Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among college students

Background: Self-medication is widely practiced both in developed and developing countries. Self-medication has certain advantages as it is convenient, economical, and medical resources are not wasted for minor illnesses. However, there are disadvantages as the disease recognized may not be correct, there is delay in meeting a health care worker, the side-effects of the medication are not known, inappropriate usage of antibiotics leading to drug resistance, taking the same drug with different trade names, it can lead to drug interactions and can also lead to drug addiction. College students prefer self-medication for minor illness or to save time and money. There is no data on the prevalence and pattern of self-medication in college students in Delhi. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among medical and non-medical students.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 200 students of Delhi University using a pretested, structured questionnaire about demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practices of self-medication. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0.Results: Self-medication is commonly practiced among both medical and non‑medical college students. From a total of 200 students, 93% of the students had used self-medication of which 7% used it always. Allopathy is the most preferred system of medication.Conclusions: The reasons for self-medication were similar among medical and non-medical students, but positive attitude and knowledge toward self-medication was more among the medical students

Modern Trends and Prospects for the Development of Russian Healthcare: The Role of Digital Technologies

Health care as an open system is affected by external fluctuations: the processes of globalization, digitalization and informatization; modernization and virtualization; increasing complexity of problems and volumes of information; increasing share of qualified, creative work; challenges and threats of the future, increasing social tension and devaluation of values. All this leads to a change in the management paradigm, which is based on future management, advanced development, self-education and self-development. Data analysis of VTSIOM secondary sociological studies and author’s analysis of the content of discussions from August 2018- to February 2019 of medical professionals ’online communities were conducted. The study has identified the following current trends: the growth of informatization, virtualization, the emergence of new medical technologies, the formation of the global medical market, the change in the management paradigm of public and non-profit health organizations, the formation of new requirements for managers and staff of medical organizations. Global trends are linked to the growing popularity of digital healthcare. Medical institutions, diagnostic laboratories and insurance companies are gradually getting involved in the digitalization process and creating a single electronic system. This task is included in the National strategy for the development of artificial intelligence in Russia. The study has fixed that the problem of accessibility and quality of medical care in the country remains relevant, which is confirmed by the data of independent sociological studies. The main risks of digital medicine development are data security and insufficient professional competence of medical personnel in the field of information technology. It is important to support the processes the of users number of medical relevant social networks: iVrach.com, imedicina.ru, vrachirf.ru, doctocnarabote.ru, novmed.net, medtusovka.ru, doctornet.ru as well as consolidation of Russian technology companies in developing their own up-to-date software products for digital medicine. Keywords: Digital Healthcare; digital technologies; quality of medical services, telemedicine, Russian healthcare, risks of digitalization Introductio

Basic Conditioning Factors' Influences on Adolescents' Healthy Behaviors, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Care

This article reports a secondary statistical analysis of data from a study investigating the relationships among health-promoting self-care behaviors, self-care self-efficacy, and self-care agency in an adolescent population (Callaghan, 2005). The purpose of this study was to identify the influences of selected basic conditioning factors on the practice of healthy behaviors, self-efficacy beliefs, and ability for self-care in 256 adolescents. The research instruments used to collect data for this study include: Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II Scale; Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale; Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale; demographic questionnaire assessing basic conditioning factors. The results of this analysis identified significant relationships between the following basic conditioning factors and adolescents' practice of healthy behaviors, self-efficacy of those behaviors, and self-care abilities: support system, adequate income, adequate living conditions, gender, routine practice of religion, and reported medical problems/disabilities. These findings can give adolescent health nurses direction in developing interventions that promote the self-care and health in this specific population

The Fractal Analysis of the Images and Signals in Medical Diagnostics

In the present chapter, we summarize our results concerning fractal analysis of some medical data. The aim of this study is to identify the inherent human body “chaotic” dynamics and insufficient disclosure of the physical essence of the processes observed, depending on the extent of developing a pathology that is characterized by a decrease or increase in the degree of complexity and as a consequence—randomness, for which, in some cases, hidden fractal. The proposed approach based on identifying the presence of the properties of self‐similarity can be useful in preliminary clinical trials for the diagnosis of cancerous epithelial diseases, blood, and liver in the initial stage, the analysis of digital images, the structure of correlations biomedical parameters, as well as in the study of pathologies of the central nervous system—the neurological, neurodegenerative disorders, psychiatric disorders, and may be the basis for the development of the interface “brain‐computer”, on the basis of electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography. Additional measures are proposed to study the presence of self‐similar properties in the form of self‐similarity and magnitude SRGB ratio (area of a triangle in the coordinate system of the properties)

An online COVID-19 self-assessment framework supported by IoMT technology

Abstract As COVID-19 pandemic continued to propagate, millions of lives are currently at risk especially elderly, people with chronic conditions and pregnant women. Iraq is one of the countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, in Iraq, there is a need for a self-assessment tool to be available in hand for people with COVID-19 concerns. Such a tool would guide people, after an automated assessment, to the right decision such as seeking medical advice, self-isolate, or testing for COVID-19. This study proposes an online COVID-19 self-assessment tool supported by the internet of medical things (IoMT) technology as a means to fight this pandemic and mitigate the burden on our nation’s healthcare system. Advances in IoMT technology allow us to connect all medical tools, medical databases, and devices via the internet in one collaborative network, which conveys real-time data integration and analysis. Our IoMT framework-driven COVID-19 self-assessment tool will capture signs and symptoms through multiple probing questions, storing the data to our COVID-19 patient database, then analyze the data to determine whether a person needs to be tested for COVID-19 or other actions may require to be taken. Further to this, collected data can be integrated and analyzed collaboratively for developing a national health policy and help to manage healthcare resources more efficiently. The IoMT framework-driven online COVID-19 self-assessment tool has a big potential to prevent our healthcare system from being overwhelmed using real-time data collection, COVID-19 databases, analysis, and management of people with COVID-19 concerns, plus providing proper guidance and course of action

Utilization of day surgery services at Upper hill Medical Centre and the Karen hospital in Nairobi: the influence of medical providers, cost and patient awareness

Introduction: Health systems face challenges of improving access to health services due to rising  health care costs. Innovative services such as day surgery would improve service delivery. Day surgery is a concept where patients are admitted for surgical procedures and discharged the same day. Though  used widely in developed countries due to its advantages, utilization in developing countries has been low. This study sought to establish how utilization of day surgery services was influenced by medical  providers, patient awareness and cost among other factors. Methods: The study design was cross sectional with self administered questionnaires used to collect data. Data analysis was done by using statistical package for social science (SPSS) and presented as frequencies, percentages and Spearman's correlation to establish relationship among variables.Results: Medical providers included doctors, their employees and medical insurance providers. Most  doctors were aware of day surgery services but their frequency of utilization was low. Furthermore, medical insurance providers approved only half of the requests for day surgery. Doctors' employees were aware of the services and most of them would recommend it to patients. Although, most patients were not aware of day surgery services those who were aware would prefer day surgery to in patient.  Moreover, doctors and medical insurance providers considered day surgery to be cheaper than in patient.Conclusion: The study showed that medical providers and patient awareness had influence over day  surgery utilization, though, cost alone did not influence day surgery utilization but as a combination with other factors.Key words: Day surgery, health system, medical providers, medical insurance providers, in patient, patient awareness, cost and utilizatio

An online COVID-19 self-assessment framework supported by IoMT technology

As COVID-19 pandemic continued to propagate, millions of lives are currently at risk especially elderly, people with chronic conditions and pregnant women. Iraq is one of the countries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, in Iraq, there is a need for a self-assessment tool to be available in hand for people with COVID-19 concerns. Such a tool would guide people, after an automated assessment, to the right decision such as seeking medical advice, self-isolate, or testing for COVID-19. This study proposes an online COVID-19 self-assessment tool supported by the internet of medical things (IoMT) technology as a means to fight this pandemic and mitigate the burden on our nation's healthcare system. Advances in IoMT technology allow us to connect all medical tools, medical databases, and devices via the internet in one collaborative network, which conveys real-time data integration and analysis. Our IoMT framework-driven COVID-19 self-assessment tool will capture signs and symptoms through multiple probing questions, storing the data to our COVID-19 patient database, then analyze the data to determine whether a person needs to be tested for COVID-19 or other actions may require to be taken. Further to this, collected data can be integrated and analyzed collaboratively for developing a national health policy and help to manage healthcare resources more efficiently. The IoMT framework-driven online COVID-19 self-assessment tool has a big potential to prevent our healthcare system from being overwhelmed using real-time data collection, COVID-19 databases, analysis, and management of people with COVID-19 concerns, plus providing proper guidance and course of action

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2012

Topics covered include: Beat-to-Beat Blood Pressure Monitor; Measurement Techniques for Clock Jitter; Lightweight, Miniature Inertial Measurement System; Optical Density Analysis of X-Rays Utilizing Calibration Tooling to Estimate Thickness of Parts; Fuel Cell/Electrochemical Cell Voltage Monitor; Anomaly Detection Techniques with Real Test Data from a Spinning Turbine Engine-Like Rotor; Measuring Air Leaks into the Vacuum Space of Large Liquid Hydrogen Tanks; Antenna Calibration and Measurement Equipment; Glass Solder Approach for Robust, Low-Loss, Fiber-to-Waveguide Coupling; Lightweight Metal Matrix Composite Segmented for Manufacturing High-Precision Mirrors; Plasma Treatment to Remove Carbon from Indium UV Filters; Telerobotics Workstation (TRWS) for Deep Space Habitats; Single-Pole Double-Throw MMIC Switches for a Microwave Radiometer; On Shaft Data Acquisition System (OSDAS); ASIC Readout Circuit Architecture for Large Geiger Photodiode Arrays; Flexible Architecture for FPGAs in Embedded Systems; Polyurea-Based Aerogel Monoliths and Composites; Resin-Impregnated Carbon Ablator: A New Ablative Material for Hyperbolic Entry Speeds; Self-Cleaning Particulate Prefilter Media; Modular, Rapid Propellant Loading System/Cryogenic Testbed; Compact, Low-Force, Low-Noise Linear Actuator; Loop Heat Pipe with Thermal Control Valve as a Variable Thermal Link; Process for Measuring Over-Center Distances; Hands-Free Transcranial Color Doppler Probe; Improving Balance Function Using Low Levels of Electrical Stimulation of the Balance Organs; Developing Physiologic Models for Emergency Medical Procedures Under Microgravity; PMA-Linked Fluorescence for Rapid Detection of Viable Bacterial Endospores; Portable Intravenous Fluid Production Device for Ground Use; Adaptation of a Filter Assembly to Assess Microbial Bioburden of Pressurant Within a Propulsion System; Multiplexed Force and Deflection Sensing Shell Membranes for Robotic Manipulators; Whispering Gallery Mode Optomechanical Resonator; Vision-Aided Autonomous Landing and Ingress of Micro Aerial Vehicles; Self-Sealing Wet Chemistry Cell for Field Analysis; General MACOS Interface for Modeling and Analysis for Controlled Optical Systems; Mars Technology Rover with Arm-Mounted Percussive Coring Tool, Microimager, and Sample-Handling Encapsulation Containerization Subsystem; Fault-Tolerant, Real-Time, Multi-Core Computer System; Water Detection Based on Object Reflections; SATPLOT for Analysis of SECCHI Heliospheric Imager Data; Plug-in Plan Tool v3.0.3.1; Frequency Correction for MIRO Chirp Transformation Spectroscopy Spectrum; Nonlinear Estimation Approach to Real-Time Georegistration from Aerial Images; Optimal Force Control of Vibro-Impact Systems for Autonomous Drilling Applications; Low-Cost Telemetry System for Small/Micro Satellites; Operator Interface and Control Software for the Reconfigurable Surface System Tri-ATHLETE; and Algorithms for Determining Physical Responses of Structures Under Load