The purpose of this study is to offer a timely understanding of university students’ knowledge, perception, and preventative practices related to COVID-19 in Palestine and to determine affecting factors (gender, region, and type of locality). A cross-sectional design was used and data was collected over 2 weeks in April 2020 through an online survey. A total of 484 surveys were collected from students from different Palestinian universities. Participants showed high levels of knowledge across multiple topics (symptoms and characteristics of COVID-19, prevention practices, and at-risk groups), although respondents were less likely to indicate mask wearing as an effective prevention practice compared to other practices, and almost one-third reported incorrectly that taking antibiotics is effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. Respondents reported the most trust in the Ministry of Health as a source of information, and the least trust in social media. A generally high level of acceptance of government regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic was found. Given the current global situation and the second wave of infections in Palestine, plans should be in place to disseminate correct information and combat newly-emerging rumors and misinformation through channels that are trusted by the university student population.

The electronic-based documentation system is considered a major transformation in health care in many hospitals worldwide. Successful implementation of the system makes nurses' jobs easier, saves time, and improves the quality of care that is delivered to patients. However, little is known about the adoption of electronic health information systems in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to understand and evaluate nurses' acceptance and attitudes about implementation of an electronic health information system in Palestinian hospitals. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 191 nurses in three governmental hospitals in Palestine. A majority of these nurses understood the need for and accepted the computer-based documentation as demonstrated by their scores on the attitude questionnaire. Inclusion of nurses in early phases of planning and implementation is important. Other developing countries can learn from the Palestinian experience with implementation of electronic health records.

Background:There is some ambiguity concerning the do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders in the Arabic world. DNR is an order written by a doctor, approved by the patient or patient surrogate, which instructs health care providers to not do CPR when cardiac or respiratory arrest occurs. Therefore, this research study investigated the attitudes of Intensive Care Unit physicians and nurses on DNR order in Palestine.Materials and Methods:A total of 123 males and females from four different hospitals voluntarily participated in this study by signing a consent form; which was approved by the Ethical Committee at Birzeit University and the Ministry of Health. A non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive, and co-relational method was used, the data collection was done by a three page form consisting of the consent form, demographical data, and 24 item-based questionnaire based on a 5-point-Likert scale from strongly agree (score 1) to strongly disagree (score 5).Results:The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software program version 17.0 was used to analyze the data. Finding showed no significant relationship between culture and opinion regarding the DNR order, but religion did. There was statistical significance difference between the physicians’ and nurses’ religious beliefs, but there was no correlation. Moreover, a total of 79 (64.3%) physicians and nurses agreed with legalizing the DNR order in Palestine.Conclusion:There was a positive attitude towards the legalization of the DNR order in Palestine, and culture and religion did not have any affect towards their attitudes regarding the legalization in Palestine.

Background: Improving nursing students' knowledge and clinical judgment related to mechanical ventilation (MV) is paramount, considering the heightened need for MV due to the current COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. High-fidelity simulation (HFS) provides students with real-life clinical experiences that they would rarely confront in clinical training, especially complex case scenarios (such as a patient needing MV). Purpose: This study assessed students' clinical knowledge and judgment after including HFS involving MV in an undergraduate nursing program. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample of 151 nursing students using the Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric. Results: There were significant differences between the intervention and control groups in knowledge (t = 20.42; P = .001) and total clinical judgment scores (t = 19.55; P < .001) post-HFS. Conclusions: Including a complex case study using MV and HFS significantly improved students' clinical decision-making, clinical knowledge, and self-confidence and enhanced their critical thinking, noticing, interpreting, reflecting, and responding capabilities.

The purpose of this study is to identify certain sociodemographic, lifestyle, self-care, and foot examination factors that predict the development of diabetic foot ulcers in Palestine. A case-control study was performed in Palestine in 2019. The control group consisted of diabetic patients without foot ulceration (NFU). The case group included diabetic patients who had foot ulcers (DFU) with a size not less than 0.5 cm2. The sample of patients was taken from primary healthcare diabetic clinics in Palestine. Findings of the study showed several independent risk factors for developing DFUs, which were smoking, sensory loss to vibration, sensory loss to monofilament, loss of pedal pulse, presence of calluses, nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy. Also, this study has shown that illiteracy and low income were significantly associated with DFU development. Moreover, the current study demonstrated that poor self-care behaviors were associated with DFU. The information gained from the study will contribute to raising awareness and improving health education for diabetic patients and their families with the aim of reducing the complications of diabetes.