Development and testing of a scale to measure trust in the public healthcare system.

Trust is an important factor in improving the performance of the healthcare system. This study aimed to develop a validated scale to measure trust in the public healthcare system. We adopted a sequential exploratory mixed study design, with developmental and testing phases. In the developmental phase, the construct of “healthcare system trust” was conceptualised and items were generated on the basis of information from a review of the literature on trust, in-depth interviews and a review of other scales. Exploratory factor analysis was employed for item reduction. In the testing phase, the reliability and validity measures were established. The face validity, content validity and construct validity of the scale were assessed. The final scale was a Likert-type scale with 23 items, 16 of which measured trust in the healthcare providers and 7, in healthcare institutions. The scale is a valid and reliable tool for measuring trust in the public healthcare system.

The Draft National Health Research Policy.

In February 2011, the Department of Health Research (DHR), Government of India, came out with a draft National Health Research Policy. It is presumed that after due deliberation, the core of this document, with necessary amendments, will become the guideline for future medical and health research in this country.

Obstetric practices related to HIV in Kerala.

This survey of obstetricians' knowledge and practices in two districts in Kerala, India, finds a number of unethical practices: most providers are unaware of the value of the rapid screening test for HIV, they do not give pregnant women the option to refuse testing; testing is done without counselling, private doctors refer pregnant women who test positive to government hospitals, and some health services have separate facilities for pregnant women who test positive.

Type 2 diabetes in southern Kerala: variation in prevalence among geographic divisions within a region.

BACKGROUND: Numerous surveys carried out in India report the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Such studies have not included the population of Kerala. We estimated the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Neyyattinkara taluk, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state. METHODS: All panchayat wards in the taluk were grouped into urban, highland, midland or coastal, and one ward from each stratum was randomly selected for the study. All households were listed and adults, 20 years or older, screened for high (> 110 mg/dl) random blood sugar (RBS) by a glucometer test. Those with high RBS were reassessed by a fasting oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), consisting of initial examination of venous blood for fasting plasma glucose (FPG) values, administration of 75 g of glucose dissolved in distilled water, and examination of venous blood for postprandial plasma glucose (PPPG) exactly 2 hours after the administration of glucose. Diabetes was diagnosed according to the World Health Organization criteria as either FPG > 139 mg/dl, or PPPG > 199 mg/dl, or both. Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was diagnosed if PPPG was 140-199 mg/dl. RESULTS: Out of 4988 eligible subjects, 3899 were available for the study, a response rate of 78.2%. Response was highest in the highland area (86.2%), and lowest in the coastal area (73.6%). The overall crude prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes was 5.9%. It was highest in the urban (12.4%), followed by midland (8.1%), highland (5.8%), and coastal (2.5%) regions. Ageing was associated with greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes in all regions and both sexes. Women showed a higher prevalence in the highland and coastal areas and men in the urban and midland areas. When compared to a population with standard age structure suggested by the World Health Organization for international comparisons, prevalence in the age group 30-64 years was found to be 16.9% in the urban, 10.1% in the midland, 6.8% in the highland and 3.6% in the coastal regions, respectively. Overall age-adjusted prevalence of type 2 diabetes in 30-64-year-olds in Neyyattinkara was 9.2% among men, 7.4% among women, and 8.2% for all persons. There was not much difference in prevalence if the American Diabetes Association criteria for diagnosis were used. The prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance was fairly low in this population. Out of 229 diabetics in the sample, 175 (76.5%) were already diagnosed and under treatment, while our survey identified 54 new diabetics (23.5%). CONCLUSION: Though prevalence of type 2 diabetes is high in this population, the detection rate is also high. However, impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance are low. The reasons for this need to be elucidated.

High risk for coronary heart disease in Thiruvananthapuram city: a study of serum lipids and other risk factors.

There is a trend towards increase in the incidence of coronary heart disease among Indian population. Also, little information is available on the population distribution of serum lipid components and risk factors for coronary heart disease in Kerala, a state fast turning urban. To study the serum lipid profile and the prevalence of other risk factors for coronary heart disease in the residents of an urban housing settlement in Thiruvananthapuram, fasting blood sample was collected from 206 (64%) residents above the age of 19 years and analysed for plasma glucose and various fractions of serum lipids. A detailed questionnaire on the clinical profile and history of the subjects, and measured weights and heights was also administered. Mean serum total cholesterol was 223.7 +/- 45.3 mg/dL; 223.7 +/- 44.9 mg/dL among males and 223.7 +/- 45.8 mg/dL among females. Mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was consistently higher in females in all age groups, while mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was higher in males till the age group 40-49 after which the pattern was reversed. Mean total cholesterol in the age range 35-64, after age standardisation, was 229.4 mg/dL. Mean serum total cholesterol was higher in this sample when compared to US population, as well as north and west Indian populations. Thirty-two percent subjects were in the highest risk category with serum cholesterol exceeding 239 mg/dL, while in the US population this fraction constituted only 18 percent. Other risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle and smoking also had a high prevalence in this population. In this settlement of urban residents in Thiruvananthapuram, serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are high. The causes are likely to be dietary. Combined with the high prevalence of other risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, smoking, diabetes and lack of exercise, this situation demands a preventive programme.