A lack of adequate building maintenance is a significant obstacle faced by governmental hospitals. This paper evaluates factors that negatively impact building-maintenance practices in Iraq. A literature review was conducted to identify factors affecting maintenance. A list of 42 factors affecting hospital-buildings was collected from previous studies and tested using a structured questionnaire distributed to hospital-maintenance experts. During the data analysis, 76 valid questionnaires were used. Based on the respondents’ ratings, the relative-importance index (RII) was used to determine the level of importance of each factor. From the results, it was concluded that twelve factors affect maintenance practices in hospital buildings: faulty design (0.889), lack of funding (0.874), inadequate training (0.871), misuse of building facilities (0.866), construction errors (0.863), lack of work experience (0.858), building age (0.826), individual modifications carried out by the hospital staff (0.826), shortage of maintenance staff (0.824), administrative corruption (0.821), selection of unqualified maintenance contractors (0.816) and unavailability of skilled appointed maintenance personnel (0.808). Understanding these factors’ effects is essential for maintenance-department managers to develop strategies for maintaining hospital buildings in Iraq by controlling them, as well as identifying problems and finding appropriate solutions to avoid them. KEYWORDS: Governmental hospitals, Maintenance, Iraq, Building maintenance, Maintenance practices, Factors affecting maintenance
Given that the Crimean and Congo hemorrhagic fever is one of the deadly viral diseases that occur seasonally due to the activity of the carrier “tick,” studying and developing a mathematical model simulating this illness are crucial. Due to the delay in the disease’s incubation time in the sick individual, the paper involved the development of a mathematical model modeling the transmission of the disease from the carrier to humans and its spread among them. The major objective is to comprehend the dynamics of illness transmission so that it may be controlled, as well as how time delay affects this. The discussion of every one of the solution’s qualitative attributes is included. According to the established basic reproductio
... Show MoreBackground: Myocardial infarction (MI) is distinguished by the necrosis of myocardial cells as a result of substantial and prolonged ischemia. Anxiety, problems sleeping, and feelings of depression are some of the most common psychosocial consequences of having a myocardial infarction. Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of post-myocardial infarction on patients' levels of anxiety, depression, and quality of sleep. Method: The collection of data from 94 individuals with MI was carried out according to a descriptive cross-sectional design. Sleep quality, depression, and anxiety were evaluated using standard questionnaires. Results: 69.1% of the participants reported having trouble getting quality sleep. The perc
... Show More: Clobetasol propionate (CP) is a potent corticosteroid used for skin conditions but often causes side effects due its systemic absorption. To improve its solubility and reduce it side effects (like skin irritation, skin atrophy, hypopigmentation and steroidal acne), Microsponge (Msg) has been employed as a unique three-dimensional particle that can encapsulate hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. This study aims to develop and evaluate CP Msg-loaded hydrogels. Two Clobetasol-loaded ethylcellulose-based Msg formulas were prepared using the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method, then they were incorporated into Carbopol hydrogel. Two ratios of Carbopol 940 (1% and 1.5% w/w) were used. The prepared hydrogel were assessed for appearance, pH, dr
... Show MoreIn this study water quality index (WQI) was calculated to classify the flowing water in the Tigris River in Baghdad city. GIS was used to develop colored water quality maps indicating the classification of the river for drinking water purposes. Water quality parameters including: Turbidity, pH, Alkalinity, Total hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Chloride, Sulfate, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonia, Orthophosphate and Total dissolved solids were used for WQI determination. These parameters were recorded at the intakes of the WTPs in Baghdad for the period 2004 to 2011. The results from the annual average WQI analysis classified the Tigris River very poor to polluted at the north of Baghdad (Alkarkh WTP) while it was very poor to very polluted in t
... Show MoreBackground: Moral distress, as one of the most important issues in the nursing profession, can negatively affect the healthcare system Objectives: To examine the effect of moral distress on decision making. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study a non-probability sampling method was used and a total sample collected was (126) ICU nurses Result: Moral distress among ICUs nurses were moderate and decision making was good Conclusion: Although nurses in ICUs perceive good decision making but suffered from moderate MD which affected their decision making. MD is still an important issue that nurses may face in ICUs Conclusion: Although nurses in ICUs perceive good decision making but suffered from moderate MD which affected the
... Show MoreThe concept of aesthetics is one of the postmodern propositions, and it is one of the branches of philosophy that examines beauty, its standards and theories, and it is a holistic concept that includes several concepts, including the beautiful, the ugly, and the sublime.
The concept of aesthetics dealt with several studies in general (and in the field of architecture in particular), and the problem of aesthetics is in the blurring of the relationship between aesthetics and architectural criticism, based on the research hypothesis which states that there is a relationship between aesthetics and architectural criticism. The importance of the research in accommodating aesthetic standards and bases of evaluation that increases the possi