Objective: To analyze the effect of health management on improving the awareness rate of disease prevention and treatment in patients with prehypertension, so as to provide guidance for clinical management of patients...Objective: To analyze the effect of health management on improving the awareness rate of disease prevention and treatment in patients with prehypertension, so as to provide guidance for clinical management of patients with prehypertension. Methods: 108 patients diagnosed with prehypertension in our hospital were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The control group was not given management measures, while the experimental group was given health management. The incidence of hypertension and cognition level of hypertension knowledge were compared between the two groups after management. Results: The incidence of hypertension in the experimental group was 7.41% lower than that in the control group 29.63%. The cognitive level of hypertension in the patients (66.54 ± 1.25) was significantly higher than that in the patients without health management (41.45 ± 2.45), and P < 0.05;Conclusion: For patients with prehypertension, the implementation of health management is helpful to improve their cognition of hypertension, master related prevention knowledge, and reduce the incidence of hypertension.展开更多
Background: Treatment non-adherence poses significant risks to health outcomes and impedes the health system’s efficiency, hence curtailing progress towards the end Tuberculosis (TB) strategy under SDG 3.3. Despite i...Background: Treatment non-adherence poses significant risks to health outcomes and impedes the health system’s efficiency, hence curtailing progress towards the end Tuberculosis (TB) strategy under SDG 3.3. Despite interventions to address TB treatment non-adherence, Kenya still reports high TB treatment non-adherence rates of 35% and consequently poor treatment outcome rates. Health Care Workers (HCWs) play a critical role in linking the population to health services, yet little is known of their influence on patients’ TB treatment non-adherence in Kenya. Objective: To analyze HCW-related factors associated with TB treatment non-adherence among patients in Kisumu East Sub-County. Methods: Health facility-based analytical cross-sectional mixed-method study. A Semi-structured questionnaire on treatment adherence and patients’ perceptions of HCWs during the clinic visit was administered to 102 consenting adult (out of a total census of 107 adults) drug-susceptible TB patients. 12 purposively selected HCWs by rank from 6 health facilities participated in Key Informant Interview sessions. Medication adherence was measured using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and then expressed as a dichotomous variable. Quantitative analysis utilized STATA version 15.1 while qualitative deductive thematic analysis was done using NVIVO version 14. Results: TB treatment non-adherence rate of 26% (CI: 18% - 36%) was recorded. Overall, patients who felt supported in dealing with the illness were 8 times more likely to adhere to treatment compared to those who were not (aOR = 7.947, 95% CI: 2.214 - 28.527, p = 0.001). Key HCW related factors influencing adherence to treatment included: friendliness (cOR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.514 - 12.284, p = 0.006), respect (cOR = 6.679, 95% CI: 2.239 - 19.923, p = 0.001) and non-discriminatory service (cOR = 0.1478, 95% CI: 0.047 - 0.464, p = 0.001), communication [adequacy of consultation time (cOR = 6.563, 95% CI: 2.467 - 17.458, p = 0.001) and patients’ involvement in their health decisions (cOR = 3.02 95% CI: 1.061 - 8.592, p = 0.038)] and education and counselling (cOR = 4.371, 95% CI: 1.725 - 11.075, p = 0.002). Conclusion: The study results underline importance of patient-centered consultation for TB patients and targeted education and counselling for improved treatment adherence.展开更多
The study conducted at Ndiebene Gandiol 1 school in Senegal has unveiled serious environmental and public health challenges. The wastewater analysis revealed high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical O...The study conducted at Ndiebene Gandiol 1 school in Senegal has unveiled serious environmental and public health challenges. The wastewater analysis revealed high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and fecal coliforms, signaling potential risks to the well-being of students and staff. This situation mirrors a wider issue in rural educational settings, where inadequate sanitation persists. Intensive wastewater treatment options are known for their effectiveness against high pollutant loads but are resource-intensive in both energy and cost. Conversely, extensive treatment systems, while requiring more land, provide a sustainable alternative by harnessing natural processes for pollutant removal. The research suggests a hybrid treatment approach could serve the school’s needs, balancing the robust capabilities of intensive methods with the ecological benefits of extensive systems. Such a solution would need to be tailored to the specific environmental, financial, and logistical context of the school, based on comprehensive feasibility studies and stakeholder engagement. This study’s findings underscore the urgency of addressing sanitation in schools, as it is intrinsically linked to the health and academic success of students. Quick, effective, and long-term strategies are vital to secure a healthier and more prosperous future for the youth. With proper implementation, the school can transform its sanitation facilities, setting a precedent for rural educational institutions in Senegal and similar contexts globally.展开更多
Background: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment might prolong disease transmission and also increases the risk of drug resistance. Various studies have been carried out to determine the predictors of non-adhe...Background: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment might prolong disease transmission and also increases the risk of drug resistance. Various studies have been carried out to determine the predictors of non-adherence but intervention-based studies to address treatment adherence are scarce. This study intends to estimate the treatment adherence rates following delivery of patient-centered health education videos in the intervention tuberculosis unit (TU) and to compare the treatment adherence with that in the comparison TU. Methods: An interventional study was conducted in two TUs of Bengaluru urban district among all newly diagnosed TB cases on daily regimen treatment over a period of three months from November 2017 to January 2018. A patient centered health education video was developed and shown by the treatment supporters to all eligible participants consenting to participate in the intervention TU. The video was shown once at the beginning of intensive phase treatment and once in the continuation phase of treatment. A total of 100 patients, 21 from intervention TU and 79 from comparison TU formed the study sample. Patient details were obtained from their treatment cards. Data on missed doses per month per patient were also noted. Data were entered into Microsoft excel worksheet and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences. Data are expressed as frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was applied to compare groups. Results: The majority of the study participants were aged between 25 - 44 years. Equal distribution of cases was seen among males and females. Intervention TU had significantly higher number of pulmonary TB cases. Treatment adherence rates were 90.5% and 84.8% at end of intensive phase and 85% and 71.4% at end of continuation phase in the intervention and comparison TU respectively, and this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Use of mobile video-based health education showed better treatment rates and was found to improve TB treatment adherence.展开更多
In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:&l...In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:</strong> To get evidence-based knowledge to establish the contribution of an individuals’ knowledge from various health communications that could increase their active involvement in health care especially seeking timely appropriate treatment for malaria or suspected malaria. <strong>Method:</strong> A cross-sectional survey using a correlational design was employed on a clustered sample of 380 rural households in 05 sub-counties of Kanungu district. Data were corrected between October 2016-January 2017 using researcher-administered questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus group discussions. Correlation analysis was done. <strong>Result:</strong> There is a significant positive relationship between knowledge of health communications and treatment-seeking behavior (r = 0.312;<em>p</em> ≤ 0.01). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Exposure to consistent Behavioral Change Communications messages influences treatment-seeking behaviour. Thus, in malaria-prone communities, it appears that other factors including sufficient targeted persuasive health communication are lacking in influencing personal orientations towards treatment-seeking behaviour. Therefore, proper Health Communications management supplements efforts from other disciplines and players, against malaria in Uganda.展开更多
Child health care factors such as medical treatment of sick children have direct and indirect effect on childhood mortality. Through international cooperation, a number of countries including Kenya have gathered infor...Child health care factors such as medical treatment of sick children have direct and indirect effect on childhood mortality. Through international cooperation, a number of countries including Kenya have gathered information on provision of child health services at facility level from periodic Service Provision Assessment (SPA) surveys. Kenya has also gathered information on medical treatment of sick children at household level from periodic Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). However, establishing how health care information in the SPA surveys relates to childhood mortality and also how these factors relate to medical treatment of sick children in the DHS has been constrained by differences in sample designs of the surveys. This study deployed a fstrategy of constructing community level variables derived from the SPA survey data and incorporated them into DHS data which served as the main data source. The SPA and DHS sampling designs for Kenya allow computation of stable estimates of regional demographic and health service indicators at provincial level. This study analyzed information gathered from 690 health facilities in 2010 SPA and 6079 births born less than 60 months from 2008/09 DHS. The study found that access to child health services, waiting time before service in facility and time to the nearest referral facility were significant facilitating factors for medical treatment of sick children. The study also established that waiting time before service in facility was the only access to health care factor which had a significant effect on childhood mortality when HIV prevalence was excluded in the analysis. However, the significance of waiting time before service diminished with inclusion of HIV prevalence. Further research is required to refine definition and measurement for child health care variable on female autonomy.展开更多
Water is important for life and its elements are very useful for human body to some extent. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a very effective method in minimizing the concentrations of some elements in drinking water treatment...Water is important for life and its elements are very useful for human body to some extent. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a very effective method in minimizing the concentrations of some elements in drinking water treatment. Therefore, the goal of this study is to measure the concentrations of some important parameters for human body and the role of Reverse Osmosis (RO) method in the local drinking water treatment stations in minimizing these constituents. This goal was achieved by comparing the effluent of five local drinking water treatment stations that depends on Reverse Osmosis as a primary treatment for the water produced from the Al-Diwaniyah water treatment plant. These parameters are PH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, and TH. Therefore, samples were collected and tested in Al-Qadisiyah Environmental Authority for these local drinking water treatment stations for seven weeks, in order to compare the effluent with the minimum concentrations required for human body according to the health studies and guide lines. The results show that all the drinking waters produced by these stations were below the WHO and Iraq standards. The concentrations of Calcium were in the range from 5.3 to 25 mg/l, while the concentrations of magnesium were in the range from 9.5 to 18.2 mg/l. Therefore, drinking water produced from RO stations should be remineralised to increase the concentrations of necessary constituents in order to minimize the risk of the potential influence of low level concentrations containing calcium carbonate or by adding calcium compounds to the water.展开更多
Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is t...Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore, prudent to develop innovative approaches to ensure early HIV diagnosis because patients with low immunity will usually develop opportunistic infections and seek some remedial action. A treatment and health care seeking behavior survey was carried out in semi-urban communities in Malaba and Busia in Kenya and Uganda to evaluate the treatment and healthcare seeking behavior among patients visiting randomly selected drugstores. Methodology: Random sampling was applied and questionnaires were used to collect information from 165 interviewees who visited drugstores seeking health information, treatment and other health related services. Results: The results indicated that among this group of people, 67% visited drugstores before any other health facility. 72.2% sought treatment for various illnesses and services ranging from headaches, body fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, family planning pills, sexually transmitted infections and chronic medications. Among the patients interviewed, there were a number of factors that affected treatment choice. These included the distance to the facility as well as the absence of a consultation fee or fee for service. Conclusion: With proper support, drugstores can play a major role in the implementation of health interventions that seek to promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as play a pivotal role in educating the population on disease prevention and management. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drugstores can play a major role in HIV and AIDS interventions where most patients seek medical intervention for opportunistic infection.展开更多
Background: The prevalence and incidence rate of tuberculosis remains high although the disease is known to be almost always curable provided the patient adheres to the treatment regimen. This study assessed the stren...Background: The prevalence and incidence rate of tuberculosis remains high although the disease is known to be almost always curable provided the patient adheres to the treatment regimen. This study assessed the strength of association between known patient and health system factors associated with first line tuberculosis treatment adherence. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional study. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted among 570 persons who had primary tuberculosis and received first line treatment at a health facility within the Nkangala district, Mpumalanga province and who had a treatment outcome recorded between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2014. Adherence to first line tuberculosis treatment was defined as taking ≥80% of tuberculosis prescribed drugs within a period of 6 to 8 months. Stata software (logistic regressions model) was used to analyze results and find the strength of association between known factors and treatment adherence. Results: Out of the 570 study participants, 473 were adherent and 96 were not adherent. There was a statistically significant association between age 18 years and above (OR: 1.02, P-value: 0.027), sex (lower in males OR: 0.44, P-value: 0.001) and support (OR: 3.04, P-value: 0.05) and HIV (OR: 1, P-value: 0.634) and first line TB treatment adherence. Conclusion and Recommendation: >80% adherence to first line tuberculosis outcome is possible. The support given to people with tuberculosis will further enhance adherence to first line tuberculosis treatment.展开更多
Finding out the desired drug combinations is a challenging task because of the number of different combinations that exist and the adversarial effects that may arise. In this work, we generate drug combinations over m...Finding out the desired drug combinations is a challenging task because of the number of different combinations that exist and the adversarial effects that may arise. In this work, we generate drug combinations over multiple stages using distance calculation metrics from supervised learning, clustering, and a statistical similarity calculation metric for deriving the optimal treatment sequences. The combination generation happens for each patient based on the characteristics (features) observed during each stage of treatment. Our approach considers not the drug-to-drug (one-to-one) effect, but rather the effect of group of drugs with another group of drugs. We evaluate the combinations using an FNN model and identify future improvement directions.展开更多
In this paper</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> we present a thorough review of one of the most</span><span style...In this paper</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> we present a thorough review of one of the most</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> life-threatening autoimmune diseases, Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). Symptoms, risk factors, including genetic and epidemiological factors are discussed. Treatment, life expectancies, and Health Related Quality of Life of patients with SLE will be discussed as well. Special attention will be given to Lupus Nephritis.展开更多
文摘Objective: To analyze the effect of health management on improving the awareness rate of disease prevention and treatment in patients with prehypertension, so as to provide guidance for clinical management of patients with prehypertension. Methods: 108 patients diagnosed with prehypertension in our hospital were divided into a control group and an experimental group. The control group was not given management measures, while the experimental group was given health management. The incidence of hypertension and cognition level of hypertension knowledge were compared between the two groups after management. Results: The incidence of hypertension in the experimental group was 7.41% lower than that in the control group 29.63%. The cognitive level of hypertension in the patients (66.54 ± 1.25) was significantly higher than that in the patients without health management (41.45 ± 2.45), and P < 0.05;Conclusion: For patients with prehypertension, the implementation of health management is helpful to improve their cognition of hypertension, master related prevention knowledge, and reduce the incidence of hypertension.
文摘Background: Treatment non-adherence poses significant risks to health outcomes and impedes the health system’s efficiency, hence curtailing progress towards the end Tuberculosis (TB) strategy under SDG 3.3. Despite interventions to address TB treatment non-adherence, Kenya still reports high TB treatment non-adherence rates of 35% and consequently poor treatment outcome rates. Health Care Workers (HCWs) play a critical role in linking the population to health services, yet little is known of their influence on patients’ TB treatment non-adherence in Kenya. Objective: To analyze HCW-related factors associated with TB treatment non-adherence among patients in Kisumu East Sub-County. Methods: Health facility-based analytical cross-sectional mixed-method study. A Semi-structured questionnaire on treatment adherence and patients’ perceptions of HCWs during the clinic visit was administered to 102 consenting adult (out of a total census of 107 adults) drug-susceptible TB patients. 12 purposively selected HCWs by rank from 6 health facilities participated in Key Informant Interview sessions. Medication adherence was measured using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and then expressed as a dichotomous variable. Quantitative analysis utilized STATA version 15.1 while qualitative deductive thematic analysis was done using NVIVO version 14. Results: TB treatment non-adherence rate of 26% (CI: 18% - 36%) was recorded. Overall, patients who felt supported in dealing with the illness were 8 times more likely to adhere to treatment compared to those who were not (aOR = 7.947, 95% CI: 2.214 - 28.527, p = 0.001). Key HCW related factors influencing adherence to treatment included: friendliness (cOR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.514 - 12.284, p = 0.006), respect (cOR = 6.679, 95% CI: 2.239 - 19.923, p = 0.001) and non-discriminatory service (cOR = 0.1478, 95% CI: 0.047 - 0.464, p = 0.001), communication [adequacy of consultation time (cOR = 6.563, 95% CI: 2.467 - 17.458, p = 0.001) and patients’ involvement in their health decisions (cOR = 3.02 95% CI: 1.061 - 8.592, p = 0.038)] and education and counselling (cOR = 4.371, 95% CI: 1.725 - 11.075, p = 0.002). Conclusion: The study results underline importance of patient-centered consultation for TB patients and targeted education and counselling for improved treatment adherence.
文摘The study conducted at Ndiebene Gandiol 1 school in Senegal has unveiled serious environmental and public health challenges. The wastewater analysis revealed high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and fecal coliforms, signaling potential risks to the well-being of students and staff. This situation mirrors a wider issue in rural educational settings, where inadequate sanitation persists. Intensive wastewater treatment options are known for their effectiveness against high pollutant loads but are resource-intensive in both energy and cost. Conversely, extensive treatment systems, while requiring more land, provide a sustainable alternative by harnessing natural processes for pollutant removal. The research suggests a hybrid treatment approach could serve the school’s needs, balancing the robust capabilities of intensive methods with the ecological benefits of extensive systems. Such a solution would need to be tailored to the specific environmental, financial, and logistical context of the school, based on comprehensive feasibility studies and stakeholder engagement. This study’s findings underscore the urgency of addressing sanitation in schools, as it is intrinsically linked to the health and academic success of students. Quick, effective, and long-term strategies are vital to secure a healthier and more prosperous future for the youth. With proper implementation, the school can transform its sanitation facilities, setting a precedent for rural educational institutions in Senegal and similar contexts globally.
文摘Background: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment might prolong disease transmission and also increases the risk of drug resistance. Various studies have been carried out to determine the predictors of non-adherence but intervention-based studies to address treatment adherence are scarce. This study intends to estimate the treatment adherence rates following delivery of patient-centered health education videos in the intervention tuberculosis unit (TU) and to compare the treatment adherence with that in the comparison TU. Methods: An interventional study was conducted in two TUs of Bengaluru urban district among all newly diagnosed TB cases on daily regimen treatment over a period of three months from November 2017 to January 2018. A patient centered health education video was developed and shown by the treatment supporters to all eligible participants consenting to participate in the intervention TU. The video was shown once at the beginning of intensive phase treatment and once in the continuation phase of treatment. A total of 100 patients, 21 from intervention TU and 79 from comparison TU formed the study sample. Patient details were obtained from their treatment cards. Data on missed doses per month per patient were also noted. Data were entered into Microsoft excel worksheet and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences. Data are expressed as frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was applied to compare groups. Results: The majority of the study participants were aged between 25 - 44 years. Equal distribution of cases was seen among males and females. Intervention TU had significantly higher number of pulmonary TB cases. Treatment adherence rates were 90.5% and 84.8% at end of intensive phase and 85% and 71.4% at end of continuation phase in the intervention and comparison TU respectively, and this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Use of mobile video-based health education showed better treatment rates and was found to improve TB treatment adherence.
文摘In Uganda, there is still insufficient comprehension of malaria as a lethal disease especially in rural areas despite universal bed-net distribution coverage and effective anti-malarial treatment. <strong>Aim:</strong> To get evidence-based knowledge to establish the contribution of an individuals’ knowledge from various health communications that could increase their active involvement in health care especially seeking timely appropriate treatment for malaria or suspected malaria. <strong>Method:</strong> A cross-sectional survey using a correlational design was employed on a clustered sample of 380 rural households in 05 sub-counties of Kanungu district. Data were corrected between October 2016-January 2017 using researcher-administered questionnaires, key-informant interviews and focus group discussions. Correlation analysis was done. <strong>Result:</strong> There is a significant positive relationship between knowledge of health communications and treatment-seeking behavior (r = 0.312;<em>p</em> ≤ 0.01). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Exposure to consistent Behavioral Change Communications messages influences treatment-seeking behaviour. Thus, in malaria-prone communities, it appears that other factors including sufficient targeted persuasive health communication are lacking in influencing personal orientations towards treatment-seeking behaviour. Therefore, proper Health Communications management supplements efforts from other disciplines and players, against malaria in Uganda.
文摘Child health care factors such as medical treatment of sick children have direct and indirect effect on childhood mortality. Through international cooperation, a number of countries including Kenya have gathered information on provision of child health services at facility level from periodic Service Provision Assessment (SPA) surveys. Kenya has also gathered information on medical treatment of sick children at household level from periodic Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). However, establishing how health care information in the SPA surveys relates to childhood mortality and also how these factors relate to medical treatment of sick children in the DHS has been constrained by differences in sample designs of the surveys. This study deployed a fstrategy of constructing community level variables derived from the SPA survey data and incorporated them into DHS data which served as the main data source. The SPA and DHS sampling designs for Kenya allow computation of stable estimates of regional demographic and health service indicators at provincial level. This study analyzed information gathered from 690 health facilities in 2010 SPA and 6079 births born less than 60 months from 2008/09 DHS. The study found that access to child health services, waiting time before service in facility and time to the nearest referral facility were significant facilitating factors for medical treatment of sick children. The study also established that waiting time before service in facility was the only access to health care factor which had a significant effect on childhood mortality when HIV prevalence was excluded in the analysis. However, the significance of waiting time before service diminished with inclusion of HIV prevalence. Further research is required to refine definition and measurement for child health care variable on female autonomy.
文摘Water is important for life and its elements are very useful for human body to some extent. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a very effective method in minimizing the concentrations of some elements in drinking water treatment. Therefore, the goal of this study is to measure the concentrations of some important parameters for human body and the role of Reverse Osmosis (RO) method in the local drinking water treatment stations in minimizing these constituents. This goal was achieved by comparing the effluent of five local drinking water treatment stations that depends on Reverse Osmosis as a primary treatment for the water produced from the Al-Diwaniyah water treatment plant. These parameters are PH, EC, TDS, Ca, Mg, and TH. Therefore, samples were collected and tested in Al-Qadisiyah Environmental Authority for these local drinking water treatment stations for seven weeks, in order to compare the effluent with the minimum concentrations required for human body according to the health studies and guide lines. The results show that all the drinking waters produced by these stations were below the WHO and Iraq standards. The concentrations of Calcium were in the range from 5.3 to 25 mg/l, while the concentrations of magnesium were in the range from 9.5 to 18.2 mg/l. Therefore, drinking water produced from RO stations should be remineralised to increase the concentrations of necessary constituents in order to minimize the risk of the potential influence of low level concentrations containing calcium carbonate or by adding calcium compounds to the water.
文摘Background: Late diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and delayed commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa is known to contribute to high morbidity and mortality. It is therefore, prudent to develop innovative approaches to ensure early HIV diagnosis because patients with low immunity will usually develop opportunistic infections and seek some remedial action. A treatment and health care seeking behavior survey was carried out in semi-urban communities in Malaba and Busia in Kenya and Uganda to evaluate the treatment and healthcare seeking behavior among patients visiting randomly selected drugstores. Methodology: Random sampling was applied and questionnaires were used to collect information from 165 interviewees who visited drugstores seeking health information, treatment and other health related services. Results: The results indicated that among this group of people, 67% visited drugstores before any other health facility. 72.2% sought treatment for various illnesses and services ranging from headaches, body fever, gastro-intestinal disturbances, family planning pills, sexually transmitted infections and chronic medications. Among the patients interviewed, there were a number of factors that affected treatment choice. These included the distance to the facility as well as the absence of a consultation fee or fee for service. Conclusion: With proper support, drugstores can play a major role in the implementation of health interventions that seek to promote early diagnosis and treatment as well as play a pivotal role in educating the population on disease prevention and management. In Sub-Saharan Africa, drugstores can play a major role in HIV and AIDS interventions where most patients seek medical intervention for opportunistic infection.
文摘Background: The prevalence and incidence rate of tuberculosis remains high although the disease is known to be almost always curable provided the patient adheres to the treatment regimen. This study assessed the strength of association between known patient and health system factors associated with first line tuberculosis treatment adherence. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional study. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted among 570 persons who had primary tuberculosis and received first line treatment at a health facility within the Nkangala district, Mpumalanga province and who had a treatment outcome recorded between 1st January 2009 and 31st December 2014. Adherence to first line tuberculosis treatment was defined as taking ≥80% of tuberculosis prescribed drugs within a period of 6 to 8 months. Stata software (logistic regressions model) was used to analyze results and find the strength of association between known factors and treatment adherence. Results: Out of the 570 study participants, 473 were adherent and 96 were not adherent. There was a statistically significant association between age 18 years and above (OR: 1.02, P-value: 0.027), sex (lower in males OR: 0.44, P-value: 0.001) and support (OR: 3.04, P-value: 0.05) and HIV (OR: 1, P-value: 0.634) and first line TB treatment adherence. Conclusion and Recommendation: >80% adherence to first line tuberculosis outcome is possible. The support given to people with tuberculosis will further enhance adherence to first line tuberculosis treatment.
文摘Finding out the desired drug combinations is a challenging task because of the number of different combinations that exist and the adversarial effects that may arise. In this work, we generate drug combinations over multiple stages using distance calculation metrics from supervised learning, clustering, and a statistical similarity calculation metric for deriving the optimal treatment sequences. The combination generation happens for each patient based on the characteristics (features) observed during each stage of treatment. Our approach considers not the drug-to-drug (one-to-one) effect, but rather the effect of group of drugs with another group of drugs. We evaluate the combinations using an FNN model and identify future improvement directions.
文摘In this paper</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> we present a thorough review of one of the most</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> life-threatening autoimmune diseases, Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). Symptoms, risk factors, including genetic and epidemiological factors are discussed. Treatment, life expectancies, and Health Related Quality of Life of patients with SLE will be discussed as well. Special attention will be given to Lupus Nephritis.