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Background: The expansion of umbilical cord blood (UCB) banking necessitates a greater understanding among obstetricians in order to responsibly inform parents about UCB collection and storage. Gaps in knowledge can compromise public UCB banking efforts and result in missed opportunities and public misguidance about UCB banking. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was disseminated among obstetricians in Amman, Jordan. The questionnaire aimed to evaluate obstetricians’ knowledge of and attitude toward UCB storage and applications, as well as current practice patterns. Results: Ninety-six obstetricians responded (55% response rate), most of whom were Jordanian (71%), female (83%), resident physicians (59%), and working in either private (43%) or public (42%) hospitals, with an average of 6.5 years in practice. Only 26% had personal experience in UCB collection, and 20% had received education on UCB collection. Nearly 75% said their hospitals lacked standard operating procedures, guidelines, or infectious disease screening for UCB units. Overall knowledge about UCB was moderate, and the internet was the most common information source (54%). Overall attitudes were positive, especially in desire to expand personal knowledge about UCB, integrate information into medical residency curricula, and establish a public UCB bank in Jordan. However, many believed that ethical (61%) and religious (56%) controversies surround UCB donation. Conclusion: This study identifies deficiencies in quality control and experience in UCB collection in Jordan, as well as areas of inadequate knowledge and ethical controversies among obstetricians. These issues contribute to public misinformation and limit public UCB donation programs, and requires improved medical education on this topic

BACKGROUND Rapid advancement of stem cell (SC) therapies provides both opportunities and risks for patients and physicians alike. Physicians have a role in counselling patients about unproven SC therapies, requiring a basic level of knowledge and access to information about SCs. OBJECTIVE This study sought to assess SC-related knowledge of and attitudes among physicians in Jordan to elucidate areas of deficiency that can be addressed. METHODS A cross-sectional survey, comprising questions on demographics and SC knowledge and attitudes, was designed as a scoring system to evaluate physicians' knowledge and attitudes. Participants were recruited from 10 major hospitals in Jordan over 3 months between February and April 2019. The internal consistency of the scoring scales was calculated using Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient. Gender differences were evaluated with an independent t-test. RESULTS In total, 382 physicians in Jordan completed the survey (59.9% response rate). They demonstrated a low/moderate level of overall SC knowledge (51.3%), but most lacked confidence in their ability to answer patients' questions about SC therapies (64.7%). However, the total attitude score was moderate/high positive (66.8%) and most were interested in learning more about SCs (80.8%). Male physicians reported significantly more knowledge than females (P

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO EMRO) recognised the importance of epidemiological modelling to forecast the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic to support decisions guiding the implementation of response measures. We established a modelling support team to facilitate the application of epidemiological modelling analyses in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries. Here we present an innovative, stepwise approach to participatory modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic that engaged decision-makers and public health professionals from countries throughout all stages of the modelling process. Our approach consisted of first identifying the relevant policy questions, collecting country-specific data, and interpreting model findings from a decision-maker’s perspective, as well as communicating model uncertainty. We used a simple modelling methodology that was adaptable to the shortage of epidemiological data, and the limited modelling capacity, in our region. We discuss the benefits of using models to produce rapid decision-making guidance for COVID-19 control in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), as well as challenges that we have experienced regarding conveying uncertainty associated with model results, synthesizing and comparing results across multiple modelling approaches, and modelling fragile and conflict-affected states.

Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive teaching intervention on medical students’ knowledge and attitudes about stem cell research and therapy. Methods: A quasi-experimental, one group pre-posttest study design was employed. A six-session interactive teaching course (intervention) was conducted for a duration of 6 weeks. Pre and post intervention surveys were used. Differences in students’ knowledge and attitude mean scores were examined using paired t-test, while gender differences were examined using independent t-test. Results: Seventy one sixth year medical students were invited to participate in this study. A pre-intervention survey was distributed to 58 students who agreed to participate (81.6%). Out of 58 students, only 48 (82.7%) completed the entire course. Total knowledge scores and attitude score significantly increased post intervention. Significant gender differences in knowledge and attitude scores were not detected post intervention. Conclusions: Integrating stem cell science into medical curricula coupled with interactive learning approach were effective in increasing students’ knowledge about recent advances in stem cell research and therapy, and in improving attitudes toward stem cells research and applications.

Background: Rapid advancement of stem cell (SC) therapies provides both opportunities and risks for patients and physicians alike. Physicians have a role in counseling patients about unproven SC therapies, requiring a basic level of knowledge and access to information about SCs. Objective: This study sought to assess SC-related knowledge of and attitudes among physicians in Jordan to elucidate areas of deficiency that can be addressed. Methods: A cross-sectional survey, comprising questions on demographics and SC knowledge and attitudes, was designed as a scoring system to evaluate physicians’ knowledge and attitudes. Participants were recruited from 10 major hospitals in Jordan over 3 months between February and April 2019. The internal consistency of the scoring scales was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient. Gender differences were evaluated with an independent t-test. Results: 382 physicians in Jordan completed the survey (59.9% response rate). They demonstrated a low/moderate level of overall SC knowledge (51.3%), but most lacked confidence in their ability to answer patients’ questions about SC therapies (64.7%). However, the total attitude score was moderate/high positive (66.8%) and most were interested in learning more about SCs (80.8%). Male physicians reported significantly more knowledge than females (p

Low organ donation rates are a major obstacle to the expansion of transplant opportunities in the Middle East. Awareness and opinion about organ donation affect willingness to donate. This study aims to evaluate public attitudes and knowledge about deceased organ donation (DOD) in Jordan in support of larger efforts to increase donor rates. A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was used. Qualitative, one-on-one interviews were used to create a quantitative survey, which was administered to randomly-selected individuals over a 5-month period. The questionnaire used series of statements to evaluate knowledge and attitude about DOD on a scaling system and converted to scores (0-4). A total of 15 qualitative interviews and 500 quantitative surveys (78.4% response rate) were completed. Only 78 (15.6%) knew they could donate their organs after death. Only 49 (9.8%) were registered as donors, although 373 (74.6%) knew about the registration process. Internet (52.2%) and social media (51.0%) were the most common sources of information. The overall knowledge score was moderately high at 68.8% (2.75 ± 1.31). Misconceptions persisted about body disfigurement, diagnostic accuracy of brain-death, and waiting list equity. The total attitude score was moderately positive at 65.8% (2.63 ± 0.02). Public awareness campaigns (85.3%, 3.42 ± 0.95) and regulatory legislation (78.8%, 3.15 ± 0.99) were considered especially positive, while negative attitudes about religious approval and paid donation were present. Female respondents had significantly higher scores on organ donation significance (P = 0.007) and overall attitude (P = 0.035) than males. The results of this study demonstrate knowledge gaps, misconceptions, and negative opinions on topics related to organ donation in Jordan. However, participants recognized the importance of educational campaigns and regulatory legislation and would likely benefit from information from health-care providers and religious leaders.