Healthcare workers' knowledge and risk perception regarding the first wave of COVID-19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: an online cross-sectional survey.

Background: Increased COVID-19 transmission among the populace may be caused by healthcare workers (HCWs) who lack knowledge, awareness, and good preventive practices. Additionally, it may cause elevated stress levels, anxiety, poor medical judgement, and situational overestimation. Objectives: The present survey aimed to assess knowledge and risk perception regarding COVID-19 among HCWs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Methodology: A web-based online, pre-tested questionnaire comprising 26 items was circulated via social media in April 2020 amongst HCWs in major tertiary care facilities in KP. Results: The study's results, revealing both the commendable knowledge levels among HCWs about COVID-19 and their heightened risk perception, highlight the critical need for targeted interventions to address the potential impact on self-protective behaviour and mental health within this vital workforce. This insight is important for designing strategies that not only enhance HCWs' well-being but also ensure the continued effectiveness of healthcare delivery during pandemics. The percentage mean score (PMS) of COVID-19 knowledge was 85.14±10.82. Male HCWs and those with an age older than or equal to 32 years demonstrated a higher knowledge score (85.62±11.08; P=0.032 and 87.59±7.33, P=0.021, respectively). About 76% of HCWs feared contracting COVID-19. Nearly 82% of respondents were mentally preoccupied with the pandemic and also terrified of it. 'Of these, 81% were nurses, 87% had a job experience of 6-8 years and 54.45% were frontline workers. Feelings of panic and concern about the pandemic were found to be more in HCWs who were physicians above the age of 32, and who had 3-5 years of work experience. HCWs' overall risk perception was found to be significantly different between males (7.04±2.26) and females (8.01±1.97), job experience of 6-10 years (8.04±177) with 3-5 years and younger than or equal to 2 years job experience (7.18±2.43,6.93±2.22), respectively, and between frontline HCWs (7.50±2.10) and non-frontline HCWs (6.84±2.40). Conclusion: HCWs demonstrated good knowledge about COVID-19. As the risk perception of COVID-19 among HCWs is high, it can raise concerns about their self-protective behaviour, and mental health. These issues need to be addressed.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Transvaginal Ultrasound in Adenomyosis Taking MRI as a Gold Standard.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of transvaginal ultrasound in the diagnosis of adenomyosis using MRI as the gold standard, and to characterise the most commonly seen and accurate ultrasonographic features and their combination. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Radiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2018 to July 2021. METHODOLOGY: Transvaginal ultrasound examination was performed on patients (n = 208) who presented with symptoms related to menstrual cycles and pelvic abnormalities. Additionally, patients who sought infertility evaluation were also included in the study. The findings from the ultrasound examinations were assessed and tabulated alongside the results of the MRI scans. All examinations were conducted by senior radiologists / sonographers. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively) of ultrasound features were calculated individually and in combination, taking MRI as the gold standard. To enhance the accuracy of ultrasound findings, various variables were combined, and their sensitivities and specificities were calculated. RESULTS: Overall, transvaginal ultrasound had a high specificity of 96.15% (95% CI: 85.67 - 99.33), a relatively low sensitivity of 74.36% (95% CI: 66.63 - 80.85), PPV of 98.31 (95% CI: 93.40 - 99.70) and NPV of 55.56 (95% CI: 44.73 - 65.90). The most sensitive dual variable used was a bulky uterus combined with altered myometrial echotexture, with a sensitivity of 72.97% (95% CI: 64.95 - 79.78) and specificity of 95.83% (95% CI: 84.57-99.27). The best combined triple variable was a bulky uterus with altered echotexture and streaky myometrium, with a sensitivity of 71.85% (95% CI: 63.35 - 79.10) and a specificity of 95.46% (95% CI: 83.30 - 99.21). CONCLUSION: Transvaginal ultrasound features can identify adenomyosis characteristics in most of the patients. This could reduce the number of pelvic MRIs performed for the detection of adenomyosis. KEY WORDS: Adenomyosis, Diagnosis, Magnetic resonance imaging, Bulky uterus, Altered myometrial, Echotexture, Ultrasound.

Predictive factors and outcomes of severe community acquired pneumonia in patients with respiratory failure.

Objectives: To explore the risk factors, pathogens and outcomes of severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in patients with respiratory failure. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at Northwest General Hospital & Research Centre, Peshawar, Pakistan from February 2016 to October 2018. All patients with Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recorded consecutively. Diagnosis of SCAP was made following the criteria established by the IDSA/ATS in the consensus guidelines on the management of CAP in adults published in 2007. In-hospital mortality was the main outcome. Results: The final analysis comprised a total of 100 patients with SCAP. The mean age was 60.0±18.01 years, and 54.0% were female patients. Afghani patients represented 22.0% of the total patients. The most common comorbidity associated with SCAP was hypertension (42.0%). The most commonly isolated etiological agents were Acinetobacter baumannii, followed by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. In-hospital mortality was 45%. On multivariate analysis, factors associated with in-hospital mortality were age (OR 1.054; 95%Cl 1.01-1.10; p=0.021), presence of two or more complications (OR 4.51; 95%Cl 1.18-17.28; p=0.028), septic shock (OR 6.44; 95%Cl 1.55-26.803; p=0.010), length of mechanical ventilation (OR 1.17; 95%Cl 1.01-1.40; p=0.043), and paO2 (OR 4.51; 95%Cl 1.18-17.28; p=0.004). Conclusion: A high mortality rate was observed in our study. Age, presence of two or more complications, septic shock, length of mechanical ventilation, and low paO2 were identified to be independent predictors of mortality for patients with SCAP.