AIMS: The present Malaysian cohort analysis determined the prevalence of hypoglycemia among patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) attending primary care- or hospital-based diabetes clinics in Malaysia and their awareness of the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
METHODS: The Hypoglycemia Assessment Tool (HAT) study was a non-interventional, 6-month retrospective and 4-week prospective analysis of hypoglycemic events in 24 countries, using self-assessment questionnaires and diaries among patients with T1DM/T2DM aged ≥18years, using insulin for >12months. This report focuses on prospective data, as they are less prone to recall bias.
RESULTS: There were 1153 participants in the Malaysian cohort (114 T1DM; 1039 T2DM). In the prospective period, 50.4% and 33.4% of patients reported ≥1 hypoglycemic events, with estimated rates of 20.3 and 13.1 events per patient-year of exposure in patients with T1DM and T2DM, respectively. 24.8% and 16.1% of patients with T1DM or T2DM, respectively, reported ≥1 nocturnal hypoglycemic event. The majority of patients (96.5%, T1DM; 91.8%, T2DM) knew what hypoglycemia was prior to the study. Impaired awareness was present in 48.0% (T1DM) and 36.9% (T2DM) of patients. In the prospective period, 50% of patients with T1DM or T2DM consulted a doctor or nurse following a hypoglycemia episode.
CONCLUSIONS: Half of patients with T1DM and a third of patients with T2DM reported ≥1 hypoglycemic event during the prospective period. Although the majority of patients knew the typical features of hypoglycemia, many reported impaired ability to recognize symptoms in real life. The present findings highlight the importance of patient education and physician awareness in dealing with hypoglycemia, in particular the burden of hypoglycemic unawareness.
CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01696266 on 26 September 2012.
STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional.
OBJECTIVES: An epidemiological study describing leisure time physical activities (LTPA) and the associations of barriers, sociodemographic and injury characteristics to moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise participation among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in a developing Southeast Asian country.
SETTING: SCI community in Malaysia.
METHODS: The study sample consisted of 70 participants with SCI. Questionnaires were distributed containing an abbreviated Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (items 2-6) and the Barriers to Exercise Scale using a 5-tier Likert format. Statistical analyses were χ2 tests, odds ratios, and binary forward stepwise logistic regression to assess the association and to predict factors related to participation in moderate-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise (items 4 and 5).
RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of the study sample did not participate in any form of moderate or vigorous LTPA. The top three barriers to undertaking LTPA (strongly agree and agree descriptors) were expensive exercise equipment (54%), pain (37%) and inaccessible facilities (36%). Participants over the age of 35 years, ethnicity, health concerns, perceiving exercise as difficult and indicating lack of transport were significantly different (p
INTRODUCTION: Both gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and hyperglycaemia less severe than GDM are associated with risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. We describe the study design of a prospective cohort of pregnant women recruited in early pregnancy with follow-ups of mothers and infants up to 2 years after birth. The primary aim of the study was to identify the determinants and outcomes of maternal glycaemia.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Seremban Cohort Study (SECOST) is an ongoing prospective cohort study in which eligible pregnant women in first trimester (<10 weeks of gestation) are recruited from Maternal and Child Health clinics in Seremban District, Negeri Sembilan with seven follow-ups during pregnancy through 2 years postnatally. Infants are followed up every 6 months after birth until 2 years old. A standard 75 g oral glucose tolerance test is performed between 24 and 32 of weeks of gestation and as close to 28 weeks of gestation. Pregnancy and birth information are obtained from medical records. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, biochemical, dietary, physical activity, smoking, depression, child feeding and other data of mothers and infants are obtained at follow-ups.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM/FPSK/100-9/2-MJKEtika) and MREC, Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM/NIHSEC/08/0804/P12- 613). Permission to conduct this study is also obtained from the Head of Seremban District Health Office. All participants are required to provide written informed consent prior to data collection. The research findings will be disseminated at journals and conference presentations.
Study name: Seremban Cohort Study (SECOST)
BACKGROUND: Knowledge of candidate gene polymorphisms in a population is useful for a variety of gene-disease association studies, particularly for some complex traits. A single nucleotide variant of the angiotensinogene gene (AGT M235T) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene (eNOS G894T) have been associated with hypertension.
METHOD: A cross-sectional study consisting of 200 hypertensives and 198 age- and sex-matched controls was conducted. Subjects involved in this study were pure Malay for 3 generations. The AGT M235T and eNOS G894T polymorphisms were determined by PCR-RFLP method.
RESULTS: The distribution of M235T genotype in the population was 3.5% for MM, 30.4% for MT and 66.1% for TT. No significant difference was observed in genotype (chi(2)=1.30, p=0.52) and allele (chi(2)=0.87, p=0.35) frequencies among the 2 study group. In contrast, the distribution of genotypes for G894T was 74.1% for GG, 24.6% for GT and 1.3% for TT, respectively. Similarly, no significant difference was observed in genotype (chi(2)=0.94, p=0.33) and allele (chi(2)=0.60, p=0.44) frequencies between both study groups.
CONCLUSION: The AGT M235T and eNOS G894T polymorphisms are unlikely to play an important role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in Malays.
Study site: Outpatient clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM); government clinics, Kelantan, Malaysia.
INTRODUCTION: Much is known about the predictors of success in quitting smoking. In particular, nicotine dependence, but not strength of motivation to stop, appears to predict abstinence. However, to date, studies have come almost exclusively from Western countries. More data are needed on the cross-cultural generalizability of these findings.
METHODS: One hundred and ninety-eight smokers attending 5 stop-smoking clinics in Malaysia completed a questionnaire prior to their target quit date and were followed up 3 months after this date. Predictors included sociodemographic variables, smoking patterns, past history of quitting, characteristics of current quit attempt, and smoking motives as well as nicotine dependence (Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence [FTND]) and self-rated strength of motivation of stop.
RESULTS: At 3-month follow-up, 35.4% (95% CI: 28.7-42.0) of participants reported being abstinent. A backward elimination multiple logistic regression identified a number of significant predictors of success, including strength of motivation to stop (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 3.05, 95% CI: 1.28-7.25). FTND did not predict success.
CONCLUSIONS: Motivation and nicotine dependence may play different roles in explaining variation in ability to stop smoking in different cultures.
Study site: Quit smoking clinics, Federal Territories and Putrajaya Hospital, Malaysia
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to assess the immune response in infants who received the three-shot hepatitis B vaccine in Malaysia.
METHODS: Consecutive infants born between March 2002 and April 2010 who received three doses of hepatitis B vaccine at a community clinic in Malaysia were enrolled in the study. Screening for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody against HBsAg (anti-HBs) was performed after the completion of primary immunisation, at approximately one year of age.
RESULTS: A total of 572 infants (median age 9.3 ± 2.7 months; range 6.3-48 months) were screened for immune response to hepatitis B vaccination - 553 (96.7%) infants had adequate levels of anti-HBs (≥ 10 IU/L). Of the 440 mothers whose HBsAg status was known, 14 (3.2%) were positive for HBsAg. None of the 14 infants who were born to HBsAg-positive mothers were positive for HBsAg, and all but one infant had anti-HBs level ≥ 10 IU/L. Gender, gestational age and maternal HBsAg status were not found to significantly affect the subsequent immune response in infants following vaccination.
CONCLUSION: The proportion of Malaysian mothers who are positive for HBsAg remains high. The three-shot hepatitis B vaccine, given as part of universal vaccination against hepatitis B, provides adequate anti-HBs in the vast majority of infants in a community setting in Malaysia.
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common pregnancy complication. However, it is often overlooked by medical practitioners and patients alike. This study aimed to describe CTS in relation to pregnancy and assess how significant the disease was among pregnant women.
Several strategies have been developed to reduce hepatitis B infections. These include antenatal screening, universal immunisation of newborns and immunoglobulin therapy for babies who are at risk. Antenatal screening for hepatitis B is not routinely performed, but all newborns in Malaysia are immunised against hepatitis B. We assessed the prevalence of hepatitis B and the factors associated with it among antenatal mothers in Ipoh. This information is useful in decision-making for future hepatitis B screening programmes for antenatal mothers, allowing for immunoglobulin therapies for newborns if their mother's hepatitis B virus (HBV) status is known.
A study to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the Directogen Group A Streptococcal Test was carried out in a primary care clinic in University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. The study also looked at the prevalence of streptococcal pharyngitis in the clinic. We found that the rapid test has a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 90.7%. Viral pharyngitis is the commonest form (63%) of pharyngitis followed by Group A Beta haemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis (14.2%). The presence of exudates, tonsillar enlargement and the presence of tender cervical lymph nodes have a significantly higher association with streptococcal pharyngitis.
Study site: Primary care clinic, University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A questionaire concerning various aspects of blood pressure measurement and hypertension was answered by 84 out of 98 (86%) doctors and 73 out of 100 (73%) nurses working in various parts of the state of Pahang. 59% and 85% of doctors and nurses respectively agreed that blood pressure should be measured routinely in all out-patients. 48% of medical staff were taught to use and 38% were actually using phase 4 as the diastolic blood pressure despite the general agreement that phase 5 should be used to denote diastolic pressure. 52% of doctors believed that hypertensive patients present with symptoms, the common symptoms cited were headache and dizziness, although it is well documented that hypertension is essentially asymptomatic. 93%, 80%, 69% and 82% of doctors believed that treatment of hypertension can prevent cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, renal failure and coronary artery disease respectively, although prevention of the last complication is yet unproven. Most doctors would begin treating a patient at rather low level of blood pressure, for example, for a man in the age group 40-49, 40% of doctors would begin drug treatment at diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg and 55% at diastolic pressure 95 mmHg. 79% of nurses and 55% of doctors were dissatisfied with the sphygmomanometer they have, the most common complaint was that the cuff-bladder 'blow up' on being inflated.
Study site: doctors and nurses at private general practice, klinik kesihatan, district hospitals, Pahang, Malaysia
BACKGROUND: The world population has become more globalised with increasing number of people residing in another country for work or other reasons. Little is known about the health profiles of foreign population in Malaysia. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of the health problems presented by foreigners attending primary care clinics in Malaysia.
METHODS: Data were derived from the 2012 National Medical Care Survey (NMCS), a cross sectional survey of primary care encounters from public and private primary care clinics sampled from five regions in Malaysia. Patients with foreign nationality were identified and analysed for demographic profiles, reasons for encounter (RFEs), diagnosis, and provision of care.
RESULTS: Foreigners accounted for 7.7 % (10,830) of all patient encounters from NMCS. Most encounters were from private clinics (90.2 %). Median age was 28 years (IQR: 24.0, 34.8) and 69.9 % were male. Most visits to the primary care clinics were for symptom-based complaints (69.5 %), followed by procedures (23.0 %) and follow-up visit (7.4 %). The commonest diagnosis in public clinics was antenatal care (21.8 %), followed by high risk pregnancies (7.5 %) and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) (6.8 %). Private clinics had more cases for general medical examination (13.5 %), URTI (13.1 %) and fever (3.9 %). Medications were prescribed to 76.5 % of these encounters.
CONCLUSIONS: More foreigners were seeking primary medical care from private clinics and the encounters were for general medical examinations and acute minor ailments. Those who sought care from public clinics were for obstetric problems and chronic diseases. Medications were prescribed to two-thirds of the encounters while other interventions: laboratory investigations, medical procedures and follow-up appointment had lower rates in private clinics. Foreigners are generally of young working group and are expected to have mandatory medical checks. The preponderance of obstetrics seen in public clinics suggests a need for improved access to maternal care and pregnancy related care. This has implication on policy and health care provision and access for foreigners and future studies are needed to look into strategies to solve these problems.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety attitudes of pharmacists, provide a profile of their domains of safety attitude and correlate their attitudes with self-reported rates of medication errors.
DESIGN: A cross-sectional study utilising the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ).
SETTING: 3 public hospitals and 27 health clinics.
PARTICIPANTS: 117 pharmacists.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Safety culture mean scores, variation in scores across working units and between hospitals versus health clinics, predictors of safety culture, and medication errors and their correlation.
RESULTS: Response rate was 83.6% (117 valid questionnaires returned). Stress recognition (73.0±20.4) and working condition (54.8±17.4) received the highest and lowest mean scores, respectively. Pharmacists exhibited positive attitudes towards: stress recognition (58.1%), job satisfaction (46.2%), teamwork climate (38.5%), safety climate (33.3%), perception of management (29.9%) and working condition (15.4%). With the exception of stress recognition, those who worked in health clinics scored higher than those in hospitals (p<0.05) and higher scores (overall score as well as score for each domain except for stress recognition) correlated negatively with reported number of medication errors. Conversely, those working in hospital (versus health clinic) were 8.9 times more likely (p<0.01) to report a medication error (OR 8.9, CI 3.08 to 25.7). As stress recognition increased, the number of medication errors reported increased (p=0.023). Years of work experience (p=0.017) influenced the number of medication errors reported. For every additional year of work experience, pharmacists were 0.87 times less likely to report a medication error (OR 0.87, CI 0.78 to 0.98).
CONCLUSIONS: A minority (20.5%) of the pharmacists working in hospitals and health clinics was in agreement with the overall SAQ questions and scales. Pharmacists in outpatient and ambulatory units and those in health clinics had better perceptions of safety culture. As perceptions improved, the number of medication errors reported decreased. Group-specific interventions that target specific domains are necessary to improve the safety culture.
Study site: Klinik kesihatan, hospitals, Malaysia
BACKGROUND:
Unintentional injuries are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. Prevention of unintentional injuries has been shown to be effective with education. Understanding the level of knowledge and practices of caregivers in infant safety would be useful to identify gaps for improvement.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban government health clinic in Malaysia among main caregivers of infants aged 11 to 15 months. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured self-designed questionnaire. Responses to the items were categorised by the percentage of correct answers: poor (<50%), moderate (50% - 70%) and good (>70%).
RESULTS:
A total of 403 caregivers participated in the study. Of the 21 items in the questionnaire on knowledge, 19 had good-to-moderate responses and two had poor responses. The two items on knowledge with poor responses were on the use of infant walkers (26.8%) and allowing infants on motorcycles as pillion riders (27.3%). Self-reported practice of infant safety was poor. None of the participants followed all 19 safety practices measured. Eight (42.1%) items on self-reported practices had poor responses. The worst three of these were on the use of baby cots (16.4%), avoiding the use of infant walkers (23.8%) and putting infants to sleep in the supine position (25.6%). Better knowledge was associated with self-reported safety practices in infants (p < 0.05). However, knowledge did not correspond to correct practice, particularly on the use of baby cots, infant walkers and sarong cradles.
CONCLUSION:
Main caregivers' knowledge on infant safety was good but self-reported practice was poor. Further research in the future is required to identify interventions that target these potentially harmful practices.
AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between pregnancy complications, mental health-related problems, and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Malaysian women.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control study of women with T2DM (n=160) matched by age range to controls without T2DM (n=160). Data were collected in the Negeri Sembilan and PutraJaya regions in Malaysia, from two hospital outpatient clinics, PutraJaya Hospital and Tuanku Jaa'far Hospital Seremban, and one health clinic at Seremban. Validated, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain the data. The unadjusted and adjusted estimates were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel method.
RESULTS: Neither depression (RR 0.74, 95% CI: 0.39-1.41) nor anxiety (RR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.53-1.88) symptoms increased the risk of T2DM significantly. However, gestational diabetes (RR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.02-1.79), and ≥3 pregnancies (RR 1.39, 95% CI: 1.08-1.79) were significant risk factors for the development of T2DM. T2DM was not a significant risk factor for either depression (RR 1.26, 95% CI: 0.91-1.74) or anxiety symptoms (RR 1.13, 95% CI: 0.59-2.19).
CONCLUSION: In this study, T2DM is not a significant risk factor for depression and anxiety; similarly, neither are depression and anxiety significant risk factors for T2DM. Although prevalence of depression and anxiety is not alarming, the findings reported here should alert clinicians to screen and treat anxiety and depression in people with diabetes and also note the importance of monitoring women with complications in pregnancy for risk of later T2DM.
Study site: two hospital outpatient clinics, PutraJaya Hospital and Tuanku Jaa'far Hospital Seremban, and one health clinic at Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Background. Patient satisfaction influences the outcomes of the patient-physician encounter.
Objective. The objective of this study was to validate the Malay version patient satisfaction
(MISS-21) questionnaire using a confirmatory validity approach.
Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 252 patients attending primary health
clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. Construct validity (convergent and discriminant) using
confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency were performed after the translation, content
validity and face validity processes. Criterion validity was assessed using Pearson correlations
with the scale of shared decision making 9-item questionnaire (SDMQ-9). The data was
analysed using Analysis of Moment Structure version 19.
Results. A total of 252 (100%) outpatients responded to this study. The final model that consists
of three domains with 11 items had a good fit; (χ2
(df) = 65.805 (32), P care setting because it is acceptably valid, reliable and simple. The validated Malay version
questionnaire was called as ‘Skala Kepuasan Interaksi Perubatan-11’.
Key words: Confirmatory factor analysis, patient-physician interaction, patient satisfaction, psychometrics, reliability, validity
Questionnaire: ‘Skala Kepuasan Interaksi Perubatan-11; Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale; MISS-21
Study site: Primary health clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM)
BACKGROUND: Blastocystis sp. has a worldwide distribution and is often the most common human intestinal protozoan reported in children and adults in developing countries. The clinical relevance of Blastocystis sp. remains controversial. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Blastocystis infection and its association with gastrointestinal symptoms among outpatients in Sebha city, Libya.
METHODS: A total of 380 stool samples were collected from outpatients attending the Central Laboratory in Sebha, Libya for routine stool examination. The presence of Blastocystis sp. was screened comparing light microscopy of direct smears against in vitro cultivation. Demographic and socioeconomic information were collected with a standardized questionnaire.
RESULTS: The us (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.02, 4.70) as significant predictors of Blastocystis infection among this population. In those who had only Blastocystis infection but no other gastrointestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms was higher compared to those without Blastocystis infection (35.3% vs 13.2%; x² = 25.8; P < 0.001). The most common symptoms among these patients were abdominal pain (76.4%), flatulence (41.1%) and diarrhoea (21.5%).overall prevalence of Blastocystis infection was 22.1%. The prevalence was significantly higher among patients aged ≥18 years compared to those aged < 18 years (29.4% vs 9.9%; x² = 19.746; P < 0.001), and in males compared to females (26.4% vs 17.5%; x² = 4.374; P = 0.036). Univariate analysis showed significant associations between Blastocystis infection and the occupational status (P = 0.017), family size (P = 0.023) and educational level (P = 0.042) of the participants. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed that the age of ≥ 18 years (OR = 5.7; 95% CI = 2.21; 9.86) and occupational stat
CONCLUSIONS: Blastocystis sp. is prevalent and associated with gastrointestinal symptoms among communities in Sebha city, Libya. Age and occupational status were the significant predictors of infection. However, more studies from different areas in Libya are needed in order to delineate the epidemiology and clinical significance of this infection.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of retinopathy in type 2 diabetic patients with micoalbuminuria and to evaluate the association of risk factors with prevalence of retinopathy in these patients.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A fundus examination of 137 patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus with microalbuminuria was done, with direct ophthalmoscope/ binocular indirect ophthalmoscope after dilating the pupils with 1 % tropicamide eye drops. Retinal changes were graded as no retinopathy, non-proliferative retinopathy, proliferative retinopathy and maculopathy. The association of the duration of diabetes, control of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, obesity and peripheral neuropathy was assessed with the prevalence of retinopathy in these patents.
RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 58 years (range 35 - 79 years); 62 % were females, and 49.6 % were Chinese. Diabetic retinopathy was seen in 36.5 % of the patients - non proliferative in 29.2 %, proliferative in 7.3 % and maculopathy in 5.1 % of patients. A longer duration of diabetes (p = 0.002), poor control of diabetes (p = 0.002), presence of hypertension (p = 0.03), and presence of peripheral neuropathy (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with the prevalence of retinopathy; while hyperlipidemia (p = 0.29), smoking (p = 0.43) and obesity (p = 0.43) were not associated with retinopathy.
CONCLUSION: Retinopathy was seen in 36.5 % of type 2 diabetic patients with microalbuminuria; 7.3 % had proliferative retinopathy and 5.1 % maculopathy (both sight threatening changes). All diabetic patients with microalbuminuria should be screened for retinopathy so that treatment can be instituted in the required patients to prevent ocular morbidity/ blindness.
To identify the immunization providers' characteristics associated with immunization rate in children younger than 2 years. A cohort and a cluster sampling design were implemented; 528 children between 18 and 70 months of age were sampled in five public health clinics in Mosul-Iraq. Providers' characterizations were obtained. Immunization rate for the children was assessed. Risk factors for partial immunization were explored using both bivariate analyses and multi-level logistic regression models. Less than half of the children had one or more than one missed dose, considered as partial immunization cases. The study found significant association of immunization rate with provider's type. Two factors were found that strongly impacted on immunization rate in the presence of other factors: birthplace and immunization providers' type.
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in developing countries. However, glycaemia control remains suboptimal and insulin use is low. One important barrier is the lack of an efficient and effective insulin initiation delivery approach. This study aimed to document the strategies used and proposed by healthcare professionals to improve insulin initiation in the Malaysian dual-sector (public-private) health system.
METHODS: In depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted in Klang Valley and Seremban, Malaysia in 2010-11. Healthcare professionals consisting of general practitioners (n = 11), medical officers (n = 8), diabetes educators (n = 3), government policy makers (n = 4), family medicine specialists (n = 10) and endocrinologists (n = 2) were interviewed. We used a topic guide to facilitate the interviews, which were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach.
RESULTS: Three main themes emerged from the interviews. Firstly, there was a lack of collaboration between the private and public sectors in diabetes care. The general practitioners in the private sector proposed an integrated system for them to refer patients to the public health services for insulin initiation programmes. There could be shared care between the two sectors and this would reduce the disproportionately heavy workload at the public sector. Secondly, besides the support from the government health authority, the healthcare professionals wanted greater involvement of non-government organisations, media and pharmaceutical industry in facilitating insulin initiation in both the public and private sectors. The support included: training of healthcare professionals; developing and disseminating patient education materials; service provision by diabetes education teams; organising programmes for patients' peer group sessions; increasing awareness and demystifying insulin via public campaigns; and subsidising glucose monitoring equipment. Finally, the healthcare professionals proposed the establishment of multidisciplinary teams as a strategy to increase the rate of insulin initiation. Having team members from different ethnic backgrounds would help to overcome language and cultural differences when communicating with patients.
CONCLUSION: The challenges faced by a dual-sector health system in delivering insulin initiation may be addressed by greater collaborations between the private and public sectors and governmental and non-government organisations, and among different healthcare professionals.
Study site: Healthcare professionals from three states (Wilayah Federal Territory, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor) and from both urban and semi-rural locations (including Klinik Kesihatan), Malaysia
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the efficacy of Counselling and Advisory Care for Health (COACH) programme in managing dyslipidaemia among primary care practices in Malaysia. This open-label, parallel, randomised controlled trial compared the COACH programme delivered by primary care physicians alone (PCP arm) and primary care physicians assisted by nurse educators (PCP-NE arm).
METHODS: This was a multi-centre, open label, randomised trial of a disease management programme (COACH) among dyslipidaemic patients in 21 Malaysia primary care practices. The participating centres enrolled 297 treatment naïve subjects who had the primary diagnosis of dyslipidaemia; 149 were randomised to the COACH programme delivered by primary care physicians assisted by nurse educators (PCP-NE) and 148 to care provided by primary care physicians (PCP) alone. The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean percentage change from baseline LDL-C at week 24 between the 2 study arms. Secondary endpoints included mean percentage change from baseline of lipid profile (TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, TC: HDL ratio), Framingham Cardiovascular Health Risk Score and absolute risk change from baseline in blood pressure parameters at week 24. The study also assessed the sustainability of programme efficacy at week 36.
RESULTS: Both study arms demonstrated improvement in LDL-C from baseline. The least squares (LS) mean change from baseline LDL-C were -30.09% and -27.54% for PCP-NE and PCP respectively. The difference in mean change between groups was 2.55% (p=0.288), with a greater change seen in the PCP-NE arm. Similar observations were made between the study groups in relation to total cholesterol change at week 24. Significant difference in percentage change from baseline of HDL-C were observed between the PCP-NE and PCP groups, 3.01%, 95% CI 0.12-5.90, p=0.041, at week 24. There was no significant difference in lipid outcomes between 2 study groups at week 36 (12 weeks after the programme had ended).
CONCLUSION: Patients who received coaching and advice from primary care physicians (with or without the assistance by nurse educators) showed improvement in LDL-cholesterol. Disease management services delivered by PCP-NE demonstrated a trend towards add-on improvements in cholesterol control compared to care delivered by physicians alone; however, the improvements were not maintained when the services were withdrawn.
TRIAL REGISTRATION:
National Medical Research Registration (NMRR) Number: NMRR-08-287-1442Trial Registration Number (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier): NCT00708370.