13 research outputs found
Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000-2016).
BACKGROUND: The health of migrants has become an important issue in global health and foreign policy. Assessing the current status of research activity and identifying gaps in global migration health (GMH) is an important step in mapping the evidence-base and on advocating health needs of migrants and mobile populations. The aim of this study was to analyze globally published peer-reviewed literature in GMH. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis methodology was used. The Scopus database was used to retrieve documents in peer-reviewed journals in GMH for the study period from 2000 to 2016. A group of experts in GMH developed the needed keywords and validated the final search strategy. RESULTS: The number of retrieved documents was 21,457. Approximately one third (6878; 32.1%) of the retrieved documents were published in the last three years of the study period. In total, 5451 (25.4%) documents were about refugees and asylum seekers, while 1328 (6.2%) were about migrant workers, 440 (2.1%) were about international students, 679 (3.2%) were about victims of human trafficking/smuggling, 26 (0.1%) were about patients' mobility across international borders, and the remaining documents were about unspecified categories of migrants. The majority of the retrieved documents (10,086; 47.0%) were in psychosocial and mental health domain, while 2945 (13.7%) documents were in infectious diseases, 6819 (31.8%) documents were in health policy and systems, 2759 (12.8%) documents were in maternal and reproductive health, and 1918 (8.9%) were in non-communicable diseases. The contribution of authors and institutions in Asian countries, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern European countries was low. Literature in GMH represents the perspectives of high-income migrant destination countries. CONCLUSION: Our heat map of research output shows that despite the ever-growing prominence of human mobility across the globe, and Sustainable Development Goals of leaving no one behind, research output on migrants' health is not consistent with the global migration pattern. A stronger evidence base is needed to enable authorities to make evidence-informed decisions on migration health policy and practice. Research collaboration and networks should be encouraged to prioritize research in GMH
Impact of Prone Position on 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Healthy Adults: A Comparison Study with Standard Electrocardiogram
Background. The standard electrocardiogram (ECG) is commonly performed in the supine posture. It may be difficult to report ECG in a supine posture for those who are unable to adopt the supine posture because of certain circumstances such as acute respiratory distress syndrome—patients who are placed in a prone position for long periods to improve oxygenation. Few data are available on the impact of the prone position on the ECG recording with electrodes on the posterior chest. Examining and analyzing the type and extent of changes observed in the prone ECG in healthy adults have become vitally valuable. Methods. A cross-sectional observational study enrolled forty healthy adults (24 males and 16 females) aged between 18 and 40 years. The ECG was performed in two different body positions, supine and prone. Influence of prone position on the heart rate, mean QRS axis, amplitude, morphology, duration, mean T wave axis and polarity, mean P wave axis, PR, and mean QTc duration was evaluated. Results. The mean heart rate was higher in the prone position (73.2 ± 12.4 bpm) compared with the supine position (69.5 ± 11.5 bpm, p = 0.03). The QRS duration decreased considerably from supine (92.8 ± 12.6 ms) to prone (84.9 ± 11.9 ms, p<0.001). The mean QRS axis moved to the left in the prone posture (40.5° ± 32°) relative to the supine (49° ± 28°, p=0.015). The QRS amplitude in the precordial leads was significantly decreased from supine (7.42 ± 3.1 mV) to prone (3.68 ± 1.7 mV, p<0.001). In addition, changes in the QRS morphology in leads V1–V3 with the appearance of new Q waves were noted. A notable variation in the mean corrected QT (QTc) period with decrease in duration in prone posture ECG (385 ± 64.8) relative to supine (406 ± 18.8, p=0.05). Conclusions. Prone position ECG resulted in significant changes in healthy adults that should be aware of this as this can affect diagnosis and management strategies. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of prone position on ECG recording in patients with cardiovascular diseases
Beliefs about medicines and self-reported adherence among patients with chronic illness: A study in Palestine
Background: Identifying factors associated with adherence is of great value in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to investigate medication adherence, beliefs about medicines held by people with chronic illness and whether beliefs influence medication adherence. Methods: The study was carried out at primary health care clinic of the Palestinian Medical Military Services in Nablus, Palestine. The beliefs about medicines questionnaire was used to assess beliefs and Morisky medication adherence scale was used to assess adherence. Results: A total of 187 patients were interviewed. Most participants (79.6%) agreed or strongly agreed that their medications were necessary for their current health. However, 58.2% of the participants were concerned about having to take their medicines on a regular basis and 57.8% were concerned about becoming dependent on their medicines. None of the demographic and clinical variables was significantly associated with medication adherence. However, multivariate analysis showed that patients who had higher beliefs about medication necessity had higher odds (1.107 [1.023-1.197]) of being adherent. On the other hand, patients who had higher concern beliefs had lower odds (0.908 [0.845-0.975]) of being adherent. Conclusions: Beliefs about medicines are a major contributing factor to medication adherence
Global research trends of literature in sugar-sweetened beverages: 2000–2016
BACKGROUND: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are commonly used. The objective of this study was to analyze the quantity and quality of published literature on SSBs and present the results in a bibliometric format.
METHODOLOGY: Scopus database was used to retrieve documents from 2000 to 2015. Annual growth of publications, collaborations, geographic distribution, visualization and mapping of collaboration, author analysis, and top-cited articles will be presented and discussed.
RESULTS: The total number of worldwide publications on SSBs was 3345, published in 27 subject areas. More than half (58.30%) of the SSB publications were within the area of medicine. The number of publications gradually increased until 2013 followed by a steady state. The median of number of citations was 3 (0–14) per document. The annual growth rate of publications on SSBs dropped from 15.22 in 2001 to 1.00 in 2016. The total number of authors was 13,813, with a mean of 3.72 ± 0.72 authors per document. Most documents (2942, 87.95%) were multi-authored publications. The USA was the most productive country (1062; 31.75%) followed by the United Kingdom (234; 7%) and Brazil (171, 5.11%). Harvard University was the leading institution with 112 publications. The most commonly preferred journal for publishing was “Public Health Nutrition” with 81 publications. Half of the top ten preferred journals were in the field of nutrition.
CONCLUSION: Bibliometric analysis of literature on SSBs is one method to enrich literature and encourage health policymakers and nutrition specialists to take the case of SSBs one step further to limit the consumption of SSBs
A cross-sectional study of the availability and pharmacist’s knowledge of nano-pharmaceutical drugs in Palestinian hospitals
Abstract Background Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanomaterials that may have an infinite size with the range less than 100 nm. This science has provided solutions to many of the current limitations in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Therefore, the pharmacist’s knowledge and awareness of nano-pharmaceutical drugs will increase their availability in the market, and will improve the patient’s compliance to their drug therapy. This study aimed to determine the availability of nano-pharmaceutical drugs in Palestinian hospitals and evaluate the extent of pharmacist’s knowledge about them. Methods A cross-sectional study design questionnaire was used to determine the availability of nano-pharmaceutical drugs based on the database of the ministry of health in the Palestinian hospitals (governmental, private and non- governmental organizations). Moreover, the knowledge of these nano-pharmaceutical drugs among pharmacists working in Palestinian hospitals was assessed based on developed questionnaire from the literature of the pharmaceutical formulations and nano-formulations. The variables were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22). Result Fifty six pharmacists from 27 hospitals in the West bank completed the survey. The results regarding the availability of nano-pharmaceutical drugs indicated only eight available in hospitals with a frequency range 0–39.3%. Moreover, pharmacist’s knowledge in the pharmaceutical formulations was better than that in nano-formulations. Conclusions The availability of nano-pharmaceutical drugs in Palestinian hospitals was not adequate due to the lack of various nano-pharmaceutical drugs. The knowledge among pharmacists regarding nano-pharmaceutical drugs should be improved by providing courses in nanomedicine during the undergraduate pharmacy programs
Evaluation of antihypertensive therapy in diabetic hypertensive patients: impact of ischemic heart disease.
Macrovascular complications are common in
diabetic hypertensive patients. Appropriate
antihypertensive therapy and tight blood pressure
control are believed to prevent or delay such
complication.
Objective: To evaluate utilization patterns of
antihypertensive agents and blood pressure (BP)
control among diabetic hypertensive patients with
and without ischemic heart disease (IHD).
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all diabetic
hypertensive patients attending Al-watani medical
center from August 2006 until August 2007.
Proportions of use of different antihypertensive drug
classes were compared for all patients receiving 1,
2, 3, or 4 or more drugs, and separately among
patients with and without IHD. Blood pressure
control (equal or lower 130/80 mmHg) was
compared for patients receiving no therapy,
monotherapy, or combination therapy and
separately among patients with and without IHD.
Results: 255 patients were included in the study;
their mean age was 64.4 (SD=11.4) years. Sixty
one (23.9%) of the included patients was on target
BP. Over 60% of the total patients were receiving
angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI)/
angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), followed by
diuretics (40.8%), calcium channel blockers (25.1%)
and beta-blockers (12.5%). The majority (> 55%) of
patients were either on mono or no drug therapy.
More than 55% of patients with controlled BP were
using ACE-I. More than half (50.8%) of the patients
with controlled BP were on combination therapy
while 42.3% of patients with uncontrolled BP were
on combination therapy (p=0.24). More patient in
the IHD achieved target BP than those in non-IHD group (p=0.019). Comparison between IHD and
non-IHD groups indicated no significant difference
in the utilization of any drug class with ACE-I being
the most commonly utilized in both groups.
Conclusions: Patterns of antihypertensive therapy
were generally but not adequately consistent with
international guidelines. Areas of improvement
include increasing ACE-I drug combinations,
decreasing the number of untreated patients, and
increasing the proportion of patients with controlled
BP in this population.RESUMEN
Las complicaciones macrovasculares son frecuentes
en pacientes diabéticos hipertensos. Se cree que un
apropiado tratamiento antihipertensivo y un control
estrecho de la presiĂłn arterial previenen o retrasan
estas complicaciones.
Objetivo: Evaluar los patrones de utilizaciĂłn de
antihipertensivos y el control de la presiĂłn arterial
(PA) en pacientes diabéticos hipertensos con y sin
enfermedad isquémica cardiaca (EIC).
MĂ©todos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de todos
los pacientes diabéticos hipertensos que acudieron
al centro médico Al-watani desde agosto 2006 a
agosto 2007. Se compararon las proporciones de
pacientes que recibĂan 1,2,3 o 4 o más
medicamentos, y por separado los pacientes con y
sin EIC. El control de presiĂłn arterial (menor o
igual a 130/80 mmHg) se comparĂł en los pacientes
recibiendo ningĂşn tratamiento, monoterapia o
tratamiento de combinaciĂłn y por separado los que
tenĂan o no EIC.
Resultados: Se incluyeron en el estudio 255
pacientes; su media de edad era de 64,4 (DE=11,4)
años. Sesenta y uno (23,9%) de los pacientes
incluidos estaban en la presiĂłn arterial deseada.
Más del 60% del total recibĂan inhibidores de la
enzima convertidor de la angiotensina
(IECA)/Antagonistas del receptor de angiotensina
(ARA), seguidos de diuréticos (40,8%),
bloqueantes de canales de calcio (25,1%), y betabloqueantes
(12,5%). La mayorĂa (más del 55%)
estaban en monoterapia o sin tratamiento. Más del 55% de los pacientes con la PA controlada
utilizaban IECA. Más de la mitad (50,8%) de los
pacientes con la PA controlada estaban con
tratamiento de combinaciĂłn, mientras que el 42,3%
de los pacientes con PA descontrolada estaban con
tratamiento combinado (p=0,24). Alcanzaron la PA
deseada más pacientes del grupo EIC que del grupo
no-EIC (p=0,019). La comparaciĂłn entre los grupos
EIC y no-EIC indicĂł que no habĂa diferencia
significativa en la utilizaciĂłn de ningĂşn grupo de
medicamentos con los IECA, siendo estos los más
utilizados en los dos grupos.
ConclusiĂłn: Los patrones de utilizaciĂłn de
antihipertensivos fueron generalmente no
consistentes con las recomendaciones
internacionales. Las posibles mejoras incluyen
aumentar las combinaciones de los IECA,
disminuir la proporciona de pacientes no tratados, y
aumentar la proporciĂłn de pacientes con PA
controlada en esta poblaciĂłn
Additional file 1: of Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000–2016)
Research strategy and keywords used for each search query in GMH (2000–2016). (DOCX 19 kb
Additional file 2: of Bibliometric analysis of global migration health research in peer-reviewed literature (2000–2016)
A scheme showing the general search strategy with number of retrieved documents in each step. (DOCX 47 kb
Factors influencing community pharmacists’ knowledge about women’s issues in epilepsy
BackgroundPrevious studies have highlighted instances where pharmacists lacked knowledge regarding women’s health issues related to epilepsy.ObjectivesTo assess UAE community pharmacists’ knowledge, toward women’s issues in epilepsy.Methodsa cross-sectional research method was employed. A team of seven pharmacy students in their final year visited a randomly selected sample of community pharmacies in the UAE and face-to-face interviews were conducted with the pharmacists using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire includes two parts; Eight questions designed to elicit data about the demographics of the study participants and 12 questions eliciting insights into the participants’ knowledge of women’s issues in epilepsy.ResultsA total of 412 community pharmacist were recruited in the study. The overall level of knowledge about women’s issues in epilepsy was good and the average knowledge score was 81% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [79.1, 82.7%]. The results of multivariate analysis showed higher knowledge scores in chain pharmacies (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.12–1.67), Chief pharmacists (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.01–2.06), Pharmacists in charge (OR 3.46; 95% CI 2.7–4.45), pharmacists with 1–5 Years of experience (OR 2.87; 95% CI 1.71–4.82), pharmacists with 6–10 Years (OR 2.63; 95% CI 1.58–4.38), pharmacists with >10 years (OR 3.13; 95% CI 2.03–4.83), graduation form regional universities (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.12–1.67), graduation form international universities (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.36–2.20) and receiving a training on epilepsy (OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.12–1.67).ConclusionWhile the findings reveal an overall promising level of knowledge among community pharmacists regarding the issues faced by women with epilepsy, pinpointing which clinical and demographic factors have the most significant impact on this knowledge would permit the implementation of tailored educational interventions. Workshops and modules targeting the issues faced by women with epilepsy would further raise the knowledge and competence among community pharmacists in this area, ensuring better pharmaceutical care for this population