Indian journal of public health最新文献

Background: Assessing patients' satisfaction is an easy and cost-effective method of evaluating the outpatient services provided by health-care institutions.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine patient satisfaction among patients attending various outpatient departments (OPDs) at a tertiary care hospital and the factors affecting their satisfaction.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among patients attending various OPDs at a tertiary care hospital in Faridabad. Exit face-to-face interviews were conducted for 334 patients above 18 years of age who availed OPD services followed by pharmacy services. Information regarding sociodemography, rating of satisfaction with various attributes of OPD services on a 5-point Likert scale, and reasons for dissatisfaction was collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Root cause analysis for the lowest-scoring attribute was done using fishbone diagram.

Results: About 64% of the patients were satisfied with the OPD services. "Attitude and communication of doctors" was the prime contributor to patient satisfaction. "Promptness at medicine distribution counter" was the attribute that scored lowest followed by "waiting time at the registration counter." The mean waiting time for registration was 38.2 min, for consultation with doctor 41.3 min, for collection of samples 49.6 min, and for drug dispensing 61 min.

Conclusion: The issues related to pharmacy services need to be promptly acknowledged and addressed.

Abstract: The current study evaluates COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among parents of children younger than 12 in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional research design was used. A total of 1152 parents participated. About 26.5% of children were vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale mean score is 2.65 among participating parents. About 31.3% of participants were vaccine hesitant, 68.7% were not. High levels of hesitation are present in 70.8% of mother respondents and 57.6% of fathers (P = 0.001). About 72.7% of parents who received false information about COVID-19 vaccines had a high hesitancy level (P = 0.001). The odds ratio = 1.94 (P < 0.001) indicates that parents exposed to false information are more likely to have higher levels of hesitancy than others. There remains a significant number of parents who value the importance of vaccination and rely on accurate and reliable sources of information to make informed decisions.

Abstract: National surveillance data were collected to study the outbreak trends of infectious diseases/syndromes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic period, spanning from 2018 to 2022. The study found that out of 4208 outbreaks, 2972 occurred before the COVID-19 period, affecting 147,425 people, while 1236 outbreaks affected 52,324 people during the pandemic. The number of outbreaks for diseases such as acute flaccid paralysis, fever with rashes, leptospirosis, rabies, and scrub typhus increased during the pandemic. The geographic distribution of outbreaks remained similar for some reemerging diseases in both periods. The trends for dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and cholera remained consistent with peaks mostly from July to September in both periods. We observed a considerable reduction in morbidity and mortality due to outbreaks in India during the pandemic. Despite similar distributional patterns, the study indicates a strong suspicion of persistent outbreak-initiating factors, necessitating an efficient and vigilant surveillance system in the country.

Abstract: Accurate diagnosis is a key strategy for controlling and preventing malaria. Regular evaluation of the performance of malaria microscopy diagnosis is essential to ensure its high quality. This study aims to assess the accuracy of malaria microscopy at selected public health facilities on the border of Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The design of this research is observational with a cross-sectional approach, conducted at five public health centers located on the Indonesia Timor-Leste border from July to September 2022. Stained slides were collected from patients with a fever (≥37°C). These stained slides were then examined for malaria diagnosis. The results revealed that all five public health centers showed perfect or nearly perfect agreement with the reference microscopist regarding malaria detection by microscopy (κ =0.9-1). To maintain the high quality of malaria microscopy diagnosis, it is imperative to conduct regular training, monitoring, and evaluation.

Background: To control mosquito vectors causing human diseases, bacterial biopesticides are currently in use. Indeed, the recent development of resistance to these bacterial agents has impeded its applications. Under these circumstances, the search for novel bacterial agents with mosquitocidal activity is unavoidable. In this study, a novel mosquitocidal bacterium was isolated from red soils of agricultural field.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to isolate and identify new mosquitocidal bacteria from the natural environment.

Materials and methods: Soil samples were collected during 2021-2022 from Tirupathur district of Tamil Nadu, South India. The samples were bioprocessed for culturing the bacterial colony in a suitable culture medium (Nutrient Yeast Salt Medium), and after 72 h, the bacterial cell mass was removed and lyophilized. Bioassays (mosquito toxicity assays) were carried out to screen the bacterial colonies for mosquitocidal effect. The potential colony was further analyzed, and identified for its application in mosquito control.

Results: The new isolate screened from red soil was identified as Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (VCRC B647) as per the ilvD gene sequence analysis. The strain was found to be potentially effective in controlling mosquito larvae, and further biochemical analyses, bacterial growth, biomass, and protein content were investigated. The new isolate did not show any toxic effect on nontarget aquatic organisms.

Conclusion: It is significant to depict that the mosquitocidal action of this new isolate (Bti) is highly significant than the reference strain of Bti-H14. It is concluded that this is the first report that an indigenous strain of Bti VCRC B647 is very effective in mosquito control.

Background: There is mixed evidence on the extent of association between the allocation of public revenue for healthcare and its indicators of need.

Objective: In this study, we examined the relationship between allocations through state health financing (SHF) and the Central Government with infant mortality.

Materials and methods: District-wise infant mortality rate (IMR) was computed using National Family Health Survey-4 data. State-wise data for health budgets through SHF and National Health Mission (NHM, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme), were obtained for the year 2015-16. We used a multivariable analysis through generalized linear model method using identity-link function.

Results: We found per capita SHF (₹3169) to be more than 12 times that of public health spending per capita through NHM (₹261). IMR was lower in districts with higher SHF allocation, although statistically insignificant. The allocation through NHM was higher in districts with higher IMR, which is statistically significant. Every unit percentage increase in per capita net state domestic product and female literacy led to 0.31% and 0.54% decline, while a 1% increase in under-five diarrhoea prevalence led to 0.17% increase in IMR.

Conclusion: The NHM has contributed to enhancing vertical equity in health-care financing. The States' need to be more responsive to the differences in districts while allocating health-care resources. There needs to be a focus on spending on social determinants, which should be the cornerstone for any universal health coverage strategy.

Background: Childhood malnutrition in India remains among the highest in the world. Adult alcohol consumption and severe malnutrition have increased among indigenous people in South India. However, the association between them is poorly understood.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate this association, which could help design better intervention strategies.

Methods: This case-control observational study was conducted in the Nilgiri district in South India. Cases included children aged 1-5 years with moderate malnutrition. Controls were defined as children in the same age group with normal weight-for-age. A questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, socioeconomic status (SES), and parental education. The WHO Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire was used to estimate parental alcohol use. Health-care workers collected data from within the community.

Results: The baseline demographics of the children in the control (n = 250) and case groups (n = 177) were similar. Paternal age and AUDIT scores were not different in the two groups. SES was lower in the malnourished group, while maternal education among cases was significantly lower. Maternal and paternal education were associated with childhood malnutrition (odds ratio [OR]: 0.728 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.583-0.903] and OR: 0.753 [95% CI: 0.589-0.957], respectively). After adjustment for covariates, paternal alcohol use was associated with a higher risk of malnutrition (OR: 1.56 [95% CI: 1.00-2.47]), which SES partly mediated.

Conclusion: Paternal alcohol consumption is associated with childhood malnutrition, partially mediated by lower SES. Furthermore, lower SES appeared to be strongly associated with paternal alcohol consumption.