In Vietnam, many medicine sellers serving pharmacies and retail outlets do not have adequate professional qualifications, and there has been a limited institutional control. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the prevalence and determinants of self-medication among medicine sellers in Hanoi, Vietnam. Although 96.55% of medicine sellers had relatively serious health problems, only 61.21% visited a healthcare facility, though self-medication was moderately high (approximately 39%). Adopting Andersen's conceptual model, it was identified that medicine sellers who reported higher professional education, had low confidence in healthcare services, had not received any professional in-service during the prior year, had less serious health problems and who perceived the current costs of healthcare as too high were more likely to report self-medication. The findings have public health policy implications for these healthcare providers in urban Vietnam and other similar developing countries.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among all non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Vietnam. The objectives of the present study were to analyse contemporary gaps in CVD control studies, which were published in Vietnam between 2013 and 2017. A systematic literature review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses. Research articles written in English or Vietnamese, published between 2013 and 2017, and focused on the four main WHO themes of CVD control were identified. Among 11,385 Vietnamese-based CVD studies published during this period, only 119 studies (1.0%) were relevant to public health CVD control outcomes, and only 17 of 20 CVD indicators were addressed in these studies. Most studies were published in Vietnamese journals (73.9%), focused on disease and intermediate risk factors (73.9%), were cross-sectional (84.8%) and hospital-based (54.6%). We observed a lack of studies, many of which suffered design and analysis limitations, focused on several WHO themes for effective CVD control. Future Vietnamese-based CVD control studies should focus on the WHO-recommended themes and health indicators in broader community settings to provide better data to inform effective public health policies to control CVD.
This study assessed the prevalence of and factors associated with HIV testing among male street laborers. In a cross-sectional survey, social mapping was done to recruit and interview 450 men aged 18–59 years in Hanoi. Although many of these men engaged in multiple risk behaviors for HIV, only 19.8 percent had been tested for HIV. A modified theoretical model provided better fit than the conventional Information–Motivation–Behavioral Skills model, as it explained much more variance in HIV testing. This model included three Information–Motivation–Behavioral components and four additional factors, namely, the origin of residence, sexual orientation, the number of sexual partners, and the status of condom use.
Objectives: Although the World Health Organization (WHO) initiative "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" has been lauded as effective in preventing hospital-associated infections, little is known about healthcare workers (HCWs)' hand hygiene behavior. In this study, we sought to assess knowledge and attitudes towards the concepts in this initiative, as well as associated factors, among Vietnamese HCWs at a general hospital. Methods: A structured questionnaire was administered to HCWs at a central Vietnamese general hospital in 2015. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with HCWs' knowledge and attitudes towards hand hygiene. Results: Of 120 respondents, 65.8% and 67.5% demonstrated appropriate knowledge and a positive attitude, respectively, regarding all 5 hand hygiene moments. Logistic regression indicated better knowledge of hand hygiene in workers who were over 30 years old, who were direct HCWs (rather than managers), who had frequent access to clinical information, and who received their clinical information from training. Those who worked in infectious and tropical disease wards, who had frequent access to clinical information, and who received information from training were more likely to have a positive attitude towards hand hygiene than their counterparts. Conclusions: Although many Vietnamese HCWs displayed moderate knowledge and positive attitudes towards the WHO hand hygiene guidelines, a key gap remained. Regular education and training programs are needed to increase knowledge and to improve attitudes and practices towards hand hygiene. Furthermore, a combination of multimodal strategies and locally-adapted interventions is needed for sustainable hand hygiene adherence. Key words: Knowledge, Attitude, Hand hygiene, Health workers, World Health Organization, Vietnam
Gây tê mặt phẳng cơ dựng sống là kỹ thuật gây tê vùng mới, có tác dụng giảm đau tương tự như gây tê khoang cạnh sống, về mặt kỹ thuật dễ thực hiện, ít biến chứng và không bị chống chỉ định tuyệt đối ở bệnh nhân có rối loạn đông máu. Chúng tôi báo cáo trường hợp bệnh nhi 30 tháng, nặng 12 kg được chẩn đoán u nguyên bào gan. Bệnh nhi được phẫu thuật cắt gan không điển hình phân thùy 6,7. Bệnh nhân được gây mê nội khí quản, giảm đau đa phương thức bao gồm truyền liên tục Fentanyl, paracetamol và gây tê mặt phẳng cơ dựng sống bên phải. Bệnh nhi nằm nghiêng trái, đặt đầu dò siêu âm ngang mức đốt sống ngực 7 bên phải, thực hiện chọc kim gây tê dưới siêu âm, xác định mặt phẳng cơ dựng sống, kiểm tra hút kim không có máu và khí, tiến hành bơm 6ml dung dịch levobupivacain 0,25% vào mặt phẳng cơ dựng sống. Sau phẫu thuật bệnh nhi được rút ống nội khí quản thuận lợi, an toàn và được chuyển đến phòng hồi tỉnh sau mổ với tình trạng tỉnh hoàn toàn, giảm đau tốt (thang điểm FLACC: 0). Gây tê mặt phẳng cơ dựng sống lồng ngực một lần với chiến lược giảm đau đa phương thức có tác dụng giảm đau tốt, bệnh nhi có thể rút nội khí quản an toàn, thuận lợi sau khi cắt gan.
Rationale and objectives: Changes in, and predictors of, quality of life (QoL) among unstable angina patients are informative for both clinical and public health practice. However, there is little research on this topic, especially in healthcare settings with limited resources. This study aims to detect changes in QoL and its associated factors among patients with unstable angina after percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted with two repeated rounds of measurements, one month and three months after intervention, using the generic SF-36 questionnaire, in 120 patients from Vietnam National Heart Institute. A linear mixed-effects model was used to assess changes in patient QoL over time while adjusting for other covariates. Results: Only 2 out of 8 QoL subscales (social functioning and emotional well-being) declined after one month, but these tended to rise again after three months, while scores of all other QoL subscales increased. Adjusting for covariates, QoL increased slightly after one month of intervention (β=0.65, 95%CI=-0.86-2.16) but improved by almost 6 QoL points after 3 months (β=5.99, 95%CI=4.48-7.50). Four confounders significantly associated with a decline in QoL were older age, being retired, living in rural areas, and having abnormal troponin level. Conclusion: QoL of the patients with unstable angina improves significantly three months after intervention, rather than after one month. To increase QoL, it is important to address risk factors and to improve the quality of healthcare delivery.
Objective: To provide preliminary descriptions of the spread, burden and related medical capacity characteristics of the ASEANcountries.Methods: We utilized the data from four main official databases, including WHO reports, the Statistics and Research of the Coronavirus Disease, and the Southeast Asia Program of the Center for Strategic and International Study. The spread of the COVID- 19 pandemic, current burden and the COVID-19 medical response capacities were extracted before April 11, 2020.Results: As of April 13, 2020, the ASEAN countries reported 19 547 COVID-19 positive cases with 817 deaths (case-facility rate of 4.2%). Thailand was the first country in the region that reported having the COVID-19 cases, while Laos was the last to report confirmed COVID-19 cases. Durations for the number of deaths to double were between 8-12 days. For the testing and treatment capacities, the number of PCR tests provided to the populations was the highest in Vietnam, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Meanwhile, the percentage of the population being tested was the highest in Brunei (2.31%), followed by Singapore (1.30%).Conclusions: A wide range of interventions were taken into practice in response to the outbreak with an effort of curbing the rise of this pandemic. However, special care should not be overlooked as the pandemic is placing a huge impact on the population and becomes increasingly unpredictable. To tackle the spread of the pandemic in the region, the ASEAN countries should work together as one community to provide better responses to future pandemics and other transboundary public health challenges.