Atul R Rukadikar

Abstract

Background: In an undergraduate (UG) medical education program, the educational environment is a critical factor of effective outcomes. Because it is a proven approach for this assessment in medical schools, the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) was employed in this study. Aim and Objectives: 1. To assess the student’s perception of the educational environment using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire among 1st-year undergraduate medical students. 2. To identify the strengths and weaknesses in student’s educational environment. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among first-year medical students. To obtain student perceptions of the educational environment, a widely accepted DREEM questionnaire was employed. The DREEM questionnaire is divided into five sections, each of which has 50 statements that are rated on a five-point Likert scale (0–4). The questionnaire was distributed to consented individuals (n=150) after receiving ethical approval. The filled questions were collected and statistically evaluated. The data were presented as mean and standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. The responses were analyzed and interpreted using McAleer and Roff's practical recommendations. Results: There was a 100% response rate. The average DREEM score was 124.9 ± 50 (62.46%). Among the five DREEM dimensions, students' perceptions of learning received the highest score (65.63%), while students' perceptions of the environment received the lowest (59.31 %).Statements “I have good friends in this college”, “My social life is good” and “I am confident about passing this year” scored ? 3 of 4 points. Conclusion: “A more positive than negative perception,” according to the total mean DREEM score. Student confidence, social life, instructor knowledge, encouragement to participate in a teaching session, teacher preparedness, and having excellent friends on campus received the most positive answers. However, there is space for development in areas where there is a lack of expertise, such as student ennui and creative teaching. Keywords: DREEM questionnaire, Educational environment, Students perception.

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Introduction: Bacteraemia means presence of microorganisms in circulating blood or blood stream. Septicaemia means multiplication of microorganisms and production of toxins in blood stream. Bacteraemia may be transient, intermittent or continuous. The two categories of blood stream infections are intra vascular and extra vascular. Early microbiological diagnosis and determination of antimicrobial sensitivity pattern have been shown to improve treatment outcome. Aim: To isolate the causative agents and determine the antimicrobial sensitivity pattern from the blood sample of patients with bacteraemia/septicaemia. Materials and Methods: Hospital based prospective cross sectional study conducted at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Potheri, Kancheepuram District. Total 765 blood sample were collected during March 2012 to February 2013 from bacteraemia diagnosed cases. The blood samples were collected and processed by standard methods. Isolation and identification of organisms was done as per standard guidelines. Antimicrobial sensitivity was determined by Kirby Bauer’s Disc diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines. Observation and Result: Among 765, 416 (54.37%) were male and 349 (45.62%) were female. Among the total sample of 765, 114 (14.9%) showed positive. Present study showed predominance of Gram positive organisms i.e. 60 (52.66%) over Gram negative organisms, i.e. 51 (44.73%) and 3 (2.63%) Fungal isolates. Conclusion: Timely detection and appropriate treatment will help to reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients. Also, such studies will helps in developing guidelines and antibiotic policy for better outcome of the patients. Keywords: Bacteraemia, Antimicrobial sensitivity testing.

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Background: Hepatitis B infection in a neonate leads to chronic forms of the infection in 90% of the cases associated with the high risk of complications. This is due to transplacental transmission of HBV to the neonates. Early intervention can prevent the infection in the neonates or prevent them to succumb to a chronic infection. The present study aims to explore the seroprevalence of the HBsAg in the blood samples from healthy pregnant women patients. Materials and Methods : A total of 200 blood samples were collected from pregnant women attending anti-natal clinic at ZMCH Dahod. HbsAg ELISA and rapid antigen test (HEPA CARD) were used to detect the surface antigen of hepatitis B virus. Result: The age wise distribution of hepatitis B infection in pregnant women using HBsAg specific ELISA shows a total prevalence of 5.26% of hepatitis B infection among pregnant women of different age groups. The prevalence of hepatitis B infection among women of age groups 18-27 years to be 4.76%, followed with 6.89% in age group 28-37 years. Conclusion: The present study shows a prevalence range of 4% to 5.26% of hepatitis B infection among antenatal women.   Keywords: Hepatitis B, Seroprevalence.

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Wound infections continue to be a substantial contributor to postoperative morbidity, responsible for around one-fourth of all nosocomial infections. The human bacteria from the endogenous organ microflora and the extrinsic environment continue to have a role in the development of wound infections. The development of postoperative wound infection has been linked to several different perioperative variables that have been studied in detail.  Numerous studies have shown that several surgical procedures are more susceptible to postoperative infection complications because of individual risk factors. The majority of patient- and procedure-related variables have been identified to influence the likelihood of surgical site infections in univariate or multivariate analysis. Preexisting infection, older age, and other dangerous pathogens, smoking, and diabetes is also possible patient-related variables.  Procedure-related variables include the length of the surgery, the quality of preoperative skin preparation and poor surgical skill. The goal of this study was to recognize the incidence of postoperative surgical wound infections, which is influenced by patient and surgical technique parameters. Keywords: Infection, Postoperative factors, Risk factors, Surgical site infection, Wound infection

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