ABSTRACT
Objectives: To ascertain students' state of health, detect any health problems early on and to maintain and improve their health and keepthem mentally and physically fit
Study Design: Descriptive Study
Place And Duration: The study was conducted at KIST Medical College, Teaching Hospital Lalitpur, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal between November 2008 and December 2010
Methodology: Every student has to undergo general health checkup and hearing, vision and dental checkup. Consultants examine the students at their respective departments and document the findings in the prescribed format. Every student also undergoes laboratory tests [hemogram,urinalysis, biochemistry] and x-ray chest
Results: Seventy five students enrolled in first batch, 68% male and 32% female. The median age was 18 [range 16-24]. 84% were found to be apparently healthy while 16% had some sort of ailment requiring counseling and further workup. Hundred students enrolled each in second and third batch; 51% and 53%% were male and 49% and 47% females respectively. The median age of 2nd and 3rd batch students was 18 [range 17-22]. 87% and 76% was found to be apparently healthy in 2nd and 3rd batch while 13% and 26 % had some sort of ailmentwhich required counselingandfurtherworkup respectively
Conclusion: Significant number of students in three batches had ailments which required counseling and further workup. Health check-up should be made mandatory for every student seeking admission in medical colleges so that unrecognized disease/s can be detected at the time of check-up and counseling and management can be done at appropriate time
ABSTRACT
Drug utilization research describes the extent, nature and determinants of drug use in populations and aims to facilitate the more rational use of medicines. The departments of pharmacology and clinical pharmacy at the Manipal College of Medical Science, pokhara, Nepal are committed to promoting the more rational use of medicines. The departments run a Drug Information Center and Pharmacovigilance Center in the teaching hospital. Over the last eight years, the departments have conducted drug utilization studies in the teaching hospital and the community. A few of these were of the intervention type and drug use was studied before and after the intervention. Members of the departments are on the hospital Drug and Therapeutics Committee. Educational initiatives to improve prescribing have been carried out in a few instances. Restricting the number of brands in the hospital pharmacy and creation of a hospital drug list has been carried out. The impact of these initiatives has been studied only in a few cases. Generic prescribing was found to be low. The educational initiatives to improve prescribing had only limited success. The hospital is in the process of framing antimicrobial use guidelines for various departments. A hospital formulary is under preparation. The influence of drug utilization studies on the prescribing patterns has been low to moderate. The department of Clinical pharmacy runs a Medication Counseling Center in the hospital and teaches appropriate use of medicines to patients. The studies and initiatives to promote the more rational use of medicines should be continued and strengthened