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Receiving adequate, timely and effective medical care at the tertiary level hospitals can be a challenge because of the difficulty to reach these hospitals. Many of these facilities are located in central or certain geographic areas. This study describes the geographic distribution of tertiary care hospitals in Bangladesh and assesses their accessibility. Several data sources including the Directorate General of Health Services, National Population Census and Google Maps were used. Geographic inaccessibility ranking was calculated by a method that used data on population and area of the district, travel time and distance to the hospital. Among 35 hospitals, 16 are situated in Dhaka district comprising 10,424 beds, which is almost 41% of the total tertiary care beds. Among the 64 total districts, 46 do not have any such hospital. Around 6.4 million people need to travel more than 3 hours and another 25.4 million need between 2 and 3 hours to reach tertiary care hospitals. Geographic inaccessibility score was found to be high for 5 districts, moderate for 5 districts and low for 19 districts. High centrality of location and skewed distribution of these hospitals may have created health inequity and disparity for a large population segment in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The influence of temperature on various aspects of daily life is often underestimated, and its effects on mental health are not widely recognized. Understanding and addressing the relationship between temperature and mental well‐being is crucial in the context of climate change and rising global temperatures. This perspective aimed to investigate the effects of high temperatures on mental health and identify proactive strategies to mitigate these effects. Methods: This perspective adopted a twofold approach, including a comprehensive literature review and socioecological framework. The literature review involved extensive searches across Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus to identify relevant, peer‐reviewed articles, and reports from diverse disciplines. Results: The perspective emphasized the significance of recognizing heat stress and its consequences on mental well‐being. Chronic heat stress can lead to increased stress, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Vulnerable populations include, the very young, older adults, and individuals with pre‐existing mental health conditions. Socioeconomic factors can further exacerbate vulnerability, highlighting the need for tailored strategies to manage mental health challenges during high temperatures. Additionally, the article identified and discussed proactive coping strategies to minimize both the psychological and physical impacts of heat stress. Mindfulness, stress management techniques, and therapy are suggested as effective means for individuals to manage psychological distress. Conclusion: Implementing preventive measures are essential steps in promoting mental wellness in high temperatures. Proactive strategies by addressing the physiological and psychological effects of heat and considering the specific needs of vulnerable populations can help individuals and communities navigate the challenges posed by rising temperatures and promote resilience and preserve their mental well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Monkeypox (Mpox) is an infectious illness that can spread to humans through infected humans, animals, or contaminated objects. In 2022, the monkeypox virus spread to over 60 countries, raising significant public health concerns. Nurses play a vital role in patient care and have critical responsibilities in managing infected patients and being aware of the potential impact on the general population. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes (KAs) of Bangladeshi nurses regarding monkeypox infectious disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2022 and March 2023 to evaluate the KA of nurses. Semi-structured and self-administered questionnaires were used, distributed via Google Form, and a convenient sampling technique was implemented. The dataset was analyzed using the Chi-square test, multivariable logistic regression, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A total of 1047 datasets were included in the final analysis. Overall, 57.97% of the participants demonstrated good knowledge, and 93.12% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards monkeypox disease. Female nurses exhibited better knowledge (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88–1.98) and a more positive attitude (AOR 1.64; 95% CI 1.12–3.00) than male nurses. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between good knowledge of monkeypox disease and a positive attitude (r = 0.76, p < 0.001), while poor knowledge moderately correlated with a negative attitude (r = 0.53, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Given the need for further improvement in KA, we recommend implementing additional training programs to enhance the abilities and motivation of nurses in effectively managing patients affected by monkeypox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Empowering workers through operational safety committees and having an effective safety reporting mechanism improves occupational health and safety. The Western large retailers mostly from Europe formed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (Accord) in 2013 to advance occupational health and safety in the Bangladesh garment industry and one of its missions was to empower the workers. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of Accord's programs on improving safety and quality of the working environment in the garment sector. METHOD: All reports of Accord published and made available for the public were accessed and analyzed. Data were gathered and presented on 1) number of Safety Committees formed 2) Safety Training Programs conducted and 3) Safety and Health Complaints received. RESULTS: By 2021, a total of 1581 factories and 1.8 million workers were covered by Accord. By May, 2021, Accord formed Safety Committees and completed training sessions on these in 1022 factories (65% of the target). By 2020, the average number of total complaints received per factory was around two and the number of occupational health and safety (OSH) complaints -which was deemed to be dealt directly by Accord- was less than one per factory. The numbers of OSH complaints were less than two per 1000 workers and non-OSH complaints made up almost one third (25-35%) of all complaints during 2016 to 2019; however, in 2020 and 2021, non-OSH complaints constituted half (50%) of all complaints. CONCLUSION: Accord's worker empowerment mission could not form Safety Committees or deliver training sessions in all its factories and the number and relevance of complaints received appeared to be low given the number of factories and workers it covered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to explore the coping strategies adopted by frontline nurses in dealing with COVID‐19 patients during the pandemic in Bangladesh. Design: A qualitative descriptive study. Methods: Purposive sampling was used to recruit seventeen frontline nurses from three COVID‐19‐specific hospitals in Dhaka City. In‐depth online interviews and semi‐structured questionnaires were used to collect data through the Google Meet platform. Interview sessions audio–video were recorded, interpreted, analysed, verbatim transcribed and quotes of the participants were verified by member checking. Thematic analysis was used in this research. The study's reporting guidelines were based on the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. Results: Seven themes were identified after careful data analysis: (i) A positive attitude in dealing with challenging situation, (ii) Intimate partner's influence, (iii) Self‐emotional regulation, (iv) The tendency to avoid negativity, (v) Motivated by professional obligations, (vi) Religious influence, (vii) Recreational activities. No patient or public contribution: This study explored various coping strategies employed by frontline nurses in caring for COVID‐19 patients. No patient or public contribution was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The world faced a great health crisis during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Consequently, the health care providers struggled and faced tremendous difficulties in treating high‐load critical patients. This was particularly true in low‐ and middle‐income countries where the work and patient loads are always higher and nurses at the forefront must deal with emergencies while being at high risk of exposure. However, little is known about the survival strategies of frontline nurses as dealt with the pandemic. Objectives: This study catalogued the coping strategies of frontline nurses to deal with caring for the COVID‐19 patients during the pandemic. Methods: The Arksey O'Malley framework was followed to conduct a scoping review. A systematic literature search was conducted using three databases: Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed; and out of the 192 studies, 12 met the inclusion criteria set for this review study. Results: A total of 44 strategies were identified that motivated nurses to deal with the COVID‐19 situation, and these strategies could be categorized into five main themes: nurses' self‐strategies, nurses' strategies at the ethical level, employers' strategies, nursing leaders' strategies and supplementary strategies. Conclusions: The findings of this study will provide guidance for health care workers, employers, policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders to adopt and promote different strategies in managing difficult emergency situations in future. Implications for nursing management: This study emphasizes the importance of learning how to deal with adversity by health care workers and organizations in an emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of urinary symptoms and infections among female garment factory workers in Bangladesh – a large developing country – is largely unknown. Garment sector is this country's main economic growth engine. OBJECTIVES: This paper focuses on garment industry workers and compares the findings with another group of low socioeconomic status working women. METHODS: Urinary tract symptoms (UTS) were determined by self-reported survey including International Consultation on Incontinence Modular Questionnaire-Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (ICIQ-FLUTS) and urinary tract infection (UTI) was determined among a subset population by urine dipstick tests. RESULTS: Data were collected from 310 garment workers and 297 comparison workers. About one third of garment workers (31.94%) and comparison workers (29.97%) could take up to 3 toilet breaks in a day. Garment workers reported to be more sexually active and menstruation was more common among them compared to comparison workers. They reported a significantly higher prevalence of malodorous urine and vaginal discharge. Garment workers were found to have a significantly higher ICIQ-FLUTS score of voiding than comparison workers (0.44 vs. 0.27; p-value = 0.0167). Among the study respondents, 148 garment workers and 134 other workers provided urine samples and 21 (7.45%) were found to have UTI. After considering all the risk factors in multivariate model, garment work had a significant impact on the probability of having UTI with Odds Ratio of 5.46 (p-value = 0.0374; 95% CI = 1.10, 26.97) compared to other workers. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the prevalence and burden of urinary symptoms and infections among female worker populations in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: After a series of garment factory disasters that had taken place in Bangladesh, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) was formed by 29 large North American retail companies to improve worker safety in Bangladesh‐ the second largest ready‐made garments producing country in the world. Aims: This report focuses on Alliance's Worker Empowerment initiative—Worker Helpline and examines the types, contents and volume of calls received by it. Methods: All published reports of Alliance that are available online were retrieved. Data from each quarter (Q) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 were extracted in terms of (1) Total calls (2) Substantive calls, and (3) Safety calls (Urgent and Non‐urgent). Results: By 2019, Q3 Helpline covered 1.5 million workers in 1091 factories. In Q1 2017, there was 1 call made per 73 workers and 20 calls made per a factory whereas in Q3 2019 there was 1 call per 171 workers and 8 calls coming from a factory. In terms of safety calls, there was 0.59 calls/factory in Q1 2017 but went down to 0.17 calls/factory in Q3 2019. Helpline in 2019 Q3 received 1283 substantive calls; of that 189 were safety calls which included 18 urgent and 171 non‐urgent calls. In Q1 of 2017, 32% factories did not make any calls and in Q3 2019, 62% of factories did not make any calls at all. Conclusions: The worker empowerment initiative‐ Helpline‐in Bangladesh initiated by the North American companies remained underutilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to assess factors related to prostheses use among individuals with lower limb amputation in Bangladesh., Methods: Data related to prosthesis use, functional capabilities (as measured with the Locomotor Capabilities Index [LCI]), and user satisfaction were collected using telephone interviews between January 2014 and October 2016. Descriptive and regression analyses were performed., Results: This study involved 183 participants (89.6% male); the mean (SD) age was 49.5 (10.7) years. Most of the participants (95.6%) used prostheses daily, and the mean (SD) duration of use was 7.0 (4.1) hours per day. The mean (SD) basic LCI score, advanced LCI score, and total LCI score were 25.1 (4.9), 20.8 (8.3), and 45.9 (12.2), respectively. Among them, 36.7% were dissatisfied with the weight of the prosthesis. Having a below knee amputation (odds ratio 2.6 and confidence interval 1.3, 5.3) and absence of comorbidities (odds ratio 2.1; confidence interval 1.0, 4.4) were associated significantly with an increased use of prosthesis., Conclusion: Factors such as weight of the prosthesis, amputation level, and presence of comorbidities are important considerations while planning for prosthetic rehabilitation and optimize utilization of the prosthetic devices., (Copyright © 2022 International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics.)