Evaluation of antibiotic prescription patterns using WHO AWaRe classification

Background:Antimicrobial resistance is a rising problem worldwide and it poses a serious risk to public health. In Pakistan, about 70.0% of the Acinetobacter group of bacteria were resistant to all antibiotics and were responsible for high mortality among neonates within the first week of life.Aim:To evaluate the pattern of antibiotic prescription in the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department of Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, using the WHO AWaRe 2021 classification.Methods:We collected prescription data from the ENT outpatient department of Shalamar Hospital from October to December 2021. We compared the quantitative analysis of antibiotics with the WHO AWaRe classification. We analysed the data using SPSS version 26 and discussed the results with the ENT Department for possible improvements.Results:Some 862 (12.1%) of the total 7126 entries were assessed. Others were excluded because they had some missing data or had no antibiotic prescription. Of all the antibiotics prescribed, around 54.9% belonged to the access category. The WHO 13th General Programme of Work 2019–2023 recommends a country-level target of at least 60% of the total antibiotic consumption in the access group antibiotics.Conclusion:The outpatient department of the ENT did not prescribe any reserve or not recommended antibiotics. The use of watch antibiotics was higher than recommended by the WHO AWaRe classification. More efforts should be made to increase prescriptions from the AWaRe access group to achieve the 60% minimum target recommended by WHO for the country.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of verbal and physical violence against healthcare workers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Background:Workplace violence is a serious threat to healthcare workers worldwide.Aim:We aimed to determine the prevalence of physical and verbal violence against healthcare workers in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and Türkiye.Methods:We searched the Medline (via PubMed), Cochrane Library, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and ProQuest databases along with reference lists from selected articles. Studies of health workers exposed to verbal and/or physical violence by patients or their relatives conducted in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and Türkiye among staff working in hospitals and primary health care services were included. Seventy-five of the 3513 articles identified of studies conducted during 1999–2021 were eligible. The data were analysed using MetaXL version 5.3 and STATA version 16.Results:This study covered 69 024 healthcare workers from 22 countries. Meta-analysis showed that 63.0% (95% CI: 46.7– 79.2) of them had experienced verbal violence and 17.0% (95.0% CI: 14.0–21.0) experienced physical violence. There was no significant difference for sample size, professional group, quality score, or response rate. The frequency of physical and verbal violence in the subgroup analysis was statistically significantly different for countries and years.Conclusion:Findings from this study provide useful information for policymaking regarding interventions to prevent or minimize violence against healthcare workers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Türkiye.

Hospital-based case–control study of risk factors for early neonatal mortality in the Gaza Strip

Background: Early neonatal death is an essential epidemiological indicator of maternal and child health. Aims: To identify risk factors for early neonatal deaths in the Gaza Strip. Methods: This hospital-based case–control study included 132 women who experienced neonatal deaths from January to September 2018. The control group comprised 264 women who were selected using systematic random sampling and gave birth to live newborns at the time of data collection. Results: The controls who had no history of neonatal death or stillbirth were less likely to have an early neonatal death than women who had such history. The controls who did not have meconium aspiration syndrome or amniotic fluid complications were less likely to have an early neonatal death than women who experienced these complications during delivery. The controls who had a singleton birth outcome were less likely to have an early neonatal death than women who had multiple births. Conclusion: Interventions are needed to provide preconception care, improve the quality of intrapartum and postnatal care, provide high-quality health education, and improve the quality of care provided by neonatal intensive care units in the Gaza Strip.

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal [2023; Vol.29, Issue 4]

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the official health journal published by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization. It is a forum for the presentation and promotion of new policies and initiatives in health services; and for the exchange of ideas concepts epidemiological data research findings and other information with special reference to the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It addresses all members of the health profession medical and other health educational institutes interested NGOs WHO Collaborating Centres and individuals within and outside the Region

المجلة الصحية لشرق المتوسط هى المجلة الرسمية التى تصدرعن المكتب الاقليمى لشرق المتوسط بمنظمة الصحة العالمية. وهى منبر لتقديم السياسات والمبادرات الجديدة فى الصحة العامة والخدمات الصحية والترويج لها، و لتبادل الاراء و المفاهيم والمعطيات الوبائية ونتائج الابحاث وغير ذلك من المعلومات، و خاصة ما يتعلق منها باقليم شرق المتوسط. وهى موجهة الى كل اعضاء المهن الصحية، والكليات الطبية وسائر المعاهد التعليمية، و كذا المنظمات غير الحكومية المعنية، والمراكز المتعاونة مع منظمة الصحة العالمية والافراد المهتمين بالصحة فى الاقليم و خارجه

La Revue de Santé de la Méditerranée Orientale est une revue de santé officielle publiée par le Bureau régional de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé pour la Méditerranée orientale. Elle offre une tribune pour la présentation et la promotion de nouvelles politiques et initiatives dans le domaine de la santé publique et des services de santé ainsi qu’à l’échange d’idées de concepts de données épidémiologiques de résultats de recherches et d’autres informations se rapportant plus particulièrement à la Région de la Méditerranée orientale. Elle s’adresse à tous les professionnels de la santé aux membres des instituts médicaux et autres instituts de formation médico-sanitaire aux ONG Centres collaborateurs de l’OMS et personnes concernés au sein et hors de la Région

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal [2023; Vol.29, Issue 1]

Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal is the official health journal published by the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organization. It is a forum for the presentation and promotion of new policies and initiatives in health services; and for the exchange of ideas concepts epidemiological data research findings and other information with special reference to the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It addresses all members of the health profession medical and other health educational institutes interested NGOs WHO Collaborating Centres and individuals within and outside the Region

المجلة الصحية لشرق المتوسط هى المجلة الرسمية التى تصدرعن المكتب الاقليمى لشرق المتوسط بمنظمة الصحة العالمية. وهى منبر لتقديم السياسات والمبادرات الجديدة فى الصحة العامة والخدمات الصحية والترويج لها، و لتبادل الاراء و المفاهيم والمعطيات الوبائية ونتائج الابحاث وغير ذلك من المعلومات، و خاصة ما يتعلق منها باقليم شرق المتوسط. وهى موجهة الى كل اعضاء المهن الصحية، والكليات الطبية وسائر المعاهد التعليمية، و كذا المنظمات غير الحكومية المعنية، والمراكز المتعاونة مع منظمة الصحة العالمية والافراد المهتمين بالصحة فى الاقليم و خارجه

La Revue de Santé de la Méditerranée Orientale est une revue de santé officielle publiée par le Bureau régional de l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé pour la Méditerranée orientale. Elle offre une tribune pour la présentation et la promotion de nouvelles politiques et initiatives dans le domaine de la santé publique et des services de santé ainsi qu’à l’échange d’idées de concepts de données épidémiologiques de résultats de recherches et d’autres informations se rapportant plus particulièrement à la Région de la Méditerranée orientale. Elle s’adresse à tous les professionnels de la santé aux membres des instituts médicaux et autres instituts de formation médico-sanitaire aux ONG Centres collaborateurs de l’OMS et personnes concernés au sein et hors de la Région

First expert meeting on WHOʼs support to the hospital sector in Member States: re-thinking the future of hospitals in the WHO European Region: Brussels, Belgium, 21–22 April 2022: meeting report

As part of its European Programme of Work 2020–2025, and its focus on the recovery, resilience and robustness of health systems in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO Regional Office for Europe continues to support European countries to better fulfil citizens’ expectations about health and to achieve universal health coverage across the Region. The Division of Country Health Policies and Systems has initiated a programme for hospitals under the Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit to provide technical support to Member States. This is to help improve the performance of hospitals by focusing on implementation of clinical governance systems for quality of care and patient safety, building capacities for clinical leadership and innovations in hospital planning and operations, and to ensure that care is provided in the most appropriate setting, organized around the wide-ranging needs and expectations of people and communities. This report provides a brief summary of the workshop that took place in Brussels on 21–22 April 2022 and summarizes the output of other policy work undertaken by the WHO Regional Office for Europe related to the future of hospitals in the Region. The objective is to inform the WHO approach to supporting Member States in the development of policy, dissemination of learning and advocating for change, as well as defining country-specific work and opportunities to work with partner organizations in promoting this agenda.

Hospitals of the future: a technical brief on re-thinking the architecture of hospitals

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of national preparedness for natural and human-induced disasters, emergencies and other social crises. The ability to deliver uninterrupted health services is crucial in these situations, and the design of architecture for health is a way to address the multiple drivers that are transforming society, economy and the environment. Hospitals are particularly important in this regard as they best interpret these transformations, promote urban regeneration, and have positive impacts on a widespread scale across any given territory. For a hospital to remain functional during emergencies and disasters, it must be designed with strong and flexible infrastructure, high resistance to hazards, and a focus on safety and comfort. The COVID-19 pandemic has also emphasized the significance of the hospital environment in the transmission of pathogens and highlighted the need to ensure sustainable compliance with hygiene standards. World Health Assembly resolutions and the COP26 Health Programme are taking steps to address these issues and promote better health in Europe. This technical brief is structured as a guide for health care planners and designers to improve the safety, comfort and efficiency of refurbished and redesigned hospital projects and new hospital facilities across the WHO European Region.