Lancet
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The Health Workforce Accreditation and Regulation (HWAR) is a set of policies and processes designed to improve the quality of health services and the performance of health professionals. Various efforts were implemented, mainly by WHO, to advance and strengthen practices and activities of HWAR. In Palestine, HWAR seems to be lagging and to require strengthening at both national policy and institutional levels, based on local evidence. HWAR is rarely investigated in Palestine and possibly also in the Eastern Mediterranean. We aimed to assess the current status of HWAR in Palestine, to identify the challenges, and to propose useful policy and technical actions for the effectiveness of HWAR. ⋯ None.
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Breast cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. At King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), Amman, Jordan, 38% of breast cancer diagnoses are in women younger than 45 years, which might reflect a high prevalence of hereditary breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 to breast cancer treated at KHCC. We also describe our experience in dealing with this delicate cultural issue in a tribal-based country with Palestinian-Jordanian family origins. ⋯ Sister Institution Network Fund of MD Anderson Cancer Center and KHCC.
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Rhesus disease of a newborn baby results from the entrance of anti-D antibodies of the rhesus factor D (RhD)-negative mother into the RhD positive foetal bloodstream. This transfer might cause stillbirths, neonatal deaths, or severe hyperbilirubinemia, which can develop into irreversible brain damage. In current practice, anti-D immunoglobulin is administered to RhD-negative women within 72 h after the delivery of RhD-positive newborn babies. During the antepartum period, it is given in events associated with placental trauma or disruption of the feto-maternal interface. This review was conducted to analyse the cost-effectiveness of the introduction of worldwide guidelines for the administration of anti-D immunoglobulin at 28 weeks to all RhD negative mothers with RhD-positive spouses in Palestine. ⋯ None.
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The emergence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens is a serious health threat that leads to increased mortality. In 2019, the European Gaza Hospital released medical reports that indicated high multiresistant bacterial isolates during the period of Great March of Return (GMR) Gaza Strip border protests in 2018-19. We investigated resistance to commonly used antibiotics of bacteria isolated at the European Gaza Hospital in the Gaza Strip for 6 months before and 6 months after the GMR. ⋯ None.
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Large mandibular and maxillary defects are repaired by maxillofacial reconstructive microsurgery (MRM) using free flaps, which is challenging to perform in austere settings owing to its demanding nature in terms of time, equipment, and trained personnel. Humanitarian missions refrain from performing MRM procedures in the host country and instead transfer patients to their home country to perform surgery. We report on the first nine MRM procedures in Gaza. ⋯ The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).