Comparative analysis of the impact of cigarette taxation on consumption, revenue and mortality in Jordan.

Background: Tobacco taxes are a powerful tool for reducing tobacco consumption and a reliable source of revenue for government.

Aim: To investigate the potential efficacy of tobacco taxation strategies in Jordan in relation to their fiscal and health-related outcomes.

Methods: Using Tobacconomics, we conducted a comparative analysis of several taxation scenarios: maintaining the status quo; increasing both specific excise and tiered taxes; increasing tiered tax rates alone; and raising specific excise taxes only.

Disparities in Obstetric, Neonatal, and Birth Outcomes Among Syrian Women Refugees and Jordanian Women.

To compare obstetric and neonatal characteristics and birth outcomes between Syrian refugees and native women in Jordan. We used the Jordan Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths Surveillance System to extract sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics of the mothers and birth characteristics of newborns. Multivariate analysis was used to compare the characteristics of 26,139 Jordanian women (27,468 births) and 3,453 Syrian women refugees (3,638 births) who gave birth in five referral hospitals (May 2019 and December 2020).

The relationship between the perceived risk of infection at the workplace and quality of work life (QoWL): Healthcare workers' perspectives.

Background: One of today's most significant organizational priorities, including healthcare organizations, is to improve the quality of work-life (QoWL), which leads to offering high-quality services to patients.

Aim: The study aimed to explore the effect of the perceived risk of infection and its impact on the quality of work-life (QoWL) on HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 484 healthcare workers.

Personal data governance and privacy in digital reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health initiatives in Palestine and Jordan: a mapping exercise.

Introduction: There is a rapid increase in using digital technology for strengthening delivery of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) services. Although digital health has potentially many benefits, utilizing it without taking into consideration the possible risks related to the security and privacy of patients' data, and consequently their rights, would yield negative consequences for potential beneficiaries. Mitigating these risks requires effective governance, especially in humanitarian and low-resourced settings.

Impact of Multimedia Messaging Service Education and Exercise Social Support on Physical Activity Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Social support is one of the interpersonal stimuli that define an individual's predisposition to engage in health-promoting behaviors and is considered a facilitator in improving health habits. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can benefit from educating supportive families and friends on self-care management including exercise behavior. Multimedia messaging service (MMS) could also be an effective method for delivering targeted educational interventions that focus on physical activity (PA).

The Impact of Behavioral Economics-Based Counseling and Mobile Phone Text Educational and Reminder Messages on the Use of Modern Family Planning in Jordan: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Favorable attitudes toward modern family planning methods (MFPMs) among Jordanian and Syrian women do not always translate into behavioral changes, and the availability and cost of MFPMs do not appear to be related to either prior stalls in fertility rates in Jordan or to the current and likely temporary decline in fertility rates. This study aimed to determine whether behavioral economics (BE)-based family planning interventions influence the use of any family planning method, MFPMs use, continuation of MFPMs use, and pregnancy rates among women in Jordan. The BE-based family planning interventions included personalized text messaging and augmented counseling based on framing and identity-priming BE principles, with their effects tested over a 9-month period in the postpartum period following the birth of a child.

Workplace policies and quality of working life (QoWL) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordanian hospitals.

Background: Many healthcare organizations place a high value on quality of work-life (QoWL). The healthcare system's long-term sustainability and capability to offer high-quality services to patients depend on improving QoWL for their healthcare workers.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the impact of Jordanian hospitals' workplace policies and measures in three main domains: (I) Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, (II) Supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), and (III) COVID-19 precautionary measures on the QoWL among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Symptomatic familial primary iris cysts at the pupillary margin in three consecutive generations: A case series.

Case Series Purpose: Iris cysts are uncommon lesions, most of them are iris pigment epithelial (IPE) cysts which typically manifest in adults as unilateral single cysts, are typically asymptomatic and rarely require treatment. The most frequent location of IPE cysts is the iris periphery and the iridociliary sulcus, whereas pupillary cysts are rare. This observational case series aims to describe a unique occurrence of bilateral pupillary IPE cysts in three consecutive generations of a single family.

Operational flexibility impact on hospital performance through the roles of employee engagement and management capability.

Background: Very limited empirical research has been done on operational flexibility management in the healthcare industry, especially in hospital settings. This study aimed to propose a model of the effects of operational flexibility on hospital performance through management capability and employee engagement as mediating variables.

Methods: The proposed model is validated through an empirical study among 480 clinical and administrative staff from five hospitals in Jordan.

Maturity Level of Digital Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Initiatives in Jordan and Palestine.

Background: While there is a rapid increase in digital health initiatives focusing on the processing of personal data for strengthening the delivery of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) services in fragile settings, these are often unaccompanied at both the policy and operational levels with adequate legal and regulatory frameworks.

Objective: The main aim was to understand the maturity level of digital personal data initiatives for RMNCH services within fragile contexts. This aim was performed by choosing digital health initiatives from each country (two in Jordan and three in Palestine) based on RMNCH.

Retrospective study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on patients with type 2 diabetes in Northern Jordan.

Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic, complete lockdown of cities was one of the measures implemented by governments worldwide. Lockdown had a significant impact on people's lifestyles and access and utilisation of health services. This study aimed to assess the impact of the lockdown on glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Women's career progression to management positions in Jordan's health sector.

Purpose: This study aims to identify and explore experiences, perspectives, barriers and enablers to women's career progression to management positions in the health-care sector and to assess women's and men's perceptions of the policies and practices of the health-care system concerning gender equality and nondiscrimination between women and men.

Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among health-care professionals in ten selected hospitals, including physicians, registered nurses/midwives and pharmacists with or without managerial positions.

Findings: This study included a total of 2,082 female and 1,100 male health-care professionals.

Diverging levels of COVID-19 governmental response satisfaction across middle eastern Arab countries: a multinational study.

Background: Public acceptance of governmental measures are key to controlling the spread of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on healthcare systems for high-income countries as well as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The ability of LMICs to respond to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic has been limited and may have affected the impact of governmental strategies to control the spread of COVID-19.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Infection Prevention and Control in Jordanian Hospitals in the Context of COVID-19: A National Assessment.

Purpose: To identify areas that need improvement in Jordanian health centers regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) programs; water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services; and other protective measures, especially in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Methods: This is a national assessment study that comprised hospitals of different sectors in Jordan, including, Ministry of Health (MoH), private, and military hospitals. The study included 23 Jordanian hospitals.

Effectiveness of theory-based Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) on exercise benefits and barriers among patients with type 2 diabetes.

The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of multimedia messaging service (MMS) education on exercise benefits and barriers in patients with type 2 diabetes. A quasi-experimental, pretest-post-test design recruited 98 patients with type 2 diabetes. The intervention group received MMS education to improve perceived exercise benefits and decrease exercise barriers over two months, and the control group received routine care.

The Impact of Perceived Social Support During Pregnancy on Postpartum Infant-Focused Anxieties: A Prospective Cohort Study of Mothers in Northern Jordan.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the association between perceived social support during pregnancy and levels of anxiety among postpartum women using an anxiety-specific screening instrument.

Methods: Using a prospective cohort design, a two-stage methodology was conducted to collect data from women seeking maternal care at the King Abdullah University Hospital in northern Jordan. In the first stage, perceived social support was assessed among pregnant women using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey.

Effect of Multimedia Messaging Service on Exercise Self-efficacy in Diabetic Patients.

To increase patients' self-efficacy for initiation of physical activity, there is a need to include physical activity into patient education in clinic settings. In this study, we aimed to assess the effectiveness of multimedia messaging service (MMS) education on exercise self-efficacy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We used a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design to study 98 patients with T2DM.

Perceived Barriers of Using Modern Family Planning Methods among Women in Jordan: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Some cultural and social factors may discourage the use of modern family planning (MFP) methods. The purpose of this study was to better understand the barriers and social norms that might affect women's ability to take optimal advantage of the free family planning services offered by the Jordanian Ministry of Health (MOH).

Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive design, 7 focus group discussions were conducted from January to February 2018, with a purposive sample of 52 married women.

Perceptions of primary healthcare physicians in Jordan of their role in the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Following the remarkable spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), worldwide, it quickly became apparent that many public health systems worldwide were not prepared to manage such a pandemic. We aimed to assess the perceptions of primary care physicians (PCPs) in Jordan towards their role during COVID-19.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was performed.

Midwives and women's perspectives on family planning in Jordan: human rights, gender equity, decision-making and power dynamics.

Objectives: This study explored midwives' and Jordanian and Syrian women's perceptions towards family planning (FP) counseling and the process of FP decision making mechanism to provide evidence for expanding the access and improving the quality and utilization of FP services in Jordan.

Methods: Explorative qualitative study that purposively recruited 24 women for 4 focus group discussions (FDGs) and 17 midwives for in-depth interviews from two governorates in Jordan. The transcribed narratives were subjected to deductive content analysis.

Perceptions Toward the Use of Digital Technology for Enhancing Family Planning Services: Focus Group Discussion With Beneficiaries and Key Informative Interview With Midwives.

Background: Modern family planning (FP) methods allow married couples to discuss and determine the number of children and years of spacing between them. Despite many significant improvements in FP services in Jordan, there are still many issues related to the uptake of FP services for both host communities and Syrian refugees, due to limitations in the health care system based on public health facilities. Digital technologies can provide opportunities to address the challenges faced in the health system, thus offering the potential to improve both coverage and quality of FP services and practices.

The Jordan Stillbirth and Neonatal Mortality Surveillance (JSANDS) System: Evaluation Study.

Background: The Jordan Stillbirth and Neonatal Mortality Surveillance (JSANDS) is an electronic surveillance system that automatically transfers the data on births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths to the concerned authorities in the Ministry of Health. JSANDS was implemented and tested in 5 maternity hospitals during the period spanning May 2019 through December 2020.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness and performance of JSANDS to register births, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths, and determine their causes.

Modifiable Factors and Delays Associated with Neonatal Deaths and Stillbirths in Jordan: Findings from Facility-Based Neonatal Death and Stillbirth Audits.

Objective: This study employed the "three-delay" model to investigate the types of critical delays and modifiable factors that contribute to the neonatal deaths and stillbirths in Jordan.

Study Design: A triangulation research method was followed in this study to present the findings of death review committees (DRCs), which were formally established in five major hospitals across Jordan. The DRCs used a specific death summary form to facilitate identifying the type of delay, if any, and to plan specific actions to prevent future similar deaths.

Walk the Talk: The Transforming Journey of Facility-Based Death Review Committee from Stillbirths to Neonates.

Background: Facility-based death review committee (DRC) of neonatal deaths and stillbirths can encourage stakeholders to enhance the quality of care during the antenatal period and labour to improve birth outcomes. To understand the benefits and impact of the DRCs, this study was aimed at exploring the DRC members' perception about the role and benefits of the newly developed facility-based DRCs in five pilot hospitals in Jordan, to assess women empowerment, decision-making process, power dynamics, culture and genderism as contributing factors for deaths, and impact of COVID-19 lockdown on births.

Methods: A descriptive study of a qualitative design-using focus group discussions-was conducted after one year of establishing DRCs in 5 pilot large hospitals.

The usability of Jordan stillbirths and neonatal deaths surveillance (JSANDS) system: results of focus group discussions.

Background: Jordan Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths Surveillance system (JSANDS) is a newly developed system and is currently implemented in five large hospitals in Jordan. This study aimed at exploring the healthcare professionals' perception about the usability of JSANDS.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach, using focus group discussions, was adopted.