ABSTRACT
The objective of this clinical audit was to evaluate the performance of a newly established Psychiatry department during the first ten and a half months of its existence.Cross-sectional study. The audit took place from February 2004 to December 3004, at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Independent Medical College.Data was collected by the staff members during their routine work. This data was then compiled, categorized and analyzed, to evaluate the quality of work.125 total teaching hours during the audit period and 658 sessions conducted. Monthly growth rate of client turnover was 10%. Multiple research projects were undertaken during this period.A service like this in the private sector is both valuable and commercially viable. The findings of this audit can be used to forecast the future service use. It will also provide the parameters for auditing the services provided by the department in future
ABSTRACT
The phenomenon of drug abuse and its sequalae affect health of the abuser in multiple ways, e.g. changes in body weight, changes in nutrient metabolism due to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of the drugs, changes in the endocrine system, etc. There is a paucity of research in this area, in Pakistan. To study the effects of drugs of abuse on the physiological and biochemical processes of the body, in a Pakistani population of drug addicts; and then to compare these findings with an age and gender matched control group. This research study was carried out at the District Headquarters Hospital Faisalabad, at the Model Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre located in the hospital. It was a cross-sectional, non-interventional, comparative study. Subjects were recruited by a consecutive sampling method. The study group consisted of 100 subjects, consisting of 80 drug addicts and 20 age and sex matched controls. The following measurements were made: Physical parameters, Plasma biochemistry, Liver function tests, Thyroid hormone levels , Plasma electrolytes and trace element levels Statistical analysis was carried out by two way analysis of variance and Student's t test. The threshold for statistical significance was set at a p value equal to or less than 0.05. Mean age of drug addicts was 31 years. Most of them were poly-drug addicts and mean duration of addiction was 8 years. The drug addicts had low body weight and high blood pressure and temperature, as compared to the control group. The laboratory tests revealed that the addicts as a group had decreased albumin, globulin and total protein levels; while plasma glucose, SGOT, SGPT, T3 and T4 levels were generally higher in the drug addicts, as compared to the control group. Besides the problem of addiction, the effects of drugs of abuse on the physiology and biochemistry of the human body are harmful in their own right. These results are significant because they highlight the importance of holistic assessment and management of drug abusers beyond just managing their addiction