Quality Of Life Among Patients Undergoing Haemodialysis In Jakarta, Indonesia

@#Haemodialysis is a continuous treatment provided to patients with chronic kidney disease as a replacement for renal function. It is important to assess the quality of life among these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life among patients on haemodialysis using an Indonesian version of the KDQoL-SF24 questionnaire. This is a cohort observational study that included 145 haemodialysis patients in a haemodialysis centre in Jakarta, Indonesia. A translated and validated version of the KDQoL-SF24 was used in this survey. The participants in this study had lower mean scores than the standard form in the following 6 components: burden of kidney disease (44.22±33.23), cognitive function (74.94±20.32), sleep (57.07±24.15), patient satisfaction (60.11±18.56), role-physical (26.21±44.01), emotional well-being (69.19±24.25) and role-emotional (40.69±49.18). A significant relationship was found between sexual function, physical functioning, role emotional and age among haemodialysis patients (P <0.05). Based on the overall health rating from the KDQoL-SF24, the mean and standard deviation for the 21- to 30-year-old age group was lower than the standard form. The burden of kidney disease, cognitive function, sleep, patient satisfaction, role-physical, emotional well-being and role-emotional component scores were low for haemodialysis patients in Indonesia compared to the standard form. Additionally, age significantly affected sexual function, physical functioning and role-emotional.

Malay version of the brief questionnaire on smoking urge: translation and psychometric properties of the questionnaire

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of Malay translated version of the brief questionnaire of smoking urges [QSU-Brief]. The translation procedure was done following the standard guidelines. The reliability and validity of the Malaysian version scale were evaluated based on the data collected from 133 Malaysian smokers. The internal consistency was calculated to assess the reliability. Factor analysis and construct validity were performed to validate psychometric properties of the scale. Total Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.806. The exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors that accounted for 66.15% of the explained total variance. The first component consisted of items 1, 3, 6, 7, and 10, while the second component included the rest. The QSU-Brief total score had a significant positive relationship with exhaled CO level [r = 0.24; P = 0.005], number of cigarettes smoked per day [r = 0.30; P < 0.001] and other clinical factors. Items 2 and 5 loaded strongly on factor 2, whereas both items loaded ambivalently on two factors in the previous studies. This discrepancy might be clarified by language differences. The Malaysian QSU-Brief is a good candidate for evaluating urge to smoke in both clinical practice and clinical trials

Tuberculous lymphadenitis at Penang general hospital, Malaysia

To evaluate the incidence, treatment and clinical outcomes of tuberculous [TB] lymphadenitis at Penang General Hospital, Malaysia. Penang General Hospital is the referral center for all tuberculosis patients in the state of Penang. Patient records were reviewed to identify patients with confirmed diagnosis of TB lymphadenitis between January 2006 and December 2008. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15. Of 1,548 tuberculosis cases, 109 [7.0%] patients had TB lymphadenitis. The mean age was 36.4 +/- 12.87 years and of the 109 patients with TB lymphadenitis, 35 [33.0%], 37 [34.0%] and 36 [33.0%] were observed for 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively. Ethnically, 45 [41.3%] were Malay followed by 37 Chinese [33.9%]. Among risk factors for TB lymphadenitis, HIV and diabetes mellitus were seen in 17 [15.6%] and 11 [10.0%] patients, respectively. Cough and fever were the most frequently reported symptoms. In a majority of cases [n = 90, 82.5%] positive results were obtained for fine-needle aspiration [FNA]. Directly observed therapy was given to all patients. Sixty-two [56.9%] patients were successfully treated, and 5 [4.6%] patients died during the treatment. There was no increase in the incidence of TB lymphadenitis over the 3-year study period. The incidence was slightly higher in male than female gender and in Malay [ethnic group]. Diabetes mellitus and HIV were the most commonly reported risk factors. FNA is the most reliable diagnostic test

Adherence to antihypertensive therapy in General Hospital of Penang: does daily dose frequency matter?

A number of factors have been identified that contribute to non-adherence to medications in hypertension, one of which is the drug regimen complexity. The purpose of this study was to identify patients with poor adherence to antihypertensive therapy and compare the levels of adherence with daily dose frequency of antihypertensive therapy [Single Daily Dose [SDD], Twice-Daily Dose [BID], and doses of more than twice daily [> BID]]. A cross sectional study was conducted on a convenience sampling of 518 patients with antihypertensive therapy at the Clinic of General Hospital of Penang, Malaysia. Adherence was assessed using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale [MMAS]. The one-way Analysis of Variance [ANOVA] was used to compare the means of three categorical independent variable [SDD, BID and > BID], and one continuous dependent variable scores ranging from 1 [adherence] to 5 [poor adherence]. Our results show that, the MORISKy scale items were summed that 195 patients had poor adherence to hypertensive medication. According to this result, 51.3% of our total sample was taking their medicines irregularly. Also we found a significant relationship between daily dose frequency groups and adherence at level p< 0.001. It shows that hypertension patients groups, who have more daily dose frequency, will show higher level of adherence towards antihypertensive medications

Evaluation of the management of sexually transmitted infections by private practitioners in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

To determine the current practices of private practitioners for the management of STIs in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, evaluation of pharmacotherapy for STIs in private clinics and to ascertain the management of STIs compared to standard guidelines. Methods: Data was collected by self-administered questionnaire for private practitioners, which gathered information on their socio-demographic as well as practice characteristics. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS for Windows version 13.0. Results: Data was collected from 78 practitioners. Most of the treatment choices mentioned for the treatment of gonorrhea were inconsistent with the guidelines. About 51.2% of practitioners did not screen their patients for HIV/AIDS. Majority of private practitioners counseled their patients about HIV/AIDS on an irregular basis. A high percentage of 59% did not inform health authorities about STI cases and 32.1% mentioned that they did not use any guidelines. Conclusions: Management of STIs by private practitioners with respect to selection of antibiotics, patient counseling and case notification leaves a lot to be desired. Current management practices can adversely impact on HIV/AIDS transmission in the country. Interventions are needed to improve the management practices of private practitioners.