A. Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Editor) A. Abyad, MD, MPH, MBA, AGSF, AFCHSE (Editor) Abyad Medical Center & Middle East Longevity Institute Azmi Street, Abdo Center, 2nd Floor PO BOX 618, Tripoli LEBANON Tel & Fax: 961 6 443684/5/6 Email: aabyad@cyberia.net.lb Web: www.amc-lb.com

A paper from Jordan looks at policy analysis of Chemotherapy Spill Management Policy. There are many different chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment course of cancer patients. Chemotherapy agents have two unique features; the first one is low therapeutic indexes, which places patients at an increased risk for medication errors, the second, is they are considered hazardous drugs, which places patients and health care providers at risk for environmental exposure. Accidental spill of chemotherapy agents may occur during manufacture, transport, distribution, receipt, storage, preparation, and administration, as well as during waste handling and equipment maintenance and repair. As nurses and health care providers are involved in preparation and administration of chemotherapeutic agents they may expose themselves to hazardous effects that have been reported in several studies.

A paper from Sultanate of Oman looked at barriers to research for a nursing faculty. There is very little nursing research conducted or published on this topic by faculties. The BARRIERS scale was chosen and adapted to identify barriers to research production as well as utilisation in this specialised institute. The survey tool was divided into two main sections; the production of research and the utilization of research. All available faculty were invited to take part and sixty two percent participated. The authors concluded that in order to produce clinical nurses who deliver evidence based specialised nursing practice, the facilities and support for research by faculty must be prioritized in the education setting.

A paper from Jordan reviewed the Health Related Quality of Life among Adolescents Surviving Cancer. A literature search of studies published between 2007 and 2012 was conducted using the databases of Pubmed, Science Direct and SpringerLink. The reviewed articles show that adolescents surviving cancer have a good overall HRQOL compared with their peers. Poor HRQOL was associated with female gender, brain tumor, fatigue, and late effects. Recommendations are for practices to routinely assess HRQOL among adolescent surviving cancer especially for those with high risk for poor HRQOL. Recommendations are for researchers to investigate the impact of ethnicity and socioeconomic status on HRQOL among adolescents surviving cancer.

A paper from Banglasdesh looked at Determinants of Current Contraception Use among the Ever- married Females in Rajshahi District of Bangladesh. The result shows that women who have no living children are less likely to use any method. This study also envisages that, most women, both in rural and urban areas use modern methods more frequently than traditional methods.