Quality assessment of global health care system in the shadow of COVID-19: - a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The healthcare system is critical to the country's overall growth, which involves the healthy development of individuals, families, and society everywhere. This systematic review focuses on providing an overall assessment of the quality of healthcare delivery during COVID-19. METHODOLOGY: The literature search was conducted from March 2020 till April 2023 utilising the databases "PubMed," "Google Scholar," and "Embase." A total of nine articles were included. Descriptive statistics was performed using Microsoft Excel. PROSPERO registration ID- CRD42022356285. RESULTS: According to the geographic location of the studies included, four studies were conducted in Asia [Malaysia(n = 1); India (Madhya Pradesh) (n = 1); Saudi Arabia(n = 1); Indonesia (Surabaya) (n = 1)], three in Europe [U.K. (n = 1); Poland (n = 1); Albania (n = 1)] and two in Africa [Ethiopia(n = 1); Tunisia (n = 1)]. Overall patient satisfaction was found highest among studies conducted in Saudi Arabia (98.1%) followed by India (Madhya Pradesh) (90.6%) and the U.K. (90%). CONCLUSION: This review concluded five different aspects of patients satisfaction level i.e. reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibility. It was found that the empathy aspect had the greatest value of the five factors, i.e., 3.52 followed by Assurance with a value of 3.51.

Shigella storm and men who have sex with men: A perspective on the Indian context.

Shigellosis is one of the driving factors for extrahepatic manifestations of sexually transmitted Hepatitis-C infection, which was previously thought to affect only men who have sex with men (MSM) who were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive. Highly infectious diseases like shigellosis which has been termed as the potent factor for creating "perfect storm" of disease transmission with the conjunction of specific sexual activities between men, and HIV status is something which needs attention. Strategies such as health communication and social marketing could be utilized to enhance MSM awareness of shigellosis, and these efforts should focus on giving answers to the sorts of queries respondents pose regarding shigellosis.

Assessment of Awareness Level Regarding Organ Donation among Healthcare Professionals and Students in India.

Introduction: Organ donation can be a life-saving opportunity for patients with severe organ failure. In India, the rate of organ donation of the deceased Indian population is exceptionally low. This necessitates enhancing awareness regarding organ donation among health care professionals and students, which can motivate the general population. Aim: To assess and analyze the awareness level of healthcare professionals and students on organ donation in order to suggest potential strategies regarding improvement of awareness and willingness towards organ donation. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional online and offline survey was conducted at the national level between July 2022 and September 2022. Indian healthcare professionals as well as students of various fraternities were included. The Snowball sampling technique was used for data collection. Statistical analysis was undertaken using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) software, version 25. Results: A total of 1,303 respondents were enrolled in this study. The majority of the participants were students (66.5%) residing in southern India (89.6%) pursuing medical profession (88.9%). The predominant age group was 18-24 years (73.9%). The awareness level regarding organ donation among healthcare professionals and students was 69%. Healthcare professionals and respondents aged 40 years and above had better awareness levels regarding organ donation which was reported as statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals and students awareness about organ donation need to be improved. Strategies including but not limited to prioritizing employment and education to the first relatives of the deceased organ donor should be implemented by the government to legally improve organ donation willingness. How to cite this article: Chandrasekaran S, Chandrasekaran VP, Nandi D, Setty RS, Srinivasan O, Kaur KN. Assessment of Awareness Level Regarding Organ Donation among Healthcare Professionals and Students in India. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(1):57-63.

Assessing patient satisfaction among COVID-19 survivors in Northeast India: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: This study investigates patient satisfaction among COVID-19 survivors in Northeast India, motivated by the unique long-term healthcare needs of survivors and the critical role of patient satisfaction in assessing and enhancing healthcare quality. By focusing on this underexplored region, the research aims to uncover insights that can guide improvements in patient-centered care and healthcare service delivery in similar contexts. Materials and methods: The study was conducted using a Simple Random Sampling technique. Data were collected through telephone interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire, including the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18) for analysis. The PSQ-18 yielded seven subscale scores representing different dimensions of patient satisfaction. Statistical analysis using SPSS software was conducted to summarize socio-demographic characteristics, medical history, and patient satisfaction levels, employing both descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The results indicated a high acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, with the majority of participants having received both doses. Patient satisfaction with healthcare services is generally positive, particularly in aspects related to doctor-patient communication and medical care quality. However, there are notable concerns regarding the affordability and timeliness of care. Regional variations across states, as well as factors like education and income, significantly influence patient satisfaction levels. Conclusion: The study revealed generally good patient satisfaction levels in Northeast India. However, challenges in healthcare affordability and timeliness persist, influenced by regional disparities and socio-economic factors. Targeted interventions are needed to improve healthcare in the region.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells among female healthcare workers in India.

Introduction: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent progenitor cells that can be differentiated into a variety of specialized cell types. Menstrual blood, such as umbilical cord blood and bone marrow stem cells, is a rich source of MSCs with proliferative properties. This research was conducted to understand the knowledge, attitude, and practice of menstrual blood donation regarding menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) among female healthcare workers in India. Methodology: A cross-sectional online and offline survey was conducted at the national level between 20 November 2021 and 10 March 2022. A self-constructed semi-structured questionnaire was distributed through Google Forms on various social media platforms. The questionnaire was self-administered, and data were collected using the purposive sampling technique. Results: A total of 499 respondents completed the questionnaire. Nearly 49% of the respondents had adequate knowledge, 54% showed a positive attitude, and 45% reported adequate practices regarding menstrual blood donation and the usage of related products. The educational background, occupational status, and monthly income of the participants were found to be significantly associated with their attitude toward MenSCs. Conclusion: There is a need to promote interactive sessions on MenSCs among healthcare professionals in order to bridge the gap between general populations and the healthcare setting. Enhancing knowledge and awareness regarding the potential benefits of MenSCs would help in dissipating the age-old myths associated with menstruation and will benefit society as a whole.

Patient satisfaction for telemedicine health services in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review.

Introduction: In the year 2019, the whole world witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has negatively impacted the health care delivery system. This has risen the necessity among health systems across the world to deliver health care services through telemedicine. This systematic review would assess the level of patient satisfaction with telemedicine health services during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: The literature search was conducted in June 2022 using "PubMed" "Google Scholar" and "Embase" databases. A total of eight articles were included. ROBVIS Analysis was performed for the assessment of bias. Descriptive statistics were performed using Microsoft Excel. Results: All included studies were conducted in seven countries/states/cities: India (n = 2), Philippines (n = 1), Saudi Arabia (n = 1), UAE (n = 1), Los Angeles (n = 1), Iran (n = 1), and New York City (n = 1). Most used telemedicine tools were voice calls, video calls and messaging/email. Maximum patients used video for consultation (5 out of 9 studies) followed by voice call (4 out of 8 studies), messaging/emails (2 out of 8 studies) and other telemedicine Apps (2 out of 8 studies). Overall, the level of satisfaction was found highest amongst studies conducted in developed countries/states/cities such as New York City (94.9%), Los Angeles (82.7%), UAE (81%) and Saudi Arabia (77.9%) in contrast to studies conducted in developing countries which includes Philippines (82%), India (73.9; 51.3%) and Iran (43.4%). Conclusion: Most of the participants were found to be satisfied with the quality of telemedicine they were offered. This systematic review will help to improve telemedicine services which will eventually improve the health care delivery system. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#myprospero.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice on screening toward cervical cancer among health professionals in India-A review.

BACKGROUND: Globally, 570,000 cases of cervical cancer and 311,000 deaths from the disease occurred in 2018. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. About 96,922 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed annually in India. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward screening of cervical cancer among health professionals in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Health sciences electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies published between 2012 and March 2020. Keywords used for the search were ("CERVICAL CANCER"), ("SCREENING"), ("KNOWLEDGE"), ("ATTITUDE"), ("PRACTICE"), ("HEALTH PROFESSIONALS"), AND ("INDIA"). A total of 22 articles were included in the review based on the eligibility criteria. Statistical software SPSS-V.23 was used for the statistical application. RESULTS: A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria with total of 6811 health professionals. The age of the study participants ranged from 18 to 60 years. The overall knowledge of cervical cancer among health professionals was 75.15%. The knowledge toward signs and symptoms and risk factors was adequate among health professionals. The knowledge, attitude, and practice toward screening was 86.20%, 85.47%, and 12.70%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The health professionals have optimum level of knowledge of cervical cancer and knowledge of screening of cervical cancer with appropriate attitude toward screening with low uptake of practice toward screening.