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Objective: The objectives of this study were to explore the wastage of narcotics and controlled medications and, their financial impact in a tertiary care setting over a one-year period. Methodology: The study period was of one year, i.e., October 2020 - September 2021. The venue of study was a tertiary care hospital. The narcotic medications included Fentanyl, Tramadol, Morphine, and Meperidine. The controlled medications included Midazolam, Phenobarbital, Diazepam, Ketamine and Lorazepam. The annual consumption and wastage of the narcotic and controlled medications were documented using data report generated by narcotics and controlled medication in-charge pharmacist through the hospital's online system. Data was reported using average, minimum and maximum values. Quantities of wastage is expressed in terms of ampoules. Costs per ampoule were calculated and expressed in both Saudi Riyal (SAR) and United States Dollar (USD). The study was approved by an ethics committee. Results: The annual wastage of narcotics was 3.19 % while the same for controlled medications was 21.3 %. An annual wastage of 3.81 % was reported for narcotics and controlled medications combined. The total wastage cost of narcotics and controlled medications was 15,443.1 SAR that was equivalent to USD 4085.5. Fentanyl 500mcg formulations had the highest consumption, i.e., 28,580 ampoules followed by Morphine 10 mg formulations, i.e., 27,122 ampoules. The highest ampoule wastage was observed for Morphine 10 mg formulations, i.e., 1956 ampoules. The highest % wastage was observed for Midazolam formulations, i.e., 29.3 %. Conclusion: The overall wastage was less than 5% of the total consumption, however, midazolam was observed to have the highest wastage. Shifting to prefilled syringes supplied by pharmacies, making protocols, and safely pooling costly drugs could result in significant savings.
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Background: It was demonstrated that cepharanthine (CEP), derived from Stephania cepharantha hayata, is a potent inhibitor of the ABCC10 transmembrane protein. It is approved to be a natural product or remedy. The present study focuses on investigating whether cepharanthine effectively reduces hyperlipidemia and obesity in an experimental hyperlipidemic rat model. Method: Four groups of Wistar rats were assigned randomly to the following groups: a high-fat high sucrose diet (HFHS), normal-fat diet (NFD), HFHS plus cepraranthine (10 mg/kg) (HFHS-C), and a HFHS diet with atorvastatin (HFHS-A). The responses of rats were observed on the basis of serum and hepatic biochemical parameters, food intake, and body weight after CEP treatment, and assessing the histopathological modifications by the optical microscope in the liver and its cells. Results: Significant improvement in the serum total cholesterol (TC), serum triglycerides (TG), and serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were observed following CEP treatment. We have also observed significant improvement in the structure of liver tissue and reduced-fat droplets in the cytoplasm. Moreover, CEP had a significant effect in preventing the gain in body weight of animals, and food intake was not significantly affected. Conclusion: Our research results revealed that CEP significantly improved dyslipidemia and prevented the accumulation of fatty deposits in the rats' liver tissue fed an HFHS diet. In addition, CEP exerted an anti-obesity effect.
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Diabetes mellitus is a multifaceted metabolic disorder, which often required frequent blood glucose monitoring, poly-pharmacy and timely adjustments for its management. The present study focuses to check the effectiveness of empagliflozin add-on therapy in diabetic patients already taking metformin and glimepiride. This was observational, comparative and follow-up cohort study, conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Pakistan. Ninety subjects were enrolled and evenly distributed in Group A (patients on oral therapy of Metformin & Glimepiride) and Group B (patients on oral therapy of metformin, glimepiride and empagliflozin) randomly. The results showed that the addition of empagliflozin to metformin and glimepiride standard therapy provided better control over blood sugar with a significant decrease in HbA1c (16.1% decrease in HbA1c for Group B patients against 8.2% in Group A patients), FBS (23.8% decrease as compared to 14.6% decrease) and BMI (1.5% decrease in Group B patients against 0.06% increase in Group A). The addition of empagliflozin did not exacerbate the toxicity of the existing regimen and is safe to be included in multiple drug regimens. Empagliflozin addition to standard antidiabetic therapy might possess beneficial impacts in managing poorly controlled Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Pakistani population.
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Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 , Metformina , Humanos , Metformina/uso terapéutico , Automonitorización de la Glucosa Sanguínea , Estudios de Seguimiento , Hemoglobina Glucada , Glucemia , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/tratamiento farmacológicoRESUMEN
People around the globe rumored so many things about the safety and efficacy of initial two doses and booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine, which eventually affected the acceptance of the only tool available against the fight between humans and virus. The aim of current study is to evaluate the acceptance and reluctance level among the population specifically elderly diabetes patients. The cross-sectional study was conducted during a time period of 3 months i.e. from July 2021 until September 2021. A 16-item questionnaire was used to assess the acceptance, reluctance and concerns of the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose among elderly diabetes patients. A 16-item questionnaire was used to assess the acceptance, reluctance and concerns of the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose among elderly diabetes patients. A total of 497 responses were collected and analyzed. Approximately 32% of respondents believed that they need additional information about the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose will be ineffective due to not enough information about the potential side effects of the vaccine dose, while around 80% of respondents showed concerns about safety, efficacy, newness and not enough information about vaccine contents. Around 47.1% of respondents expressed robust concerns about possible side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Diabetes Mellitus , Anciano , COVID-19/prevención & control , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/efectos adversos , Estudios Transversales , Humanos , Inmunización Secundaria , Pakistán , VacunasRESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the concurrent validity of the Arabic version of the General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) using two validated scales namely Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) and Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) in Saudi patients with non-communicable diseases. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted for 2 months in out-patient departments at a tertiary care hospital in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The study collected data from patients with chronic illnesses through convenience sampling. Pearson correlation (ρ) was conducted to report concurrent validity of GMAS. A correlation coefficient value ≥ 0.5 with p-value < 0.01 was considered threshold for establishing concurrent validity. The study was approved by an ethics committee (IRB-2019-05-002). RESULTS: A total of 406 patients responded to the study. The average age was 42.4 ± 5.94 years, and most patients were females (53.7%), married (70%), graduates (65.3%), employed (39.9%) and, had a monthly family income > SAR 10,000, i.e., USD 2666.2 (56.4%). The mean adherence scores obtained from MARS, ARMS and GMAS were 7.09, 19.9, and 27.4. The correlation (ρ) between GMAS and MARS scores was 0.65, and between GMAS and ARMS scores was -0.79, p < 0.01 for both comparisons. CONCLUSION: The concurrent validity of GMAS-AR was established in this study that would further substantiate psychometric properties of the scale in this population.
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OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to document the quality of work life (QWL) among healthcare staff of intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency units during COVID-19 outbreak using the WHOQoL-BREF. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted for two months (May - June 2020) among healthcare staff working in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency units of the hospitals under the National Guard Health Authority (NGHA) across five cities of Saudi Arabia. The study used the WHOQoL-BREF instrument to document the QWL through an electronic institutional survey. The data was analyzed through IBM SPSS version 23. The study was approved by an ethics committee. RESULTS: A total of 290 healthcare professionals responded to the survey. The mean overall quality of life score was 3.37 ± 0.97, general health = 3.66 ± 0.88, domains, i.e., physical = 11.67 ± 2.16, psychological = 13.08 ± 2.14, social = 13.22 ± 3.31 and environment = 12.38 ± 2.59. Respondents aged > 40 years, male gender, married status, being a physician and, having a work experience > 15 years and no extra working hours, had higher mean scores for several domains of Quality of life (QoL), overall QoL and general health (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The QWL among healthcare staff during COVID-19 pandemic was low. Demographic factors were mainly the determinants for a higher QWL while the variable of extra working hours was a determinant of lower QWL. Despite the pandemic, no COVID-19 related variables affected the work life of healthcare staff.
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BACKGROUND: Serum creatinine has been solely used in clinical practice to identify chronic kidney disease (CKD) staging in the elderly population. Serum cystatin C is believed to more accurately define the CKD staging and is also ratified as an endogenous biomarker by Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 300 elderly Malay participants (age ≥ 65 years) with CKD, attending the Hospital University Sains Malaysia were included in the study. Demographic data and history were also recorded. Serum creatinine was assayed by Chemistry Analyzer Model Architect-C8000 (Jaffe method). While serum cystatin C was examined by Human cystatin C ELISA kit (Sigma-Aldrich) using Thermo Scientific Varioskan Flash ELISA reader. RESULTS: Out of 300 study participants, 169 (56.3%) were females. Mean age of patients was 67.6 ± 6.7 years. 64 male (64.6%) and 35 female (35.4%) patients were between 70 and 79 years. When estimated by MDRD equation, the prevalence of CKD stage 3 (defined as eGFR = 30 - 59 mL/min/1.73m2) was 27.7%, while based on CKD-EPIcr, CKD-EPIcys, and CKD-EPIcr-cys equations, it was 28%, 36.3%, and 36.3%, respectively. The prevalence of CKD stage 4 (defined as eGFR = 15 - 29 mL/min/1.73m2) when estimated by MDRD was 37.6%, whereas based on CKD-EPIcr, CKD-EPIcys, and CKD-EPIcr-cys equations, it was 36.3%, 46.4%, and 46.4%, respectively. CKD stage 5 (defined as eGFR < 15 mL/min/1.73m2) when estimated by the MDRD equation was 34.7%. While based on CKD-EPIcr, CKD-EPIcys, and CKD-EPIcr-cys equations, the prevalence of CKD stage 5 was 35.7%, 17.3%, and 17.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The staging of CKD is different between the creatinine- and cystatin C-based equations. Creatinine-based equations classify patients as having CKD stage 5 twice as often as cystatin C-based equations.
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Creatinina/sangre , Cistatina C/sangre , Tasa de Filtración Glomerular , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/fisiopatología , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Estudios Prospectivos , Centros de Atención TerciariaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: The study aimed to translate and validate the Arabic version of General Medication Adherence Scale (GMAS) in Saudi patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: A multi-center cross sectional study was conducted for a month in out-patient wards of hospitals in Khobar, Dammam, Makkah, and Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Patients were randomly selected from a registered patient pools at hospitals and the item-subject ratio was kept at 1:20. The tool was assessed for factorial, construct, convergent, known group and predictive validities as well as, reliability and internal consistency of scale were also evaluated. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were also evaluated. Data were analyzed using SPSS v24 and MedCalc v19.2. The study was approved by concerned ethics committees (IRB-129-25/6/1439) and (IRB-2019-05-002). RESULTS: A total of 282 responses were received. The values for normed fit index (NFI), comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker Lewis index (TLI) and incremental fit index (IFI) were 0.960, 0.979, 0.954 and 0.980. All values were >0.95. The value for root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) was 0.059, i.e., <0.06. Hence, factorial validity was established. The average factor loading of the scale was 0.725, i.e., >0.7, that established convergent validity. Known group validity was established by obtaining significant p-value <0.05, for the associations based on hypotheses. Cronbach's α was 0.865, i.e., >0.7. Predictive validity was established by evaluating odds ratios (OR) of demographic factors with adherence score using logistic regression. Sensitivity was 78.16%, specificity was 76.85% and, accuracy of the tool was 77.66%, i.e., >70%. CONCLUSION: The Arabic version of GMAS achieved all required statistical parameters and was validated in Saudi patients with chronic diseases.
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Secondary bacterial infection is considered as a major complication associated with severe Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection responsible for the mortalities and morbidities worldwide. Use of antibiotics in viral Influenza infection is still debatable. All the confirmed diagnosed hospitalized Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection patients fulfilling inclusion/exclusion criteria during the study period were divided into two groups based on drug therapy for initial 72 hours. Group-1 included those patients who received oral oseltamivir alone while Group-2 included patients who were initiated on oseltamivir in combination with empiric cephalosporin antibiotic within 6-8 hours after hospitalization. The patients of both groups were assessed for incidences of various complication associated with Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection. A total of 227 and 116 patients were enrolled for Group-1 and Group-2 respectively. The incidences of secondary bacterial infections were significantly less (P<0.05). Moreover, length of stay in hospitalization, need of ICU admission, multiple organ failure and need of respiratory support were also significantly less (P<0.05) for Group-2 patients. Majority of patients that suffered complications were unvaccinated and aged more than 50 years with multiple comorbidities. Among cephalosporins, cefuroxime was found to be least effective in prevention of Influenza associated complications. Early initiation of empiric antibiotic therapy in combination with oseltamivir can prevent complications associated with Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection especially in elderly and unvaccinated high risk patients. Different combinations of antibiotics and antiviral medications need to be analysed for the prevention of severe Influenza infection complications.
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Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Infecciones Bacterianas/tratamiento farmacológico , Cefalosporinas/uso terapéutico , Coinfección/tratamiento farmacológico , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A/efectos de los fármacos , Gripe Humana/tratamiento farmacológico , Infecciones Bacterianas/microbiología , Estudios de Cohortes , Coinfección/microbiología , Coinfección/virología , Quimioterapia Combinada/métodos , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Gripe Humana/microbiología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Oseltamivir/uso terapéuticoRESUMEN
The aim of the study is to assess and compare the impact of antiviral drug alone and in combination with antibiotic for prevention of Influenza-A H1N1 induced acute kidney injury (AKI) in hospitalized patients. Hospitalized admitted patients with confirmed diagnosis of Influenza-A H1N1 infection were divided into two groups: group 1, which received antiviral (oseltamivir) drug alone and group 2, which received antiviral (oseltamivir) in combination with empirically prescribed antibiotic. Patients of both groups were assessed for incidences of AKI by two criteria i.e Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN) and RIFLE. A total of 329 patients (176 for group 1 and 153 for group 2) were enrolled. According to RIFLE criteria, 23(13%) of group 1 and 9(6%) patients of groups 2 were suffered from AKI with statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Also as per AKIN criteria, the incidence of AKI is statistically significantly difference (P<0.05) between both groups with 18(10%) patients and 6(4%) patients of group 1 and 2 respectively. Length of hospitalization was statistically less (P<0.05) in group 2 patients. The incidences of AKI in Influenza-A H1N1 treated with antiviral and antibiotic combination was statistically less as compared to patients who were given antiviral alone for treatment of influenza infection.
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Lesión Renal Aguda/tratamiento farmacológico , Lesión Renal Aguda/virología , Antibacterianos/uso terapéutico , Antivirales/uso terapéutico , Gripe Humana/complicaciones , Oseltamivir/uso terapéutico , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Quimioterapia Combinada , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Subtipo H1N1 del Virus de la Influenza A/patogenicidad , Gripe Humana/tratamiento farmacológico , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Resultado del Tratamiento , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Background Community pharmacies are integral to the healthcare system, actively contributing to patient safety through accurate dispensing, education, collaboration, monitoring, and the implementation of safety protocols. Their accessibility and role as medication experts make them key partners in promoting positive health outcomes for individuals and communities. Objective The current study will evaluate the patient safety culture (PSC) among community pharmacies in Karachi, Pakistan. Additionally, this study will measure the association between patient safety culture in community pharmacies and the demographic characteristics of the pharmacy staff. Methods A cross-sectional survey of pharmacy staff was conducted using a survey instrument developed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Demographic variables and assessments of safety culture in pharmacies were studied. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Among the 102 participants, positive responses ranged from 30% to 87.5%. The highest positive response was for the dimension "mistakes in communication" (86.3%), followed by "communication across shifts" (82.2%) and "communication openness" (81.7%). The dimensions "overall perceptions of patient safety" and "response to mistakes" had the lowest positive responses (56.0% and 60.9%, respectively). Furthermore, many staff did not regularly record the errors, even if they impacted the practices. Conclusion There was an overall unfavorable perception of patient safety culture among the surveyed pharmacies of Karachi, Pakistan. However, the communication dimensions showed the highest positive response. There is a strong need to improve the overall perception of patient safety among the staff and develop an optimistic response to mistakes.
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Background The COVID-19 pandemic imposed unprecedented challenges on healthcare systems worldwide. The pandemic placed frontline nursing staff working in the ICU and ER at the epicenter of this global crisis. This study aimed to assess the multifaceted impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life (QOL) of nursing staff during the pandemic. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on the QOL of 322 frontline nurses working in the ICU and ER of five Saudi hospitals from May to July 2022. Participants completed the electronic survey questionnaire including demographic characteristics and four domains of QOL from the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREFF). The data was evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Among 322 nurse participants, the majority were female (84.8%), married (64.4%), and held a bachelor's degree (92.4%). Age (above 40 years), gender (male), and marital status (married) reported a higher individual domain and overall QOL scores which shows that these characteristics have a direct influence on QOL. Years of work experience, extra working hours, and direct contact with COVID-19 patients were additional significant factors. Pearson correlation coefficients among QOL domains ranged from 0.54 to 0.91, indicating a strong interrelation among these domains. The highest transformed score was in the social domain (70.10) while the lowest score was in the psychological domain (59.20). The overall QOL mean score (SD) was 3.49(0.14) and the mean score (SD) of general health was 3.46(0.15). Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that sociodemographic and work-related factors have a complex and multifaceted impact on the QOL of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. It also presents an insight into developing specific interventions to enhance nurses' resilience and well-being amidst pandemic challenges and to improve their QOL.
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Aim: The study aimed to document the anxiety attributed to COVID-19, disease knowledge, and intention to vaccinate against the disease in general public. Moreover, the interplay among these three outcomes was also investigated. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for 2 months in three cities of Dammam Region of Saudi Arabia. The target segment was the adult population of Saudi Arabia. Convenience sampling was used and all adults aged ≥18 were invited to participate. The questionnaire used in the study was available in both Arabic and English languages. It included a demographic section, a section dedicated to vaccination intention and, a section containing coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS). The data analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS version 23. The study was approved by an ethics committee (IRB-2021-05-297). Results: A total of 542 responses were analyzed. Most respondents had no anxiety attributed to COVID-19 (92.1%), self-reported good knowledge of COVID-19 (79.7%) and intended to administer a vaccine (57.4%). Age groups 18-29 years and 30-45 years, and having a chronic medical condition, were found to be determinants of having COVID-19 anxiety (p < 0.05). The variables of self-rated good knowledge of disease, never contracted COVID-19, and incomes of SAR 5,000 (i.e., USD 1333), and SAR 7,500-10,000 (i.e., USD 1999.5-2666), were found to be determinants of having positive intention toward vaccination (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The anxiety due to COVID-19 was present in a few participants. Besides, self-reported knowledge about COVID-19 and intention to administer a vaccine, were positively linked to each other. However, both variables had no effect on COVID-19 anxiety. It is important to review and address the determinants of positive intention to further increase vaccine acceptance rate.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Adulto , Humanos , Arabia Saudita/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Intención , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , VacunaciónRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate knowledge, attitude, perception, and assess the determinants of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) among undergraduate students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female undergraduate students in Pakistan using a survey. The questionnaire was formulated in English language by a review of literature and expert consensus. The sampling approach was convenient, and survey was available as electronic as well as hardcopy. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v23. Descriptive statistics namely mean ([Formula: see text]), standard deviation (SD), or median ([Formula: see text]) and interquartile range (IQR) were used dependent upon data distribution. In addition, range (R) was also utilized to express the results. The logistic and linear regression analyses were also conducted. Study received ethical clearance from ethics committees. RESULTS: A total of 646 responses were analyzed. The average PCOS knowledge score was 11.58 ± 4.99 (overall), 12.02 ± 4.73 (medical students), 9.36 ± 5.65 (non-medical students) (α = 0.861). 68.6% participants did not feel embarrassed while discussing PCOS in the society, but 67.3% never discussed it with a doctor. Lack of self-knowledge (31.6%) and shyness/reluctance (21.4%) were identified as barriers by most students. Further, obesity, irregular menstrual periods, family history, hirsutism and contraceptive use were observed to be determinants for having PCOS (AOR > 2, p<0.05). The disease knowledge score was higher for participants studying in medical college (ß = 0.184), having menstrual periods < 5 days (ß = 0.125), and with a family history (ß = 0.121) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The disease knowledge among undergraduates was inadequate. However, there is greater acknowledgement of PCOS as a problem for Pakistani women and barriers have been identified in the study. Conducting awareness campaigns within academic institutions which include promoting disease education, arranging talks, distributing merchandise with disease awareness signage, would greatly help in raising awareness of the disease and lowering stigma and hesitancy.
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Síndrome del Ovario Poliquístico , Estudiantes de Medicina , Humanos , Femenino , Pakistán/epidemiología , Estudios Transversales , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en SaludRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 results in respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Elderly patients are at high risk. Preventive measures like avoiding contact with COVID-19 patients and wearing N95 masks can contribute to reducing the risk of infection, but vaccination remains crucial. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among the elderly population (≥ 50 years) in Pakistan. A 16-items questionnaire explored the socio-demographic profile of the participants, including questions about their age, gender, etc. The other sections included questions regarding vaccine registration, vaccine acceptance, and hesitation and fears towards vaccines. The items were developed to collect the data on the basis of the Likert scale. RESULTS: There was a total of 3059 respondents. The majority of the participants (n = 2726, 89.1%) were aged below 70 years, while 10.9% (n = 333) were aged above 70 years. Many participants (47.1%) expressed their concerns about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. Despite their willingness to vaccinate with the cOVID-19 vaccine, 24.7% female participants expressed concerns related to the safety of the vaccine. Among all the respondents, 23.1% participants had no concerns about the cOVID-19 vaccine booster dose. The study identified a reluctance and lack of confidence in the efficiency of the COVID-19 booster dose. CONCLUSIONS: The alarming situation is rigidity towards vaccination among the elderly population. Necessary measures must be taken by the health department of Pakistan to manage this reluctant behavior and increase confidence on the efficiency of the COVID-19 booster dose.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Humanos , Anciano , Femenino , Masculino , COVID-19/prevención & control , Estudios Transversales , Pandemias , VacunaciónRESUMEN
Objective: To document breast cancer (BC) knowledge, awareness, and attitudes among female undergraduate students studying at health and non-health colleges. Methods: A 3-month cross-sectional study was conducted among female undergraduate students studying at health and non-health subject colleges affiliated to a public university. Convenience sampling was employed, and a previously validated questionnaire available in English and Arabic languages was used. Multiple linear regression was used to report the predictors of BC knowledge. A two-tailed p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The study was approved by an ethics committee. Results: A total of 506 responses were analyzed. The mean knowledge score was 13.98 ± 4.1. The findings of the surveyed students suggested that more than 55% of the students had an acceptable level of knowledge. By education sector, approximately 70% and 40% of health and non-health college students, respectively, had an acceptable level of knowledge. The mean difference in knowledge scores between students of health and non-health colleges was significant (p < 0.001) as students at health colleges had a higher score. Age, college type and the presence of the disease in family/relatives were significant predictors of students' BC knowledge (p < 0.05). Conclusion: By comparing it with previous evidence, the knowledge of BC has improved. The role of awareness campaigns as an information medium for students from non-health backgrounds is greatly appreciated. Moreover, the internet and electronic media have emerged as new sources of information for non-health college students, and therefore, more efforts are needed to utilize this medium in empowering this student population in understanding of this disease.
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Neoplasias de la Mama , Estudios Transversales , Femenino , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Estudiantes , UniversidadesRESUMEN
Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination acceptance and reluctance among staff working in Saudi healthcare facilities. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during April - May 2021, among healthcare workers in five public hospitals under the National Guards Health Association located in Alahsa, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, and Riyadh. The study used a questionnaire in English language, which was distributed through official email communication among healthcare staff currently working at study venues. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS v23. An ethical approval was obtained. Results: A total of 1,031 responses were recorded. Most of the staff had both doses of COVID-19 vaccine (89%). The mean score for vaccine acceptance on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) was 3.55 ± 1.6. The mean score for vaccine reluctance on the same scale was 2.71 ± 1.05. Most participants mentioned safety (76.9%) and efficacy (56.3%) as vaccine concerns and believed that COVID-19 vaccine may not be effective because of changes in virus strain (55.5%). The variables of gender and nationality significantly affected vaccine acceptance, while age, gender, nationality, and profession significantly affected vaccine reluctance (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Most healthcare staff were vaccinated, and a high acceptance for COVID-19 vaccination was reported. Several demographic factors affected the vaccine acceptance and reluctance.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Actitud del Personal de Salud , COVID-19/prevención & control , Estudios Transversales , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Arabia SauditaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to compare the efficacy of antiviral drug alone and antiviral-antibiotic combination therapy in prevention of complications associated with influenza B hospitalized patients. METHOD: Laboratory confirmed influenza B hospitalized patients presented in emergency room after 48 hours of symptoms onset were identified and divided into two groups; Group-1 patients were initiated on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) alone while Group-2 patients were initiated on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) in combination with Antibiotic for at least 3 days. Patients were evaluated for different clinical outcomes among both treatment group. RESULTS: A total of 153 and 131 patients were identified for Group-1 and Group-2, respectively. Clinical outcomes such as secondary bacterial infections (20.9%-vs-9.1%; P = 0.031), need of respiratory support (28.7%-vs-12.9%; P = 0.002), length of hospitalization stay (6.57-vs-4.95 days; P = <0.001), incidences of ICU admission (15.7%-vs-7.6%; P = 0.036), early clinical failure (32.6%-vs-16.1%; P = 0.01), and time to clinical stability (4.83-vs-4.1 days; P = 0.001) were found to be statistically less significant (P-value <0.05) for Group-2 patients. CONCLUSION: Early initiation of antibiotic therapy in combination with oseltamivir was found to be more efficacious than oseltamivir alone in prevention of influenza B-associated complications especially in high-risk influenza patients.
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Antibacterianos/administración & dosificación , Antivirales/administración & dosificación , Gripe Humana/tratamiento farmacológico , Oseltamivir/administración & dosificación , Adulto , Anciano , Infecciones Bacterianas/prevención & control , Quimioterapia Combinada , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Virus de la Influenza B/aislamiento & purificación , Gripe Humana/complicaciones , Gripe Humana/virología , Tiempo de Internación , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Retrospectivos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To assess the comparative efficacy of oseltamivir alone and oseltamivir-antibiotic therapy for early relief of symptoms associated with severe influenza-A (non-H1N1) and influenza-B infection hospitalized patients. METHODS: In this retrospective multicenter study conducted from 2016-2019, enrolled patients were divided into 2 treatment groups. Group 1 patients were started on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) alone therapy. Group 2 patients were initiated on Antiviral drug (oseltamivir) in combination with Antibiotic therapy. Using acute respiratory illness scoring, symptom severity score was assessed daily for 8 symptoms namely, fever, fatigue, headache, cough, sore throat, wheezing, muscle ache and nasal congestion. For each symptom the severity was scored from scale 0-3. Results: Overall mean ARI severity score was statistically significantly lower (p less than 0.05) on day 2 (14.65-vs-13.68), day 3 (12.95-vs-11.67) and day 4 (10.31-vs-9.12 ) for influenza-A (non-H1N1) while day 3 (12.52-vs-11.87) and day 4 (11.21-vs-10.18) for influenza-B patients for patients who were initiated on oseltamivir-antibiotic combination therapy. Fever, cough and nasal congestion showed statistically significant improvement within 4 days of initiation of combination treatment. Fatigue, sore throat and muscle ache improvement pattern was same for both treatment protocols. CONCLUSION: Oseltamivir-antibiotic combination treatment showed early resolution of some symptoms with cumulatively reduced mean symptom severity score in severe influenza infection hospitalized patients.
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Antibacterianos/administración & dosificación , Antivirales/administración & dosificación , Virus de la Influenza A , Virus de la Influenza B , Gripe Humana/tratamiento farmacológico , Pacientes Internos , Oseltamivir/administración & dosificación , Adulto , Anciano , Estudios de Cohortes , Quimioterapia Combinada , Femenino , Hospitalización , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Multicéntricos como Asunto , Estudios Retrospectivos , Índice de Severidad de la Enfermedad , Factores de Tiempo , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
Objectives: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy for prevention of Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection associated complications and early relief of influenza symptoms.Methods: In a retrospective observational cohort study, Influenza-A (H1N1)pdm09 infection hospitalized patients were identified and divided into two groups based on the initial therapy. Group-AV patients were initiated on Oseltamivir without any antibiotic in treatment regimen while Group-AV+AZ patients were initiated on Oseltamivir and Azithromycin combination therapy for at least 3-5 days. Patients were evaluated for different clinical outcomes.Results: A total of 227 and 102 patients were identified for Group-AV and Group-AV+AZ respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that incidences of secondary bacterial infections were significantly less frequent (23.4% vs 10.4%; P-value = 0.019) in Group-AV+AZ patients. Group-AV+AZ patients were associated with shorter length of hospitalization (6.58 vs 5.09 days; P-value = <0.0001) and less frequent incidences of respiratory support (38.3% vs 17.6%; P-value = 0.016). Overall influenza symptom severity score was statistically significant less for Group-AV+AZ patients on Day-5 (10.68 ± 2.09; P-value = 0.001) of hospitalization.Conclusion: Oseltamivir-Azithromycin combination therapy was found to be more efficacious as compared to oseltamivir alone in rapid recovery and prevention of Influenza associated complications especially in high risk patients.