ABSTRACT
Introduction: A voluntary medical humanities (MH) module was offered at a Nepalese medical school in 2007. The present study was conducted to study the perspectives of participating faculty and the then students about the module and its perceived influence on their professional life. Methods: The faculty participants were interviewed online from February to May 2021 after obtaining written informed consent and ethical approval. Transcripts generated were shared with the participants. Mainly deductive method of thematic analysis was employed. The areas addressed were what in their opinion were the strengths of the module and the areas which may require improvement, the perceived impact of the module on their professional lives, and their opinion about teaching-learning of MH in Nepal and South Asia. Feedback from the student participants was obtained from December 2020 to February 2021 using an online questionnaire addressing similar areas. Results: Four faculty members and 12 students responded. The informal and relaxed atmosphere during the sessions and the use of role-plays, paintings, and literature excerpts were the strengths. Obtaining informed consent, supporting family caregivers, and modules for other health science students were recommended. The module provided a new perspective on teaching-learning, improved their skills of explaining topics to patients, and developed their team working skills. They wanted MH to be included in the undergraduate medical curriculum in Nepal. Certain role plays and paintings were still remembered. MH is becoming more important during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The faculty and students continue to have a positive perception of the module. The module was perceived to have influenced different aspects of their professional life. © 2022 Journal of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences University ;Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow.
ABSTRACT
Background: The profession of pharmacy nowadays is expanding from dispensing medication to evidence-based, patient-centered approach, in which optimizing pharmacologic therapy is the goal. Community pharmacists can optimize the overall quality of care especially in rural populations where people most of the time can’t afford to visit physician. Pharmacist caring of patients is the new pharmacist’s role. Community pharmacist can motivate patients to adhere to their medications. Medication review and patients’ monitoring contribute to resolve serious problems in health care system. Methods: This study involves four phases. Phase one implies training of community pharmacists. Phase two is quantitative and involves baseline evaluation of recruited patients. Phase three is the interventional phase. It is also quantitative and aims to assess the impact of pharmaceutical care service on elderly patients with polypharmacy in three selected pharmacies in Ajman and Sharjah through Medication Adherence Rating Scale (MARS) questionnaire, and Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire for health status, and quality of life. These two questionnaires will be filled by elderly patients first upon signing consent form, before the pharmacist intervention, and in the two interviews following the intervention. Phase four is qualitative and aims to assess the experience of the participating community pharmacists and explore their perception regarding the pharmaceutical care service through focused group discussion. Discussion: This research is the first to be conducted in United Arab Emirates. Therefore, findings will reveal the possibility and preparedness of pharmacists to perform medication review and patients’ monitoring and follow up. Additionally, due to the unusual circumstances of COVID-19 pandemic, innovative ways will be used to perform such service. © RJPT All right reserved.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a major global public health emergency has significantly impacted human health and livelihoods. The pandemic continues to spread and treatments and vaccines are at different stages of development. Mass vaccination has been rolled out worldwide. This review article provides a narrative summary of the evidence on various non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) for COVID-19 containment. The authors reviewed the evidence published by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health map of COVID-19 evidence. Additional literature was identified from PubMed and Google Scholar, preprint sites, and news media. The search terms included 'Social distancing measures' and 'COVID 19', 'Non-pharmacological interventions'' and 'COVID 19', 'COVID-19', 'non-pharmacological interventions', 'face mask', etc. The strength of the evidence for most studies on NPIs was 'weak to moderate' for restrictive NPIs. Ascertaining the impact of each NPI as a standalone intervention is difficult since NPIs are implemented simultaneously with other measures. Varying testing and reporting strategies across the countries and classification of deaths directly caused by COVID-19 create challenges in assessing the impact of restrictive NPIs on the case numbers and deaths. Evidence on hygiene measures such as face mask is more robust in design providing credible evidence on prevention of COVID-19 infection. Evidence from modeling studies, natural before-after studies, and anecdotal evidence from the strategies adopted by 'role model' countries suggests that continued use of NPIs is the only containment strategy until 'herd immunity' is achieved to reduce the severe disease and mortality. © 2021 Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.
ABSTRACT
Objective The objective of this study was to assess the ongoing pharmacovigilance of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccines in the Nepalese context based on the available preliminary adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports and suggest approaches for strengthening pharmacovigilance mechanisms. Methods Currently, many COVID-19 vaccines are under advanced development and some have begun to be administered. In Nepal, the vaccination programme was initiated with Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 AZD1222 (Covishield) vaccine on January 27th targeting frontline healthcare professionals, sanitary staff and security workers. Newspaper reports and ADR reports received at a regional pharmacovigilance centre in Nepal were analysed. Nepal initiated a national pharmacovigilance programme 15 years back and has 14 functioning regional pharmacovigilance centres. The authors examine the strengths and challenges facing the current pharmacovigilance system in ensuring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Key findings The news coverage has not mentioned any deaths till date with COVID-19 vaccination. Some patients reported vomiting, urticaria and sudden increase in blood pressure. Few people suffered from headache, fever and myalgia after being vaccinated. A vaccine, approved in an accelerated manner may have safety concerns. The vaccine may cause several types of reactions, but serious reactions have not been reported. Occurrence of adverse effects due to the vaccine is being studied. Conclusions Involving key stake holders, training health professionals and strengthening existing reporting procedures are important. Developing a system of reporting and analysing ADRs daily can help generate actionable intelligence to improve the safety of the vaccination programme. Establishing functioning communication channels between regulatory authorities and other stakeholders is crucial.