Audit of newborn screening programme for congenital hypothyroidism

Congenital hypothyroidism screening programme in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) was started since 2004 using cord blood TSH. An audit of the screening programme for a period of 24 months was done for the year 2010 and 2011. A total of 12928 newborn babies were screened with coverage of 100%. Two cases were confirmed to have primary congenital hypothyroidism. The mean recall rate was 2.31% and the mean sample rejection rate was 1.59%. The subject response for the repeat test was 63% for the year 2010 and 78% for the year 2011. Continuous surveillance is important to ensure the National Quality Assurance (QA) were met

A review on the applications of rukhsoh in medical practices

Rukhsoh (permit) is a concessionary law, which oppose to azimah (enforced) in Islamic jurisprudence. It is considered as one of the important concept to be understood by Muslims physicians and scientists as its applications offer solutions for hardships and difficulties in performing practical acts of worship. However, discussions regarding this matter in both classical references and current literatures of Islamic Jurisprudence are generally limited and less structure. This review attempts to deliver a structured account on the principles and applications of rukhsoh in medical issues related to practical acts of worship. This review comprises of two parts of discussion. The first part starts with an overview on the general discussion of rukhsoh i.e. concept of rukhsoh in Islamic jurisprudence, evidences from the Quran and Sunnah, as well as relevent qawaid fiqhiyyah. It then follows with the discussion on types of rukhsoh and their determining factors. The general principles in applying the concept of rukhsoh in ibaadah will also be outlined and discussed. The second part of this review attempts to outline the criteria to be fulfilled in order to introduce the concept of rukhsoh into various fiqh issues related to medical practices. The review then delves into specific discussions, which focus into real practical issues which necessitates the application of rukhsoh in different medical disciplines: obstetric and gynaecology, surgery, orthopaedics, and others. The discussions will revolve around the specific medical diseases or conditions, which jeopardize patients’ ability to conduct their act of worship and how the rukhsoh would come into place

Chronic tibial osteomyelitis in children. A case review at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan

Osteomyelitis in children has various clinical manifestations causing diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. Inappropriate treatment of acute osteomyelitis may lead to chronic, serious and complicated condition. Chronic osteomyelitis continues to be a major cause of morbidity and disability in children living in developing countries. We present three cases of tibial osteomyelitis that have different presentations and sequalae. Our intention is to alert our colleagues, particularly primary physicians, regarding the variety of presentation and the important of early diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of morbidity following osteomyelitis

Periodontal health status of Malaysian diabetic children and adolescent: a hospital based case-control study in Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan

Background: factor for periodontal disease (PD). PD includes a spectrum of disorders ranging from gingivitis to periodontitis. If undetected and left untreated the disease can lead to early tooth loss. Assessing PD health is beneficial for keeping good oral health, which affects on glycemic control of the children and adolescent with DM. To evaluate the periodontal health status of Malaysian diabetic children and adolescents compared to healthy controls. Periodontal health related parameters were clinically assessed in 32 children and adolescents (10-19 years of age) with diabetes and 32 non-diabetic control subjects. Age, gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), CDC percentiles and smoking status matching were done and purposive sampling was applied. HbA1C (%) results within 3-6 months before oral health assessment was used to define glycemic control status of the subjects. A cross analysis and Independent sample-t test were applied to infer periodontal health status difference between cases and controls. Most of the cases were Type-1 DM (68.8%) and diagnosed less than five years (68.2%). The cases had manifested an increased gingival inflammation and calculus significantly compared to controls. Regarding PD health assessment; clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival index (GI), Modified Turesky Quigley Hein plaque index (TQHI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were not significantly different between cases and controls except for probing pocket depth (PPD); mean of (SE) (1.81±0.13) compared to controls (1.65 ±0.06). Higher mean of (SE) GI (0.9±0.82) were also noticed among cases than those of (0.8±0.11) controls. Periodontal screening & prevention programs at early age for DM children and adolescent should be considered for both oral health and glycemic controls. A further study with controlling; Insulin treatment, types of DM, DM duration, and oral hygiene practice and dietary habits should be conducted for more valid results

IIUM Ibadah Disability Scale (IIDS): design & conceptual framework

Illness does not alleviate the obligation of Muslim patients to perform religious duties such as prayer. The need for a systematic evaluation of patients’ ability to perform such duties needs to be highlighted and anticipated. Thus, a research was designed to develop a standard, objective evaluation scoring system to recognize disability levels of Muslim trauma patients in performing religious physical cleansing and prayer during their illness and improve the deliverance of assistance they need. This research involves five stages. 1-Identifying common and specific problems faced by trauma patients, 2-Constructing a disability score based on data obtained, 3- Incorporating Islamic rulings and pilot testing, 4-Validation and reliability testing, and 5-Patient categorization and development of a in-patient coding system. Trauma patients of general orthopaedic wards of a local institution were recruited for this research. In the initial phase of this research, we had identified problems contributing towards patients’ ability to perform religious practices during hospital admission. These can be grouped into four main factors; the patient, the staff delivering the assistance, hospital policies and availability of facilities. Subsequent phases of this research will focus more on the first and second factors. Three major outcomes are expected at the end of this research. A disability score to categorize trauma patients according to their needs, a manual based on Islamic rulings and convenience related to common and specific disabilities, and a coding system to assist physicians and hospital staff in scrutinizing the types of assistance required by patients. This will be the first scoring system that is constructed based on both patients’ and physicians’ perspectives of difficulties in performing religious duties. It will provide a balance approach in trauma patients’ care and deliverance of assistance wherever required. The proposed scoring system has potential of becoming a standard of practice in a more holistic patient care in accordance to the much-anticipated ibadah-friendly hospital

The relevancy of paracetamol and breastfeeding post infant vaccination: A systematic review

Paracetamol may be used as an antipyretic agent for the treatment of fever, as well as an analgesic in the treatment of mild to moderate pain post-vaccination in infants. The use of paracetamol during fever may be or may not be recommended since it may alter the natural human body immune response, although it may reduce pain

[The Shariah-Derived Models of Medical Interactions between Healthcare Professionals and Patients] Model Interaksi Perubatan Patuh Syariah antara Petugas Kesihatan dan Pesakit

The Shariah-Derived Models of Medical Interactions between Healthcare Professionals and Patients are interaction/ relationship models constructed and reviewed from the religious perspective, Islamic jurisprudence in particular. The models were constructed based on various aspects pertaining to the healthcare professionals who provide the medical services or treatment, the patient-client who seeks for the treatment or consultations, involvement of a third party, the form of agreement involving all related parties, and the related Islamic rulings. The rulings were derived from the five basic rules pertaining to the actions and interactions of a person (al-ahkam ash-shar’iyyah al-taklifiyyah). The models were classified based on types of contracts involved, the profitability of the service rendered, as well as the related Islamic rulings. The interactions/ relationships are summarized into four models; Model A - Charitable Work/ Non-Profit Based, Model B - Profit Based, Model C - Civil Servant, and Model D - Private Employee/ Practice. Providing medical services is indeed a noble obligation. It involves certain requirements and principles in relation to the religious rulings that may differ from what are commonly practiced or understood. Model Interaksi Perubatan Patuh Syari’ah Antara Petugas Kesihatan dan Pesakit adalah model interaksi/ hubungan yang dirujuk dan dibina daripada sudut perspektif perundangan Islam. Model-model ini dibina berdasarkan pelbagai aspek yang berkaitan dengan petugas kesihatan yang menyediakan perkhidmatan perubatan, pesakit-klien yang memerlukan rawatan atau konsultasi, keterlibatan pihak ketiga, bentuk perjanjian/ kontrak yang melibatkan pihak-pihak yang terkait, dan ketetapan perundangan Islam yang berkaitan. Ketetapan-ketetapan tersebut berasal daripada lima peraturan dasar yang berkaitan dengan tindakan dan interaksi seseorang (al-ahkam asy-syar'iyyah al-taklifiyyah). Model diklasifikasikan berdasarkan keuntungan perkhidmatan yang diberikan, jenis perjanjian/ kontrak yang terlibat, dan juga perundangan-perundangan Islam yang berkaitan. Interaksi/ hubungan tersebut diringkaskan menjadi empat model; Model A - Kerja Amal / Tidak Berasaskan Kentungan, Model B - Berasaskan Keuntungan, Model C - Penjawat Awam, dan Model D - Pekerja / Perkhidmatan Swasta. Perawatan dan perkhidmatan perubatan merupakan kewajipan yang mulia. Ia melibatkan syarat dan prinsip tertentu yang berkaitan dengan peraturan agama yang mungkin berbeza dari apa yang biasa diamalkan atau difahami

Hospitalized Muslim Trauma Patients Ibadah Disability Scale (HM[T]-IDS)

The HM[T]-IDS is an assessment tool developed to be used as a standard, objective evaluation scale to determine disability levels of Muslim trauma patients in performing religious physical cleansing and prayer during hospitalization and improve the deliverance of assistance they need. It is constructed based on the patients' and physicians' perspectives on the difficulties in performing religious duties. The use of this assessment tool is to assist physicians and hospital staff in scrutinizing the types of assistance required by the patients. The patients will be assessed based on five major disabilities/ difficulties, which include: A. Pain, B. Mobility, C. Extremity Involvement, D. Bandage/ Cast Application, and E. Toileting. These disabilities/ difficulties are organized in a form of a scoring sheet that utilizes a Linkert scale based on the severity of the disabilities/ difficulties. It was designed in two languages: English and Malay. The total score a patient can be given ranged between 5 and 25. From the total score obtained, the patients are categorized into four categories based on the assistance required by them: Category I (score of 5-8) - patients require least or no assistance, Category II (score of 9-14) - patients require assistance in the form of equipment or aids without the support of an assistant, Category III (score of 15-20) - patients require assistance in the form of equipment or aids with the support of an assistant, and Category IV (score of 21-25) - patients require full support from an assistant as well as supporting equipment. It is hoped that the new assessment tool can provide a new practical measure to evaluate disability among Muslim patients in performing their religious duties. It will provide a balance approach in trauma care

The study on range of motion of hip and knee in prayer by adult Muslim males. A preliminary report

Introduction: Praying represents a fundamental activity of daily living in Muslim community. Muslims need to adopt several postures that require deep flexion of the knee and hip to perform this daily obligation. This is a preliminary report of the study on hip and knee range of motion conducted to obtain normative passive and functional range of flexion data during Muslim prayers in both weight-bearing joints of normal Muslim adults. Methods: A cohort of Malay men aged between 20 to 30 years was recruited in this cross-sectional study. Passive range of motion and flexion angles of the joints in various postures during prayer were measured using a standard goniometer. The difference against existing normative range of motion database available and the influence of various factors were analysed. Factors analysed include body mass index and other anthropometric measurements. Results: Sixty participants recruited for the preliminary phase of this study. The mean (SD) of passive hip and knee flexions were higher compared to other existing normative range of motion database. A unit increase in body mass index will have 0.782 units lower of knee range of motion. The hip and knee flexion arc were from 74.1° to 119.0° and from 3.3° to 119.7° respectively. Conclusion: The range of motion involved for prayers was more for the knee but less for the hip as compared to the measured passive range of motion. Body mass index has a significant linear negative relationship with the passive range of motion of the knee, but not the hip