FAHS-2025

Health literacy and associated factors among the patients attending the medical clinics, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Health literacy and associated factors among the patients attending the medical clinics, Teaching Hospital, Jaffna Yuvaraj, P; Dineshkaran, K; Jegapragash, V; Sujanitha, V Health literacy plays an important role in determining each and every person's ability to make informed health decisions and manage their health effectively. Understanding the factors associated with health literacy is essential for improving health outcomes. Objective: To identify the associated factors of health literacy among the patients attending the medical clinics Teaching Hospital Jaffna. Methodology: A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 patients attending the medical clinics at Teaching Hospital Jaffna in 2025 using simple random sampling. A pre-tested HLS-EU 47 standard questionnaire was used to collect the data. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Data were analyzed using SPSS 27, and the chi-square test was used to find the factors associated with health literacy. Results: - The response rate was 100%. The mean age of the participants was 63.44 years (SD=±12.282), and 68.9% (n=277) were females. According to the HLS-EU scoring scale, the findings revealed that the mean score of overall health literacy level was 65.85% (SD=±8.26), and 50.2% (n=202) of participants had limited health literacy. Significant associations were observed between health literacy and socio demographic factors, including age (p=0.040), marital status (p=0.009), education level (p=0.03), occupation (p=0.003), monthly income (p=0.001), family type (p=0.025), and family member in a health-related profession (p=0.003). Behavioural factors such as participation in health-related awareness programs (p=0.002), doing a health-related special course (p=0.031), use of the internet for health information (p=0.001), mass media exposure to health-related information (p=0.001), and multilingual capability (p = 0.001) were also significantly associated with health literacy. Conclusion: Half of the respondents had limited health literacy, indicating challenges in accessing, understanding, evaluating, and applying health information necessary for making appropriate health decisions. Targeted health education interventions, multilingual communication, and improved access to digital resources are recommended to enhance health literacy, particularly among low-income and less educated populations.

Association of socio-demographic factors on attitudes of nurses toward caring for older adults at Teaching Hospital Jaffna

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Association of socio-demographic factors on attitudes of nurses toward caring for older adults at Teaching Hospital Jaffna Hazeem, AM; Mathusnka, MKI; Kamalarupan, L; Thanujanan, K Population ageing is increasing globally; hence, it’s crucial to give more focus to caring for them. Nurses are one of the key players among the multidisciplinary team who work with older adult patients. A nurse’s attitude towards the elderly affects their compassionate care. Objectives: To assess the association of socio-demographic factors with the attitude of nurses toward caring for older adults at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. Methodology: This was a hospital-based descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted among 216 nurses working in Teaching Hospital Jaffna from May 2023 to August 2024. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. Data collection was done by a simple random sampling technique. A pre-designed and validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. SPSS 25 software was used to analyze the data. Univariate analysis was used to assess the attitude of nurses, and a Chi-Squared test was performed to identify the association of socio-demographic factors. Results: The response rate was 93.1%. The age range was 25 to 57 years old. The majority of them were female (70.4%). Nearly half were Sri Lankan Tamil (52.8%) and Hindus (47.7%). The majority were in medical wards (18.1%). Nearly more than half were below 05 years of working experience (63.9%). More than three-quarters were diploma holders (78.2%). The majority had a positive attitude (90.3%) based on considering 50% as the pre-determined cut-off value. A statistically significant relationship was found between attitude and currently working ward/unit (p=0.033) and higher education qualification (p=0.011). Conclusion: The Majority of the nurses had a positive attitude towards caring for older adults. Relevant wards and units take appropriate measures to ensure that nurses have the appropriate attitude toward caring for older adults.

Attitude on patients’ rights among nurses working at the Teaching Hospital Jaffna

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Attitude on patients’ rights among nurses working at the Teaching Hospital Jaffna Rahavi, S; Hanustiya, V; Kamalarupan, L; Namessevayam, G Patients’ rights are one of the major aspects of human rights. As a member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, nurses have a responsibility to preserve patients’ rights. Objective: To assess the attitude on patients’ rights among nurses working at Teaching Hospital Jaffna. Methodology: This was a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among 684 nurses working in all wards, clinics, and units of the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. By using a simple random proportionate sampling technique, 421 participants were required for the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna. A pretested and validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics using SPSS version 27. The results were presented as mean, standard deviation (SD), frequency, and percentage. Results: The response rate was 88.2%. The age of participants varied from 25 to 57 years old. The majority of them were female (70.4%). Participants were categorized into positive attitude (77.8%) and negative attitude (22.2%) by using a 50% pre determined cut-off value, and the mean attitude score was 29.46. The majority have a good attitude toward treating patients with dignity and comfort (98.9%). Half of the participants emphasized the right to patient decision and the right to appoint a healthcare proxy. Patient’s safety and security (99.2%), confidentiality (84.1%) are positively consistent with Turkish and Egyptian studies. Conclusion: The study concludes, nearly two-thirds of nurses have a positive attitude towards patients’ rights. However, a significant proportion still held negative attitudes, particularly regarding autonomy. In-service programs are recommended to strengthen awareness and foster more comprehensive protection of patient rights.

Prevalence of Candida species in urinary tract infections among hospitalized patients in medical wards at Teaching Hospital, Jaffna

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Prevalence of Candida species in urinary tract infections among hospitalized patients in medical wards at Teaching Hospital, Jaffna Mahinsha, J; Elaxchiya, A; Akalya, T; Gnankaruniyan, TJ Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, but Candida species are increasingly identified among hospitalized patients with risk factors such as prolonged stay, antibiotic use, catheterization, and immunosuppression. Antifungal resistance in Candida species has complicated patient management. A limited number of studies have been conducted in Sri Lanka related to this study. Objectives: This study determines the prevalence of Candida species causing UTIs among patients admitted to the Medical wards of the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 271 patients suspected of UTIs. Based on a convenient sampling technique, participants were selected. Mid-stream urine and catheterized urine samples were processed in the Microbiology Laboratory. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 20 by chi-square tests (p < 0.05). Results: The results revealed a prevalence of 12.2%. Out of 271 participants, 33 (12.2%) were positive for Candida species. Candida albicans (48.5%) is the most predominant species, which is consistent with other studies. Followed by Candida glabrata (24.2%), Candida krusei (21.2%), and Candida tropicalis (6.1%). Females had a significantly higher prevalence compared to males (p=0.005), and prevalence was higher among patients above 60 years (p=0.082). Conclusions: While Candida albicans is still predominant, the increasing presence of non-albicans species highlights the importance of routine species–level identification.