Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) for 12 months was carried out on patients diagnosed with stroke at Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The RCT recruited up to 216 eligible patients who were requested to return for two more follow-ups within six months. Consented patients were randomized to either standard care or intervention with video narratives. The control of potential confounding factors was ensured, as well as unbiased treatment review with prescribed medications, only obtained onsite.
Results and Discussion: A repeated measure of MUSE mean score differences at T0 (baseline), T2 (6th month) and T4 (12th month) for antithrombotic, antihypertensive, and all medication categories indicated significant within and between groups differences in the intervention group (p<0.05). Moreover, this impact was reflected upon continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring compared to the control group (F (1214) =5.23, p=0.023, ƞ2=0.024). Though BP measure differences were non-significant between the groups (p=0.552), repeated measure analysis displayed significant mean differences between intervention and control group on BP control over time (F (1.344, 287.55) =8.54, P<0.001, ƞ2=0.038). Similarly, the intervention's positive impact was also present with similar trends for knowledge, illness perception, and the belief about medicine. Though significant differences (p<0.05) of all outcome measures gradually decreased between T2 and T4 in the intervention group; nevertheless, these positive findings confirmed that personalized video narratives were able to motivate and influence MUSE and its associated factors among post-stroke patients. The significant improvement in medication-taking self-efficacy and the sustenance of BP monitoring habits among patients in the intervention group strengthened our conceptual framework's practicality.
Methods: The accuracy of Webgazer.js for software-based gaze tracking is tested under different lighting conditions. Predefined time delays of a prototype diagnosis task automation script are contrasted against with manual delays based on human time estimation to understand how automation influences diagnosis accuracy. SLI diagnosis binary classifier was built and tested based on randomised parameters. The obtained results were cross-compared to Singlims_ES.exe for equality.
Results: Webgazer.js achieved an average accuracy of 88.755% under global lighting conditions, 61.379% under low lighting conditions and 52.7% under face-focused lighting conditions. The diagnosis task automation script found to execute with actual time delays with a deviation percentage no more than 0.04%, while manually executing time delays based on human time estimation resulted in a deviation percentage of not more than 3.37%. One-tailed test probability value produced by both the newly built classifier and Singlims_ES were observed to be similar up to three decimal places.
Conclusion: The results obtained should serve as a foundation for further evaluation of computer tools to help speech language pathologists diagnose SLI.
OBJECTIVES: To assess and compare the HL communication practices among physicians, pharmacists, and nurses serving at public hospitals in Penang, Malaysia.
METHODS: A pretested, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from study participants of 6 public hospitals using stratified sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics used to analyze the data with level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
RESULTS: Of 600 distributed questionnaires, 526 (87.6%) were adequately filled and returned. Almost 19.0% (n = 98) of the respondents admitted that they did not frequently use simple language and avoid medical jargon during communication with patients. Only about half of the respondents reported frequently using other HL communication practices that include handing out education material to patients (52.2%, n = 275), asking the patient to repeat information (58.9%, n = 310), and asking patients' caregivers to be present during explanation (57.4%, n = 302). Comparatively, drawing pictures to ease patients' understanding (40.1%, n = 211) was the less-frequently practiced HL communication techniques. Health practitioners in the age group >41 years ( P = 0.046), serving 10 years and more ( P = 0.03) and those who have heard the term or concept of HL ( P = 0.004) have statistically significantly higher mean score of HL communication practices than other groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The gap in the HL communication practices among physicians, pharmacists, and nurses warrants educational intervention, and standardized HL communication techniques guidelines are needed in the near future.
OBJECTIVE: The researchers believed that culturally sensitive video narratives, which catered to a specific niche, would reveal a personalized impact on medication adherence. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate video narratives for this purpose.
METHODS: This study adapted the Delphi method to develop a consensus on the video scripts' contents based on learning outcomes and HBM constructs. The panel of experts comprised 8 members representing professional stroke disease experts and experienced poststroke patients in Malaysia. The Delphi method involved 3 rounds of discussions. Once the consensus among members was achieved, the researchers drafted the initial scripts in English, which were then back translated to the Malay language. A total of 10 bilingual patients, within the study's inclusion criteria, screened the scripts for comprehension. Subsequently, a neurologist and poststroke patient narrated the scripts in both languages as they were filmed, to add to the realism of the narratives. Then, the video narratives underwent a few cycles of editing after some feedback on video engagement by the bilingual patients. Few statistical analyses were applied to confirm the validity and reliability of the video narratives.
RESULTS: Initially, the researchers proposed 8 learning outcomes and 9 questions based on HBM constructs for the video scripts' content. However, following Delphi rounds 1 to 3, a few statements were omitted and rephrased. The Kendall coefficient of concordance, W, was about 0.7 (P