Background: Adolescent depression is a prevalent and significant public health concern, strongly linked to increased suicidality, poor health outcomes, impaired psychosocial functioning, and substantial societal costs. Although measurement‑based care using validated screening instruments is recommended by clinical practice guidelines, routine use of standardized depression screening tools remains limited in mental health settings. Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the impact of implementing the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 modified for teens (PHQ-9M) in depression screening rates among adolescents aged 11-17 years at an outpatient mental health clinic in Southern Colorado. Methods: A quantitative, quasi‑experimental pre- and post-intervention design was used to evaluate changes in depression screening rates following an 8‑week implementation period. The intervention included integrating the PHQ-9M into the clinic's electronic health records and providing clinician training. Pre- and post-intervention screening rates of three participating clinicians were compared using a chi‑square test of independence. Results: Prior to implementation, no adolescent patients received standardized depression screening (0%). Following implementation, the screening rates increased to 15.8% (22 of 139 de-identified patient chart data). The increase was statistically significant (χ²(1) = 17.265, p < .001), indicating a strong association between PHQ‑9M implementation and improved screening practices. Conclusions: Integrating the PHQ‑9M into routine clinical workflows significantly increased adolescent depression screening rates in a mental health clinic setting. These findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of implementing validated measurement‑based care tools to enhance early identification of depression. Addressing implementation barriers, such as electronic health records usability and clinician engagement, may further improve adoption and sustainability. Routine use of standardized screening tools can improve early detection, timely intervention, and mental health outcomes for adolescents.
Objective: 1. To assess the level of knowledge towards prevention of surgical site infection among Peshawar nurses. 2. To evaluate the level of practices towards prevention of surgical site prevention among peshawar nurses. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses. a self-made questionnaire of 20 questions regarding knowledge and practices of nurses regarding prevention of surgical site infections was distributed among 84 nurses selected by convenient sampling technique. data were entered and analyzed by using spss version 22. in descriptive statistics frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variable and means and sd were calculated for continues variables. chi-square was applied to determine any significant association between variables. Results: The study included 84 nurses from surgical wards, with a 95% response rate. most were female (58%) and aged 20-30 years. Regarding infection control, 66% had never attended training. knowledge assessment revealed that 42.8% had poor knowledge (below 60%), 29.76% had average knowledge, 15.47% had good knowledge, and only 6.66% had excellent knowledge (above 80%). in practice, 61% had poor or average levels, 30% had good, and 9% had excellent practices. Hand hygiene compliance was moderate (57% always washed hands before and after touching the surgical site). only 57% knew about preoperative shaving, 48% correctly answered dressing change frequency, and 25% identified the best disinfectant. a significant association (p = 0.002) was found between knowledge, practice, professional qualification, experience. Conclusion: The survey revealed that knowledge of nurses about the risk of infections associated with surgeries and use of preventive measures was inadequate. But still high proportion of the participants has good or average skills in clinical practice. The study further highlighted that the majority of nurses never attended any infection control program or refresher courses.
Background: Lumbopelvic stability is the ability to maintain balance and control the motion and position of the lumbar spine and pelvis relative to a neutral position during kinetic chain activities. Lumbar spine is a complex structure as it comprises of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal structures and it as a mobile unit yet providing stability. Swiss ball exercise is a popular exercise training program used for core stability. The stability of core is based on the contraction of the muscles of the abdomen, back, shoulder and pelvic girdle. The Swiss ball is used for dynamic exercise training whereas floor exercises are used for static exercise training. Aim: To compare the effect of Swiss ball vs. floor exercises on core muscles strengthening in working females. Methodology: A total number of 40 working females were included in this study. Based on inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, subjects were randomly allocated into two groups, Group A-Swiss ball exercises and Group B –Floor exercises. Subjects between age group 18-45 years and working females willing to participate were selected. Those having any kind of injury, pregnancy and neurological complications were excluded from the study. Result: Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 20. The result showed improvement in both the groups. Paired t-test was used for within the group analysis and unpaired t-test was used for between the group analysis. Conclusion: It was determined that Swiss ball exercises were more beneficial in improving the core strength among working females.
Childhood is a crucial period for growth and development, requiring the right foods in the right amounts at the right times to help children reach their full potential. Mothers' perceptions play an essential role in establishing healthy eating habits in children, influencing their long-term health. This study aimed to assess mothers' perceptions regarding the healthy diets of preschool children in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 132 participants selected through convenience sampling to evaluate mothers' views on healthy diets for preschoolers. Data were collected using a newly developed structured questionnaire, divided into two sections: a socio-demographic questionnaire and a section assessing mothers' perceptions of healthy diets. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather data, and analysis was performed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (t-test, correlation, and ANOVA) were applied. The mean age of participants was 29.4 years (SD = 6.424). Statistically significant relationships were found between mothers' educational level and perceptions of a healthy diet (F=6.315, p=.000), fathers’ educational level and perceptions of a healthy diet (F=5.611, p=.000), participants' occupation and perceptions of a healthy diet (F=2.497, p=.046), fathers' occupation and perceptions of a healthy diet (F=3.358, p=.021), and residential area and participants' perceptions of a healthy diet (t=-2.633, p=.009). Additionally, there was a positive, significant correlation between family income and perceptions of a healthy diet (r=.266, p=.002). The study highlights a significant gap between mothers' perceptions and actual knowledge regarding healthy diets for preschool children in Bangladesh. Interventions are necessary to enhance mothers' understanding and practices related to child nutrition. Educational programs and public health campaigns targeting mothers, particularly in rural areas, could play a critical role in promoting healthier eating habits among preschool-aged children.
Stress has been regarded as an occupational hazard and the nursing profession has been confirmed by most scholars to be stressful. However, available studies indicated that the nurses’ work environment is often characterized by resource constraints, workload, poor staff support and organizational change, which can add to the energy expended. Hence, the objectives of the study were to ascertain the influence of stress on work behavior among nurses in Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FUTHA) and the coping strategies to reduce stress. The study adopted a descriptive research design and a sample size of 300 respondents was determined using Taro Yamane formulae and drawn from nurse at the hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was collated, analyzed and the results were presented in tables with frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviations. Findings shows that the major causes work-stress among nurses was nurses’ workload 229 (76.3%), lack of staff support 220 (73.5) and death and dying patients 181 (60.3%). Therefore, it was recommended that management should recruit more staff to address the issues of work load and to regular train nurses with focus on team building in the work-related setting to address the issues of lack of staff support.
