RESUMO
Prevalence, sociodemographic patterns and medical co-morbidity of smoking among a cross-section of primary health care [PHC] clients in Saudi Arabia were examined. We used a 44-item semistructured questionnaire to collect data from 1752 patients at 25 randomly selected PHC centres. Percentage of smoking was 52.3%. Although 85% were adult smokers, 8.6% began smoking before age 12. Smokers gave overlapping reasons to smoke including peer pressure; non-smokers gave religious and health logics against smoking. Of all smokers, 92.8% wanted to learn cessation strategies, 11.8% were ignorant of hazards and 32.4% reported manifestations of nicotine withdrawal. Besides alcohol use [13.4%], 81.8% had co-morbid physical disease
Assuntos
Adolescente , Adulto , Criança , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Atitude Frente a Saúde , Centros Comunitários de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Comorbidade , Medicina de Família e Comunidade , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Motivação , Grupo Associado , Atenção Primária à Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Psychiatric and physical morbidities among patients referred from primary health care [PHC] centres and general hospitals [GH] in Al-Qassim region were compared. Thus, 540 psychiatric referrals [GH = 138; PHC = 402] were selected randomly. Fifteen GH patients but no PHC patients were referred for admission. Psychiatrists made more diagnoses of dementia, affective and anxiety disorders, mixed anxiety-depression and somatoform disorders than clinicians and general practitioners [GPs]. Clinicians made significantly more diagnoses of acute psychoses and somatoform disorders than GPs. Physical morbidity was noted in 38.4% and 17.2% of GH and PHC referrals respectively
Assuntos
Humanos , Pesquisas sobre Atenção à Saúde , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Atenção Primária à Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Encaminhamento e Consulta/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
This paper describes the measles immunization programme in Saudi Arabia and the change from the single-dose schedule with the Schwartz vaccine to the double-dose schedule with the Edmonston-Zagreb vaccine. The recent measles-mumps-rubella school campaign is also described
Assuntos
Humanos , Lactente , Anticorpos Antivirais/sangue , Pré-Escolar , Programas de Imunização/organização & administração , Esquemas de Imunização , Sarampo/epidemiologia , Vírus do Sarampo/imunologia , Avaliação das Necessidades/organização & administração , Desenvolvimento de Programas , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Vacinação/normasRESUMO
Relevant papers published in peer reviewed journals in the past 2 decades were identified and screened to abstract pertinent information. Substance dependence/addiction, involving both a common brain reward mechanism and longer-lasting molecular and cellular changes, is a preventable chronic, relapsing brain disease and as such a public health problem. Physical and psychological dependence, characterized by withdrawal syndrome, are now given less weight compared with compulsive behaviour and uncontrolled use of drugs in the comprehension of addiction. The challenging components of drug addictions, including counteradaptation, sensitization, abstinence, craving and relapse need further neurobiological and non-neurobiological exploration and understanding, which may be possible through the use of advanced imaging and genetic techniques and animal models of drug addiction together with relevant human studies
Assuntos
Animais , Humanos , Adaptação Fisiológica , Doença Crônica , Terapia Genética/tendências , Neurobiologia , Pesquisa/tendências , Síndrome de Abstinência a SubstânciasRESUMO
Psychotropic drugs prescriptions for patients attending psychiatric outpatient clinics were studied. Of the 52,168 prescriptions written in 1996, 18,265 were systematically, randomly selected and evaluated. Incomplete prescriptions were found; the data missing included duration of treatment [18.75%], sex [9.25%], age [8.75%] and diagnosis [7.50%]. Antipsychotics [33.1%], antidepressants [23.2%], anticholinergics [22.0%] and anticonvulsants [12.9%] were the most frequently prescribed drugs. Polypharmacy [85%] was the predominant mode of practice. The most common diagnoses were mood [23.1%], anxiety [17.7%] and schizophrenic [16.2%] disorders. Medical education and quality monitoring programmes are suggested to improve the quality of psychotropic prescriptions and modify multiple pharmacotherapy practice