Background: Different aspects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children have not been well understood so far. Objectives: In this paper, we reported the clinical, Paraclinical, and epidemiological features of the hospitalized children infected with COVID-19 in the southeast of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in six hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences. All children who were under the age of 15 years old hospitalized with acute respiratory infection from February 20 to May 14, 2020, were included in this study. Demographic characteristics, past medical history data, and disease-related data such as symptoms, signs, radiologic, and laboratory data were collected. Results: Of 97 hospitalized children with an acute respiratory infection, 13 cases (13.4%) had been diagnosed to be infected by COVID-19. The mean (standard deviation) and median of age of the patients with COVID-19 were 68.0 (55.9) and 60 months, respectively. Fever (n = 11, 84.6%), cough (n = 8, 61.5%), respiratory distress (n = 5, 38.5%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (n = 5, 38.5%) were known as the most common symptoms in patients with COVID-19. Frequency fever (84.6% vs 47. 6%, P = 0.016) and respiratory distress (38.8% vs 13.1%, P = 0.022) were significantly higher in patients with COVID-19 compared to non-COVID individuals. Frequency of admission in the intensive care unit (38.5% vs. 27.4%, P = 0.668) and death rate (15.4% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.291) were higher in patients with COVID-19 compared to non-COVID-19 subjects, but there were no significant differences between the two groups in term of these variables. Conclusions: A low proportion of children hospitalized with acute respiratory syndrome were infected by COVID-19. Most of the children with COVID-19 recovered with supportive care with no need for any specific treatment.

Background: Medication adherence (MA) is one of the crucial aspects in the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate MA and its predictors in type 2 diabetic patients referring to urban primary health care centers. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among type 2 diabetic patients referring to urban primary health care centers in 2017. The data were collected by the Persian version of the eight-item Morisky MA scale. Demographic and disease-related data were also collected. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: Of 589 patients under study, more than 70% used oral hypoglycemic agents as the medication regimen and 29.2% received insulin as monotherapy or in combination with oral antidiabetic agents. Over half of the diabetic patients (51.1%) had other comorbid chronic diseases; moreover, 51.3% of them had at least one of diabetes-related complications. The mean MA score was 6.27 ± 1.81. One-third (33.3%, n = 196) of the patients had a moderate level of MA while 35.4% (n = 208) and 31.3% (n = 184) showed low and high MA levels, respectively. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that education level, type of medication, age, and treatment duration were the predicting factors of MA. Conclusions: MA was at a suboptimal level among diabetic patients referring to the urban primary health care centers. Poor medication adherence can have negative outcomes for diabetic patients. Thus, primary health care providers should consider self-care behaviors of patients and monitor their medication adherence, as well as other aspects of diabetes management.

Aims: Diabetes self-management (DSM) plays a crucial role in diabetes control. The present study was conducted to evaluate DSM and its related factors among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among T2DM patients from January to March 2017 in urban healthcare centers of Kerman city, southeast Iran. A total of 600 T2DM patients were enrolled in the study using a multistage sampling method. Valid and reliable diabetes selfmanagement questionnaire (DSMQ) was employed for data collection. Results: The mean (±SD) score of DSM was 6.92 (±1.17) out of 10 with inter quartile range 6.25-7.70. DSM mean score was higher in patients with higher educational level and household income significantly. Employed subjects (mean=7.18) had a higher DSM mean score than unemployed Khalooei and Benrazavy; JPRI, 29(4): 1-9, 2019; Article no.JPRI.50714 2 ones (mean=6.84). Moreover, DSM was better in patients who receive insulin and those with diabetes-related complications. DSM had a direct correlation with the number of visits by specialist physicians (r = 0.257, P < 0.001) and treatment duration (r = 0.103, P = 0.013). University education (Beta = 0.243, P < 0.001) was the strongest predictor of DMS, followed by high school education (Beta = 0.226, P < 0.001) and number of annual visits in primary healthcare centers (Beta = 0.205, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Self-Management behaviors were suboptimal among the diabetes patients. Therefore, designing and implementing effective interventions to improve self-care behaviors of diabetic patients is necessary in the first level of health delivery system in Iran. Original Research Article

Background: Although seasonal influenza vaccination decreases infection rate and associated complications, its coverage rate is suboptimal in healthcare workers worldwide. Objectives: The present study aimed at assessing the predictors of influenza vaccination and reasons for accepting or refusing it among nursing staff. Methods: The present study was conducted from February to March 2019 on nurses of three teaching hospitals affiliated to Kerman University of Medical Sciences in the Southeast of Iran. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire, including demographic data, knowledge, and attitude toward influenza and its vaccine, and reasons for accepting or refusing the vaccine. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22. Independent samples t- and the chi-squared tests and the binary logistic regression were employed for data analysis. Results: The influenza vaccination coverage rate was 10.1% among the nursing staff. Male gender (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) =2.13 - 10.64), receiving a recommendation for influenza vaccination in hospital (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.06 - 3.26), influenza vaccination of the family members (AOR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.55 - 4.41), and a higher score of attitude toward influenza vaccination (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03 - 1.07) increased the likelihood of influenza vaccination in the nursing staff. Fear of vaccine adverse effects (64.7%), lack of trust in vaccine manufacturers (36.0%), and being healthy (29.7%) were the most common reasons for refusing vaccination. Likewise, self-protection (79.6%), patient protection (73.0%), and family protection (72.4%) were the most common reasons for undergoing vaccination. The odds of influenza vaccine uptake was four times more among males than females (AOR = 4.77, 95% CI = 2.13 - 10.64), and odds of influenza vaccination was 1.86 times more among nursing staff receiving recommendations for influenza vaccination in hospital than the ones not receiving such recommendations (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.06 - 3.26). Also, odds of influenza vaccination increased 2.73 times in nursing staff whose family members received influenza vaccine (AOR = 2.61, 95% CI = 1.55 - 4.41). Furthermore, the model showed that one unit increase in the attitude score increased odds of influenza vaccination by 1.05 units (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03 - 1.07). Conclusions: The influenza vaccination rate was suboptimal among the nursing staff. Also, there were poor knowledge and improper attitude toward influenza and its vaccine among healthcare workers. Therefore, appropriate policies should be made at national and regional levels on increasing the rate of influenza vaccination.

procedures of needle stick among nursing personnel (28.3% and 25.4% respectively). 63.9% of nursing personnel had received full dose hepatitis B vaccine and 66.9% of them tested for anti-hepatitis B surface antigen after full vaccination.38.3% of injured nursing personnel had appropriate post-exposed care and 69.5% of them were not reported. Conclusion: The incidence of needle stick injuries among nursing personnel is high. The effective methods for reducing this problem can be: education of nursing personnel, increased observation of universal precaution, improved administrative support and enhanced reporting of cases.