AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a nurse-led health education programme on knowledge, attitude and beliefs of coronary patients towards the responses to acute coronary syndrome and the association with patients' characteristics.
METHODS: A single-group quasi-experimental design took place in a tertiary hospital. A total of 60 coronary patients were recruited to this study. The knowledge, attitude and beliefs towards acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were evaluated at baseline and after 1 month of giving education intervention.
RESULTS: Knowledge, attitude and beliefs about ACS increased significantly from baseline to 1 month after intervention. Level of attitude was associated with gender, educational level and employment status.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that an education program conducted by a nurse improved patients' level of knowledge, attitudes and beliefs in response to ACS symptoms at 1 month compared to baseline, but whether they are sustained for a longer period is unclear. Improving the responses towards ACS might reduce decision delay in symptom interpretation and seeking early treatment.
RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurse-led interventions have imparted positive outcomes in response to ACS symptoms among coronary patients. Therefore, nurses should take the initiative in educating patients to minimize delay in symptom interpretation and seeking early treatment.
METHODS: We conducted this systematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). Various databases were searched for CPGs and Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE-II) instrument was used to assess the methodological quality. We also summarized the treatments plans of CPGs across continuum of care (diagnosis and assessment, treatment initiation, pharmacotherapy and psychosocial).
RESULTS: This review included 28 CPGs of varying qualities. CPGs from high-income countries and international organizations rated high for their methodological quality. Most CPGs scored high for the scope and purpose domain and scored low for applicability domain. Recommendations for the continuum of care for OUD varied across CPGs. Buprenorphine was recommended in most of the CPGs, followed by methadone. Recommendations for psychosocial interventions also varied, with cognitive behaviour therapies and counselling or education being the common recommendations in many CPGs WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: We found most CPGs have scope and purpose and clarity of presentation. However, the methodological rigour and applicability scored low. CPGs need to frame health questions in a comprehensible manner and provide an update as evidence grows. It is important for CPG developers to consider methodological quality as a factor when developing CPG recommendations.
METHODS: A total of 1113 patient dispenser interactions were observed from a randomly selected sample of 371 pharmacies by using convenient sampling technique in the three respective cities namely Islamabad (118), Peshawar (120) and Lahore (133). The data collection tool was adapted from WHO structure observation form and was modified according to the objectives of the study.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The process of prescription handling at community pharmacies in terms of patient dispenser interaction, prescription validation and medication counseling was assessed. The data was coded, entered and analyzed by using SPSS Version 16.
RESULTS: A total of 1113 patient dispenser interactions were observed at the community pharmacies in the three respective cities namely Islamabad (n = 354), Peshawar (n = 360) and Lahore (n = 399). Out of 1113 patient/dispenser interactions the providers present at the community pharmacies were; pharmacist (degree of B-pharm/pharm D) 1.6% (n = 18), pharmacy assistant (diploma in pharmacy) 7% (n = 78), diploma holder (certified course of drug dispensing) 5.6% (n = 62) and salesmen (no medicine related education) 85.8% (n = 955).There was no significant difference in the practice between pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, diploma holders and salesmen. Prescription validation was carried out in 18% (n = 206) of the cases, drugs verification in 32% (n = 360) of the cases while labelling of drugs was performed in only 6% (n = 76) of the cases. Completely counselling about medication was provided in 3.1% (n = 35) of the cases while no counselling at all was given in 52.7% (n = 582) of the cases.
CONCLUSION: The process of medication counselling and dispensing practices at community pharmacies in Pakistan is not satisfactory. The patients are largely handled by unqualified salesmen. Thus there is a strong need to improve medication counselling and dispensing practices at community pharmacies by improving the skills of the dispensers through a mix of interventions, and law should be implemented to ensure presence of qualified person which in turn will result in the provision of better patient oriented services at community pharmacies.
DESIGN: A 13-station OSCE was designed and implemented in the 2007-2008 academic year as part of the assessment methods for a clinical pharmacy course. The broad competencies tested in the OSCE included: patient counseling and communication, clinical pharmacokinetics (CPK), identification and resolution of drug-related problems (DRPs), and literature evaluation/drug information provision.
ASSESSMENT: Immediately after all students completed the OSCE, a questionnaire containing items on the clarity of written instructions, difficulty of the tasks, perceived degree of learning gained and needed, and the suitability of the references or literature resources provided was administered. More than 70% of the students felt that a higher degree of learning was needed to accomplish the tasks at the 2 DRP stations and 2 CPK stations and the majority felt the written instructions provided at the phenytoin CPK station were difficult to understand. Although about 60% of the students rated OSCE as a difficult form of assessment, 75% said it should be used more and 81% perceived they learned a lot from it.
CONCLUSION: Although most students felt that the OSCE accurately assessed their skills, a majority felt the tasks required in some stations required a higher degree of learning than they had achieved. This may indicate deficiencies in the students' learning abilities, the course curriculum, or the OSCE station design. Future efforts should include providing clearer instructions at OSCE stations and balancing the complexity of the competencies assessed.
OBJECTIVES: To identify educational needs for stroke patients and their caregivers in Malaysia. Another purpose is to report on the needs identified by stroke patients and their families related to salat.
METHODS: Descriptive qualitative study. Phase 1 involved semi-structured interviews with stroke patients (n = 5), family caregivers (n = 5) and health professionals (n = 12) in Kelantan Malaysia. Phase 2 involved presenting the findings from Phase 1 to the health professionals with the aim of establishing priorities and processes to develop education strategies for stroke patients and their families.
RESULTS: Preparing for and performing salat was challenging for both patient and family carers to do following a stroke. Themes identified were prayer and the meaning of the stroke events for participants, difficulties praying post-stroke, prayer as part of rehabilitation therapy.
CONCLUSION: Providing culturally safe care should include how nurses assess and support patients and their caregivers post stroke to meet their prayer needs. Nurses have a role in discussing with stroke patients and their families how in addition to its spiritual and customary benefits, prayer and for Muslims reciting the Holy Qur'an can have cognitive and rehabilitation benefits, as well as being a source of psychological support for stroke patients.
AIMS: The aims of this study were to explore the usability and internet data analytics of the HelloType1 online educational platform within each country.
METHODS: The data analytics were extracted Google analytics that tracks data from the website hellotype1.com and Facebook analytics associated with the website.
RESULTS: There was a 147% increase in the number of HelloType1 users between the first 6 months versus the latter 6 months in 2022 and a 15% increase in the number of pages visited were noted. The majority of traffic source were coming from organic searches with a significant increase of 80% growth in 2022.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the analytics provide important insights on how an innovative diabetes digital educational resource in local languages may be optimally delivered in low-middle income countries with limited resources.