Postnatal women's perception on person-centered maternity care in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad: a descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Person-Centered Maternity Care (PCMC) is known as one of the most important components of maternal care. Every woman has the ultimate right of respectful health care. Previous research documents that lack of supportive care and respectful behavior experienced by pregnant women can act as a barrier to the utilization of health care services. Few studies have used PCMC tool to document this phenomenon. The objective of this descriptive study was to assess the women's perception of PCMC in Pakistan. METHODS: Three hundred and seventy-seven (377) postnatal women of ages 18-49 years participated in the research. The study sites were secondary and tertiary care hospitals located in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The PCMC tool used in this study is a validated scale with three sub-domains of i) communication and autonomy, ii) supportive care, and iii) dignity and respect. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16, and descriptive and bivariate analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: The PCMC mean score was 54 ± [10.7] out of 90. About half (55%) of women had good perception of PCMC. Sub-domain of supportive care scored the lowest as compared to the other two domains. Overall, 36% women reported physical abuse while 22% reported verbal abuse at the hands of the healthcare providers. Most of the women (88%) said that health providers did not introduce themselves. About 30% women claimed that health care providers never asked for permission before doing any medical procedures and 20% of women claimed that doctors did not describe the purpose of examination while 178 (47%) of women said that health provider explained the purpose of medications all the time, additionally, about 14% were never given the choice to ask questions. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that the majority of postnatal women perceived that they were not getting optimum Person-Centered Maternity Care. Some core aspects in supportive care domain were missing. In order to improve the quality of hospital-based childbirths, efforts are needed to improve the quality of care.

Barriers experienced by community midwives to provide basic emergency obstetric and newborn care in rural Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Considering the high maternal mortality rate, the government of Pakistan has deployed Community Midwives (CMWs) in rural areas of Pakistan. This relatively new cadre of community-based skilled birth attendants has previously reported to experience several challenges in providing maternal and child healthcare. However, what barriers they experience in providing basic emergency obstetric and newborn care needs to be further studied. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in twelve districts in Sindh province, Pakistan, with poor maternal and child health indicators. A total of 258 CMWs participated in this study and completed the questionnaire on a pretested, validated tool in their community-based stations. The trained data collectors completed the questionnaires from the respondents. The problems identified were categorized into three major issues: financial, and transport and security related; and were analyzed accordingly. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional review board (IRB) of Health Services Academy (HSA) Islamabad, Pakistan. RESULTS: The majority (90%) of 258 CMWs had formal training in maternal and neonatal care from the recognized institutions. Financial difficulties faced by CMWs were identified as the most frequent barriers and others were transport, security, and other issues. In univariate analysis, 38.1% and 61.9% of the community midwives who faced financial difficulties had completed a graduation or intermediate level of education, respectively (p = 0.006). Round-the-clock availability for emergencies was inversely associated with having financial difficulties, i.e., 71.4%, in contrast to 28.4% who had financial difficulties were available round-the-clock for emergency calls in their community clinics (p = 0.008). Formal training (p = 0.001), work experience (p = 0.015), longer duration of work (p = 0.003), and liaison with health workers and posting district (p = 0.001) had statistically significantly higher transport related issues. Security difficulties faced by CMWs and a set of correlates such as formal training (p = 0.019), working experience (p = 0.001), longer duration of work (p = 0.023), 24 h of availability on call (p = 0.004), liaison with traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in the community (p = 0.002), and district of posting (p = 0.001) were statistically significantly different. Other issues like working experience (p = < 0.001) and Liaison with TBAs in the community (p = < 0.001) were found statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Financial, transportation and security related barriers were commonly reported by community midwives in the delivery of basic emergency obstetric and newborn care in rural Pakistan.

Respectful Maternal Care Experience in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Background and Objectives: Respectful maternity care promotes practices that acknowledge women's preferences and women and newborns' needs. It is an individual-centered strategy founded on ethical and human rights principles. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the impact of income on maternal care and respectful maternity care in low- and middle-income countries. Materials and Methods: Data were searched from Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, NCBI, CINAHL, National Library of Medicine, ResearchGate, MEDLINE, EMBASE database, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Maternity and Infant Care database. This review followed PRISMA guidelines. The initial search for publications comparing low- and middle-income countries with respectful maternity care yielded 6000 papers, from which 700 were selected. The review articles were further analyzed to ensure they were pertinent to the comparative impact of income on maternal care. A total of 24 articles were included, with preference given to those published from 2010 to 2023 during the last fourteen years. Results: Considering this study's findings, respectful maternity care is a crucial component of high-quality care and human rights. It can be estimated that there is a direct association between income and maternity care in LMICs, and maternity care is substandard compared to high-income countries. Moreover, it is determined that the evidence for medical tools that can enhance respectful maternity care is sparse. Conclusions: This review highlights the significance of improving maternal care experiences, emphasizing the importance of promoting respectful practices and addressing disparities in low- and middle-income countries.

Effectiveness of health literacy intervention on cardiovascular diseases among university students of Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Global burden of cardiovascular diseases is alarming which is intricately linked with health literacy. To what extent improvement in health literacy can lower down cardiovascular diseases occurrence has not yet properly documented. This study focused on assessing the knowledge and existing lifestyle behavior about cardiac diseases among university students. We further aimed to improve this awareness after imparting an educational intervention among undergraduate non-medical students to sensitize them about risk factors. METHOD: A pre and post approaches with cross sectional study design was conducted in University of Gujrat during April-September 2017. Using structured questionnaire comprising of response items about hypertension, heart attack, stroke and preventive practices, data was randomly collected from students (n = 100). Survey respondents were also given a lecture regarding cardiovascular diseases awareness and a post test evaluation was also conducted on same group of students. RESULTS: With response rate of 86.95%, mean age of participating students was 21.2 (SD ± 1.34) years. Female students comprised of 53% out of which 57% were from rural background. Assessment of cardiovascular disease knowledge revealed maximum mean pre test score 30.53 (SD ± 7.61) and for post test 40.65 (SD ± 4.34) (p < 0.00). Mean score for using preventive practices was 13.02 (SD ± 2.97) for pre test whereas for post test it was 14.09 (SD ± 2.90) (p < 0.00). Intervention impact was significant on hypertension related complications (p < 0.000), symptoms of heart attack (p < 0.000), symptoms of stroke (p < 0.000) and preventive practices (p < 0.00). CONCLUSION: Findings presented here show a fair degree of awareness among university students about study title prior to any educational intervention. However, by attending educational session, a significant increase in the positive lifestyle behavior and knowledge was noticed. We conclude that health promotion activities in educational institutes to sensitize students can bring rational changes in Pakistani society to promote healthy behavior and minimize cardiovascular disease risks.

Prevalence of diabetes and its correlates in urban population of Pakistan: A Cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its associated risk factors in urban population. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out at four union councils of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from May to September 2014, and comprised members of the general public.A questionnaire was administered to obtain information about demographic characteristics and risk factors. Anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were obtained from the participants. Venous blood samples were taken for measuring glycated haemoglobin. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 404 participants, 181(44.8%) were men and 223(55.2%) were women. The overall mean age was 42.3±13 years. Overall prevalence of diabetes was 133(32.9%) and that of pre-diabetes was 151(37.4%). The prevalence of diabetes was 203(50.3%) in 50-65 years age group and 143(35.4%) among obese subjects. Diabetes was significantly associated with increasing age (35-49 years (p<0.05); 50-65 years (p<0.01), positive parental (p<0.05) and sibling (p<0.05) history of diabetes, hypertension (p<0.01) and central obesity (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes was very high. Prevalence increased with increasing age and body mass index. Major independent risk factors were increasing age, central obesity, and family history of diabetes and hypertension.

Adherence To Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Guidelines From Theory To Practice: The Missing Link.

Diabetes mellitus is a complex multisystem disease that requires high quality care. Clinical practice guidelines help physicians and patients make the best possible health care decisions and improve health care management of diabetic patients. These guidelines provide the norms for clinical management as well as monitoring of diabetes care. They are not simple algorithms but are based on structured evidence based diabetic management protocols developed from randomized controlled trials. Despite the widespread availability of this diabetic guideline, their use is suboptimal at best. There are several factors blamed for contributing to this missing link from available theoretical guideline recommendations to practical applications of these guidelines. We present a brief review based on available literature review for an ongoing interventional study being done by authors in two tertiary care hospital in Lahore Pakistan for improving adherence to diabetes guidelines. We will discuss guideline implementation cycle and also present a framework encompassing various factors involved in adherence to guidelines. Until recently the emphasis to improve the guideline adherence targeted the factors relating to individual health care professionals in reference to their knowledge, attitude practice of the guidelines. However, we will discuss that broader range of health care systems, organizational factors, and factors relating to patients which may also significantly impact the adherence to the guidelines. The framework emphasises that it is important to understand the factors that act as barriers and contribute to the missing link between theory and practice of diabetic guidelines. This will help plan appropriate strategies in the pre-implementation stage for effective and improved diabetes guidelines adherence and management.

Determinants of health service utilization among Pakistani immigrants in Maryland, USA.

BACKGROUND: Health of immigrants is challenge for any host country due to multiple reasons. Immigrants of Pakistani origin constitute a significant population in the USA and their population has doubled in last 10 years. This study was conducted to determine factors affecting health service utilization in the state of Maryland, USA. METHODS: This was a descriptive study, utilizing mixed method research. A sample of 100 respondents from Pakistani immigrants in Maryland was selected through convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was used for soliciting responses. Three focus group discussions were also conducted for qualitative assessment of health service utilization. RESULTS: Male gender, higher level of education, longer duration of stay, and higher income people had more utilization of health services. Those not having insurance had affordability issues as they had to pay out of pocket for treatment cost. A high proportion of uninsured were resorting to traditional home remedies for treatment. There was a concern on delays in appointment system and long waiting time for elective cases. Most respondents mentioned problem of language while interacting with doctors and need of English speaking family member in medical consultation. Many respondents reported difficulty in availing health services due to job commitments. They had to make arrangements for substitute at their workplaces, which affected their utilization of health services. CONCLUSION: Low-income immigrants in USA are less likely to have health insurance. Factors affecting service use are out of pocket costs, long waiting time, language problems and immigrants' job commitments. It is recommended to get a clear idea of health systems of USA before moving to US as immigrant.

Assessment of dietary diversity and nutritional status of pregnant women in Islamabad, Pakistan. .

BACKGROUND: Maternal under-nutrition is one of the most important causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in the developing countries. Maternal nutrition has direct association with foetal nutrition. This study aimed to identify dietary diversity and determine any relationship of dietary diversity with nutritional status of pregnant women belonging to different socioeconomic conditions in Rawalpindi Islamabad region. METHODS: It was a cross sectional survey involving 350 pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, conducted in outpatient department of Maternal and Child health centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Islamabad. A semi qualitative questionnaire was used that contained structured questions regarding socio-demographic features, socioeconomic status, nutritional status, and three day dietary recall. A second section comprising of questions regarding dietary perceptions was also RESULTS: Out of total, 47% of pregnant women had normal pre-gestational BMI while, 22% were overweight, 17% obese, and only 12% of pregnant women were under weight. Similarly 28.1% were anaemic. Medium dietary diversity was observed in 89% of pregnant women, while only 5% showed low, and high dietary diversity. Dietary diversity was not associated with sociodemographic, or socioeconomic status of pregnant women. Even though weight gain during second (p=0.2) and third trimesters (p=0.049) had a positive relationship with dietary diversity, more than 74% of pregnant women gained less than recommended level of weight gain. No association could be proven between haemoglobin and dietary diversity (p=0.51). CONCLUSION: Dietary diversity is a good proxy indicator for micronutrient adequacy in pregnant women, however if quantity of food consumed is added it can give better indication of determinants of nutritional status of pregnant women.

Epidemiological trends and age-period-cohort effects on cardiovascular diseases burden attributable to ambient air pollution across BRICS.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution raises the risk of deaths and morbidity worldwide. From 1990 to 2019, we observed the epidemiological trends and age-period-cohort effects on the cardiovascular diseases (CVD) burden attributable to ambient air pollution across Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS). The number of CVD deaths related to ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution increased nearly fivefold in China [5.0% (95% CI 4.7, 5.2)] and India [5.7% (95% CI 5.1, 6.3)] during the study period. The age-standardized CVD deaths and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to ambient PM pollution significantly increased in India and China but decreased in Brazil and Russia. Due to air pollution, the relative risk (RR) of premature CVD mortality (< 70 years) was higher in Russia [RR 12.6 (95% CI 8.7, 17.30)] and India [RR 9.2 (95% CI 7.6, 11.20)]. A higher period risk (2015-2019) for CVD deaths was found in India [RR 1.4 (95% CI 1.4, 1.4)] followed by South Africa [RR 1.3 (95% CI 1.3, 1.3)]. Across the BRICS countries, the RR of CVD mortality markedly decreased from the old birth cohort to young birth cohorts. In conclusion, China and India showed an increasing trend of CVD mortality and morbidity due to ambient PM pollution and higher risk of premature CVD deaths were observed in Russia and India.

Minimum dietary diversity and associated determinants among children aged 6-23 months in Pakistan.

Pakistan is facing a high prevalence of malnutrition and Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) is one of the core indicators that remain below the recommended level. This study assesses MDD and its associated factors among children aged 6 to 23 months in Pakistan. The study uses a cross-sectional study using the dataset of the latest available Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (MICS) for all provinces of Pakistan. Multistage sampling is used to select 18,699 children aged 6 to 23 months. The empirical method is the Logistic Regression Analysis and Chi-Square Test. The dataset is freely and publicly available with all identifier information removed, and no ethics approvals are required. About one-fifth (20%) of infants and young children aged 6 to 23 months had met MDD, this number varies from 17 to 29%, highest in Baluchistan and lowest in Punjab province of Pakistan. The age group (18-23) indicates a 2.45 times greater chance of having MDD. Age (< 0.001), diarrhea (0.01), prenatal care (0.06), mother's education (< 0.001), computer access (< 0.001), wealth quantile (< 0.001), and residence (< 0.001) were significantly associated with meeting MDD. However, gender (0.6) and mother's age (0.4) both were statistically insignificant in meeting MDD. Regarding mothers' education, compared to no education, the chance of MDD is 1.45 times greater for highly educated mothers in the Punjab province. Dietary diversity among children aged 6 to 23 months in Pakistan is low. It is recommended that mothers should be aware and encouraged to use dietary diverse food for infants and younger children.

Factors associated with maternal health services utilization in Pakistan: Evidence from Pakistan maternal mortality survey, 2019.

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the factors associated with maternal health services utilization in Pakistan using two outcome indicators, ideal antenatal care (IANC), defined as the pregnant woman receiving all the essential services included in standard antenatal care, and skilled birth attendance (SBA). METHODS: This study used the Pakistan Maternal Mortality Survey 2019 data. The study utilized binary logistic regression models to investigate the adjusted association between the outcome variables, separately for IANC and SBA, and the independent variables, education, wealth, parity, and residence. RESULTS: Wealth showed a positive association with utilization of IANC (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 11.48, 95% CI = 7.76, 16.99) and SBA (AOR = 4.37, 95% CI = 3.30,5. 80). Maternal age was associated only with IANC for women aged 35 or more years (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.62). Increased likelihood of utilization of IANC and SBA services was also observed for women with formal education. Women who had 3-5 previous live births had higher odds of using IANC and SBA than women who had 1-2 or more than five previous live births. Urban residency was not correlated with either IANC or SBA. CONCLUSION: When compared to the wealthy and educated quintile, women in the lower wealth quintile and those without any formal education were less likely to utilize ANC and SBA services. A comprehensive and multipronged approach from the health and education sectors is needed to improve maternal health in Pakistan.

Correlates of early initiation of breast feeding and prelacteal feeding: a cross-sectional study in Sindh province of Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of early initiation of breast feeding and prelacteal feeding in highly disadvantaged districts in Pakistan. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study design. SETTINGS: This study was carried out in twelve districts of the Sindh province of Pakistan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4800 mothers with children under 2 years, selected through a multistage random sampling method. DATA ANALYSIS: Bivariate association, survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard techniques), multivariate linear regression and the ordinary least square model were used. RESULTS: The results show that the prevalence of early initiation of breast feeding was 68% and prelacteal feeding was 32%. Adequate treatment, proper guidance at antenatal care visits, postpartum health check, normal birth with skilled birth attendants, institutional birth, skin-to-skin contact at birth and birth size were all associated with early breastfeeding initiation (p<0.001). The odds of early initiation of breast feeding after birth are higher if the respondents received proper guidance (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.02 to 4.11) or made skin-to-skin contact (OR 10.65; 95% CI 6.82 to 16.65). Bivariate association between the prelacteal feeding and a set of correlates suggests that all variables under study were significantly associated with the outcome variable of interest at a 95% or higher significance level. The factors which significantly reduced the odds of prelacteal feeding were adequate treatment (OR 0.29; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.37) and postpartum health check (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.80). CONCLUSION: Sudy concludes that the correlates like adequate treatment of mothers during labour, postpartum health check-up, normal birth with skilled birth attendants, institutional births and skin-to-skin contact between mother and the baby determine the early initiation of breast feeding and prelecteal feeding. Early initiation of breast feeding needs to be encouraged, and communities must be educated against the use of prelacteal feeding.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Blood Pressure Reduction Based on Disease Control Priorities 3 in Pakistan to Manage and Control Hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: According to American Heart Association standards, hypertension is classified into three stages based on blood pressure measurements: essential hypertension, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension. The global target is to reduce the prevalence of high blood pressure by 25% by the year 2025. Worldwide, the prevalence of high blood pressure among men and women aged 18 and above reported to be 24% and 20%, respectively. AIM: The aim of this study was to overall reduce high blood pressure of hypertensive patients to the recommended level of 140/90 mm of Hg through implementing a non-pharmacological and multi-component intervention based on Disease Control Priorities (3rd edition). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial in which a multi-component intervention for lowering high blood pressure was tested. This was pilot-tested for its acceptance, appropriateness, and relevance, explored through an earlier formative research and desk review conducted from the available evidence. A total of 240 study participants were enrolled after obtaining informed consent. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Health Services Academy and the trial was registered in clinicaltrials.gov number NCT04336631. SPSS software version 21 was used to enter and analyze the data. RESULTS: High blood pressure of hypertensive patients in a hospital setting during 03 months yielded -23.9 mm Hg of systolic blood pressure reduction (95% confidence interval, p ≤ 0.005). A significant reduction was observed in intervention group after delivering the intervention. Compared to patients in the usual care group, improved health outcomes were achieved for diet control, reducing salt intake and increased physical exercise. In the intervention group, the mean blood pressure among male hypertensive patients was 145/90 mm Hg and in female hypertensive patients, the mean blood pressure was recorded as 140/100 mm Hg. CONCLUSION: High blood pressure was significantly reduced in hypertensive patients who adhered to a low salt diet, weight loss measures, and increased physical activity.

Perceptions of health care workers on maternal and child health services in Pakistan during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Maternal and child healthcare service delivery in vulnerable and fragile health systems has suffered a tremendous impact owing to the shift in focus to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child healthcare services to inform policy advice for a more resilient maternal and child healthcare service delivery in Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. A structured and validated questionnaire was transformed into an online version and a link was first sent to about 300 healthcare professionals to achieve a sample size of 203, including medical doctors, nurses, and other paramedical staff working in public sector health facilities of the four provinces of Pakistan. The questionnaire was responded to by 195 participants. The Chi-Square test was used to determine the statistical differences between the categorical variables. Results: Although about two-thirds of the participants reported a moderate adherence to protocols and procedures to prevent COVID-19 in their health facilities, the maternal and child health service delivery-related indicators declined during the pandemic. For instance, 66.8% and 62.4% of the participants, respectively, did not agree that a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and an Intensive Care Unit to admit sick newborns and women with obstetric complications during the COVID-19 pandemic were available during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, 23% and 20% of the participants, respectively, reported that staff availability and the provision of cesarean section were moderate to extremely affected. The association between job designation and the impact of COVID-19 was statistically significant (χ2 p = 0.038). Conclusions: The study suggests that maternal and child healthcare services including C-Section, perinatal care, and inpatient care of newborns in Pakistan may have been moderately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strengthening Breast Cancer Screening Mammography Services in Pakistan Using Islamabad Capital Territory as a Pilot Public Health Intervention.

Late diagnosis of treatable breast cancer is the reason for higher breast cancer mortality. Until now, no public breast cancer facility has been established in the Islamabad Capital Territory. First, a Federal Breast Screening Center (FBSC) was established. Afterward, awareness campaigns about breast cancer were organized among the public. Subsequently, women above 40 years of age were provided with mammography screenings. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 22.0. An intervention was performed using a six tier approach to strengthening the health system. Utilizing the offices of the FBSC and the national breast cancer screening campaign, breast cancer awareness has become a national cause and is being advocated by the highest offices of the country. The number of females undergoing mammography has increased each year, starting from 39 in 2015 to 1403 in 2019. Most of the cases were BI-RAD I (n = 2201, 50.74%) followed by BI-RAD II (n = 864, 19.92%), BI-RAD III (n = 516, 11.89%), BI-RAD IV (n = 384, 8.85%), BI-RAD V (n = 161, 3.71%), and BI-RVAD VI (n = 60, 1.38%). The current study has theoretical and practical implications for the contemplation of policymakers. The FBSC can serve as a model center for the establishment of centers in other parts of the country, thereby promoting nationwide screening coverage.

Cross-Sectional Analysis of Impulse Indicator Saturation Method for Outlier Detection Estimated via Regularization Techniques with Application of COVID-19 Data.

Impulse indicator saturation is a popular method for outlier detection in time series modeling, which outperforms the least trimmed squares (LTS), M-estimator, and MM-estimator. However, using the IIS method for outlier detection in cross-sectional analysis has remained unexplored. In this paper, we probe the feasibility of the IIS method for cross-sectional data. Meanwhile, we are interested in forecasting performance and covariate selection in the presence of outliers. IIS method uses Autometrics techniques to estimate the covariates and outlier as the number of covariates P > n observations. Besides Autometrics, regularization techniques are a well-known method for covariate selection and forecasting in high-dimensional analysis. However, the efficiency of regularization techniques for the IIS method has remained unexplored. For this purpose, we explore the efficiency of regularization techniques for out-of-sample forecast in the presence of outliers with 6 and 4 standard deviations (SD) and orthogonal covariates. The simulation results indicate that SCAD and MCP outperform in forecasting and covariate selection with 4 SD (20% and 5% outliers) compared to Autometrics. However, LASSO and AdaLASSO select more covariates than SCAD and MCP and possess higher RMSE. Overall, regularization techniques possess the least RMSE than Autometrics, as Autometrics possesses the least average gauge at the cost of the least average potency. We use COVID-19 cross-sectional data collected from 1 July 2021 to 30 September 2021 for real data analysis. The SCAD and MCP select CRP level, gender, and other comorbidities as an important predictor of hospital stay with the least out-of-sample RMSE of 7.45 and 7.50, respectively.

A Qualitative Study of Stakeholders' Views on Pharmacovigilance System, Policy, and Coordination in Pakistan.

Objectives: Due to the absence of necessary rules, poor coordination, and various challenges, the pharmacovigilance system of Pakistan is not optimally functional at all levels of the health system. The objective of the study was to assess the stakeholders' perceptions of the current ADR reporting system and to identify the pharmacovigilance policy issues and problems of effective coordination. Methodology: Stakeholders from a broad range of disciplines, academia, regulatory authorities, the pharmaceutical industry, international health organizations, as well as pharmacovigilance experts, and healthcare professionals were included in the study. A total of 25 stakeholders throughout Pakistan were interviewed during exploratory semi-structured interviews. The interviews were recorded digitally, transcribed, coded, compared, and grouped according to their similarity of themes. Participants provided insights into gaps, limitations, and challenges of Pakistan's current ADR reporting system, issues with proposed pharmacovigilance rules, and coordination difficulties. Results: The majority of the participants considered the ADR reporting system in Pakistan to be improving but in a nascent phase. The identified gaps, challenges, limitations of the system, and barriers to reporting were labeled as reasons for limited functioning. Almost all stakeholders were aware of the existence of draft pharmacovigilance rules; however, participants in the industry were familiar with the contents and context of draft pharmacovigilance rules. Bureaucratic red tape and lack of political will appeared to be the top reasons for delaying the approval of the pharmacovigilance rules. Wider consultation, advocacy, and awareness sessions of policymakers and HCPs were suggested for early approval of rules. Participants unanimously agreed that the approval of rules shall improve the quality of life and reduce the economic burden along with morbidity and mortality rates. The need for greater and collaborative coordination among the stakeholders in promoting medicines' safety was highlighted. All participants suggested the use of media and celebrities to disseminate the safety information. Conclusion: Participants showed partial satisfaction with the way pharmacovigilance in Pakistan is moving forward. However, stakeholders believed that engagement of multi-stakeholders, approval of pharmacovigilance rules, and the establishment of pharmacovigilance centers in provinces, hospitals, and public health programs (PHPs) shall support in achieving the desired results.

Experience of psychologists in the delivery of cognitive behaviour therapy in a non-western culture for treatment of substance abuse: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Psychotherapy is the preferred form of treatment for psychological disorders worldwide. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely used psychotherapies due to its proven efficacy for psychological disorders, including substance abuse. However, CBT was developed in the West according to the culture of developed countries. Therefore, it requires cross-cultural adaptation for non-Western countries. Pakistan is one of the developing non-Western countries where substance use disorders are increasing at an alarming rate. Despite the proven efficacy of CBT for substance use disorders, there is a dearth of its utilization in Pakistan. Therefore, in the present study, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with CBT practitioners in Pakistan to understand barriers and challenges in this regard. The study was a part of a broader project aimed at cultural adaptation of CBT for people with substance use disorders (SUDs) in Pakistan. METHODS: In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with CBT practitioners (N = 8) working in rehabilitation centres and hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan. Thematic content analysis was conducted to develop core themes from the data. RESULTS: CBT for SUDs requires some adjustments according to Pakistani culture for successful utilization. The challenges in providing CBT for SUDs revolved around three main themes, i.e., the mental health system, societal practices, and therapeutic issues, and 10 subthemes. CONCLUSION: In order to utilize the benefits of CBT for SUDs in Pakistan, cultural adaptation is necessary as an initial step. However, its delivery requires stringent modifications in the health care system to address these challenges.

Social protection strategies and health financing to safeguard reproductive health for the poor: making a case for Pakistan.

Globally, a billion people cannot seek appropriate and timely healthcare because they are not covered under any social protection and health insurance system. Countries where government financing for health care is meagre, the situation is even worse. Pakistan with its slowly improving indicators of maternal and child health makes a classical case for instigating a social protection mechanism for the poor segments of population. The Government safety nets are unable to cater the large proportion of poor population. NGOs partially cover the rural areas where majority of the vulnerable population lives but need to expand their scope of work. Donors have presented variety of models and frameworks which were seldom considered in the concerned quarters. All stakeholders ought to strategise their plans to adopt and scale up the successful interventions (vouchers, cash transfers, micro-credits, community based insurance etc) which have been operating but on a very small scale or for other types of health services, but none for reproductive health care per se. Adoption of risk pooling mechanisms and provision of accessible and quality reproductive health services seems feasible through a meaningful and integrated public private partnership in the times to come.

Cultural Adaptation of Community Informant Tool for Detection of Maternal Depression in Rural Pakistan.

Background: Evidence indicates that mental health issues like depression, epilepsy, and substance misuse can be detected with reasonable accuracy in resource-poor settings. The Community Informant Detection Tool (CIDT) is one such approach used for detecting mental health problems, including depression. We adapted this community informant approach for detecting maternal depression in Pakistan. Methods: Adaptation of Community Informant Detection Tool for Maternal Depression (CIDT-MD) involved five steps. First, a scoping review of the literature was conducted to select an appropriate tool for adaptation. Second, in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the idioms of depression and distress, perceived causes, and the effects of maternal depression among currently depressed and recovered mothers (n = 11), mothers in law (n = 6), and Primary Care Providers (Primary Care Physicians and Lady Health Supervisors) (n = 6). Third, case vignettes and illustrations were created with input from a panel of mental health experts, incorporating the idioms of depression and distress used, causes, and effects for each symptom described. Fourth, to assess the comprehensibility of the illustrations and level of understanding, Focus Group Discussions (n = 4) were done with purposely selected community health workers (Lady Health Workers and Lay Peers, n = 28) trained in delivering maternal depression intervention. The final step was reflection and inputs by a panel of mental health experts on all steps to finalize the content of the tool. Results: Context-specific cultural adaptation in the presentation and format of CIDT-MD was conducted successfully. Lady Health Workers (LHW) and Lay Peers (LP) were found to be the most appropriate persons to use the tool and function as the informants. The adapted tool with all its vignettes and illustrations was found to be easily understandable, comprehensible, and culturally appropriate, meaningful, and contextually relevant by the community health workers and peers working in the relevant settings. They easily relate to and identify potentially depressed such women lining up with the tool. Lastly, the coding of the tool was found easy to follow as well. Conclusion: The Community Informant Detection Tool for Maternal Depression (CIDT-MD) is a culturally acceptable, easy to use, and comprehensible tool for detecting maternal depression in community settings of Pakistan. The community informants found the content and approach highly relevant to the local needs.