Perceived stress and monetary burden among thalassemia patients and their caregivers

Objective: To find the perceived stress level and monetary burden in the thalassemia patients and their caregivers related to thalassemia treatment sessions

Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Thalassemia Centre and Military Hospital Rawalpindi of six months' duration from November 2016 to April 2017. A total of 87 sample size was calculated by using WHO sample size calculator. Participants were inducted through purposive sampling technique from thalassemia centers. A validated standardized Cohen's Perceived Stress score was used. Data were entered and analyzed in SPSS 22

Results: Mean age of the participants was 30.42 +/- 14.53 years. There were 30 [34.2%] males and 57 [65.8%] females. There were 39 [51.3%] patients and 48 [48.7%] caregivers. The mean income per month of the participants was 48706.9 +/- 39492.68 PKR. The mean total expenditure per treatment session was 48706 +/- 4037.12 PKR. Among the patients, there were 15 [38.5%] who were having average stress, while 4 [10.3%] were having moderate stress while 45 [51.7%0] were having severe stress. Among the caregivers, 10 [20.8%] were having mild stress, 13 [27.1%] were having moderate stress while 25 [52.1%] were having severe stress. The stress among the two groups was not statistically significant [p=0.066]

Conclusion: More than half of the patients and caregivers were having a high perceived stress levels and there was a significant association between the two groups. The monetary burden was a lot to bear by the patients and the cost of treatment session most expensive

Comparison of articaine and lignocaine for uncomplicated maxillary exodontia

To compare single buccal articaine injection versus conventional lignocaine buccal and palatal injections for uncomplicated maxillary tooth extractions. Single blinded randomized control trial. The outpatient department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi, from February to September 2011. Patients aged 20 - 60 years under simple extraction in the maxillary arch were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups-A and B toss method. Maxillary teeth were divided into three groups; group-1 [posterior teeth] including first, second and third molars on either side, group-2 [middle teeth] including the premolars and group-3 [anterior teeth] including incisors and canines. Group-A [study group] received buccal infiltration of 4% articaine with 1:200,000 adrenaline and group-B [control group] received buccal and palatal infiltration of 2% lignocaine/HCl with 1:100,000 adrenaline. Faces Pain Scale [FPS] and a Visual Analogue Score [VAS] was used for objective and subjective assessment of per operative pain respectively. A total of 194 patients were included in the study. Group-A comprised of 100 patients while group-B consisted of 94 patients. The mean age of the total sample was 41.12 +/- 13.6 years. Statistically significant difference was found for the VAS scores of anteriors [p=0.9], premolars [p=0.2] and molars [p=0.2] for groups A and B. The FPS scores for both groups were also statistically insignificant [p=0.864]. Buccal infiltration with a single articaine injection and lignocaine buccal and palatal infiltration were equally effective for maxillary exodontia

Patient communication in radiology: current status of breaking bad news among radiologists and radiology trainees in Pakistan

Breaking bad news can be an intimidating task for any physician. The aim of this study was to record the practices of breaking bad news to the patients by Pakistani radiologists and trainees. The radiologists and trainees attending the 26[th] National Radiological Conference in October 2010 in Karachi, Pakistan, were surveyed. The response rate was 76%. The respondents included residents [51%], private practicing radiologists [28%], academic radiologists [13%], and other trainees [8%]. Most of the academic radiologists communicated with their patients. The daily frequency of breaking bad news by residents was noted, which was highest in the public teaching hospitals [71%]. For severe abnormalities such as malignancy, 50% residents, 55% of the academic radiologists and 74% of the private practicing radiologists were very malignancy, 50% residents, 55% of the academic radiologists and 74% of the private practicing radiologists were very uncomfortable in disclosure of results. Differences in frequency of communication with patients were noticed with both different training levels, and different settings of practice in a developing country