherapy was used; 175 oncology patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups: placebo (n = 53), control (n = 54), and intervention (hologram bracelet) (n = 68). Daily diaries were used to detect the severity and the frequency of CINV and to detect the frequency of using antiemetic medications. The Functioning Living Index–Emesis was used to examine the impact of CINV on the activities of daily living. Results: Significant CINV differences existed between groups. The mean total Functioning Living Index–Emesis score was significantly lower in the intervention group for total vomiting and total nausea. Conclusion: Hologram bracelet use among patients with cancer had a positive effect on CINV. The level of CINV decreased and activity of daily living scores increased. However, effects varied among the types of CINV. Implications for Practice: Further study is recommended to explore the benefits of the bracelet.