Utilization of Basic Health Services at Primary Health Care Facilities During COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19, a novel rapidly emerging respiratory disease has spread across the world in a short span of time, infecting millions of people around the world. Consequently, health systems are overwhelmed by both direct mortality from COVID-19 and indirect mortality from other treatable conditions. Though COVID-19 prevention and control is crucial, it is also equally important to continue basic health services. Therefore, the study aimed to explore the facilitators and barriers of basic health service utilization at primary health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in the Bidur Municipality of Nuwakot district. Twenty-five telephone interviews were conducted from all the wards of the municipality and each lasted at least 20 minutes. The interviews were translated into English, coded using RQDA software, and analyzed using thematic analysis manually. RESULTS: The participants shared basic health service was interrupted during the pandemic, especially in the first month. However, the prominent factors that were often crosscutting to many factors were socio-economic conditions and fear of acquiring COVID-19. Additionally, inadequate personal protective equipment, mental stress, shortage of health workers, supplies disruptions, social stigma and extended lockdowns come into play for determining the utilization of basic health services during pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Basic health service was heavily compromised during the pandemic. Fulfillment of the sanctioned posts, enhancement in the use of digital technologies can be promoting options for basic health service utilization during pandemic.

Psychometric properties of Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire among Nepalese adolescents in Lalitpur.

BACKGROUND: Although the need of measuring resilience among adolescents has gained attention in recent decades, there is no availability of an appropriate tool designed yet to assess resilience among Nepalese adolescents. This paper describes the psychometric properties of Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ) among Nepalese adolescent students in Lalitpur which could be a possible tool for measuring resilience. METHOD: The ARQ was translated into Nepali and back translated in English. The Nepali ARQ was self-administered in 512 adolescent students with 46.7% boys between the age of 13 and 19 years (M = 16.07 years, SD = 1.49) enrolled in six secondary schools in Lalitpur, Nepal. Test-retest reliability was assessed among 52 adolescent students within an interval of two weeks. RESULTS: Findings confirmed 12 scales and 5 domain factor structure of adolescents' resilience. Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α) for the scales and domains ranged between 0.64-0.86 and 0.71-0.86. The values of Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) showed that test-retest reliability of the scales and domains ranged between good and excellent with an overall ICC 0.95 (95% CI 0.92-0.97). CONCLUSION: The Nepali version of the ARQ can be used to measure resilience among adolescents in Lalitpur, Nepal. Further studies are recommended to assess adolescents' resilience using the ARQ in diverse settings including communities of various provinces and regions of Nepal.