Care for the caregiver: an exploration of caregiver burden of children with chronic medical conditions at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan - a mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVES: Caregiver burden often goes unrecognised and can substantially affect caregivers' physical, psychological and financial well-being, thereby impacting quality of care. This study investigates burden among caregivers of children with chronic medical conditions in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. The study aims to assess the extent of burden, explore influencing factors and recommendations for interventions. DESIGN: Mixed-methods study, comprising of an in-person paper-based survey, employing the Zarit Burden Interview scale to assess burden scores. Qualitative component included thematic analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with caregivers. PARTICIPANTS: 383 caregivers of children admitted to the inpatient paediatric services at our tertiary care centre were surveyed. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 caregivers. RESULTS: The survey revealed a mean burden score of 35.35±15.14, with nearly half of the participants (46%, n=177) experiencing mild burden, while 37% (n=140) reporting moderate-to-severe burden. The most common diagnosis was cancer (24%, n=92), while the highest burden (42.97±15.47) was noted for congenital cardiac disease. Greater burden was significantly associated with lower caregiver education, young age of the child at diagnosis and increased number of hospital visits (p<0.05). Caregivers highlighted financial strain, psychosocial effects and impact on lifestyle and relationships as key challenges. They emphasised the need for improved medical coordination, financial support and enhanced hospital services. CONCLUSIONS: The study elucidates the multifaceted nature of caregiver burden in the context of paediatric chronic illnesses in Pakistan. Interventions should emphasise financial aid, educational support and development of system-level changes to improve access to resources and medical care coordination. These insights call for policy and practice integration to support caregivers effectively.

COVID-19 vaccine coverage, determinants and inequity amongst refugees and migrants in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Migrants and refugees are at a disadvantage in accessing basic necessities. The objective of this study is to assess the inequity in access, needs and determinants of COVID-19 vaccination among refugees and migrant populations in Pakistan. DESIGN: We conducted a mixed-method study comprising a cross-sectional survey and a qualitative study. In this paper, we will only report the findings from the cross-sectional survey. SETTING: This survey was conducted in different cities of Pakistan including Quetta, Karachi and Hyderabad. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 570 participants were surveyed including refugees and migrants, both in regular and irregular situations. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome of the study was to estimate the proportion of refugees and migrants, both in regular and irregular situations vaccinated against COVID-19 and assess the inequity. The χ2 test and Fisher's exact test were used to determine the significant differences in proportions between refugees and migrants and between regions. RESULTS: The survey showed that only 26.9% of the refugee and migrant population were tested for COVID-19, 4.56% contracted coronavirus, and 3.85% were hospitalised due to COVID-19. About 66% of the refugees and migrants were fully vaccinated including those who received the single-dose vaccine or received all two doses, and 17.6% were partially vaccinated. Despite vaccination campaigns by the government, 14.4% of the refugee and migrant population remained unvaccinated mostly because of vaccines not being offered, distant vaccination sites, limited access, unavailability of COVID-19 vaccine or due to a difficult registration process. Vaccination rates varied across provinces, genders and migrant populations due to misconceptions, and several social, cultural and geographical barriers. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the COVID-19 vaccine coverage, access and inequity faced by refugees and migrants during the pandemic. It suggests early prioritisation of policies inclusive of all refugees and migrants and the provision of identification documents to ease access to basic necessities.

An evidence gap map of interventions for noncommunicable diseases and risk factors among children and adolescents.

Substance misuse, obesity, mental health conditions, type 1 diabetes, cancers, and cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases together account for 41% of disability-adjusted life years linked to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) among children and adolescents worldwide. However, the evidence on risk factors and interventions for this age group is scarce. Here we searched four databases to generate an evidence gap map of existing interventions and research gaps for these risk factors and NCDs. We mapped 159 reviews with 2,611 primary studies; most (96.2%) were conducted in high-income countries, and only 100 studies (3.8%) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The efficacy of therapeutic interventions on biomarkers and adverse events for NCDs appears to be well evidenced. Interventions for mental health conditions appear to be moderately evidenced, while interventions for obesity and substance misuse appear to be moderate to very low evidenced. Priority areas for future research include evaluating digital health platforms to support primary NCD prevention and management, and evaluating the impact of policy changes on the prevalence of obesity and substance misuse. Our findings highlight the wide disparity of evidence between high-income countries and LMICs. There is an urgent need for increased, targeted financing to address the research gaps in LMICs.

Hybridizing video-based learning with simulation for flipping the clinical skills learning at a university hospital in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: While learning and practicing on actual patients is a major mode of teaching clinical skills, concerns about patient safety, unavailability, and lack of standardization have led to the development of simulation for medical education. Simulation-based teaching is affected by challenges such as lack of protected time for faculty, inexperienced learners, and the number of students per group. These have led to the integration of various eLearning formats in the curriculum. The hybridized format changes the traditional clinical skills teaching into the flipped classroom. This study aims to measure the effectiveness of hybridizing video-based learning with simulation for flipping the clinical skills teaching of fourth-year medical students at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at Aga Khan University, Pakistan. METHODS: The study employed a mixed-methods design. Fourth-year medical students of the batch 2020-21 (n = 100) consented to participate in the study. The quantitative component focuses on identifying the effect of the intervention on the perceived self-efficacy of medical students (batch 2020-21) relevant to the clinical skill. Along with this, the performance of the intervention batch of 2020-21 on the end of clerkship objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) was compared with the previous batch of 2019-20, taught using simulation alone. Focused group discussions (FGDs) were used to explore the experiences of medical students (batch 2020-21) about the intervention. Quantitative data underwent descriptive and inferential analysis using Stata v16 while qualitative data underwent content analysis using NVivo software. RESULTS: Hybridization of video-based learning with simulation significantly improved self-efficacy scores for all examinations (cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, and abdomen) with p-value < 0.05. OSCE scores of the intervention group were significantly higher on the neurological and abdominal stations as compared to the previous batch (p-value < 0.05). In addition, the overall structure of the intervention was appreciated by all the students, who stated it allowed reinforcement of basic concepts, retention, and further insight into clinical applications. CONCLUSION: The hybridization of video-based learning with simulation facilitated in creation of better opportunities for medical students to revive their prior knowledge, apply core concepts for the problem and engage in clinical reasoning.

Health behaviors and care seeking practices for childhood diarrhea and pneumonia in a rural district of Pakistan: A qualitative study.

Diarrhea and pneumonia are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in children under five, and Pakistan is amongst the countries with the highest burden and low rates of related treatment coverage. We conducted a qualitative study as part of the formative phase to inform the design of the Community Mobilization and Community Incentivization (CoMIC) cluster randomized control trial (NCT03594279) in a rural district of Pakistan. We conducted in-dept interviews and focused group discussions with key stakeholders using a semi-structured study guide. Data underwent rigorous thematic analysis and major themes identified included socio-cultural dynamics, community mobilization and incentives, behavioral patterns and care seeking practices for childhood diarrhea and pneumonia, infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), immunization, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and access to healthcare. This study highlights shortcomings in knowledge, health practices and health systems. There was to a certain extent awareness of the importance of hygiene, immunization, nutrition, and care-seeking, but the practices were poor due to various reasons. Poverty and lifestyle were considered prime factors for poor health behaviors, while health system inefficiencies added to these as rural facilities lack equipment and supplies, resources, and funding. The community identified that intensive inclusive community engagement and demand creation strategies tied to conditioned short term tangible incentives could help foster behavior change.

COVID-19 Vaccines: How Efficient and Equitable Was the Initial Vaccination Process?

With nearly 11 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine being administered, stark differences in the vaccination rates persist. Vaccine distribution initiatives such as COVAX and African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) were formed to ensure equitable vaccine delivery. This review evaluates the initial COVID-19 vaccination efforts and the impact of different vaccine distribution initiatives on equitable vaccination coverage in the early phase. We conducted a descriptive and trend analysis with sub-groups by various context parameters of data on COVID-19 vaccination from December 2020 till February 2022, from four public databases including UNICEF, WHO, COVID-19 Task Force and Our World in Data to examine COVID-19 vaccine distribution progress and the contributions of vaccine procurement initiatives. We found that High Income Countries (HICs) had much higher vaccination rate (78.4%) than Lower-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) (55.5%) and Low-Income Countries (LICs) (10.9%). Large differentials (>80% to <10%) in the vaccination rates of eligible population of adults in LMICs and LICs existed. Differentials in the total vaccine doses delivered to each country ranged from 355.6% to 4.8% of the total population. In LICs, 53.3% of the total doses were obtained via COVAX, 30.9% by bilateral/multilateral agreements, 6.5% by donations and 3.8% by AVAT. In LMICs, 56.4% of total vaccines procured were via bilateral/multilateral agreements, 21.4% by COVAX, 4.2% by donations and 0.5% by AVAT. COVAX delivered 1 billion doses by January 2022 which constituted 53.2% and 21.4% of procured doses in LICs and LMICs. In LICs and LMICs, 6.5% and 4.2% of total doses were acquired through donations while 30.9% and 56.4% of doses were purchased. Despite global efforts, significant disparities were present in COVID-19 vaccination efforts amongst countries of different income groups. Future efforts should focus on addressing vaccine inequities explicitly and in improving global vaccine distribution.