ABSTRACT
Background: The report on the world population health in the year 2001 by The World Health Organization revealed that 60% of the world population died from non-contagious diseases whereas 43% became dependent patients of chronic diseases. It is expected that in 2020, 73% of the world population will die from non-contagious diseases and 60% will have chronic diseases and cannot live on their own. Smoking and drinking alcohol have their ranks in the first 10 risk factors leading to death. From this problem, the Community Medicine service Section of Srinagarind Hospital realized the impact from smoking and drinking alcohol and wanted to investigate the prevalence and determine the number of inpatients admitted at Srinagarind Hospital who were addicted to smoking and drinking alcohol. The aim was to reduce the rate of smoking and drinking, to follow up the treatment, and to seek means to assist and provide these patients with appropriate consultation.Objective: To study the prevalence of smoking and alcohol drinking addiction of inpatients at Srinagarind Hospital, 2006.Design: A descriptive studyPopulation and Sample: 324 already and newly admitted patients in different wards of Srinagarind Hospital, who were over 15 years of age, from May 8, 2006.Research tool: An interviewing questionnaireData Analysis: For quantitative data, descriptive statistics were used, namely frequency, percentage, average, and standard deviation calculated by PC computer. For qualitative data, analytical interpretation and conclusion of the content were carried out.Results: It was found that most of the patients who had just started to smoke and drink alcohol were 15 to 24 years old. The reason for their smoking and drinking was to give it a try. From the total number of 324 patients, 43 both smoked and drank, 239 neither smoked nor drank, and the remainders either smoked or drank. Among those who smoked, it was found that 60.78% were addicted to nicotine at 10 point level. As for their attitudes towards stopping smoking and drinking, most believed that quitting would be good for their health, their personality, and the people around them. Conclusion: This research study could be used as basic information for further studies and in the planning of campaign against smoking and alcohol addiction, especially among children and adolescents. Besides, it could be a means towards treatment services and prevention of diseases that result from smoking and drinking alcohol.
ABSTRACT
Rationale: Stroke or the disease of cerebral blood vessel, or paralysis is a prevalent disease and a major public health problem of Thailand. Stroke is a chronic disease with prolonged development at all stages that leads to the paralytic state, the state that prevents the patient from doing their daily routine and thus have to rely on the others. This means an additional expense both from treatment at hospital and home care. The study of Neurological Institute in 1995 reported that the average expense of outpatients which involved transportation cost to receive their treatment at the hospital was 1,400 baht per person per day. Such expense has not been studied at Srinagarind Hospital before.Objective: To study the average direct and indirect expenses of the stroke outpatients at Srinagarind Hospital during the first trimester of 2008. Study design: Descriptive researchSetting: The Outpatient Department, Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen UniversityMethods: 237 new and former stroke outpatients aged over 20 years old who received treatment from January 1 to March 31, 2008. The research tool was questionnaire.Results: The stroke outpatients in the sample group are from 20 to 91 years old, or an average age of 64+12.8 years. The most diagnosis result reveals cerebral infarction (31.6 percent), with a Modified Rankin Score of 1. Concurrent diseases diagnosed include hypertension, Dyslipidemia, and diabetes, respectively. The result shows the direct and indirect expenses of the outpatients’ final visit to the hospital. For the direct expense, the average cost of food is 172.89 baht, the average two-way transportation cost is 517.68 baht, and the average accommodation cost is 625.50 baht. As for the indirect expense, it was found that the outpatients take a two-day leave from work at a maximum, with a loss of an average of 500 baht of income per day. When the outpatients come to the hospital, they are accompanied by 1-3 relatives or an average of 1.16 persons, causing an average reduction of income of 489.15 baht per day. The average total direct and indirect expense becomes 1,959.85 baht per day per one outpatient.Conclusion: The expense of each stroke outpatient at Srinagarind Hospital is as high as 1,959.85 baht per day. Most of these expenses are accommodation, transportation, and a loss of income from work. It is recommended that community servicing be established in order to lessen the expense of stroke outpatients by not having to travel to the hospital.Keywords: expense of stroke and outpatient