INTRODUCTION: Patient self-management (PSM) and patient activation (PA) are essential for chronic disease management. There is not a trustworthy tool available in Turkey for clinicians’ opinions regarding PSM. The objective of this study was to validate the Clinician Support for Patient Activation Measure (CS-PAM) for use in Türkiye.
METHODS: This study was carried out among 209 clinicians providing care to patients with chronic diseases. The World Health Organization’s suggested that methodology was used to translate the CS-PAM into Turkish. Classical test theory methods and Rasch analysis were used for reliability and validity analysis.
RESULTS: The correlation coefficient of the 2-week test–retest reliability was 0.79 (p<0.001), and the Cronbach’s alpha eliability coefficient was 0.90. Rasch analysis indicated the person reliability, the person separation index, and the item reliability as 0.86, 2.45, and 0.99, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis yielded two subdimensions of the Turkish CS-PAM: “Patient Responsibility” and “Shared Decision Making.” The eigenvalues of the subscales were 4.62 and 2.87, and the total variance explained was 57.59%.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The CS-PAM in Turkish is a legitimate and trustworthy instrument for assessing physicians’ opinions regarding PSM. It may additionally be utilized for planning interventions that may support physicians.

INTRODUCTION: Scabies, an infestation affecting individuals of all ages, poses significant public health implications due to its potential for epidemics and transmission within households. The aim of this study was to evaluate the emographic data of patients diagnosed with scabies between the years 2022 and 2023.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases and Dermatology Outpatient Clinics between January 2022 and November 2023 was conducted, with symptoms of itching and rash, and was diagnosed with scabies during the first admission. The patients of all age groups were included in the study.
RESULTS: A total of 1261 patients were included in this study, with a median age of 30.0 (0.0-93.0) years and 669 (53.0%) were male. In 2022, 521 (41.3%) patients were diagnosed with scabies, while in 2023, the number increased to 740 (58.7%). Among the total patients, 167 (13.2%) were admitted from outside the province, with 77 (6.1%) in 2022 and 90 (7.1%) in 2023. Interestingly, 114 (9.0%) patients were diagnosed with scabies while hospitalized for reasons unrelated to scabies itself. This includes 16 (1.3%) patients in 2022 and 98 (7.8%) patients in 2023.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Scabies are an escalating public health concern that has the potential to trigger epidemics. Primary health-care institutions, specialty associations, and the General Directorate of Public Health play vital roles in recognizing the disease, coordinating treatment strategies, and disseminating preventive measures to the public

INTRODUCTION: Post-COVID syndrome (PCS) is defined as persistent or emerging symptoms after infection with the virus. The COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale was developed to identify and measure the severity of PCS symptoms and was later modified. This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale.
METHODS: Language validity, content validity, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were performed for construct validity of the scale. Guttman split-half coefficients obtained by the split-half method, Cronbach alpha values, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) examined the reliability of the fit.
RESULTS: The study included 202 patients with a mean age of 57.6±13.4 years. Construct validity results showed that factorial findings demonstrated the factorable structure (Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ2=1554.8; p<0.001) and good model fit (NFI=0.88, GFI=0.85, root mean square error of approximation=0.10, root mean square residual=0.03) for the present data. For criterion validity, correlation coefficients were found to range from −0.22 to 0.57 (p<0.05, for all), indicating moderate relationships between sub-dimensions. In addition, a high level of reliability was found for the adaptation, as suggested by Guttman’s split-half coefficients (0.90, 0.83, and 0.88 for symptom severity, functional ability, and the full scale, respectively), Cronbach’s alpha (0.89, 0.83, 0.92), and ICC coefficients (0.88, 0.81, 0.90).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of C19-YRSm has 2 sub-dimensions such as symptom severity and functional ability and is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring patient assessment and monitoring in PCS in Turks.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to explore depression, anxiety, sleep quality, biological rhythms, and risk factors related to taste and smell loss in COVID-19 patients.
METHODS: This case-control study was conducted as a single-center study between January 1 and May 15, 2021. The study included COVID-19 patients and healthy adults as the control group. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale Short form (DASS-21), Biological Rhythms Assessment Interview in Neuropsychiatry, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to the patients and control group.
RESULTS: A total of 247 individuals (123 [49.7%] patients with COVID-19 and 124 [50.3%] control group) were included in the study. A total of patients with COVID-19 include 60 (48.7%) hospitalized-treated groups (HTG) and 63 (51.3%) home-treated groups (HOG). DASS-21 score, BRAIN score, and PSQI score in the patient group were higher than the control group (20.0±11.5 vs. 8.8±4.8, p<0.001 for DASS-21 score, 40.1±8.6 vs. 33.4±6.3, p<0.001 for BRAIN score, 5.2±3.0 vs. 2.9±1.5, p<0.001 for PSQI score). Anxiety score and PSQI score in the HTG were significantly higher than the HOG (7.4±3.7 vs. 5.1±4.2, p<0.001 for anxiety score, 5.8±2.9 vs. 4.6±3.0, p=0.013 for PSQI score). Age (Odds Radio [OR]=1.038, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.010–10.67, p=0.007) and gender (OR=6.012, 95% CI=2.533–14.271, p<0.001) were determined as risk factors for developing taste/smell loss in COVID-19.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: It can be stated that patients with COVID-19 have a higher risk of developing mood disorders, irregularity in biological rhythms, and sleep disorders compared to the control group. In addition, age and gender variables are directly related to taste and smell disorders in COVID-19.

Chilaiditi syndrome or sign is mostly asymptomatic but rarely presents with gastrointestinal symptoms. Air under the right hemidiaphragm, which is a sign of the syndrome on direct X-ray, may suggest many acute abdominal etiologies. Both the haustral structures formed by the folds and visualization of the interposition of the colon between the liver and the right hemidiaphragm on computed tomography confirm the Chilaiditi sign. In this article, we present two cases of Chilaiditi, a symptomatic elderly patient with gastrointestinal complaints during hospitalization, and an asymptomatic youth person. This sign, which is one of the differential diagnoses of air under the right hemidiaphragm in X-ray, is aimed to attract the attention of clinicians to protect the patient from unnecessary interventional procedures as a requirement of the quaternary prevention principle. Lifestyle changes and medical treatments for complaints were recommended in both cases, and no surgical procedure was performed.

Achilles tendon rupture is the most common tendon rupture of the lower extremity. Lower extremity and foot pains are frequently among the complaints of patients who apply to the primary care unit. In this case report, we wanted to explain Achilles tendon rupture, which can also be encountered in primary care and should be considered among the differential diagnoses.

The approach of students as facilitators is an innovative teaching-learning approach that highlights the active involvement of students in guiding and supporting the learning experiences of their peers. It not only enhances students’ understanding and retention of knowledge but also fosters a sense of ownership, responsibility, and professional growth. As institutions plan to implement the strategy of employing students as facilitators, they must keep a few things in mind to ensure that the intended learning outcomes can be accomplished. In conclusion, the use of students as facilitators in the field of medical education acts as a transformative approach to learning. In fact, the employment of this approach can result in better student engagement, improved retention of knowledge, promotes collaborative learning, and also prepares them for their future roles as health-care professionals. This calls for the need for all institutions to explore the possibility and introduce students as facilitators of teaching-learning methods to supplement conventional teaching methods.

As medical education continues to evolve, the learner-doctor method of clinical training can be acknowledged as an immersive approach to learning. This is primarily because the approach envisages that each medical student is exposed to all the roles of a medical doctor, which they are expected to discharge on completing their training during their residency or clinical practice. Learner-doctor method has been associated with multiple benefits when compared with the conventional mode of clinical training. The innovative learner-doctor method is not free of limitations and has some concerns that must be considered before incorporating it into the curriculum. In conclusion, every teaching-learning method has its share of strengths and weaknesses based on the educational context and available resources. The hour needs to identify the challenges and take appropriate measures to overcome them in our mission to deliver a comprehensive and effective clinical training program.