The aim of this research study was to investigate the relationship between career barriers, perceived professional social support and hopelessness level among female teachers of both private and public sectors. The research was quantitative in nature. An adapted questionnaire comprising of 45 close- ended statements was administered to a sample of 100 schoolteachers, 50 from public school and 50 from private secondary female school teachers in which there were 4 private schools and 4 public schools of Lahore. The sampling strategy used was convenience sampling. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to examine the data. The study revealed no correlation between career barriers and feelings of hopelessness among private school teachers, although there was a strong relation between career barriers and professional social support among teachers. Among public school teachers, there was no significant relationship found between career barriers and both teacher professional social support and hopelessness levels. Furthermore, when comparing the three parameters between public and private school teachers, the findings revealed a significant difference in terms of career barriers between public and private school teachers. However, no significant difference was found in terms of teacher professional social support between private and public-school teachers. Additionally, there was statistically no significant difference between public and private school teachers in their hopelessness level. It is recommended that workshops, training sessions and seminars should be arranged to provide knowledge to both public and private school teachers about how to overcome career barriers.
Objective: To determine the association between hypocalcemia and pre-eclampsia. Study Design: Case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics Gynaecology, Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan to Jul 2019. Methodology: A total of 90 women, (45 with pre-eclampsia and 45 with normotensive) aged 18-40 years, were included. In all patients, 5ml of venous blood was collected and sent to an institutional pathology laboratory for serum calcium level measurement. Hypocalcemia was noted in the patients. Results: The mean gestational age in the Case-Group was 31.40±1.64 weeks, and in the Control-Group was 31.51±1.69 weeks. The mean BMI in the Case-Group was 24.94±4.39 kg/m2, and in the Control-Group was 24.24±4.61 kg/m2. The mean serum calcium levels in the Case-Group were 5328.73±2638.70 ng/ml, and in the Control-Group were 8630.03±1099.26 ng/ml. In our study, the frequency of hypocalcemia in women with pre-eclampsia (Case Group) was found to be 16(36.56%) compared to only 04(8.89%) in normotensive (Control Group) women with a p-value of 005 and Odds ratio of 5.66 which shows a positive association of hypocalcemia with pre-eclampsia. Conclusion: This study concluded that the frequency of hypocalcemia in pre-eclampsia women is very high, which shows a positive association between hypocalcemia and pre-eclampsia.
Background: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the prevalent form of anaemia which has become a major public health problem, globally. Women in the reproductive age group (15–49 years of age) are at increased risk, especially in the South Asian population. It is of paramount importance to identify these micronutrient deficiencies in this age group as it adversely affects the birth outcomes, but the mother and the child at risk of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Civil Hospital, Karachi for 12 months i.e. October, 2018 to December, 2019. Data was prospectively collected from patients after obtaining written informed consent. 377 patients were included who met the diagnostic criteria. Descriptive statistics were used and qualitative data analysis; mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages were respectively calculated. Effect modifiers were controlled through stratification to see the effect of these on the outcome variable. For post-stratification, the chi-square test was applied with a p value of≤0.05.Results: A total of 377 patients with microcytic anaemia were enrolled from Civil Hospital, Karachi. Mean age, duration of anaemia, haemoglobin, height, weight and BMI in our study was 29.28±6.14 years, 1.41±0.26 months, 9.27±0.86 mg/dl, 26.72±1.56 kg/m2, 138±7.28 cm and 78.7±9.87 kg. Out of 377 patients with microcytic anaemia, 144 (38.2%) and 233 (61.8%) had and did not have iron deficiency anaemia. Conclusions: IDA is frequently found in microcytic anaemia patients. Thus, it is important to screen premenopausal in female patients for iron deficiency presenting with microcytic anaemia to prevent adverse outcomes.
Background: Pre and early term birth are one of the major causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity as compared to term infants. The risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality decreases with gestational age. Thus, this study aimed to determine the association of neonatal outcomes among early term and full-term elective deliveries. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at the department of obstetrics and gynecology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan. A total of 390 women, 195 in each study group were selected using a non-probability consecutive sampling. Demographic was presented as simple descriptive statistics giving mean and standard-deviation. Pearson’s chi-square and Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test were used to compare qualitative data. Risk-ratios (RR) and confidence-intervals (CI) were calculated by using binary logistic regression. STATA V.17 SE software was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 390 participants were recruited, including 195 patients in each group. The high prevalence of low Apgar score 5.6%, low birth weight 5.6% was found among early term when compared with full term. The respiratory distress was also reportedly high in early term neonates with 7.2%. Likewise, the prolonged hospital stays and NICU admissions were also more evident in early term elective deliveries i.e. 8.7% and 5.6%. Conclusions: Early-term births are associated with adverse neonatal outcome of low APGAR score, low birth weight, hospital stay, NICU admission and respiratory distress when compared with neonates born as full term through elective deliveries. Similarly, the risk of prolonged hospital stay and NICU admissions were higher among the early term neonates.
Background: In pediatrics, the season is one of the elements contributing to the etiological factors of community based diseases. Awareness of this variation can help the physicians for prevention and counseling of the patients. A cross-sectional observational study was designed with non-probability convenient sampling technique to determine the frequency of patients admitted to the paediatric ward of the hospital in a whole calendar year and to ascertain which disease presentation is most common. Methods: Study conducted at paediatric ward of Al-Tibri Medical College and Hospital Karachi, Pakistan having patients admitted during May 2018 to April 2019. After ethical approval and informed consent from their parents/ guardian, a total of 734 paediatric patients that were admitted from paediatric OPD/ emergency were selected for the study. Paediatric patients that were referred, in emergency/ ICU and surgical paediatric patients were excluded from the study. Chi-square test was applied to evaluate the statistical variation among the patients.Results: From the 734 patients, 357 (48.6%) patients were of acute gastroenteritis, 104 (14.2%) of respiratory illness, 86 (11.7%) of viral fever, 67 (9.1%) of urinary tract infection, 36 (4.9%) of neurological illness, 29 (4.0%) of protein calorie malnutrition, 25 (3.4%) of enteric fever, 20 (2.7%) of haematological illness and 10 (1.4%) patients were admitted due to sepsis.Conclusion: Our study concluded that majority of the patients admitted were of acute gastroenteritis / admitted due to gastric issues, therefore further studies in the vicinity would help to better understand the issues and help plan a strategy to combat the diseases.
Pakistan is one of the few countries where poliovirus transmission still persists, despite intensive efforts to eradicate the disease. Adequate vaccination coverage is essential to achieve polio eradication, but misconceptions about polio vaccines have hindered vaccination efforts. To address this issue, we conducted a mixed-methods study to explore knowledge and perceptions regarding polio disease and immunization in high-risk areas of Pakistan. We collected quantitative data from 3780, 1258, and 2100 households in Karachi, Bajaur, and Pishin, respectively, and supplemented this with qualitative data from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Our findings reveal a high level of awareness about polio and its immunization; however, misperceptions about the polio vaccine persist, leading to refusal for both polio vaccines and routine immunizations. Our study provides up-to-date data on knowledge and perceptions of polio and its immunization and identifies critical gaps. These findings can inform the development of future strategies and innovative approaches to improve the success of the polio program in Pakistan.
Aim: To ascertain the relationship between quality of life and social support in bipolar patients who have been diagnosed. STUDY DESIGN: cross-sectional research design Place and duration of the study: The research was performed impatiently on the Sheikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, which ran from January 2018 to July of 2019. Method: Data was retrieved from 100 patients, with diagnosed patients of bipolar affective disorder. Quality of life and social support were assessed by quality of life scale (QOLS) developed by Burckhardt and Berline social support scale (BSSS) developed by Berline. Results: Research claims a close relationship between the presence of such things as quality of life and social help for people with Bipolar Disorder. Conclusion: Bipolar is linked to inadequate health and quality of life and social isolation, mostly due to ineffective social skills. Social support is critical to emotional stability and quality of life. It may help patients deal with difficulties and reduce depression and help in both the recovery phase and positive results of psychiatric treatment. What is currently being sought to be learned is how social care has an impact on the level of well-being for bipolar patients. Keywords: Quality of life, bipolar, validation, generalization
Background: COVID-19 is an infectious disease, categorized as a global pandemic. Daily implications and coping strategies of pregnant women with coronavirus outbreak is currently unknown. This study will assess their knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP), risk perceptions, anxiety and concerns related to COVID-19.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Karachi. Self-reported questionnaires including KAP, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) scale and perception of pregnancy risk questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics were calculated for continuous variables and were reported as mean ± standard deviation. Frequencies and percentages were computed for categorical variables. Pearson correlation was calculated to explore linear associations among the perception of pregnancy risk, age, body mass index (BMI), and gestation. All data analysis was done using STATA 16.0.Results: The 575 pregnant women were enrolled with an average age of 26.07 years and 27.22±8.99 gestational age. Their knowledge showed that 92.2% knew that coronavirus causes COVID-19 and 72.30% knew the importance of wearing masks. Regarding attitudes, 96.3% felt safe to breastfeed their newborns, 80.20% considered changing their birth method whereas 54.6% were not concerned about the outbreak and around 70-80% cancelled their social gatherings. 72% trusted healthcare frontline staff with their struggle towards COVID-19. The 43.82% women were more anxious (scoring ≥7) and 56.17% were less anxious (<7) on GAD scale. The mean score for perceived risk for baby and mother was 22.95±13.72 and 19.40±0.57 respectively.Conclusions: Considering the burden of COVID-19, pregnant women’s perception is a major contributor to her and her baby’s health and wellbeing. Well-planned strategies by media, healthcare providers and government would significantly support such pregnant women during COVID-19.
Objective: To determine whether the international standard recommendations of reporting CTPA are being followed in Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan, to identify areas of weakness and give suggestions for improvement. Material and Methods: A retrospective study was performed during a six month period from January 2010 to June 2010 in the radiology department of SKMCH&RC. The study included 20 admitted patients who underwent CTPA during this period. Data was analyzed to evaluate whether the international standard recommendations of CTPA turn-around time were being followed at SKMCH&RC. Areas of improvement were identified and proposals for betterment were given. Re-audit after implementation has been suggested. Result: Average Request-to-Scan time was 3 hour and 13 min, compared to the recommended standard of 24 hours for non-massive Pulmonary Embolism (PE) and 1 hour for massive PE. (Half of the reported cases were non-massive and rest were un-specified) Average Scan-to-Report time was 34 min, compared to recommended standard of 30 min for CT done in acute emergency situations. There was 1 case which crossed the 24 hour limit of recommended standard for request-to-scan time and 9 cases which exceeded the 30 min limit for reporting. Conclusion: The audit shows that despite having no documented protocol of CTPA turn-around time at SKMCH&RC, the average time intervals of physician’s request to scan and scan to report come very close to the international standard protocol.
Background: Pakistan demographic and health survey (PDHS) estimated extensive ownership of cell phones in Pakistan with 94.7% in the urban population. Pakistan Advertiser Company reported 77 % of cell phone users aged between 21-30 years. Although, no research was conducted with university population for addiction and depression, so this study aims to find the link between Smartphone addiction and depression in SZABIST University students of Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted with self-assessment tools, comprised of three sections: socio-demographic information, smartphone addiction scale-short version (SAS-SV) and Beck’s depression inventory-II (BDI-II). Responses for SAS-SV were rated on a 6-point Likert scale and BDI-II was summated on range 0-60. Percentages mean score was commuted for SAS-SV; the mean score was computed and categorized for BDI-II. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at p<0.01.Results: Total participants were N=225, of which 140 (62.2%) were males and 85 (35.8%) were females. The mean±SD of their ages were 20.9±2.9. Age was found insignificant with depression after applying multiple linear regressions. Mean score of SAS-SV was 54.8±17.2, and BDI-II was13.4±9.6, which showed a significant positive association (OR, 0.241; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.3; p<0.001). Prior adjusting coefficient, males were speculated having a higher level of depression.Conclusions: A significant positive correlation was found between Smartphone addiction and depression, among University Students of SZABIST. Control smartphones usage is advised for undergraduate students as they are more prone to depression compared to postgraduate students.
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