Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms are very heterogeneous and may lead to reduced physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning that can consequently impair aspects of individual's life. Many studies have examined the living experiences of individuals with MS and its impact on their daily lives. In developing countries and particularly in Jordan, there has been little attempt to conduct studies exploring the experiences of people living with MS. Such knowledge will provide a background to hidden aspects of human concepts, such as culture, perception, and attitudes about chronic diseases. Objective The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the daily living experiences and challenges of Jordanian individuals with MS. Methods A qualitative design was utilized. Sixteen individuals with MS took part in the study; they were interviewed and divided into 4 focus groups. Conversations were digitally recorded followed by a verbatim transcription. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis and validated via researcher triangulation and peer checking. Results Experiences of 16 Jordanian individuals with MS who participated in this study were categorized into the following major themes: (a) experiences related to the disease itself and (b) experiences related to the healthcare system. Disease‐related experiences include physical decline, psychosocial withdrawal, and fear of the future. Participants' experiences with the healthcare system include difficulty of diagnosis, poor communication and rapport with healthcare providers, and lack of awareness about MS and its rehabilitation. Conclusions Findings of this study suggests that more attention should be given to the people with MS in Jordan. In particular, awareness about the disease should be improved among healthcare providers and the general public. Furthermore, rehabilitation services should be emphasized during the management of MS disease.

Injuries (unintentional and intentional) are the main cause of death and disability worldwide, including Jordan. The main purpose of this hospital-based retrospective study was to identify characteristics, causes, and risk factors of unintentional injuries and violence among all adult patients who approached the Accidents and Emergency department because of injury in Northern Jordan. Data were collected retrospectively from four major hospitals from January 2008 to January 2013. A total of 2425 Jordanian individuals who accessed and were treated by the four hospitals were included in this study. The findings show that the majority of patients who approached the Accidents and Emergency departments in the four hospitals were males (n = 2044, 87.16%) versus females (n = 301, 12.8%). Violence was the most common reason of injury (70.66%), followed by road traffic crashes (23.21%). The most common anatomical locations of reported injuries were the head (38.74%), followed by abdomen/pelvis and lower back, among males and females (9.93%). Violence had a high significant effect on the site of injuries. Patients who had been injured to the head because of a stab wound or fighting were substantially over-involved in head injuries, with injury rates 3.88 and 7.51 times higher than those who had been injured to the head due to gunshot, respectively. Even patients who had been injured to the head because of assault show much higher involvement in injury risk than non-assault patients (Odds Ratio = 8.46). These findings highlight the need for a large national study to confirm the findings. It also draws attention to the importance of public awareness and to special injury prevention programs that not only focus on saving lives and lessening the number of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, but also to limit the social and economic burden of injury among adults in Northern Jordan.

The diagnosis of childhood cancer is one of the most serious and unexpected experiences a mother can endure. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to explore the experiences of mothers of children diagnosed with cancer in Jordan. Themes that emerged include (1) Emotional response on knowing the diagnosis (feelings of shock, lack of preparedness, denial, and feelings of “paralysis”), (2) Fear of the dreaded disease (fear of suffering and fear of death), and (3) The challenges of the treatment journey (inadequate financial resources, role transition, and feeling socially isolated). This study describes the experiences of Jordanian mothers who care for their children diagnosed with cancer so that health care providers can develop strategies to provide adequate psychological support to these mothers.

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. Objective The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of Jordanian women, Syrian refugees, and midwives in Jordan toward the use of digital health technology to support and enhance access to FP services. Methods We employed a qualitative study based on semistructured, face-to face key informative interviews with 17 midwives (providers) and focus group discussions with 32 married women of reproductive age (clients). Both midwives and clients were recruited from 9 health centers in 2 major governorates in Jordan (Irbid and Mafraq), where 17 in-depth interviews were conducted with midwives and 4 focus groups were conducted with the women. Each focus group included 4 Syrian refugees and 4 Jordanian women. The transcribed narratives were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results Three major themes were derived from the narratives analysis, which covered the pros of using digital technology, concerns about digital technology use, and the ideal app or website characteristics. Ten subthemes emerged from these 3 main themes. Overall, midwives and women (Syrian refugees and host communities) agreed that digital technology can be feasible, cost-effective, well accepted, and potentially beneficial in increasing woman’s awareness and knowledge regarding the FP methods and their side effect. Furthermore, digital technology can assist in enabling women’s empowerment, which will allow them to make better decisions regarding FP use. No harmful risks or consequences were perceived to be associated with using digital technology. However, several concerns regarding digital technology use were related to eHealth literacy and the accuracy of the information provided. Midwives were mainly concerned about the patients who would rely mostly on the technology and choose to avoid consulting a health care professional. Conclusions As perceived by midwives and women, incorporating digital technology in FP services can be feasible, cost-effective, well accepted, and potentially beneficial in increasing woman’s awareness regarding the FP methods and their side effect. It may also empower the women to play an active role in the shared (with their husband and family) decision-making process. Therefore, digital technologies are recommended to address the challenges faced in health system and to improve both the coverage and the quality of FP services and practices.

Background Annually, 2.6 million stillbirths occur around the world, with approximately 98% occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The stillbirth rates in these countries are 10 times higher than the rates in high-income countries. Methods An electronic stillbirths and neonatal deaths surveillance system (JSANDS) was established in five large hospitals located in three of the largest cities in Jordan in August 2019. JSANDS was developed as a secure on-line data entry system to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate data on stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and their contributing conditions. Data on births, stillbirths and their contributing conditions, and other demographic and clinical characteristics in the period between August 2019 – January 2020 were extracted and analyzed. Results A total of 10,328 births were registered during the reporting period. Of the total births, 102 were born dead (88 antepartum stillbirths and 14 intrapartum stillbirths), with a rate of 9.9 per 1000 total births. The main contributing fetal conditions of antepartum stillbirths were antepartum death of unspecified cause (33.7%), acute antepartum event (hypoxia) (33.7%), congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities (13.3%), and disorders related to the length of gestation and fetal growth (10.8%). The main contributing maternal conditions of antepartum stillbirths included complications of the placental cord and membranes (48.7%), maternal complications of pregnancy (23.1%), and maternal medical and surgical conditions (23.1%). Contributing fetal conditions of intrapartum stillbirths included congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities, other specified intrapartum disorders, and intrapartum death of unspecified cause (33.3% each). Contributing maternal conditions of intrapartum stillbirths included complications of the placental cord and membranes. In the multivariate analysis, small for gestational age (SGA) pregnancies were associated with a significant 3-fold increased risk of stillbirth compared to appropriate for gestational age (AGA) pregnancies. Conclusions Although the rate of stillbirth is lower than that in other countries in the region, there is an opportunity to prevent such deaths. While the majority of stillbirths occurred during the antepartum period, care should be taken for the early identification of high-risk pregnancies, including the early detection of SGA pregnancies, and ensuring adequate antenatal obstetric interventions.