A study of the consistency between hypertension medications prescribed by general practitioners and 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines for the management of hypertension

Introduction: Prescription of the right antihypertensivedrug plays a key role in treatment and prevention of seriousside effects for patients. The present study aims toidentify the types of hypertension medications prescribedby general practitioners and the degree to which theyagree with 2018 ESC (European Society of Cardiology)and ESH (European Society of Hypertension) Guidelinesfor the management of hypertension in the health centersof villages near a city in the province of Fars, south of Iran.Materials and Methods: The present study is a descriptive,cross-sectional work where 300 individuals withhypertension were selected from 30 villages according tothe cluster sampling method. Data were collected usinga checklist which addressed the respondent’s demographics,underlying disease, and type of hypertension medication.Subsequently, the extent of consistency betweenthe prescribed medications and the hypertension guidelineswere examined. The collected data were analyzedusing SPSS-23.Results: The participants ranged from 37 to 59 years ofage with an average age of 47.23±15.1 years. 60% ofthe patients studied had stage 1, 30% stage 2, and 10%had stage 3 hypertension. Beta blockers were found tobe the medications most frequently prescribed by the generalpractitioners. Most of the patients with cardiac disorders,diabetes, and kidney failure had been prescribedbeta blockers, which was not in accordance with the newhypertension guidelines.Conclusion: Medications prescribed for patients with hypertensionare usually not consistent with hypertensionguidelines. It is recommended that general practitioners’awareness of hypertension guidelines be raised throughworkshops in order to decrease or prevent the seriousconsequences of hypertension in patients by treatingthem correctly

A Study of Demographic Characteristics, Clinical Manifestations, Radiologic and Lab Findings of Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19 in the South of Iran

Background & Objectives: Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a life -threatening factor all around the world. Identifying the features of the infected population contributes to detecting risk factors and determining more effective treatment goals. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic features, clinical symptoms, and radiologic findings of hospitalized patients infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Vali-Asr hospital affiliated to Fasa Medical University, located in south of Iran. Materials & Methods: In this cross-sectional study that was conducted in one of Iran southeast hospitals, 50 patients hospitalized in COVID-19 ward were selected through consensus sampling. The study's instrument included a researcher-made checklist. Then, the collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22 and statistical descriptive (distribution of frequency and Mean±SD ) and analytical methods (t-test). Results: The mean and standard deviation of patients’ age was 52.88±19.04. The majority of the most common clinical symptom was fever and the most common CTs finding was the GGO (Grand Glossy Opacity) engagement of both lungs. There was no meaningful difference between age, gender, and infection with coronavirus, respectively (P=0.87 and P=0.79). Among the underlying diseases, there was a significant relationship between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and coronavirus infection (P=0.003). Conclusion: Old age and background diseases (diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are factors that endanger people to COVID-19 more. It is suggested to carry out more studies to investigate the effect of the characteristics of different communities on the infection with COVID-19

Evaluation of acute myocardial infarction management guidelines` indicators (Stent save a life, code 247) in patients referred to cardiology Department of Valiasr Hospital in Fasa, Southwest of Iran 2019

Introduction: Acute myocardial infarction is one of themost common and major health problems in most societies.Implementation of acute myocardial infarctionmanagement guidelines will play a key role in preventinghigh-risk complications and improving treatmentoutcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate theindicators of acute myocardial infarction managementguidelines` indicators (Stent save a life, code 247) in patientsreferred to the cardiac ward of Vali Asr Hospital insouthwest Iran in 2019.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study in whichthe indicators of acute myocardial infarction managementguidelines (code 247) were studied for 15 months fromApril 2018 until the end of June 2019. Sampling was doneby census. Accordingly, 153 patients were studied. A checklistconsisting of demographic data and information relatedto the implementation of the MI management guidelineswas used to collect the data. Data were analyzed by SPSS,version 23, software and descriptive statistics.Results: 77.1% (118) of patients were male and 22.9%(35) were female. Mean and standard deviation of age ofpatients were 60.58 ± 12.43. Regarding the timing indicesfor receiving services, the results of the study showedthat the Door to Code TIME (time duration of patient admissionto the hospital to activation of the code 247) was12.36 ± 6.25 in this study, which should be less than 10minutes. Also, the duration of the Door to Device Time(time duration between arrival of the patient with acutemyocardial infarction to performing the angioplasty) was180 minutes in the present study, which should be lessthan 90 minutes.Conclusion: The guidelines for the management of myocardialinfarction (247) were not ideal in some of the indicatorsin the studied unite that the effective barriers andchallenges needed to be studied and improved. It is alsorecommended that these protocols be continuously evaluatedto provide better efficacy