Medicine prescription practices of homeopathic undergraduate students in West Bengal, India / 中西医结合学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To our knowledge, prescription of homeopathic medicines by homeopathic undergraduate students has not been studied before though it may possess serious implications. We aimed to determine the practice and attitudes of prescription by homeopathic undergraduate students.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional study was carried out involving all the students from four government homeopathic schools of West Bengal, India. Ethical requirements were ensured and data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Chi-square tests and logistic univariate regression analyses were performed to identify associations and differences.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 328 forms were completed. Of these, 264 (80.5%) homeopathic undergraduate students admitted of prescribing medicines independently and most (40.5%) said that they did this 2-3 times a year. The most common reasons for this were 'urgency of the problem' (35.2%), 'previous experience with same kind of illness' (31.8%), and 'the problem too trivial to go to a doctor' (25.8%). About 63.4% of the students thought that it was alright to independently diagnose an illness while 51.2% thought that it was alright for them to prescribe medicines to others. Common conditions encountered were fever, indigestion, and injury. Students who prescribed medicines were more likely to belong to Calcutta Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital (odds ratio = 5.8; 95% confidence interval 2.247-14.972). Prescription by students gradually increased with academic years of homeopathic schools. Many students thought it was alright for students to diagnose and treat illnesses.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Prescription of medicines by homeopathic undergraduate students is quite rampant and corrective measures are warranted.</p>

A study on determinants of occurrence of complications and fatality among diphtheria cases admitted to ID & BG Hospital of Kolkata.

This was a hospital-based case series study of diphtheria patients admitted to ID & BG Hospital of Kolkata from May 2004 to April 2005. A total of 107 patients were included in the study. Report of follow up of admitted patients and interview of family members were done. The study results showed that the highest number of cases (31) were among the 6-10 year age group, while the lowest was among the 16-20 year age group (12). Overall case fatality was high (12.1%). Lowest case fatality (5%) among 21 years and above age group. Case fatality was less among those patients who were admitted to the hospital within 48 hours of occurrence of clinical features. Majority of the patients (72) developed complications. Among them, only Myocarditis occurred in 51, Myocarditis with Palatal palsy in 11, only Palatal palsy in 7, while Respiratory distress occurred in 3. Most of the admitted patients were non-immunized (84). Majority of the respondents (73) have no idea regarding the mode of spread of the disease. Only one respondent had correct knowledge about the benefit of the DPT vaccine. The main reason for non-immunization was ignorance (44%). IEC for full immunization coverage and early admission with proper management are indispensable for the reduction of diphtheria morbidity and mortality.