The objective of this survey was to understand the current trend of readership of professional dental journals among Malaysian dentists. A total of 225 questionnaires were sent out to Malaysian dentists who attended various dental related conferences throughout Peninsular Malaysia from February 2006 to July 2006. Questionnaires comprised of questions relating to dentists’ socio-demographic status and a list of journal(s) read by them. Malaysian dentists’ view on the content and quality of a particular dental journal, i.e. the Malaysian Dental Journal (MDJ) was also enquired. The details of this finding are highlighted in Part II of this study. A total of 156 questionnaires were returned; the respondents were made up of 61 male and 91 female dentists. Almost 80% of the respondents aged between 20-49 year-old and most respondents (n= 132; 84.62%) only had a basic Bachelor of Dental Surgery or equivalent degree while another 19 (12.18%) had in addition, a post-graduate degree. Almost equal numbers of respondents were working in the Ministry of Health (MOH) or Armed Force (n=73; 46.8%) and private practice (n=74; 47.4%). Also, equal number of respondents (n=67; 42.95%) were found to be working as single-handed practitioner and in a partnership/assistant/working-with-other specialties type of practice Almost two-thirds (n=103; 66%) of the respondents read more than one professional journal, and a majority of them worked in the private sector. The percentage of readers reading more than one journal from the private practice (n=67, 60.0%) was close to twice of that from the MOH (n=36, 35.0%). No specific age-group pattern was present but the least number of subscribers were from those 60 year-old and above (n=3), whereby none of them subscribed to any professional dental journal/magazine. The highest percentage of subscribers were from those in the age group of 40-49 year-old, whereby 86.49% (n=32) of dentists in this age-group subscribed to at least one professional dental journal/magazine. Out of the list of journals/magazines provided, it was found that the MDJ has the most number of readers. The MDJ was most read by dentists in the private practice while the Annals of Dentistry of the University of Malaya was most read by dentists in the MOH. In conclusion, it was found that almost two-third of the respondents read more than one professional journal, with the MDJ receiving the most number of readers. More dentists in the private practice read professional dental journals than dentists in the MOH.
Aims. To document the antibiotic prescribing rate for upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in general practice and its associated factors. Methods. Data extracted from a morbidity survey of 150 general practice clinics in three urban areas in Malaysia. Participating general practitioners recorded demographic, morbidity and process of care data for 30 consecutive adult patients using a structured form. [year of study=1999] Results. URTI contributed 940 (27.0%) of the total of 3481 encounters recorded. Antibiotic was prescribed in 68.4% of encounters with URTI; a significant proportion of the antibiotic choice was inappropriate. Half the antibiotics prescribed in this study were due to URTI. [overall antibiotic prescribing rate for all encounters=33.4%] Conclusions. General practitioners need to re-examine their own prescribing for URTI and decide whether it is consistent with current guidelines. Rational prescribing is not just part of the professional role of doctors, but will go a long way to impede the emergence of antibiotic resistance.
The morbidity patterns and demographics of patients presenting to two government health centers and four private general practice clinics were studied over one week. Results showed little difference in the morbidity patterns but a significant difference in the demographics of the patients. The commonest illnesses seen were minor ones like upper respiratory tract infection and chronic ones like hypertension and diabetes mellitus. A wide spectrum of illnesses was seen in all the clinics. Both places handled few emergencies and referred only occasionally. There was an equal percentage of patients from both sexes. Ages of the patients varied from place to place and the racial distribution was influenced by several factors, including the existing patient population and the race of the doctor.
A cross-sectional study, comparing the nature of services in 15 private clinics and 6 public health facilities, was undertaken in a rural district of Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews and observations using check-lists were employed. Public health facilities were run by younger doctors (mean age = 31.1 years), supported mostly by trained staff. The private clinics were run by older doctors (mean age = 41.2 years) who had served the district for much longer (8.9 years vs 1.5 years) but were supported by less well trained staff. The curative services were the main strength of the private clinics but their provision of preventive care was less comprehensive and of inferior quality. Private clinics were inclined to provide more expensive diagnostic services than the public facilities. 'Short hours' private clinics had very restricted opening hours and offered limited range of services.
Comment in: Hee HW. Differences in public and private health services in a rural district of Malaysia. Med J Malaysia. 1997 Sep;52(3):296-8
The Covid-19 pandemic during its early phases posed significant psychological threats particularly for medical frontline personal. It is unclear whether the medical workforce with the passage of time has adapted to these threats or have generalized to wider medical settings. An online survey was conducted reaching 1476 physicians in Germany with valid data from 1327 participants. Depression and anxiety were screened with the PHQ-2 and the GAD-2. Among a subtotal of 1139 (86.6%) physicians reporting personal treatment experiences with Covid-19 patients, 553 (84.8%) worked in a private practice (PP) and 586 (88.3%) in a hospital (HP). Covid-19 provoked profound conflicts between professional and ethical values: more physicians in PPs than HPs reported external constraints on their medical care being in conflict with the code of medical ethics (39.1 vs. 34.4%, p
This study investigated the sociodemographic profiles of patients attending public and private dental clinics and the types of treatment received. Patients (n=454) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire at two public and four private clinics in Sibu District, Sarawak. Generally, Chinese (74.7%), females (60.0%) and urban dwellers (83.7%) were more likely to visit the dentist. Both clinics had more females and more Chinese but private clinics had a lower percentage of female attendees (53.1% versus 67.0%) but a higher percentage of Chinese (85.0% versus 64.5%). Private attendees were younger (mean age of 31.0 years compared to 41.0 years) and from higher income households (median value of MR 2,000 versus MR 900) than public attendees. Treatments were mostly curative and a third of the visits were associated with painful conditions. Age (p=0.006), gender (p=0.003), ethnicity (p<0.001) and household income (p<0.001) were associated with the type of clinic visited. Choice of clinic was not related to having painful conditions (p=0.970). To ensure a more affordable and equitable distribution of oral healthcare, health planners need to identify disparities in the utilization of services and differences between public and private attendees.
BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are considered medication experts but are underutilized and exist mainly at the periphery of the Malaysian primary health care team. Private general practitioners (GPs) in Malaysia are granted rights under the Poison Act 1952 to prescribe and dispense medications at their primary care clinics. As most consumers obtain their medications from their GPs, community pharmacists' involvement in ensuring safe use of medicines is limited. The integration of a pharmacist into private GP clinics has the potential to contribute to quality use of medicines. This study aims to explore health care consumers' views on the integration of pharmacists within private GP clinics in Malaysia.
METHODS: A purposive sample of health care consumers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were invited to participate in focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Sessions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using NVivo 10.
RESULTS: A total of 24 health care consumers participated in two focus groups and six semi-structured interviews. Four major themes were identified: 1) pharmacists' role viewed mainly as supplying medications, 2) readiness to accept pharmacists in private GP clinics, 3) willingness to pay for pharmacy services, and 4) concerns about GPs' resistance to pharmacist integration. Consumers felt that a pharmacist integrated into a private GP clinic could offer potential benefits such as to provide trustworthy information on the use and potential side effects of medications and screening for medication misadventure. The potential increase in costs passed on to consumers and GPs' reluctance were perceived as barriers to integration.
CONCLUSION: This study provides insights into consumers' perspectives on the roles of pharmacists within private GP clinics in Malaysia. Consumers generally supported pharmacist integration into private primary health care clinics. However, for pharmacists to expand their capacity in providing integrated and collaborative primary care services to consumers, barriers to pharmacist integration need to be addressed.
KEYWORDS: Malaysia; general practitioners; health care consumer; pharmacist integration; private clinic
A survey of laws and regulations governing the practice of radiology by general practitioners in Malaysis and ten other selected countries wascarried out. It showedvaryingdegrees oflegal restrictions on the use of x-ray machines in the countries studied. Most regulations reflected the concern of radiation protection forpatients andstaff. Only some countries provide training for non-medical persons in the use of x-ray machines. Radiology has an important role in primary care. Undergraduate and post-graduate education should ensure competence in basic radiological practice. KEYWORDS: X-ray, general practice, regulations.
312 diabetics were seen in a multiracial urban general practice in Peninsular Malaysia during a five-year period. Of these, 210 (67%) were Indians, confirming the higher prevalence of diabetes among Indians reported in other studies. 67 were newly found diabetics. The sex, age, family history, of the diabetics, duration and complications of diabetes, are reviewed and compared with similar studies. The larger number of diabetics may partly be attributed to the presence in the community of a large number of Indians born in India. Stress also may contribute to the high prevalence of the disease in Indians, who are prone to diabetes by virtue of heredity.
Study site: General practice clinic, Kelang, Selangor, Malaysia
This survey was carried out to examine the habits of practising optometrists in private practice around Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. A questionnaire survey was prepared that encompassed questions on ophthalmic intruments and appliances, services offered, eye examinatians carried aut and patient management, failure ta carry out comprehensive eye examination, community engagements and their opinion on optometrists as primary eyecare practitioners. The questionnaire was sent to 100 registered optometrists practising in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley. About 64 optometrists responded and returned the questionnaire, but 3 of them were excluded because they were incomplete. The results showed almast all aptornetric practice has all the equipment related to optometry practice except for tonometer and visual field measurement. F orty~four percent ( 44%) of aptometrists undertook comprehensive eye examinatians and necessary referred patients far further examinations. Optometrists who did not perform comprehensive eye examinations give reasons of inadequate equipment and clients who want a quick examination. ln conclusion optometric practice provide almost all the equipments required for optometrists to practice as primary health care practioners but only 44% of optometrists carriedout comprehensive eye examinations. Optometrists in private practice need to practice all the skills they learned and play important roles in educating the public in an effort to improve the primary eyecare of society. Keywords: optometric practice, private practice, primary health eyecare
Ultimately, the majority of our medical graduates ends up in primary health care either in private practice or in the government service. It would be appropriate that their education and training should meet not only the requirements of their eventual vocation, but just as importantly, the expectations of a more discerning community at large. Rising pressures on the profession to provide more cost-effective and affordable health services of good quality would put an increasing emphasis on the development and promotionof primary health care to higher standards. Primary health care workers would be hard-pressed to provide more health information and to actively participate in disease prevention and control as part of their professional duties. As medical specialisation and technology contibute towards more fragmented, complex and dehumanising forms of practice, the greater will be the need for the integrative skills of the primary physician providing personal and continuing care. The future nature of medical care will have to respond to this community demand.
The management of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) at a private medical centre was reviewed. The criteria for surgery were AAA more than or equal to five centimeters in diameter, symptomatic AAA even if less than five centimeters and ruptured AAA. A total of 67 patients were seen between October 1991 to September 1994. The age range was 48 to 94 years, mean = 69.8. There were 58 males to nine females. Twelve patients presented with ruptured AAA. There were three suprarenal AAA and three mycotic AAA. Aneurysmectomies were performed on 50 patients. This include all patients with ruptured AAA. There was no mortality in the elective cases. One patient with ruptured AAA died, ie. an operative mortality of eight per cent. It was concluded that a very low operative mortality can be achieved in this group of high risk patients. Our results were comparable to those reported by other centres in the developed countries. Important factors contributing to these results include a team approach in a unit interested in this disease, careful pre-operative preparation and a rigid post-operative regime. For ruptured AAA, survival of the patient depended on a successful and timely operation. It was also concluded that no patient should be deemed unfit for surgery or denied an operation if they needed to have one and it was safe to transport patients with ruptured AAA to a centre where the operation can be performed.