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Family Medicine, Medicine, Mood, Patient education, Myths, and 5 moreBlood Pressure, Belief, Hypotension, Dizziness, and Headaches
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To determine the correlation of functional and nutritional status of elderly patients (equal to and more than 60 years of age) visiting family medicine clinics of tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Cross-sectional, descriptive study.... more
To determine the correlation of functional and nutritional status of elderly patients (equal to and more than 60 years of age) visiting family medicine clinics of tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Family medicine clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital, in Karachi, from August 2014 to February 2015. A total of 200 participants (60 years and above), Family medicine outpatient clinics, were recruited via non-probability consecutive sampling. Katz scoring and MNA scale were used for the evaluation of functional and nutritional status, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was applied to assess the correlation between nutritional status and functional status of elderly. Out of 200 participants, 35 % (n=70) were of 60-64 years of age. Most of them (54%, n=109) were males as compared to 46% (n=91) females; 33.5% were at risk of malnutrition and 35.5% were dependent. Spearmen correlation between functional and nutritional status was rho = -0.675, with p-value of p<0.001. There is a negative correlation between nutritional and functional status. As good nutritional status is essential for older persons to become functionally active; hence, this issue needs to be dealt in a developing country like Pakistan.
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Objective: Spiritual needs have been of great importance in care giving both religiously and culturally in our society. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of spiritual needs of care givers and role of spiritual... more
Objective: Spiritual needs have been of great importance in care giving both religiously and culturally in our society. The aim of this study was to investigate the importance of spiritual needs of care givers and role of spiritual support in care giving. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted during July to September, 2015 at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Participants 18 years old and above, involved in care giving to a family member were consecutively recruited. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to assess information and SPSS was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 400 participants were recruited. About 54% of the participants were males. Most of the participants (80%) feel that care giving gets easy with spiritual support. Conclusion: Spiritual care has favorable impact on psychological and spiritual well being of care givers. Physicians need to be aware of the value held for religious beliefs and spiritual implementation by patients and their care givers
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Rheumatology, Quality of life, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Medicine, Anxiety, and 11 morePathophysiology, Fibromyalgia, Disease, Mental Disorders, Etiology, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ANXIETY, Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing, Psychiatry and Psychology, Musculoskeletal diseases, and Clinical features
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Family Medicine, Pakistan, Health, Medicine, Caregiving, and 3 moreImpact, Caregiver, and Family caregivers
Background: Doctor-Patient consultation models have evolved over time, but there is a need for a paradigm shift from a directive consultation style towards a non-directive, person-centered consultation style. The aim of this study was to... more
Background: Doctor-Patient consultation models have evolved over time, but there is a need for a paradigm shift from a directive consultation style towards a non-directive, person-centered consultation style. The aim of this study was to identify patients’ attitudes and perceptions to a person-centered model of care. Methods: A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted at a general outpatients department of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, from September to November 2011. A total of 460 adult patients (>18 years and visiting the same doctor for more than one year) were consecutively approached. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect patient information. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: In total 424 participants were included in the final analysis. The majority of the patients were males (57.3%). Females preferred the person-centered care (PCC) model more (52.7 vs. 42.7%). The regression analysis showed that those participants who had 6 to 12 years of education preferred the PCC model more as compared to those with low educational status (AOR:0.08, 95% C.I: 0.06-3.0, p=<0.01). Other variables, such as being female, being less than 25 years old and being a student/housewife or being retired were statistically insignificant in the regression model. Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate that females prefer the PCC model more. There is a need for more intensive research that can assist in improving access to person-centered care. To improve PCC in all patient-physician encounters, it is important to identify contextual factors that underlie differences in communication as a function of gender.
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Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computational Biology, Biotechnology, Cancer, and 15 moreCell Biology, Biological Sciences, Anatomy, Cardiovascular health, Cohort Study, Characteristics, Biochemical, Artery, Ambulatory, Ci, Biomarker, Adhesion molecules, Beta Cells, Ambulatory Care, and Autoimmune Thyroiditis
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Background: Worldwide, some one million people pass the sixty year old threshold every month (Ageing, WHO). Between 2010 and 2050, the number of older people in less developed countries is projected to increase. Methods: Cross-sectional... more
Background: Worldwide, some one million people pass the sixty year old threshold every month (Ageing, WHO). Between 2010 and 2050, the number of older people in less developed countries is projected to increase. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in Outpatient clinics (OPD) of two hospitals in Karachi from April to May 2013. Elderly (> 60 years of age) visiting the clinics were consecutively recruited. 477 elderly were approached and a pretested, structured questionnaire was used to obtain information. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 19 and Pearson chi-square test was used to identify the factors related to choosing of "Old Age Homes". Results: A total of 400 participants were selected. Fifty-five percent of the elderly were in between 60 to 65 years of age and majority was males 54.8 percent. Elderly were aware of the presence of "Old Age Homes" in Pakistan, however only 7 percent choose to live in there. The main reason was found to be that the el...
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Gerontology and Medicine
COVID-19 has become a major global public health threat. It started from Wuhan a province of China in December 2019 and has spread in every country of the globe with over 100 million people currently infected and over three million deaths... more
COVID-19 has become a major global public health threat. It started from Wuhan a province of China in December 2019 and has spread in every country of the globe with over 100 million people currently infected and over three million deaths as of May 2021. Nearly a year on, with many town and cities are in lockdown and with all public health measures to minimize transmission of the virus SARS-COV-2 and the scientific achievements with many vaccines developed in record time, the transmission in the second wave is still strong with new variants of the virus emerging. The pandemic has caused a serious impact on the economic, social, political, and cultural dynamics of people, globally. The majority of people with mild and moderate symptoms of COVID-19 seek primary care (PC) service as the entry point for getting medical intervention, reducing flow to hospital care. Currently, primary care settings are facing major challenges including lack of funds, poor infrastructure in some countries,...
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Public Health Principles Application Failure during Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons learned and way forward
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Person-centered care is one of the vital components of a health care system and signifies the concept of health promotion and disease prevention. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of patients and physicians regarding... more
Person-centered care is one of the vital components of a health care system and signifies the concept of health promotion and disease prevention. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of patients and physicians regarding person-centered care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). A cross-sectional study was conducted in six countries of EMR during June 2019 to August 2019. In first phase, 190 family physicians (FPs) practicing for atleast six months were recruited. In the next phase, the recruited FPs then approached their patients aged more than 18 years. Multinomial regression analysis was conducted using SPSS version 20. Of a total of 300 patients, 25% were aged 40 years or above and the majority 56% were females. Among physicians, 62.8% were between 25 to 35 years and 88% had a postgraduate training in Family Medicine. Thirty six percent of patients and 62.6% of physicians, preferred a person-centered care model of care. Among physicians, field of specialization (ORad...
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Rapidly growing morbidity and mortality due to heart disease is a great concerned for scientist. Among the etiology of atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia is a major risk factor. Garlic has active ingredients of allium sativum used in high... more
Rapidly growing morbidity and mortality due to heart disease is a great concerned for scientist. Among the etiology of atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia is a major risk factor. Garlic has active ingredients of allium sativum used in high blood pressure management. Garlic has been used as a therapeutic agent for many illnesses such as hypertension, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular diseases. Evidence from various studies and clinical trials proved the efficacy of garlic to reduce lipid level.However, some contradictory results are also reported. This review was undertaken to assess the role of garlic therapy in dyslipidemia. Major databases including Google, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane library view were used for literature search. Clinical trials conducted on humans assessing role of garlic therapy in dyslipidemia and the possible mechanisms responsible for such therapeutic actions were assessed. Several trials and meta-analyses have suggested positive effect of garlic on total cholester...
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The concept that food is medicine is being practiced in certain parts of the world, with positive outcomes on health of the population. We have such practice in Pakistan but it needs to be brought in line with the available scientific... more
The concept that food is medicine is being practiced in certain parts of the world, with positive outcomes on health of the population. We have such practice in Pakistan but it needs to be brought in line with the available scientific evidence. The study was conducted on 270 patients, visiting the Family Practice Center, the Aga Khan University, Karachi. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic profile, and the use of folk remedies for medicinal uses. Substantial use of folk remedies for different medical conditions has been documented. The remedies included cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cordimon, sesame oil, poppy seeds, honey, lemon, table salt, eggs and curd. The medical conditions in which folk remedies are used in respondents' view, include conditions such as common cold, cough and flu to more serious conditions such as asthma, jaundice and heat stroke. We have found a substantial use of folk remedies for treatment of medical conditions. There is a nee...
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Health Care and Medicine
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Adolescent health is now emerging as one of the areas for major healthcare concern. Adolescence is considered as a transitional stage of physical and mental human development between childhood and adulthood. This stage in life is regarded... more
Adolescent health is now emerging as one of the areas for major healthcare concern. Adolescence is considered as a transitional stage of physical and mental human development between childhood and adulthood. This stage in life is regarded important because it brings about pubertal, social and psychological changes. The World Health Organization has defined adolescent as an individual between 10-19 years of age.1 Around 3 billion, nearly half of the world’s population is estimated to be less than 25 years of age. An estimated 1.3 billion adolescents live in developing countries and with 500 million adolescent girls.2 Adolescents constitute about 32.6% of Pakistan’s population; 65% among them live in rural areas.3 It is unfortunate that there is no reliable objective data from either rural non urban areas of Pakistan concerning adolescent issues. Health is affected by socioeconomic issues and a need exists to study them in the context of adolescent population. Issues such as undernour...
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A 45 year-old driver presented with a two months history of hoarseness, fever, productive cough, anorexia and weight loss. He chewed tobacco. He was previously seen and treated without benefit by a family Physician and two ear, nose and... more
A 45 year-old driver presented with a two months history of hoarseness, fever, productive cough, anorexia and weight loss. He chewed tobacco. He was previously seen and treated without benefit by a family Physician and two ear, nose and throat consultants. Crackles were heard in the left scapular region. An X-Ray of the chest showed a right apical cavity, perihilar infiltrates and blunting of left costophrenic angle. His sputum smear showed acid fast bacilli. A high index of suspicion for tuberculosis is recommended while dealing with such cases. Complete recovery of patient's voice with anti-tubercular therapy confirmed it was a case of laryngeal tuberculosis.
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Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of Karachi University students about reproductive health and rights. Design: Cross sectional study Methods: A survey was conducted from February to May 2005 to determine the... more
Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of Karachi University students about reproductive health and rights. Design: Cross sectional study Methods: A survey was conducted from February to May 2005 to determine the understanding and knowledge related to reproductive health and rights among the students of the department o f Biochemistry, University of Karachi, Pakistan. A pre-coded questionnaire was developed and pre-tested. The questionnaire was introduced to those students, who agreed to participate in the study. Data collected was double entered and analyzed on SPSS and Epi-info latest version. Results: Fifty five percent (55%) of participants believed the reproductive rights to be as important as other human rights. About 80% o f participants thought that proper birth spacing can improve maternal and child health but very few Pakistani women have birth spacing rights. Quality of life o f women and men can be improved by knowing their reproductive rights in v...
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Background and Objectives: Tobacco smoking is a major public health problem. We have studied barriers to smoking cessation among family practice patients. Methods: It was a questionnaire based survey, conducted at Family Practice Center,... more
Background and Objectives: Tobacco smoking is a major public health problem. We have studied barriers to smoking cessation among family practice patients. Methods: It was a questionnaire based survey, conducted at Family Practice Center, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, in July 2003. A trained volunteer administered the questionnaire that included data on demographic profile of the patient and information barriers to smoking cessation. Ethical requirement including the administration of written informed consent and the provision of confidentiality were ensured. SPSS computer software was used for data management. Results: A total of 100 patients were interviewed, of which 96 (96%) were males. The mean age was 37.4 years. Fifty three (53%) of the respondents had graduate education. Fifty two (52%) respondents wanted to give up smoking while fifty five (55%) had tried to do so in the past. Ninety one (91%) respondents give up smoking during the fasting month of Ramadan...
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Background: Person-centered care has long been identified as a key component of health systems and one of the six domains of quality. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of patients and physicians regarding person-centered care... more
Background: Person-centered care has long been identified as a key component of health systems and one of the six domains of quality. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of patients and physicians regarding person-centered care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR).Methods: A multicountry, cross-sectional study was conducted in 6 countries of EMR during July 2012 to September 2012. From each country, an expert Family Physician (FP) was identified and invited for the study. During the first phase, 190 FPs practicing for at least 6 months were recruited. In the second phase, the recruited FPs approached 300 patients aged > 18 years with 1 or more recurring problems. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 19.Results: Of a total of 360 patients, 53% were between 25-40 years of age and the majority 55.7% were females. Among physicians, 66.8% were females and 72.1% had undergone specialization in Family Medicine from EMR. About 36% of the patients, while 62.6% of t...
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To study the perceptions about female sexuality among young Pakistani men, presenting to family physicians at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire based prevalence study. Questionnaire administered to 188 young... more
To study the perceptions about female sexuality among young Pakistani men, presenting to family physicians at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire based prevalence study. Questionnaire administered to 188 young Pakistani men, between the ages 18-30 years, who presented to family physicians, at the outpatient department of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Perception among Pakistani young men about enjoyment of sexual experiences in women, whether women stop to enjoy sexual experiences during stress, menstruation, pregnancy and after menopause. Whether they are aware about "orgasm" in women and their belief in who can initiate sexual experiences, husband, wife or both. The age of the study population was uniformly distributed between 18-30 years. The majority of the respondents were professionals, with a high school or a higher level education and belonged to the middle socioeconomic group. Well over 40% of the respondents thought tha...
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This aim of this study was to assess the degree to which the doctors of a public sector hospital in Karachi adhere to medical ethics during their consultations. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan,... more
This aim of this study was to assess the degree to which the doctors of a public sector hospital in Karachi adhere to medical ethics during their consultations. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, during April-June 2010. 337 patients from Out Patients Departments (OPDs) and wards were recruited through consecutive sampling. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to the participants and they were asked about their demographic profile, and their doctor's practices regarding obtaining informed consent, respecting privacy and confidentiality, and treatment modalities. Written informed consent was taken from all the participants. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16.0, and a p-value of…
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The focus of the physician-patient consultation has been on the physician and the patient [1, 2] and perhaps the environment in which the consultation takes place. This is appropriate by all means but such an approach has undermined the... more
The focus of the physician-patient consultation has been on the physician and the patient [1, 2] and perhaps the environment in which the consultation takes place. This is appropriate by all means but such an approach has undermined the value of other personnel involved in ...
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To determine the patient perceptions regarding healing during a physician-patient consultation. A questionnaire-based survey. Family Practice Center of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, in June 2004. A questionnaire was... more
To determine the patient perceptions regarding healing during a physician-patient consultation. A questionnaire-based survey. Family Practice Center of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, in June 2004. A questionnaire was designed that included the demographic profile of patients comprising age, gender, education and occupation as well as questions in line with the study objective. It was administered to 111 patients, visiting outpatient department of the hospital. Participants were explained the study objective, a written consent was taken and full confidentiality was assured. The mean age of the study population was 27.86 years. Majority of the subjects were males with 68% having graduate or more education. A physician-patient consultation has healing properties for patients and physicians, according to 99 (89%) and 67 (65%) respondents respectively, with 65 (58%) having had experienced healing during the consultation process. The competence of a physician, indivi...
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Objectives: To document the practice and belief in offering prayers to have a favorable impact on healing among family practice patients at a teaching hospital in Karachi. Methodology: This study was conducted at Community Health Centre,... more
Objectives: To document the practice and belief in offering prayers to have a favorable impact on healing among family practice patients at a teaching hospital in Karachi. Methodology: This study was conducted at Community Health Centre, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan in July 2008. A questionnaire was designed that included the demographic profile of patients comprising age, sex, marital status, religion, religious sect, ethnic group, education & occupation as well as questions in accordance with the study objective. It was administered to 400 patients visiting outpatient department of the hospital against calculated sample size of 385. Participants were explained the study objective, a written consent was taken and full confidentiality was assured. Results: The mean age of the study population was 34.33 years, majority of the patients were males (65%) with 65.6% having grade XII or more education. The majority of subjects was Urdu-speaking (76.5%) and belonged to S...