Parental Role in Recognition, Prevention and First Aid Management of Foreign Body Aspiration amongst Children

Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a commonly observed, fatal but preventable condition in children. To reduce the incidence of FBA, it is essential to provide parents with knowledge and guidelines regarding the prevention and management of FBA. Objectives: To assess parental knowledge and parental role in the prevention and first aid management of foreign body aspiration in children. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Mayo Hospital, Lahore from January 2019 to September 2019. After IRB approval and informed consent, 151 parents were enrolled through convenient sampling. Data were recorded in a structured questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS version 26. Results: Breathlessness and vomiting were recognized as symptoms of FBA by 49.7% & 7.3% of parents respectively. Hand clutched to throat, color & voice change were recognized as signs by 6.6 %, 9.9 % &10.6 % of the parents. As a first aid measure, 66.2% of individuals knew about back slaps, while only 2% were aware of abdominal thrusts. Literate parents were well aware of the facts that children under the age of three should not consume seeds, hazelnuts, and hard nuts and the child should not laugh or talk while eating compared to illiterate parents (p<0.05) Conclusion: The majority of the parents are not well aware of signs, symptoms, preventive measures and first aid measurements regarding FBA.

Study of Head Teachers Management Practices: A Comparative Perspective

The research study was done in order to understand government school headteachers' management practices. The basic assumption was that the headteacher who attended the ADISM programme might perform differently than the headteacher who did not participate in the programme. The findings suggest that there was no significant difference between the management practices of both headteachers. However, the headteacher who participated in the ADISM programme was able to enhance his role and management practices but could not put new management ideas and skills into practice because of certain challenges. It was interesting to note that both headteachers belonged to government school system but their leadership styles were different to certain extent from each other. The headteacher who participated in the ADISM programme tended to apply laissez-faire' approach whereas the headteacher who did not participate in the ADISM programme tended to apply an authoritarian approach. The study offers some recommendations which may contribute to the area of management development in Pakistan. My learning as a teacher, a teacher educator, a researcher has also taken place in this study. I found this study professionally valuable because I have become familiar with the management practices of school headteachers and aware of the challenges headteachers face in schools. This will help me to act more effectively as a change agent' in order to bring about change in schools in my context.