NGOs and poverty issues in peri-urban areas

Poverty reduction is the top-most element in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the United Nations those have provided a broad way for the development planning professionals on the globe to assess their past performance in the important aspects of development planning as well as to plan their strategies for the design period of 2000-2015. The United Nations sees the nations as members of a global family and expects them to work for the fellow-beings setting some guidelines, for instance, ‘The millennium Development Goals can be achieved if immediate steps are taken to implement existing commitment.NGOs, poverty, peri-urban areas

NGO field workers in Pakistan

NGOs came into the society in their present form after World War II and more precisely in 1960s. Before that also different forms of philanthropy existed. Like elsewhere in the world, in Pakistan also state and the market were the two sectors catering for different needs of the people. When foreign funding started coming into the poor countries, the channel of NGOs was considered more appropriate including the fact they had roots in the society and the benefit could reach the far flung areas. NGO field workers are the real actors in the NGOs’ activities but sadly the NGOs those raise the slogans of working for the destitute do not bother to facilitate the NGO field workers. Eventually the NGO field workers are facing problems of job insecurity, poor salary structure, unhealthy working environment and even harassment especially in case of women NGO field workers in Pakistan.Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), NGO field workers, wage level and structure, working conditions

Hemodynamic Comparison between modified saddle block and subarachnoid block for Transurethral Resection of Prostate

BACKGROUND:   Spinal anesthesia is often the mode of anesthesia in transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) albeit with risk of hypotension. However, hemodynamic derangement is often less pronounced in saddle block. This study was conducted to compare the mean fall in Mean arterial Pressure (MAP) and Heart rate (HR) between modified saddle block and subarachnoid block for TURP.  OBJECTIVE:   To compare the mean fall in MAP and HR between modified saddle block and subarachnoid block for TURP.  METHODS:   In this randomized controlled trial 120 patients undergoing elective TURP were included and divided into two groups. Group A Patients received subarachnoid block and Group B received modified saddle block. Baseline hemodynamics were recorded before and then at 5 minutes after anesthesia. All the collected data was entered into SPSS version 22 and analyzed. Quantitative data like age, BMI, ASA-PS score, duration of surgery and baseline hemodynamics were presented as means and standard deviations. The fall of mean arterial pressure (MAP) & heart rate (HR) were compared among groups by independent t test and P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.   RESULTS:  Mean fall in MAP was 8.98±1.28 mmHg and 3.13±0.68 mmHg (p<0.001) in group A and B, respectively. Mean fall in HR was 7.17±0.98 and 2.78±0.59 (p<0.001) in group A and group B, respectively.  CONCLUSION:   Modified saddle block resulted in significantly decreased fall in MAP and HR as compared with subarachnoid block for TURP.  KEY WORDS:   Modified Saddle Block; Subarachnoid Block; Mean Arterial Pressure &nbsp

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Students\u27 Understanding of the Importance of Information Literacy (IL) Programs and Skills

Abstract The research was conducted to determine the relevance of the information literacy skills of Lahore University of Management Sciences graduate students (LUMS). A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the required data from the population. A sample of 357 students was selected, and the useable response rate was 82%. Results of the study revealed that the majority 51 %, were aware of the IL Somehow concept of information literacy. Similarly, majority 86% of the participant had not received any training on information literacy. The findings also showed that 49% of the majority of students found the IL program very important. Similarly, 36% agreed that the IL program is significant However, a major part of the respondents considered the information literacy program as an important program to meet their research skills as well as academic need. The findings revealed that the majority of students are conscious of the information and its relevance for their academic achievements. These results may be carried out in other universities with the same method, strategies, and environments of teaching and learning. Keywords: Information Literacy; Skills; importance; LUMS University; Pakista

Information literacy skills among students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

The purpose of this study was to determine awareness, skills and preferred contents of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) students about information literacy (IL). A survey research design was solicited to collect the required data using a self-administered structured questionnaire. A simple convenient sampling technique was used to collect the required data from the population. The results showed that majority of the students have awareness about the information and its importance for their academic achievements. To fulfill their academic needs, the students desired the contents related to their assigned task subject and research so that they could identify need, resources to access and authenticate the available information. The majority of the students believed that information literacy was important for their academic achievements which indicated their interest in receiving such training to fulfill their educational needs. .The findings of the study demand that LIS professionals at LUMS should prepare information literacy programs and other universities of Pakistan can revise their information literacy programs accordingly. No study has been conducted to explore the level of awareness and skills of undergraduate students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) about information literacy. Therefore, this is the first study in this regard

Measuring Information literacy skills of graduate students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)

Abstract The study was conducted in order to measure the information literacy skills of graduate students of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). To meet the purpose, a study was conducted in multiple phases. In the first phase, a comprehensive literature review was completed. In the second phase, a survey research design was solicited to collect the required data using a self-administered structured questionnaire. A convenient sampling technique was used to collect the required data from the population. The results showed that the majority of the graduate students have awareness about the information and its importance for their academic achievements. To fulfill their academic needs, the students desired the contents related to their assigned task subject and research so that they could identify a need, resources to access and authenticate the available information. The findings of the study would provide some useful guidance for University administration, policy makers and those concernd to improve and expand university level information literacy training sessions and programmes in Pakistan. These results could be executed on other universities with the same teaching and learning system, strategies, and environments. Keywords: Information Literacy; Skills; Graduate students; LUMS University; Pakista