Lack of Knowledge about Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs): Implications for STDs Prevention and Care among Dermatology Patients in an Urban City in Vietnam.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a substantial global burden of diseases, especially in developing countries. Lack of awareness of STDs may lead to a delay in treatment. This study aimed to assess knowledge about STDs and the associated factors among dermatological patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 622 patients at Vietnam National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology (NHD). Structured questionnaires were used to investigate the knowledge about STDs. A multivariate Tobit regression was employed to determine factors associated with knowledge about STDs. The percentage of patients knowing that syphilis was an STD was highest (57.8%), followed by herpes warts (57.7%) and HIV/AIDS (57.4%). By contrast, 26.6% and 17.2% of patients knew that chlamydia and hepatitis C were STDs. The most commonly stated symptom of STDs was purulent genital (53.5%). Nearly two-thirds of participants were aware of the curability of STDs, and 34.7% knew about vaccines for STDs. Living with partners, young age, and acquired knowledge of STDs via the Internet, social networks, and health staff were positively related to having better knowledge about STDs. Based on the results of this study, peer education, informal conversations within clusters, mass community campaigns through the Internet and social networks, and the use of online health care providers should be promoted in order to improve awareness of STDs.

Health-Related Quality of Life Impairment among Patients with Different Skin Diseases in Vietnam: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Skin diseases have caused a heavy burden on the infected population worldwide. This study aimed to examine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with different skin diseases and identify associated factors. A cross-sectional study with 430 participants was conducted at the Vietnam National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology (NHD) from September to November 2018. The EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5L) instrument was employed, which measures the EQ-5D index from five domains including mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Multivariate Tobit regression was adopted to determine factors that were associated with HRQOL (EQ-5D index). The rate of atopic dermatitis was the highest with 28.8%, following by contact dermatitis (17.0%) and skin fungal infections (13.0%). Regarding HRQOL, anxiety/depression was the most common health problem in patients with skin diseases (71.8%), following by pain/discomfort (63.6%). The mean EQ-5D index score was 0.73 (SD = 0.19). The lowest EQ-5D index scores were obtained for females with skin infections (mean = 0.52) and for males with psoriasis (mean = 0.59). Females had significantly lower scores compared to males (Coef. = -0.06; 95% CI = -0.11 to -0.01). Higher income and living in rural areas were also negatively correlated with the EQ-5D index. This study demonstrated the low HRQOL among patients with skin diseases in Vietnam and emphasized the vulnerability of patients with different socioeconomic statuses to their HRQOL.