Capacity building toward evidence-based medicine among healthcare professionals at the university of medicine and pharmacy, ho chi minh city, and its related institutes.

Research capacity development enhances a country's ownership of activities aimed at strengthening its health system. In Vietnam, continuing medical education (CME) is attracting increasing attention with the establishment of legal and policy frameworks. During 2010-2013, the Japan International Cooperation Agency funded a research capacity building project targeting physicians in Ho Chi Minh City. The project had been developed in four previous courses that were conducted in collaboration with Fukushima Medical University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMP). The project succeeded in obtaining accreditation as the city's CME course. A total of 262 physicians attended three courses that have a divided set of research competencies. Following the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluating the effectiveness of training programs, we confirmed the participants' positive reaction to the courses (Level 1 evaluation), their perceived increase in knowledge and confidence in research skills (Level 2 evaluation), and application of learned knowledge in their practice (Level 3 evaluation). Presented here is a step-by-step scaling-up model of health research capacity building. Strategies for the further expansion include: further capacity building of instructors; responding to clinicians' specific needs; building a recruiting system with authorization; and improving the Level 3 training evaluation.

Characteristics of metabolic syndrome and its clinical components among diabetic Vietnamese patients: A survry at two institutions in Ho Chi Minh City.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among Vietnamese diabetic patients and to investigate their characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 652 outpatients who were recruited from one public general hospital (People Hospital 115) and one private clinic (Medic Center) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We obtained informed consent from participants, collected clinical information from medical files, and conducted patient interviews. We evaluated the collected information descriptively and diagnosed metabolic syndrome according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome. RESULTS: A total of 517 eligible patients (175 men and 342 women) were analyzed. Mean age was 54.6 years for men and 60.7 years for women. Metabolic syndrome was observed in 39.4% of men and 70.5% of women. Central obesity was more prevalent among women (72.5%) compared to men (39.4%). Participants with metabolic syndrome were less likely to endorse a sense of general well-being, and women with metabolic syndrome were likely to have less diabetes-related distress. CONCLUSIONS: this study revealed a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome in diabetic Vietnamese patients, especially among women, and revealed central obesity as a key feature. A prospective study should be conducted in this population in order to assess impacts of metabolic syndrome on disease outcome.