Articles

Factors Related To the Incidence of Pulmonary TB in Rural Communities in South Lampung, Indonesia: A Case-Control Study

Indonesia is ranked second in the world with the highest number of TB cases after India. The trend in the case detection rate of tuberculosis cases for all types per 100,000 population in Lampung Province, Indonesia, during 2016-2020 tends to increase. This research aims to analyze factors related to the incidence of pulmonary TB. This case-control study with a sample of 58 respondents (29 in the case group and 29 in the control group) was conducted in the work area of one of the public health centers in South Lampung Regency, starting September-October 2023, using purposive sampling. The research instrument consists of a questionnaire sheet. Data analysis used Chi-square and logistic regression tests. The results of the study showed that the factors associated with the incidence of pulmonary TB in this study area were age (OR= 3.90; 95% CI = 2.28-6.65), nutritional status (OR= 3.72; 95% CI = 1, 23-11, 16), economic status (OR= 4, 22; 95% CI = 1, 40-12, 65), home hygiene (OR= 6, 89; 95% CI = 2, 17- 21.80), smoking habits (OR: 4.71, 95% CI = 1.48-15.03), and the history of pulmonary TB in the immediate family (OR: 3.57, 95% CI = 1.12-11 .37). The dominant factors associated with the incidence of pulmonary TB in this area are economic status (OR= 34.31; 95% CI= 1.56-753.26) and history of pulmonary TB in the immediate family (OR= 37.67; 95% CI = 1.75-809.26). It is necessary to provide education on risk factors for the incidence of tuberculosis, especially about reducing close contact between TB patients and family members, for example, by wearing masks and not throwing away TB patient waste.

The Forgotten Factors Affecting the Expansion of Medical Laboratory Services to cope up the Rising Health Demands in Sri Lanka

Introduction: The government of Sri Lanka identifies health laboratory service as an essential component in the health care service and is committed to providing quality essential laboratory services to healthcare seekers. Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka is responsible for the establishment and enactment of relevant legislation, and for providing technical and managerial guidelines for the maintenance of laboratories which comply with nationally and internationally accepted standards. Epidemiological and demographic transitions in Sri Lanka have compelled it to focus its attention to combat noncommunicable diseases, which are accounting for an estimated 80% of the annual deaths in the country. Improvement of diagnostics was identified as a priority in Health Master Plan 2016-2025 and by Primary Health Care System Strengthening Project.

Methodology and results: Qualitative methods such as key informant interviews, attending meetings and desk reviews were used to collect the factors affecting the expansion of laboratory services and the most crucial factors were identified by using the 80:20 rule. Issues related to the implementation of the National Laboratory Policy, laboratory financing, human resource issues, accreditation, and lack of making sense of data were found to be the most crucial factors that need to be addressed strategically to successfully expand laboratory services across healthcare institutions.

Conclusions: It is essential to improve the competencies and capabilities of the Policy Analysis and Development Unit of the Ministry of Health to facilitate policy analysis, reviews, and preparation of groundwork for National Policy enactment. Lack of accredited health laboratories and a plan to accredit may reflect adversely on the technical competence. Widespread unavailability and compartmentalization of information management systems have led to underutilization of laboratory-related data and this has resulted in a lack of a viable plan for evidence-based laboratory finance allocation and human resource development.

Haematological Parameters and Oxidative Stress in Malarial Patients

Introduction: Malaria has been in existence for so long and is responsible for worrisome health and economic impact in different parts of the world.
Objectives: The main objective of the study is to find the haematological parameters and oxidative stress in malarial patients. Material and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in THQ Hospital Fort Abbas Bhawalngar during 2020 to 2021. The data was collected from 200 male and female patients. Participants remembered for the review were under-5-year-old youngsters, either conceded in the kids’ ward or going to any center on short term premise.
Results: The information was gathered from 200 malarial patients. There was a genuinely huge decrease in hemoglobin (p<0.005), platelet count (p<0.001) and all out leukocyte count (p<0.001) levels in patients with malaria contrasted with patients without the sickness. The level of neutrophils in the subjects with malaria was fundamentally higher (p<0.005) than in the non-malaria bunch. Conclusion: It is inferred that Low platelet count is a trademark finding of malarial contamination and thrombocytopenia might be more normal than weakness in intense malaria disease.

An Exploratory Study to Identify the Factors Affecting the Management of Covid-19 Patients among Nursing Officers at Selected Hospital, Puducherry

The pandemic outbreak of covid -19 especially caused by the pathogen called corona virus2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS) .This virus especially affects the more elderly individual than youth and more men than women and killed over 80,000 in china. It was established by WHO.