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Editorial 1
Egbal A. B. Abukaraig1, Asma H. Abuaisha2, Deena A. A. Mohamed1, Hasan Abuaisha11,3
During
its first year, the Sudan Journal of Health Sciences embarked on a remarkable
journey crossing a complex landscape marked by adversity and conflict. As the Journal
struggled with challenges inherent to its establishment, it also confronted the
harsh realities of Sudan’s socio-political context. Despite limited resources
and political instability, the Journal’s contributors proceeded with
their work to provide advanced scientific knowledge and foster the path toward
sustainable health research and dissemination.
Against
this background, the Journal’s early articles provided valuable insights
and lessons learned that resonate far beyond academic publishing.
The Sudan Journal of Health Sciences
explored diverse topics across several critical domains in its first volume.
The articles spanning Public Health, Medical Education, Dentistry, Science,
Islamic debates/Scientific Evidence in the Qur’an, Clinical Pharmacy,
Biomedical Sciences, Mental Health, Family Health, and Health Economics;
illuminated the Journal’s commitment to fostering multidisciplinary
dialogue.
Four
articles of the thirteen published in the first volume were selected to
highlight the distinct facet of the human experience they addressed and the
pressing questions that resonate beyond academia:
1. Analgesics
and Anti-inflammatory Prescription for Pregnant Women: Exploring the
delicate balance between pain management and maternal safety during pregnancy,
this article reflected on the question: What constitutes safe analgesia for
expectant mothers?
1.
First Aid Awareness and Practice of
Highway Traffic Police Officers: This study examines whether our traffic police officers are
adequately trained in basic life support. The question posed: Are they equipped
to save lives in the short time window after road traffic accidents?
2.
Social Phobia and Academic
Achievement: As students transition from secondary school to the lively
university life, social phobia can cast a shadow. This article investigates
whether this anxiety is a transient phenomenon or a more profound pathology.
The query: Is social phobia a hindrance to academic achievement?
3.
Medical Students’ Perception and
Satisfaction towards Team-Based Learning: At Alfajr College for Science and
Technology (ACST), a novel approach to medical education —team-based learning—
takes center stage. The article explores its effectiveness and asks: Can
collaborative learning transform medical education?
Herewith is more elaboration on the
four articles:
- Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory
Prescription for Pregnant Women:
Pregnant
women endure a range of aches and pains, and the majority of them can be
treated without the use of analgesics/anti-inflammatory drugs.
This
cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted at the Military and Khartoum
Teaching Hospitals, Khartoum State, Sudan. Information was obtained from
pregnant women’s records that included women's characteristics, their medical
history and the prescriptions for different types of analgesics and
anti-inflammatory drugs. The study showed that various analgesics and
anti-inflammatory drugs were used to manage minor to moderate pain, headaches,
and fever during pregnancy. Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) was commonly used in
low doses for its prophylactic and therapeutic effects and mostly during the
third trimester.
The study
concluded that, prescribing analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs during
pregnancy presents challenges. Avoiding such medications may increase maternal
and fetal risks, including abortion, preterm birth, anomalies, and
intra-uterine fetal death. While indiscriminate use of some analgesics may have
teratogenic or fetotoxic effects. Preconception counseling, timely
investigations, and appropriate drug dosing can mitigate these risks. Further
research trials are necessary to ensure drug safety during pregnancy. ([i],[ii])
Access the full
article and the editorial at:
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/08/editorial-3-analgesics-and-pregnancy.html
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/08/analgesics-anti-inflamatory-pregnant.html
- First Aid Awareness and Practice of
Highway Traffic Police Officers
Road
Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are considered one of the main causes of death worldwide.
Most RTAs deaths occurred before reaching the hospital. The early initiation of
continuous care, known as “the trauma chain of survival” is important for
patients suffering from severe traumas. Their survival is always
determined by the effectiveness of the intervention received immediately after
the accident, the first three minutes being a life-saving time. The
introduction of First Aid (FA) and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
training led to the reduction of mortality by 25% of traumas resulting from
RTAs. According to the Sudanese Ministry of Interior, 1711 individuals
died due RTAs in 2014, and 4374 were injured or disabled. In 2017, 11.4%
individuals involved in RTAs in El Gazera State died. About half of the RTAs’
deaths happened before reaching the hospital. First Aids are lifesaving skills
that are essential to road traffic police officers since they are often the
first responders to those who are affected by RTAs on the highways.
This
descriptive, cross-sectional study involved 134 Highway Traffic Police Officers
(HTPOs) from Three States in Sudan, with the highest rates of road traffic
accidents. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews, focusing on the
officers’ characteristics, awareness, and practices related to traffic accident
victims.
The study found
that HTPOs demonstrated adequate knowledge and practice regarding procedures
for fractures and bleeding. However, dealing with comatose patients remained a
weak point, even among trained officers. Surprisingly, over half of the
officers had never attended First Aid training courses. These findings
highlight the urgent need for comprehensive training and workshops covering all
aspects of First Aid, including extending formal training to all HTPOs.([iii])
Access the full
article at:
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/04/first-aid-awareness-and-practice.html
- Social Phobia and Academic Achievement
Social
phobia – also called social anxiety disorder (SAD) – is a common anxiety
disorder and is considered one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Social
phobia is the persistent fear of one or more performance situations in which
the person exposed to unfamiliar people will experience embarrassment and
humiliation. Social phobia has been associated with impairment in most areas of
functioning like education, employment, family relationships, marriage/romantic
relationships, friendships/social networks, and other interests. Persons with social phobia have lower
self-esteem than those without, and they have significantly lower quality of
life, impairments in work performance, and negative impact on social relationships.
Social phobia increases the risk of developing a major depressive disorder and
has a high co-morbidity with other mental disorders.
The study was a
descriptive cross-sectional institutional-based study done among ACST Medical
students evaluating the distribution pattern of social phobia and its impact on
academic achievement. The researchers utilized the Social Fear Scale (SFS) by
Raulin and Wee, which exhibits high accuracy, internal validity, and
consistency. It concluded that about a quarter (27%) of Alfajr medical students
had social phobia which exceeds the rates reported in the literature and the
estimated 2% to 5% lifetime prevalence of social phobia. However, it didn’t
affect the academic achievement in this studied sample, indicating its
transient and probably non pathological nature.
Understanding
and addressing social phobia is crucial in the field of mental health research
and practice. The ACST should embark on advocating among the students wide
range of evidence-based coping strategies with social anxiety that encompasses
relaxation techniques, which have been proven effective in alleviating symptoms
of anxiety. Gradual exposure to increasingly challenging situations can help
desensitize individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli. Social skills training
can enhance confidence by teaching effective communication strategies. Engaging
in self-care practices, such as regular exercise, sufficient sleep, a balanced
diet, and stress management, can contribute to overall well-being.([iv],[v])
Access the full article and the
editorial at:
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/12/social-phobia-and-academic-achievement.html
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/12/editorial-social-phobia.html
- Team-Based Learning:
Team-based
learning (TBL) is an active learning strategy that provides learners with
opportunities to apply conceptual information through a series of activities
that include individual work, group work and instant feedback. It is defined as
an evidence-based cooperative learning educational strategy designed around
modules that are taught in three stages; learners preparation; individual and
group readiness assessment test; and finally, team application. TBL is a
student-centered and teacher-directed teaching strategy. It promotes
self-directed learning and improves student participation, motivation and
engagement during class.
This was a
descriptive, cross-sectional, institution-based study conducted among 131
medical students at ACST, which was the first institution in Sudan to use TBL
in its proper way. The study aimed at
assessing the perception of the students regarding the effect of TBL on their
academic performance. The study concluded that Medical students at ACST had
positive perception towards TBL and the majority of students were satisfied
with this approach. The number of TBL activities during the course was crucial
to reinforce the students' benefit from this type of activity. This was
reflected in the students' opinion of the benefits of TBL in the surgery
course, which happened to have the largest number of activities compared to
other courses.([vi],[vii])
Access the full
article and the editorial at:
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/04/Medical-students-Perception-and-satisfaction.html
https://www.sjhsfajr.org/2023/04/editorial-2-team-based-learning.html
1 Research and
Development Center, Alfajr Collage for Sciences and Technology, Khartoum,
Sudan.
2 Department of
Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Almughtaribeen University, Khartoum,
Sudan
3 Faculty of Medicine, Almughtaribeen University, Khartoum, Sudan
References:
[i].Azhari E. H. Elamin, Rasha. M.A.Rifat Omer.E.H.Elamin, Iman. A.
M. Mohamed. Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory Prescription for Pregnant Women in
the Military and Khartoum Teaching Hospitals, Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan Journal
of Health Sciences. 2023;1(2):111-120.
[ii]. Ishag Adam. Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory
Prescription during Pregnancy. Sudan Journal of Health Sciences. 2023;1(2):105-110.
[iii]. Musab I. I. Muhammed, Basheir E. Shumo, Deena A. A.
Mohamed. First Aid Awareness and Practice of Highway Traffic Police Officers
from Three States in Sudan. Sudan Journal
of Health Sciences.2023;1(1):37-46.
[iv]. Rahaf I. H. Ali,
Amani A. S. Burbur, Egbal A. B. Abukaraig. Social
Phobia and Academic Achievement among Alfajr College for Science and Technology
Medical Students, Khartoum, 2022. Sudan Journal of Health Sciences.2023;1(3):215-224.
[vi]. Sara O. Ali1, Sahar E. G. Osman2*, Ahmad
I. A. Abdullah3, Mohammed A. A. Alameen.
Medical Students’ Perception and Satisfaction towards Team-Based Learning at
Alfajr College for Science and Technology, Sudan. Sudan Journal of Health Sciences. 2022. 1(1):7-21.
[vii]. Mohammed A. A. Alameen. Team-Based Learning. Sudan Journal of Health Sciences. 2023, 1(1):3-5.