Displaying publications 581 - 600 of 704 in total

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  1. Mohd S, Yusof N, Lai LL, Hossain MG, Ramalingam S, Hamid SSA, et al.
    BMC Med Educ, 2019 Jul 01;19(1):238.
    PMID: 31262281 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-019-1685-9
    BACKGROUND: Procurement of bone allograft must be performed by trained personnel. Improper handling and lack of knowledge during bone procurement will lead to contamination hence jeopardizing quality of the procured bones and expose bone recipients to risks of infection in post-operative phase. Bone procurement workshop is the fundamental training programme to enhance skill among personnel who has been or will be involved in bone procurement. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the workshop contents including teaching materials by assessing the knowledge on bone procurement among the participants before and after the workshop.

    METHODS: Bone procurement workshop was held for 2 days for doctors and paramedics. The knowledge on bone procurement was evaluated in pre- and post-assessments by answering self administration questionnaire before and after the workshop, respectively.

    RESULTS: A total of 50 participants comprised of doctors and paramedics attended the workshop however only 15 (55.6%) doctors and 12 (44.4%) paramedics completed the assessments. Overall, the mean total score for the post-assessment (61.4%) was significantly higher (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  2. Elnaem MH, Nik Mohamed MH, Huri HZ
    PLoS One, 2019;14(9):e0220458.
    PMID: 31536502 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220458
    OBJECTIVE: Previous reports have highlighted the suboptimal utilization and prescription of statin therapy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the Malaysian clinical practice. This study aims to test the impact of a pharmacist-led academic detailing program on improving the overall statin therapy prescribing in Malaysian hospital and primary care settings.

    METHODS: As a quasi-experimental design with a control group and pre-tests., we examined 1,598 medical records of T2DM subjects in six healthcare facilities in the state of Pahang, Malaysia. In all study sites, there was a pre and post-intervention assessment of the percentage of appropriate statin therapy prescribing that complied with the clinical guidelines with no potential safety issues. The intervention was an academic detailing program offered to the health care providers in three study sites, while the other three sites served as the control group. A comparison of the overall percentage of appropriate statin therapy prescribing before and after the academic detailing was performed in all intervention and control sites.

    RESULTS: Overall, 797 medical records were examined in the pre-intervention phase, and 801 records were evaluated in the post-intervention phase. The academic detailing program was associated with a statistically significant difference in the proportion of appropriate statin therapy prescribing between the post-intervention phase compared to the pre-intervention phase (n = 246, 61.7% versus n = 188, 47.1%), p = 0.001. Whereas, the appropriate statin therapy prescribing in the control study sites experienced a modest change from 53.8% (214/398) to 56.7% (228/402), p = 0.220. The academic detailing showed significant increases in the proportions of appropriate statin therapy prescribing in both hospital and primary care settings.

    CONCLUSIONS: The academic detailing program was found to be significantly associated with a positive impact on the overall statin therapy prescribing among patients with T2DM in Malaysian hospital and primary care settings.

    Matched MeSH terms: Practice Patterns, Physicians'
  3. Kua KP, Saw PS, Lee SWH
    Int J Clin Pharm, 2019 Oct;41(5):1131-1132.
    PMID: 31444688 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-019-00891-7
    Understanding older adult and caregiver attitudes towards deprescribing will contribute to medication optimization in clinical practice. The objectives of this study were to explore quantitatively the attitudes and beliefs of older adults and caregivers towards deprescribing and identify participant characteristics that were associated with willingness to have a medication deprescribed. This study was conducted in a government-led primary care health clinic and three private community pharmacies in Malaysia with older adults and caregivers of older adults. The revised patients' attitudes towards deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaire was administered. The rPATD questionnaire had four factors in both older adults' and caregivers' versions of the questionnaire (with four to five questions retained in each factor) alongside two global questions that were not included in any of the scoring factors. Our revised statement of main findings now states that most of older adult (n = 340, 67.7%) and caregiver (n = 34, 65.4%) participants agreed or strongly agreed that they would be willing to stop one or more of their or their care recipient's medications if their or their care recipient's doctor said it was possible to do so.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  4. Rahmah K, Zuhra H, Tohid H, Noor Azimah M
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 01;75(1):1-6.
    PMID: 32008011
    BACKGROUND: Primary care doctors are responsible to provide smoking cessation intervention (SCI) to smokers in a community. This study aimed to assess the SCI practice among primary care doctors themselves and its associated factors.

    METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2016. All the 140 doctors in 12 public primary care clinics in Kuala Lumpur were invited to participate in this study. However, only 122 doctors (females, 82.8%) completed the self-administered questionnaire that assessed their demography, clinical experience, SCI practice and its barriers, self-efficacy in delivering and knowledge on smoking and SCI.

    RESULTS: Only 42.6% of the doctors had good SCI practice. Almost all doctors assessed the smoking status of their patients (98.4%) and advised them to quit (98.4%). However, lesser proportions of the doctors followed up the practice of patients (50.0%), taught smokers on various methods of quit smoking (46.70%) and discussed about the barriers and resources to quit prior to the quit date (27.9%). Less than one-fourth of the doctors were confident in providing SCI. Although 69.7% had previous training in SCI, many felt they had inadequate knowledge (56.6%) and skills (47.5%). Only 11.5% of doctors thought their previous training was enough. Having higher level of knowledge on smoking and SCI was significantly associated with good SCI practice [adjusted Odds Ratio (95% Confidence Intervals): 1.21 (1.02, 1.43), p=0.026].

    CONCLUSION: The SCI practiced by the primary care doctors in this study was sub-standard, particularly in assisting smokers to quit and arranging follow up. Low self-efficacy in providing SCI was also common. These inadequacies may be due to poor knowledge and skills, which needs to be improved through effective clinical training.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  5. Waqas A, Teoh SH, Lapão LV, Messina LA, Correia JC
    J Med Internet Res, 2020 10 02;22(10):e18835.
    PMID: 33006571 DOI: 10.2196/18835
    BACKGROUND: In recent decades, advances in information technology have given new momentum to telemedicine research. These advances in telemedicine range from individual to population levels, allowing the exchange of patient information for diagnosis and management of health problems, primary care prevention, and education of physicians via distance learning.

    OBJECTIVE: This scientometric investigation aims to examine collaborative research networks, dominant research themes and disciplines, and seminal research studies that have contributed most to the field of telemedicine. This information is vital for scientists, institutions, and policy stakeholders to evaluate research areas where more infrastructural or scholarly contributions are required.

    METHODS: For analyses, we used CiteSpace (version 4.0 R5; Drexel University), which is a Java-based software that allows scientometric analysis, especially visualization of collaborative networks and research themes in a specific field.

    RESULTS: We found that scholarly activity has experienced a significant increase in the last decade. Most important works were conducted by institutions located in high-income countries. A discipline-specific shift from radiology to telestroke, teledermatology, telepsychiatry, and primary care was observed. The most important innovations that yielded a collaborative influence were reported in the following medical disciplines, in descending order: public environmental and occupational health, psychiatry, pediatrics, health policy and services, nursing, rehabilitation, radiology, pharmacology, surgery, respiratory medicine, neurosciences, obstetrics, and geriatrics.

    CONCLUSIONS: Despite a continuous rise in scholarly activity in telemedicine, we noticed several gaps in the literature. For instance, all the primary and secondary research central to telemedicine was conducted in the context of high-income countries, including the evidence synthesis approaches that pertained to implementation aspects of telemedicine. Furthermore, the research landscape and implementation of telemedicine infrastructure are expected to see exponential progress during and after the COVID-19 era.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  6. Dolzhenko MM, Barnett OY, Grassos C, Dragomiretska NV, Goloborodko BI, Ilashchuk TO, et al.
    Adv Ther, 2020 11;37(11):4549-4567.
    PMID: 32979190 DOI: 10.1007/s12325-020-01490-z
    Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of premature deaths globally and in Ukraine. Dyslipidemia is a recognized risk factor for the development of CVD. Therefore, early detection and appropriate management of dyslipidemia are essential for the primary prevention of CVDs. However, currently, there is a lack of Ukraine-specific guideline recommendations focusing on the management of dyslipidemia in individuals with low-to-moderate CV risk, thus creating an urgent need for structured and easily implementable clinical recommendations/guidelines specific to the country. An expert panel of cardiologists, endocrinologists, and family physicians convened in Ukraine in March 2019. The expert panel critically reviewed and analyzed the current literature and put forth the following recommendations for the management of dyslipidemia in individuals with low-to-moderate risk of CVDs specific to Ukraine: (1) family physicians have the greatest opportunities in carrying out primary prevention; (2) lipid-lowering interventions are essential for primary prevention as per guidelines; (3) a number of nutraceuticals and nutraceutical combinations with clinically established lipid-lowering properties can be considered for primary prevention; they also have a suggested role as an alternative therapy for statin-intolerant patients; (4) on the basis of clinical evidence, nutraceuticals are suggested by guidelines for primary prevention; (5) red yeast rice has potent CV-risk-lowering potential, in addition to lipid-lowering properties; (6) in patients with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk, a nutraceutical combination of low-dose red yeast rice and synergic lipid-lowering compounds can be used as integral part of guideline-recommended lifestyle interventions for effective primary prevention strategy; (7) nutraceutical combination can be used in patients aged 18 to 75+ years; its use is particularly appropriate in the age group of 18-44 years; (8) it is necessary to attract the media (websites, etc.) to increase patient awareness on the importance of primary prevention; and (9) it is necessary to legally separate nutraceuticals from dietary supplements. These consensus recommendations will help physicians in Ukraine effectively manage dyslipidemia in individuals with low-to-moderate CV risk.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians, Family
  7. Njaka S, Edeogu OC, Oko CC, Goni MD, Nkadi N
    Heliyon, 2020 Sep;6(9):e04800.
    PMID: 32964153 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04800
    Background: WPV amongst healthcare workers has been reported as a public health challenge across the countries of the world, with more in the developing countries where condition of care and service is very poor.

    Objectives: We aimed to systematically produce empirical evidence on the WPV against health care workers in Africa through the review of relevant literature.

    Method: We sourced for evidence through the following databases: PubMed, Science direct and Scopus from 30th November to 31st December 2019 as well as the reference list of the studies included. A total of 22 peer reviewed articles were included in the review (8065 respondents). Quality appraisal of the included studies was assessed using critical appraisal tools for cross-sectional studies.

    Result: Across the studies, diverse but high prevalence of WPV ranging from 9% to 100% was reported with the highest in South Africa (54%-100%) and Egypt (59.7%-86.1%). The common types were verbal, physical, sexual harassment and psychological violence. The correlates of WPV reported were gender, age, shift duty, emergency unit, psychiatric unit, nursing, marital status and others. Various impacts were reported including psychological impacts and desire to quit nursing. Patients and their relatives, the coworkers and supervisors were the mostly reported perpetrators of violence. Doctors were mostly implicated in the sexual violence against nurses. Policy on violence and management strategies were non-existent across the studies.

    Conclusion: High prevalence of WPV against healthcare workers exists in Africa but there is still paucity of research on the subject matter. However, urgent measures like policy formulation and others must be taken to address the WPV as to avert the impact on the healthcare system.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  8. Khana R, Mahinderjit Singh M, Damanhoori F, Mustaffa N
    JMIR Med Inform, 2020 Sep 23;8(9):e21584.
    PMID: 32965225 DOI: 10.2196/21584
    BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the leading cause of mortality among women worldwide. However, female patients often feel reluctant and embarrassed about meeting physicians in person to discuss their intimate body parts, and prefer to use social media for such interactions. Indeed, the number of patients and physicians interacting and seeking information related to breast cancer on social media has been growing. However, a physician may behave inappropriately on social media by sharing a patient's personal medical data excessively with colleagues or the public. Such an act would reduce the physician's trustworthiness from the patient's perspective. The multifaceted trust model is currently most commonly used for investigating social media interactions, which facilitates its enhanced adoption in the context of breast self-examination. The characteristics of the multifaceted trust model go beyond being personalized, context-dependent, and transitive. This model is more user-centric, which allows any user to evaluate the interaction process. Thus, in this study, we explored and evaluated use of the multifaceted trust model for breast self-examination as a more suitable trust model for patient-physician social media interactions in breast cancer screening.

    OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were: (1) to identify the trustworthiness indicators that are suitable for a breast self-examination system, (2) design and propose a breast self-examination system, and (3) evaluate the multifaceted trustworthiness interaction between patients and physicians.

    METHODS: We used a qualitative study design based on open-ended interviews with 32 participants (16 outpatients and 16 physicians). The interview started with an introduction to the research objective and an explanation of the steps on how to use the proposed breast self-examination system. The breast self-examination system was then evaluated by asking the patient to rate their trustworthiness with the physician after the consultation. The evaluation was also based on monitoring the activity in the chat room (interactions between physicians and patients) during daily meetings, weekly meetings, and the articles posted by the physician in the forum.

    RESULTS: Based on the interview sessions with 16 physicians and 16 patients on using the breast self-examination system, honesty had a strong positive correlation (r=0.91) with trustworthiness, followed by credibility (r=0.85), confidence (r=0.79), and faith (r=0.79). In addition, belief (r=0.75), competency (r=0.73), and reliability (r=0.73) were strongly correlated with trustworthiness, with the lowest correlation found for reputation (r=0.72). The correlation among trustworthiness indicators was significant (P

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  9. Wong CK, Md Fuzi NH, Baherin MF, Lee HG
    Med J Malaysia, 2020 03;75(2):171-172.
    PMID: 32281602
    We report a rare case of severe Plasmodium knowlesi malaria and dengue co-infection in a 36-year-old lady with hyperparasitaemia, metabolic acidosis, haemolysis and acute kidney injury. She was in shock requiring inotropic support and elective intubation. She had pericardial tamponade which necessitate pericardiocentesis to allow for haemodynamic stability during haemodialysis. She underwent haemodialysis, was ventilated for six days and stayed in hospital for 29 days. She was discharged home well with almost complete renal recovery. Physicians must have a high degree of suspicion for dengue co-infection in malaria patients with plasma leakage such as pericardial effusion to allow for prompt management.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  10. Harith S, Tan SL
    Ann Geriatr Med Res, 2020 Jun;24(2):115-124.
    PMID: 32743332 DOI: 10.4235/agmr.20.0005
    Background: This study aimed to translate and validate the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) questionnaire among older adult patients in Malaysia in the Malay language.

    Methods: The questionnaire contained items on the socio-demographic characteristics, medical condition, quality of life (QOL), nutritional status, functional capacity, and depression status. The forward and backward translation processes of the original English language version of the questionnaire were undertaken by three independent linguistic translators, while its content was validated by an expert team consisting of seven geriatricians, physicians, dietitian, and lecturers. The Malay version of the questionnaire was tested for face validity in 10 older adult patients over 65 years of age. The internal consistency reliability and construct validity were evaluated among 166 older adult patients (mean age, 71.0 years; 73.5% male). The questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews with the patients. Minor amendments were made after the content and face validity tests.

    Results: The internal consistency reliability was good, as the Cronbach's alpha for most of the scales surpassed 0.70, ranging from 0.70 to 0.98, with only one exception (Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form, Cronbach's alpha=0.62). The factor loadings for all scales were satisfactory (>0.40), ranging from 0.45 to 0.90.

    Conclusion: The Malay-version CGA showed evidence of satisfactory internal consistency reliability and construct validity in Malaysian geriatric patients.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  11. Woods CA, Efron N, Morgan P, International Contact Lens Prescribing Survey Consortium
    Clin Exp Optom, 2020 07;103(4):449-453.
    PMID: 32519339 DOI: 10.1111/cxo.13105
    BACKGROUND: To determine the extent of scleral lens fitting worldwide and to characterise the associated patient demographics.

    METHODS: Survey forms were sent to contact lens fitters around the world, every year for 20 consecutive years (2000 to 2019). Practitioners were asked to record data relating to the first 10 contact lens fits or refits performed after receiving the survey. Data were analysed for those countries reporting ≥ 1,000 contact lens fits during this period.

    RESULTS: A total of 369,209 contact lens fits were recorded from 40 eligible countries, comprising 2,309 scleral lens fits and 366,900 other (non-scleral) lens fits. Overall scleral lenses represented 0.76 per cent of all contact lens fits with significant differences between countries (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Practice Patterns, Physicians'
  12. Abdul Aziz AF, Tan CE, Ali MF, Aljunid SM
    Health Qual Life Outcomes, 2020 Jun 20;18(1):193.
    PMID: 32563246 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-020-01450-9
    BACKGROUND: Satisfaction with post stroke services would assist stakeholders in addressing gaps in service delivery. Tools used to evaluate satisfaction with stroke care services need to be validated to match healthcare services provided in each country. Studies on satisfaction with post discharge stroke care delivery in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are scarce, despite knowledge that post stroke care delivery is fragmented and poorly coordinated. This study aims to modify and validate the HomeSat subscale of the Dutch Satisfaction with Stroke Care-19 (SASC-19) questionnaire for use in Malaysia and in countries with similar public healthcare services in the region.

    METHODS: The HomeSat subscale of the Dutch SASC-19 questionnaire (11 items) underwent back-to-back translation to produce a Malay language version. Content validation was done by Family Medicine Specialists involved in community post-stroke care. Community social support services in the original questionnaire were substituted with equivalent local services to ensure contextual relevance. Internal consistency reliability was determined using Cronbach alpha. Exploratory factor analysis was done to validate the factor structure of the Malay version of the questionnaire (SASC10-My™). The SASC10-My™ was then tested on 175 post-stroke patients who were recruited at ten public primary care healthcentres across Peninsular Malaysia, in a trial-within a trial study.

    RESULTS: One item from the original Dutch SASC19 (HomeSat) was dropped. Internal consistency for remaining 10 items was high (Cronbach alpha 0.830). Exploratory factor analysis showed the SASC10-My™ had 2 factors: discharge transition and social support services after discharge. The mean total score for SASC10-My™ was 10.74 (SD 7.33). Overall, only 18.2% were satisfied with outpatient stroke care services (SASC10-My™ score ≥ 20). Detailed analysis revealed only 10.9% of respondents were satisfied with discharge transition services, while only 40.9% were satisfied with support services after discharge.

    CONCLUSIONS: The SASC10-My™ questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool to measure caregiver or patient satisfaction with outpatient stroke care services in the Malaysian healthcare setting. Studies linking discharge protocol patterns and satisfaction with outpatient stroke care services should be conducted to improve care delivery and longer-term outcomes.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION: No.: ACTRN12616001322426 (Registration Date: 21st September 2016.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians, Family
  13. Hussein N, Malik TFA, Salim H, Samad A, Qureshi N, Ng CJ
    J Community Genet, 2020 Oct;11(4):413-420.
    PMID: 32666196 DOI: 10.1007/s12687-020-00476-2
    Family history has long been recognised as a non-invasive and inexpensive tool to identify individuals at risk of genetic conditions. Even in the era of evolving genetic and genomic technology, the role of family history in predicting individual risk for genetic testing and guiding in preventive interventions is still relevant, especially in low-resource countries. The aim of this study was to explore primary care doctors' views and experiences in family history taking and how they utilised family history in day-to-day clinical consultations in Malaysia. Four focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews involving 25 primary care doctors were conducted. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) primary care doctors considered family history as an important part of clinical assessment, (2) proactive versus reactive approach in collecting family history and (3) family history collection was variable and challenging. Family history was documented in either free text or pedigree depending on the perception of its appropriateness during the consultation. This study highlighted the need to improve the approach, documentation and the implementation of family history in the Malaysian primary care settings. Integrating family filing concept with built-in clinical decision support into electronic medical records is a potential solution in ensuring effective family history taking in primary care.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians, Primary Care
  14. Tee Wen Li, Sahipuddin Saupin, Gridhari Nath, Muhammad Ubaidullah Arasy Aziz, Avinash Kumar Chand
    MyJurnal
    Introduction: Needlestick injuries (NSIs) are common occupational hazards against healthcare workers (HCWs). NSIs led to serious economic burden as there were high costs forhealth system and the society, as well as the psycholog-ical impact on exposed workers post injury. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the incidence, contributing factors of NSIs and to estimate the cost of PEM in Sabah’s tertiary hospitals. Descriptive statis-tics were used to analyse and describe the trends of NSIs. Chi-Square test was performed to determine the association between variables, relative risk was calculated. Results: 145 cases out of 7075 employees were reported from 2017 to 2018. Results in this study showed that the highest incidence of NSIs was 2.4/100 employees in Hospital Queen Elizabeth. 1.1/100 employees in 2018, which was higher compared to year 2017. Most common among younger age group between 20-29 years old, among doctors, with median working experience of 2 years. NSIs occurred com-monly at the wards, during blood taking, disposal of devices and common device used were hypodermic needles. There was a lack of awareness on NSI precaution guidelines among the doctors (χ2=19.304, df=1, p=
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  15. Hatim H, Zainuddin AA, Anizah A, Kalok A, Daud TIM, Ismail A, et al.
    J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol, 2021 Apr;34(2):161-167.
    PMID: 33189898 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpag.2020.11.009
    STUDY OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of the diagnosis of Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome on affected Malaysian women.

    DESIGN: Qualitative study with a quantitative component.

    SETTING: Pediatric and adolescent gynecology unit at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Malaysia.

    PARTICIPANTS: Twelve women with MRKH.

    INTERVENTIONS: Face-to-face interview and short questionnaire.

    MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thematic analysis was used to understand participants' experiences.

    RESULTS: There were 7 themes identified: (1) delayed diagnoses; (2) doctors' roles and attitudes; (3) gender identity; (4) family and society's response; (5) reaction toward infertility; (6) managing sexual intimacy; and (7) coping mechanisms. Several participants consulted their physicians regarding their primary amenorrhea at an opportunistic setting. When they were referred to the gynecologists, they were dismayed at the lack of information given. The term, "MRKH" plays an important role to ease information-seeking. Participants felt that the doctors were insensitive toward them. Mental illness is a significant complication of MRKH. All participants acknowledged that infertility was the hardest part of the condition. The importance of blood lineage affects their outlook on childbearing options. Some were afraid of sexual intimacy and worried that they would not be able to satisfy their partners. Participants gained support and bonded with their counterparts in the MRKH support group.

    CONCLUSION: A multidisciplinary approach including medical, psychological, and social support is essential for the management of MRKH. Adequate information and sexual education plays the utmost importance in preventing social-related complications of MRKH.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  16. Jaafar N, Perialathan K, Zulkepli MZ, Mohd Zin Z, Jonoi PE, Johari MZ
    J Prim Care Community Health, 2020 12 11;11:2150132720980629.
    PMID: 33300405 DOI: 10.1177/2150132720980629
    BACKGROUND: The present Malaysian healthcare system is burdened with increasing cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and its risk factors. Health care providers (HCPs) have to provide both treatment and health education to ensure optimal outcome. Health education is a vital component in addressing and managing chronic diseases. This study intends to explore patient's perspective on health education services received from HCPs, focusing at the secondary triage in government primary healthcare facilities.

    METHODS: This qualitative exploratory study focused on the health education component derived from a complex enhanced primary health care intervention. Participants were purposively selected from patients who attended regular NCD treatment at 8 primary healthcare facilities in rural and urban areas of Johor and Selangor. Data collection was conducted between April 2017 and April 2018. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted on 4 to 5 patients at each intervention clinic. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.

    RESULTS: A total of 35 patients participated. Through thematic analysis, 2 main themes emerged; Perceived Suitability and Preferred HCPs. Under Perceived Suitability theme, increased waiting time and unsuitable location emerged as sub-themes. Under Preferred HCPs, emerging sub-themes were professional credibility, continuity of care, message fatigue, and interpersonal relationship. There are both positive and adverse acceptances toward health education delivered by HCPs. It should be noted that acceptance level for health information received from doctors are much more positively accepted compared to other HCPs.

    CONCLUSION: Patients are willing to engage with health educators when their needs are addressed. Revision of current location, process and policy of health education delivery is needed to capture patients' attention and increase awareness of healthy living with NCDs. HCPs should continuously enhance knowledge and skills, which are essential to improve development and progressively becoming the expert educator in their respective specialized field.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  17. Luk D, Hon KLE, Dizon MVC, Leong KF, Tay YK, Koh MJ, et al.
    Dermatol Ther (Heidelb), 2021 Feb;11(1):275-291.
    PMID: 33313998 DOI: 10.1007/s13555-020-00467-8
    INTRODUCTION: There is some evidence to suggest that the prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in Asia is rising. We have therefore developed an algorithm for the topical treatment of AD throughout South and East Asia for use by primary care physicians, pediatricians and dermatologists.

    METHODS: Nine AD experts from South and East Asia and one from Europe developed the algorithm based upon treatment guidelines, relevant literature and local treatment practices. The algorithm outlines current best practice for the use of emollients, topical corticosteroids (TCS) and topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI), with the intention of simplifying the treatment regimen of mild-to-moderate AD in South and East Asia.

    RESULTS: Patients with AD should bathe and cleanse affected skin to remove crusts and scales daily. Emollients should also be applied daily as a maintenance treatment. When selecting appropriate topical anti-inflammatory treatment for AD flares, several factors should be taken into consideration, including the patient's age, attitude to treatment options and site of AD lesions. Given the concerns regarding the risk of skin atrophy with use of TCS, a TCI should be used to treat AD lesions in sensitive skin areas: pimecrolimus is recommended for mild-to-moderate AD in these locations, while tacrolimus should be considered for moderate and severe cases. Either pimecrolimus or tacrolimus is recommended for flares in other, non-sensitive body locations. A proactive or intermittent maintenance treatment strategy involving regular emollient use and twice-weekly application of a TCI to previously affected areas is encouraged to reduce the risk of flares.

    CONCLUSIONS: The algorithm proposed here is intended to simplify the topical treatment of mild-to-moderate AD in daily practice in South and East Asian countries.

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians, Primary Care
  18. Hussain R, Hassali MA, Hashmi F, Akram T
    J Pharm Policy Pract, 2021 Jan 04;14(1):5.
    PMID: 33397478 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-020-00287-3
    BACKGROUND: Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is a method of monitoring the safety of drugs and is the basic strategy for the post-marketing surveillance of the suspected drugs. Despite its importance, there is very little reporting of ADRs by healthcare professionals. The present study has evaluated the knowledge, attitude and practices of health care professionals (HCPs) regarding pharmacovigilance activities in Lahore, Pakistan.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was employed, and a convenience sampling was opted to collect the data among physicians, pharmacists and nurses working in tertiary care public hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan from September 2018 to January 2019.

    RESULTS: Of the 384 questionnaires distributed, 346 health care professionals responded to the questionnaire (90.10% response rate). Most participants had good knowledge about ADR reporting, but pharmacist had comparatively better knowledge than other HCPs regarding ADR (89.18%) pharmacovigilance system (81.08%), its centres (72.97%) and function (91.89%). Most of the participants exhibited positive attitude regarding ADR reporting, such as 49.1% of physicians (P 

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  19. Ahmed A, Saqlain M, Tanveer M, Tahir AH, Ud-Din F, Shinwari MI, et al.
    BMC Infect Dis, 2021 Jan 07;21(1):35.
    PMID: 33413164 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05714-z
    BACKGROUND: Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), a tropically neglected infectious disease caused by Nairovirus, is endemic in low middle-income countries like Pakistan. Emergency health care professionals (HCPs) are at risk of contracting nosocomial transmission of CCHF. We, therefore, aim to analyze the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of at-risk physicians, nurses, and pharmacists in Pakistan and the factors associated with good KAP.

    METHOD: A validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha 0.71) was used to collect data from HCPs in two CCHF endemic metropolitan cities of Pakistan by employing a cross-sectional study design. For data analysis percentages, chi-square test and Spearman correlation were applied by using SPSS version 22.

    RESULTS: Of the 478 participants, 56% (n = 268) were physicians, 37.4% (n = 179) were nurses, and 6.5% (n = 31) were pharmacists. The proportion of HCPs with good knowledge, attitude, and perception scores was 54.3%, 81, and 69%, respectively. Being a physician, having more work experience, having a higher age, working in tertiary care settings, were key factors for higher knowledge (p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
  20. Ching, Melissa Lim Ven, Chin, Ling Hui, Yin, Ng Wai
    MyJurnal
    Comfort and acceptance by healthcare professionals are crucial for effective operation of clinical pharmacy services. To date, there is no published report on the perceptions towards clinical pharmacy services from Tawau, Sabah or anywhere else in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to evaluate the comfort, perceptions and expectations of healthcare professionals towards the clinical pharmacy services in Tawau Hospital. This crosssectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out in 10 wards of Tawau Hospital with clinical pharmacy services, from June to July 2014. Validated questionnaires with consent were anonymously distributed to doctors and nurses. The self-administered questionnaires consisted of four sections: demographic, comfort level, expectations, and experiences dealing with clinical pharmacists. A 4-point Likert scale, where 1 = strongly disagree, while 4 = strongly agree, was used to indicate the level of agreement. Of 292 questionnaires administered, 269 were completed, giving a response rate of 92.1%. Compared to nurses, higher percentage of doctors were less comfortable with clinical pharmacists providing drugrelated education, suggesting the use of drugs to prescribers, designing pharmacotherapy regimes, and monitoring safety and outcomes of the designed regimens. The participants have great expectations, perceptions and experiences with clinical pharmacists of Tawau Hospital. Majority of the healthcare professionals who have direct contact with clinical pharmacists in their work were generally receptive and have high expectations towards patient-oriented clinical pharmacy services.
    Matched MeSH terms: Physicians
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