ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a common, preventable, and treatable disease. Here, we conducted a systematic review of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and its risk factors in Nepal for the last two decades. METHODS: We systematically searched databases to find all relevant Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease research papers from 2000 to 2020. Two reviewers screened the literature using Covidence based on the study protocol. Data extraction was done using Microsoft Excel from selected studies. Final data analysis was done using CMA v.3. Our review protocol is available in PROSPERO (CRD42020215486) on 20 November 2020. RESULTS: The database search revealed 1416 studies of which 13 were included in quantitative analysis. The prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the adult population was 22·7% (CI, 12·5-37·7) of whom 54·9% were female (CI, 51·9-57·9). Nearly three-fourth of the participants (73·1%) of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients had informal education (CI, 58·6-84·0). The commonest primary occupation was agriculture and farming in 39·4% (CI, 31·3-48·2), followed by homemaker (36·8%). It was observed that 28·5% of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients were former smokers, 25·8% non-smokers, and 59·4% were current smokers. More than two-third (76·2%) of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients relied upon traditional firewood cooking, whereas only 14.6% was adopted fireless cooking. CONCLUSIONS: The pooled prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Nepal was significantly high with more cases in females compared to males. Smoking and traditional firewood cooking were major risk factors among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease cases in Nepal.
Subject(s)
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Nepal/epidemiology , Prevalence , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology , Risk Factors , Smoking/adverse effects , Smoking/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Nepal's second wave of COVID-19 has become the worst the world has seen so far. For a population of 29 million people, Nepal currently has only 1127 ICU beds and 453 ventilators for the entire population. The fragile healthcare system is already overwhelmed with every emergency room full of patients. Due to the unavailability of ICU beds, ventilators, oxygen, and other vital resources, sick patients are forced to stay at home with home isolation and treatment. The situation is dire, and resources are saturated. Only humanitarian aid from foreign countries can help mitigate the unprecedented disaster.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Nepal/epidemiology , Research , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
To fight the global pandemic of COVID-19, the government of Nepal made it compulsory for everyone entering the country to be confined in quarantine for two weeks. Without proper infrastructure, facilities for lodging, and food, many people fled from the quarantine shelter in the initial days. The authorities were helpless in checking up on them then. One month after the complete lockdown, there were still people who were defying the rule and walking hungry and barefoot toward their native homes.
ABSTRACT
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Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Health Personnel/psychology , Humans , Nepal/epidemiology , Pandemics , Personal Protective Equipment/supply & distribution , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The lockdown strategy adopted to contain the spread of current pandemic of coronavirus disease has affected all sectors of life globally. Nepal also instructed all the educational institutions to shut down, medical colleges being no exception. One month into the lockdown all the medical colleges in Nepal started online classes to keep pace with the academic calendar. This preliminary survey analyses the students' perspective on newly introduced online medical education system. METHODS: This cross-sectional survey used an online questionnaire typed in Google forms. The link to the survey was then emailed to the student representative of each semester of Lumbini Medical College, Palpa, Nepal, who were then instructed to forward it to their classmates. The questionnaire consisted of demographic variables and perspective of medical undergraduates towards online classes and also a space to comment or opine their perspective on current medical education. RESULTS: A total of 226 students responded the survey. Almost one-third of the students (n=173, 76.5%) admitted of never having attended the online classes. Most of the students used smartphones to attend online classes; broadband internet service being the source of internet in 65.5%. Two-third of the students rated online classes to be poorer than the traditional classroom teaching and 77.8% of the students preferred traditional classroom teaching in future. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students did not find online classes as effective as the traditional classroom teachings; it could be made more interactive and productive by introducing interactive and brainstorming sessions complementing the conventional face?to?face education.