مجله طب نظامی
سال پانزدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 51، بهار 1392)

Meningitis is an infectious disease. In case it spreads to the military personnel living in dormitories in large numbers، it can cause high mortality. The present study was an attempt to examine the number of Meningitis cases، their types، and effective factors in its spread among Iranian Ground Forces (IGF). The distribution pattern of Meningitis in different parts of Iran was also examined. In this cross-sectional research، records of patients with meningitis from mid2006 to 2011 (5. 5 years) were checked. All cases reported to IGF Health Office were included in the study. Variables such as age، military status (formal or conscripted)، meningitis type، month and year of disease occurrence، recovery status، educational status of patient''s military unit، and place of disease occurrence were checked. In addition، the distribution map of the disease was prepared using ArcGIS 9. 3. Totally، 59 cases were reported to IGF Health Office. The mean age of patients was 20. 09. 86. 4% of the reported cases were in conscripts. Meningococcal meningitis was the most frequent type، and pneumococcal and viral types stood next. 63% of cases had occurred in training units. The highest and lowest incidences of disease were observed in 2006 and 2010 respectively. The number of Meningitis cases was highest in February. The death rate was 10. 2 %. The highest number of cases was reported in Tehran، Kerman، and Khouzestan provinces respectively. Since all the patients were conscripts or formal trainees، permanent residence in military dormitories was one of the most important risk factors of meningitis morbidity. Meningitis incidence trend has been descending over the past few years، and hygiene programs have reduced the number of reported cases. GIS map of the case distribution was not concordant that much to GIS map of cumulative incidence mostly due to the differences in the number of military personnel in different provinces. However، disease mortality was similar to other references.

The antioxidant effects of Magnolia officinalis along with endurance training have not been studied so far. In the present study، the antioxidant effects of crude extract of Magnolia officinalis along with endurance training have been investigated on the antioxidant marker levels of brain and liver tissues in male rats. Twenty eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups as control (saline)، training، Magnolia، and Magnolia-training. Training groups underwent an endurance training program for 8 weeks. Rats in training and saline groups received 2 ml crude Magnolia extract orally for 4 weeks. 72 hours after the last training session، plasma samples and tissues were collected for the catalase and MDA measurements. Data were analyzed using t test and Mann-Whitney test at α≤0. 05. Plasma catalase activity in Magnolia group was shown to be significantly higher (p≤0. 002) than saline group. Training as well as Magnolia extract results in significant differences (p≤0. 05 and p≤ 0. 007) in the activity of liver catalase. However، liver MDA changes were only significant in Magnolia group compared to saline group (p≤0. 013). The findings suggest that the behavior of plasma and tissue catalase and MDA are different in response to Magnolia and training. It is also shown that catalase activity is intensified by Magnolia extract. Magnolia extract seems to be more effective on liver in comparison with plasma and hypothalamus.

The present study was an attempt to examine the predictive ability of job satisfaction and ego strengths regarding marital satisfaction in military personnel in Tehran، Iran. It was a correlational study carried out on 330 military staff selected using random cluster sampling. For the purpose of data collection، three questionnaires were used: ENRICH Couple Scale، Job Descriptive Index (JDI)، and the Psychosocial Inventory of Ego Strengths (PIES). Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Job satisfaction and ego strengths were observed to have a positive and significant relationship with marital satisfaction. Results from regression analysis indicated that ego strengths such as wisdom، fidelity، love، care، and job satisfaction including rights and benefits can predict marital satisfaction. It seems that being aware of the effects of job satisfaction and ego strengths can help increase marital satisfaction in military personnel and prevent from family problems in them.

Learning in crisis is an approach to help employees deal with critical situations. The nature of critical care departments is similar to the nature of critical situations. The present study was an attempt to identify the most important learning strategies in staff in emergency department of a military hospital so that the facilitative learning strategies could be identified and the main obstacles in this regard would be determined. The present study was a qualitative phenomenological piece of research in which semi-structured interview was used to collect data. Purposeful sampling with maximum variation was used for data collection with 20 emergency department staff taking part in the interviews. The sampling continued until the point of theoretical saturation. Analytical framework was used for data analysis. The interviews were indexed by Atlas-Ti software، and the expected themes and sub-themes were identified. In this study، 8 themes and 28 sub-themes were extracted as factors affecting learning strategies in crisis. The main themes were the importance of learning at work، barriers of learning in crisis، opportunity of learning in crisis; factors affecting learning in crisis; types of learning strategies in crisis; role of management in learning in crisis; role of environment in learning in crisis، and psychological characteristics of employees. The good management of the staff، paying attention to their financial concerns، making them interested in the job they do، and devising a specific structure for instruction are all steps to take to help facilitate learning in crisis.

Due to the importance of job satisfaction (JS)، this study attempted to examine factors involved in JS in military healthcare personnel in 2008. This study was carried out on 301 employees، 246 (%81. 7) female and 55 (%18. 3) male، working in a MSH selected using stratified sampling. Standardized JSS job satisfaction questionnaire، Burdens & Metzcus Leadership Behavior Description (LBD)، and a questionnaire checking demographical variables were used for data collection. Age، experience، work position، education، work shift، sex، marital status، and type of employment had statistically significant relationship with job satisfaction. In addition، there was a significant relationship between job satisfaction in managers and staff and their LBD، sex، and education. We can improve job satisfaction in employees by paying more attention to employees’ personality and salary.

The present study was an attempt to explore the relationship between job stress and organizatinal spirituality and spiritual intelligence in the personnel of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. The research population consisted of all the personnel in that military university. According to Morgan table، 352 participants were needed for the purpose of this study. Data were collected using Milliman Organizational Sspirituality Questionnaire، King Spiritual Intelligence Questionnaire and HSE Job Stress Questionnaire. The reliability and content validity of the questionnaires used were also checked. There was a significant negative correlation between job stress and organizational spirituality (r = -0. 28). The same was observed regarding the relationship between job stress and spiritual intelligence (r = -0. 32). There was no significant differnce between male and female participants in organizational spirituality. Also، education could not cause any significant difference in organizatinal spirituality. However، experience could cause a significant difference among groups in their organizatinal spirituality except for the two groups of 4-7 and 8-15 years of experience. Spirituality and spiritual intelligence are two of the most important variables affecting stress in employees. As such، in order to increase efficiency، policy makers need to take important steps for minimizing job stress in their personnel.

Military managers play an important role in the improvement and development of military communities. Their knowledge and skills can increase the efficiency of the organization they work in. Since these managers are exposed to stressful situations more than others، the negative effects they face can affect both their organizations and staff. The present study was an attempt to take a step in planning for and selecting efficient managers by examining the variables playing a role in this regard. In this cross-sectional descriptive study، all the staff in four military training schools in Tehran، were selected using convenience sampling. In order to collect data، a 27 item self-administered questionnaire was used. The first 12 items checked participants’ level of job stress while the next 15 items examined their efficacy using a 5 point Likert scale. Managers were observed to have average stress level. Not receiving sufficient budget and having to deal with a lot of work in a limited time were the most important stressful factors. In the case of factors positively affecting their management، being active and serious، having appropriate relationship with employees، and following organizational objectives received the highest scores. The negative effects of stressful situations on managers are immediately reflected in the performance and efficacy of managers and will lower the quality of their management as a result.

Leadership is the very factor playing a significant role in improving the efficiency of any organization. It is in fact the variable distinguishing a creative and innovative organization from other ones. The present study was an attempt to examine the management style in some selected military hospitals and its relationship with hospital performance indicators in 2011. This was a cross-sectional descriptive–analytical study. Seven hospitals were selected using stratified sampling from among the military hospitals in Tehran، Iran. The leadership style questionnaire with Likert scale was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using Mann-Whitney test، Chi square، and Spearman correlation coefficients using SPSS 19 software. Results showed that 56. 1، 22. 7، and 21. 2 percent of senior managers’ leadership styles were consultative، participative، and benevolent-authoritative respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between leadership style and hospital performance indicators. The results showed that approximately 10 to 15 percent of hospital beds are not being used، and in order to increase the efficiency of a hospital، managers need to move towards participative leadership styles.

This study was an attempt to evaluate the impact of a health educational program on Body Mass Index، Physical Activity and nutritional habits as lifestyle variables in military personnel in 2011. In this study، 93 military active duty personnel in Tehran (with an age range of 25 to 59) completed the questionnaire. Those with a body mass index of 24. 99 and above (55 participants) were assigned to the intervention group. Instructions were given using booklets and lectures on the effects and consequences of an inappropriate lifestyle. Three months later، they were evaluated in the same manner as in the pretest. 48. 4% of the participants were overweight and 10. 7% of them were obese. 51. 6% had unfavorable nutritional habits، and 79. 6% had an unfavorable lifestyle regarding physical activity. After training، the indices altered to 49. 5%، 3. 2، 49. 5% and 41. 9% respectively Considering the high prevalence of overweight، obesity and high BMI in the military personnel and inappropriate nutritional and physical activity habits in them on one hand، and the effectiveness of educational programs in improving their lifestyle on the other hand، having such educational programs seems necessary.

The goal of this study was to survey the factors influencing the productivity of human resources in a military health organization. It was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study carried out in 2012 with 400 participants. A researcher-made questionnaire was used for data collection. For data analysis، SPSS 18. 0 and Amos soft wares were used. In the path analysis done، the following path coefficients were observed: mental، intellectual، and personal growth with β=0. 57، organizational support with β=0. 49، organizational culture with β=0. 45، motivation with β=0. 33، evaluation and performance feedback with β=0. 27، ability with β=0. 20، environment with β0. 19، individual health with β=0. 19، training with β=0. 17، and job clarity with β=0. 17. The results showed that for the assessment of the productivity of human resources in military health system، mental and intellectual growth، organizational support، and organizational culture need to be considered.

Nursing profession is full of interactions especially regarding its affective dimension. Nurses need to have a better understanding and management of their own and their patients’ emotions so that they will be able to make the right decisions and offer the best heath care services. The present study was an attempt to check the relationship between different components of emotional intelligence and some of the demographical variables in nurses.

It was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study conducted in 2011 on 212 nurses (101 female and 111 male) in some selected military hospitals in Tehran، Iran. Bradberi and Greaves questionnaire was used in order to assess the components of emotional intelligence.

The average emotional intelligence score was 79. 4. Self-awareness and social awareness had the highest scores among the four components. From among all the demographic variables، only the level of education and fee showed a significant correlation with self-management.

The results showed that the majority of nurses enjoyed an average level of emotional intelligence.

This study was an attempt to examine the health promoting behaviors in chemical veterans in Ilam province، Iran in 2012-13.

It was a cross-sectional study on the entire population of moderate and severe chemical veterans under the support of the Department of Veterans and Martyrs of Ilam province. Data collection was done using Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) with six subscales.

The mean age of the sample was 51. 17 ± 8. 87. The mean score of HPLP II was 129. 29 ± 29. 94. The maximum score one could obtain was 208. The highest score was in the spiritual growth subscale and the lowest score was in the physical activity subscale. The type of injury was a good predictor of health promoting behaviors، as neurotic-chemical veterans had the least amount of these behaviors (R2= 2. 9 %).

Considering the inappropriate state of health promoting behaviors especially physical activities in neurotic-chemical veterans، the implementation of interventional programs for increasing these behaviors are strongly recommended.