Twitter dialogue: an analysis of Pakistani politicians’ information sharing

Purpose: The use of Twitter by political parties and politicians has been well studied in developed countries. However, there is a lack of empirical work which has examined the use of Twitter in developing countries. The present study aims to explore the information sharing patterns of Pakistani politicians through Twitter accounts during the pre-election campaign of 2018. Design/Methods/Methodology: Data of three weeks of the official party accounts and the politicians running for prime minister was analysed. The mixed methods approach has been employed to analyze quantitative and qualitative data retrieved through Twitonomy. Findings: It was found that the most active Twitter account belonged to the winning party. The prominent Twitter account functions were call to vote, promotional Tweets, promises and tweeting about party developments. The present studyprovides evidence that there is a difference between the tweeting behaviour of established and emerging parties. The emerging party heavily posted about changing traditional norms/culture/practices. Practical Implications: The study contributed to existing knowledge and has practical implications for politicians, citizens and social media planners. Originality/Value: The present study was designed carefully and based on empirical research. The study is unique in its nature to fill the research and knowledge gap by adding variety of Twitter functions used by politicians

Educating and Informing Patients Receiving Psychopharmacological Medications: Are Family Physicians in Pakistan up to the Task?

Introduction: Studies have shown a high prevalence of psychiatric illnesses among Patients in primary health care settings. Family physicians have a fundamental role in managing psychiatric illness with psychopharmacological medications. Providing information about the disease, its management and the potential adverse effects of the medications is an important part of the management of mental illnesses. Our objective was to determine if Patients who were prescribed psychopharmacological drugs by family physicians at a community health center in Karachi, Pakistan were provided adequate education about their disease and its management. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan. Details about the prescriptions and Patient education were acquired from the Patients after their consultations. Results: A total of 354 adult Patients were interviewed during 3 days. Among them, 73 (20.6%) were prescribed psychopharmacological medications. Among Patients receiving psychopharmacological medicines, 37 (50.7%) did not know their diagnosis, 50 (68.5%) were unaware of the disease process, 52 (71.2%) were unaware of alternative treatments, 63 (86.3%) were not cautioned about the potential adverse effects of the drugs, 24 (32.9%) were unaware of the duration of treatment and in 60 (82.2%) of the participants an appropriate referral had not been discussed. For all aspects of education, Patients prescribed psychopharmacological medications knew less as compared to those Patients that were prescribed other medications. Discussion: The practice of imparting information to Patients who receive psychopharmacological medications seems to be inadequate in Pakistan. We have hypothesized about the possible reasons for our findings, and identified a need for further research to determine the cause for such findings and to address them accordingly. At the same time there is a need to educate family physicians in Pakistan about the special importance of providing adequate information to such Patients

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Status of Technological Competencies: A Case Study of University Librarians

Technological expertise is the combination of knowledge and skill needed to apply technology for efficient and effective performance. This study investigates the technological expertise of eight university librarians using interview as data collection tool. Interview questions were based on technological template (T-template) or technology evaluation list for staff. It has been used by Education, Libraries & Heritage (ELH) Department’s ICT service in UK, California and Alberta public libraries to assess the IT competencies of their staff . The Template has been adopted and customized to meet the local requirements. It was used to measure the degree of professional technological expertise of the participants. The main categories of T-template were computer hardware, word processing, internet, troubleshooting and ILS (integrated library system) expertise. Findings show that participants were proficient enough in basic computer skills and were able to computerize their library collections. Findings also established that computerized acquisition and circulation systems were not very common in practice among professionals. Lack of advanced internet and ILS expertise is reported due to less urge in learning and exploring technology. The technological template adopted and customized in this study can be further utilized to assess the technological expertise of all the library professionals in Pakistan. Results though indicative, but could not be generalized due to its small sample

A Qualitative Case Study of Green Environment: Practices, Attitudes and Future Strategies of Pakistani University Librarians

Scope: This paper attempts to explicate sustainable practices’ status in university libraries with specific reference to Pakistan. This idea enunciates the potential of university libraries to address the environmental issues through work operations as a social responsibility.Design/methodology/approach: This case study utilized multiple methods for mapping data from different sources, such as face-to-face in-person 27 interviews, observation (participants and the sites), pictures, document review and field notes to explore the existing status of sustainable practices of librarians. Furthermore, a cross case analysis was done to validate the findings.Findings: Status of green work practices is unsatisfactory. Majority of librarians are not familiar, have a limited or different understanding of going green. Consequently, green work practices are highly uneven in absence of framed guidelines.Practical Implications: Overall, there is a dearth of LIS literature in the domain of going green. The current research based on the belief that every small individual green action counts on protecting planet earth across nation and across globe.Originality/Value: This case study is to stimulate a conversation on environmental education and promotion among library professionals. Additionally, the study will also place local librarianship into the latest perspective of “green literature” and increase the value and significance of local librarians’ green efforts in the global context