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ABSTRACT: Background: Sleep and mental health are deeply interlinked, with poor sleep quality, a common issue among medical students, having a profound impact on their mental well-being. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students in a tertiary care hospital in Imphal, Manipur. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and Pearson correlation test were applied, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 425 respondents took part in the study, including 268 undergraduate and 157 postgraduate students. Most participants, 236 (55.5%) had poor sleep quality. Among the participants, 168 (39.5%) had depression, 167 (39.3%) had anxiety, and 95 (22.4%) had stress. Poor sleep quality was significantly associated with academic year among undergraduate students (P = 0.005), increased total screentime per day (P = 0.024), and increased screentime before sleep (P = 0.007). Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly associated with younger age (P = 0.001), the undergraduate course being pursued (P = 0.001, 0.003, and 0.001), and increased screen time before sleep (P = 0.021, 0.046, and 0.039). Depression, anxiety and stress scores had a significant positive correlation with the global PSQI score. Conclusion: More than half of the participants experienced poor sleep quality, with four out of ten experiencing depression or anxiety, and two out of ten experiencing stress. Hence, medical institutes must implement sleep hygiene education and screen time reduction initiatives to enhance students' sleep quality and overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite technological advances and changes that the medical fraternity has experienced in the last few decades, the physical appearance of physicians still influences the patients' perception of doctors. The basis of medical practice depends on a robust doctor-patient relationship and efforts should be made to build rapport to foster a partnership to provide patient-centered care. Objective: The aim of this objection is to determine the patient's perception of doctors' appearance and its influence on the doctor-patient relationship. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending OPD in health-care centers of Manipur from January 2022 to February 2022. Five hundred and forty-four patients were interviewed using a pretested structured questionnaire. A Chi-square test was performed to check for an association between independent and outcome variables (P < 0.05). Results: Mean age of the participants was 36.40 years (±12.55). A percentage of 60.80 were females and 64% of the participants were from the tertiary care center, Imphal West. A percentage of 60.5 preferred doctors' attire to be formal with a white coat. A percentage of 52.9 of them perceived that doctors' attire will make them seem more approachable. A percentage of 39.7 had preferences in doctors' gender. Participants from urban health-care centers had significantly more preference for the doctors' attire to be a formal dress with a white coat (P = 0.04). Age group, gender, type of setting, and education level were significantly associated with gender preference (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The majority of the participant had no preference over the doctor's gender and preferred doctors' attire to be formal with a white coat. The doctor's hair dye, facial piercing, and tattoos didn't bother a majority of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]