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Introduction: The world has been badly affected by the spread of a novel virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in Wuhan, China back in December 2019. As the virus is transmitted through aerosol, respiratory droplets and close contact, hand hygiene and wearing mask are the most important preventive measures for COVID-19. Studies showed hand hygiene intervention improved compliances. This paper discussed the development of a hand hygiene intervention module, validation, usability and effectiveness reports. Methods: This study involved 5 stages; need analysis, module development, validation, usability and effectiveness studies. Need analysis and module development were carried out through brainstorming and literature search. The content was evaluated by three experts, whereas the usability was screened by four preschool teachers. The effectiveness of knowledge transfer was evaluated via pre and post intervention surveys. Results: The hand hygiene educational module received valuable comments from the content expert and the end-users (teachers). Knowledge score related to COVID-19 transmission, prevention and hand hygiene moments among pre-school children were significantly increased after the intervention. Conclusion: This module can be used to improve teaching method related to COVID-19 and hand hygiene. The 'learn and play' approach may increase excitement, thus make learning process enjoyable and memorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hand hygiene is regarded as the most important measure to prevent spread of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a prototype application in an electronic device in educating, stimulating and monitoring hand hygiene quality in young children. Method: A pre-school was provided with an interactive hand hygiene application for two months. The device features an online administrator dashboard for data collection and for monitoring the children's hand washing steps and duration. A good hand washing is defined as hand washing which comprise all of the steps outlined in the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: The prototype managed to capture 6882 hand wash performed with an average of 20.85 seconds per hand wash. Washing hands palm to palm was the most frequent (79.9%) step performed, whereas scrubbing fingernails and wrists were the least (56%) steps performed. Conclusions: The device is a good prototype to educate, stimulate and monitor good hand hygiene practices. However, other measures should be undertaken to ensure sustainability of the practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019, or better known as the COVID-19, has caused a global pandemic and high death rate worldwide. Following the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia, the government had enforced Movement Control Order (MCO) started from 18 March 2020 and the restrictions were conducted and reviewed in several phases. The MCO also involved schools closure and commencement of online learning. This study aimed to identify the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among students in selected boarding schools in Malaysia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was done in July to September 2020 using a set of questionnaire that was distributed via Google form. The questionnaire consisted of demographic data, knowledge, attitude and practice regarding COVID-19. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science 22. Results: A total of 365 students participated in this study. The respondents comprised of 54.2% female and 45.8% male students. The study found that they have moderate knowledge on COVID-19 while their attitude and practice were high. The study found a significant association between the knowledge and practice scores and between the attitude and practice scores of the respondents. [r = 0.389, p < 0.05] regarding COVID-19 However, there was no significant association between the knowledge and attitude scores. Conclusions: This study concluded that students' practice regarding COVID-19 was influenced by their attitude on health care to prevent COVID-19 infection. Therefore, changing their attitude and increasing the students knowledge are necessary to improve their practices regarding COVID-19 preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The world has been badly affected by the spread of a novel virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first reported in Wuhan, China back in December 2019. As the virus is transmitted through aerosol, respiratory droplets and close contact, hand hygiene and wearing mask are the most important preventive measures for COVID-19. Studies showed hand hygiene intervention improved compliances. This paper discussed the development of a hand hygiene intervention module, validation, usability and effectiveness reports. Methods: This study involved 5 stages; need analysis, module development, validation, usability and effectiveness studies. Need analysis and module development were carried out through brainstorming and literature search. The content was evaluated by three experts, whereas the usability was screened by four preschool teachers. The effectiveness of knowledge transfer was evaluated via pre and post intervention surveys. Results: The hand hygiene educational module received valuable comments from the content expert and the end-users (teachers). Knowledge score related to COVID-19 transmission, prevention and hand hygiene moments among pre-school children were significantly increased after the intervention. Conclusion: This module can be used to improve teaching method related to COVID-19 and hand hygiene. The 'learn and play' approach may increase excitement, thus make learning process enjoyable and memorable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dyslexia, which is a learning disability that affects many aspects of children's development, has a prevalence of 5 - 17%, worldwide. There are many negative perceptions towards children with dyslexia, and one of it is when there is lack of teachers' knowledge about this problem. Aim: The objective of this study is to develop and discuss on a newly developed module on dyslexia, i.e. Dyslexia Health Education Module (DHEM) for preschool teachers, Method: This module is developed using the ADDIE model (A-Analysis, D-De- sign, D-Develop, I- Implement, E-Evaluate). The content of DHEM consists of general information for pre-school teachers about dyslexia, identification and intervention for dyslexia among children as well as its mental health implications. Results: The newly developed module was found to have a good content validity with a score of 0.7 when evaluated by eight expert panels from respective fields. The Cronbach alpha's value for reliability test was 0.90. These findings suggest that this module is good, reliable and applicable. Discussion: It is hoped that with the development of DHEM, this would increase teachers' knowledge on dyslexia among children in Malaysia, especially in recognizing at-risk children and consequently may lead to early intervention in managing the problem. This study also suggests that future longitudinal studies should be carried out using this module to ensure its effectiveness in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Children in pre-schools are at high risk of getting infections due to overcrowding, minimal awareness of basic hygiene and lack of immunity against microorganisms. Hand hygiene practice should be started at home where parents set good example, followed by formal education in pre- schools, primary and secondary school. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive program on hand hygiene practice in pre-schools. This paper presents the developmental aspects of the program material and the results of its evaluation process in a selected pre-school. Methods: Stage of development involved preparation of song, lyric, video clip, infographic and tablet application. The module was introduced during an intervention day called 'Healthy Hands' day. The acceptance of the module was evaluated before and after the intervention day. Evaluation was done by assessing pre-school children by faceto- face interview about knowledge on hand hygiene techniques and routine, such as before or after certain activities. Results: We managed to compose a song in three languages (Malay, English & Arabic), produced a video clip, an infographic and tablet application. A total of 227 children participated. Post intervention evaluation showed significant (p<0.001) increase of knowledge for eight out of eleven handwashing steps. The knowledge on hand hygiene routine i.e. after toilet, after playing outdoor, after sneezing and after playing with pet was also increased significantly. Conclusion: This comprehensive knowledge transfer program significantly improved the children's hand hygiene techniques and routine and is recommended to be integrated into pre-school curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Medical professionalism can be defined as a set of values, behaviours and relationships. Thus it is imperative that professionalism is incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum. In Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, medical professionalism is integrated throughout the 6-year medical programme through courses in Fundamental Islamic knowledge, Medical ethics, clinical teaching and community sessions. Objective: Thus a study was carried out to evaluate the perception of the concept of professionalism among clinical students. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 142 clinical students of year 4, year 5 and year 6. Participants were given a questionnaire consisting of items on personality and professional characteristics of a good Muslim doctor. Analysis of data was done using SPSS software version 18. The mean, standard deviation, mean score, median and inter quartile ranges (IR) for knowledge, attitude, practice as well as both personal and professional characteristics were determined and the differences between groups were analysed using Mann-Whitney U tests or T tests. Results: Significant differences were seen for perception of professional characteristics between year 4 and year 6 (p value = 0.0001) and between year 5 and year 6 (p value=0.002). Significant differences for all items on professional characteristics were seen between year 4 and the final year students and four out of five items between year 5 and the final year students. No significant differences were noted in the perception of personal and professional characteristics among the clinical students by gender. Conclusion: The clinical students seemed to have benefitted from the Islamic-integrated medical curriculum in USIM. Overall, the senior clinical students developed better insight of the desirable personal and professional characteristics of a good Muslim doctor. Improvement in the teaching of professionalism could have greater impact on the development of professionalism among the clinical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of the autopsy as an educational tool in forensic medicine courses has been widely acknowledged, and medical students were expected to attend regularly. Nevertheless, the use of autopsies for teaching has dramatically declined in recent years and worldwide despite their high-value benefits. This study aims to understand the importance and relevance of attending autopsies during forensic teaching sessions and identify any challenges that may impede attendance. A self-administered online questionnaire that assesses the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to autopsies attendance was distributed to fourth-year medical students at the National Defence University of Malaysia and Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia. A total of 99 respondents were involved in this study. Our findings indicate that most respondents (over 85%) demonstrated good knowledge of forensic medicine. Pearson's statistical test revealed a significant correlation between the knowledge and students' attitudes toward autopsy. This study demonstrates the need to strategically integrate autopsy attendance into medical curricula to encourage constructive attitudes and practices among medical students. Students gain the most benefits from frequently attending autopsies. Passionate educators can conduct preparatory sessions to set expectations and address concerns, encourage students to process their experiences, and reinforce learning outcomes in the mortuary setting. Mandatory autopsy teaching should be integrated into the curriculum to ensure medical students have the necessary skills and knowledge to become competent doctors., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors.)