Family Medicine Commons^™

Screening Of Hepatitis B And C Among People Visiting General Practice Clinics In A Rural District Of Sindh, Pakistan., Ameet Kumar, Saima Lalani, Asad Ali Khan Afridi, Ali Khan Khuwaja

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Hepatitis B (HB), Hepatitis C (HC) and their risk factors are amongst the major health problems in developing countries including Pakistan. This study aimed to screen for HB and HC among people who visited General Practice clinics and also to identify the differences of screening positive cases by age and sex.

METHODS:

This was a retrospective study conducted in Tando Muhammad Khan city, one of the rural districts of Sindh. All together we reviewed 5989 laboratory reports of people for hepatitis B and C on consecutive basis from two laboratories. A pre-designed and structured perform was used to collect …

National Health Accounts: Lessons For Pakistan., Ashar Muhammad Malik

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Psycho-Social Consequences Of Secondary Infertility In Karachi., Neelofar Sami, Tazeen Saeed Ali

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE:

To explore the experiences of social consequences among women suffering from secondary infertility.

METHODS:

Descriptive case series of 400 women with secondary infertility attending tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

RESULTS:

More than two thirds (67.7%) of women stated that their inability to give live births or give birth to sons had resulted in marital dissonance. The respondents had been threatened for divorce (20%), husband's remarrying (38%) or to be returned to their parent's home (26%) by their in laws or husbands. Majority (68%) of the women threatened did not have any live births. However, those who had live …

Behind The Counter: Pharmacies And Dispensing Patterns Of Pharmacy Attendants In Karachi., Fauziah Rabbani, F. H. Cheema, N. Talati, S. Siddiqui, S. Syed, S. Bashir, L. Z. Zuberi, A. Shamim, Q. Mumtaz

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

There is little literature available on dispensing patterns and unsupervised sale of medicines from pharmacies in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE:

This study obtained background information on pharmacies assessed the level of training, knowledge and dispensing patterns of pharmacy attendants in Karachi.

METHODOLOGY:

This is a descriptive cross sectional study with convenient sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to interview pharmacy attendants.

RESULTS:

Of the 219 pharmacies surveyed, 62% reported more than 50 customers daily and 20% also sold items of general provision. Mean operating hours were 13. Only 24 (11%) had a visible license. On an average 3 attendants were …

Clinical Spectrum Of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus At The Aga Khan University Hospital., K. Sulaiman, N. Sohail, A. A. Sheikh, F. Raza, F. Shahzad, A. Siddique, T. Shakir, Fauziah Rabbani

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease of unknown etiology, which at onest may involve only one organ system or be multisystemic. The aim of our study is to determine the clinical presentation of SLE patients presenting to AKUH to establish whether guidelines laid down about this disease are in agreement with our experience.

METHODS:

A retrospective log review was carried out at AKUH, based on data obtained from 165 files of individuals admitted to the hospital over a period of 12 years with a confirmed diagnosis of SLE.

RESULTS:

From the sample size of 165, 143 (86.7%) were females …

The Minds Of Mothers: Maternal Mental Health In An Urban Squatter Settlement Of Karachi., Fauziah Rabbani, Furqan Farooq Raja

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

Community-based information on maternal mental health in developing countries is meager and nearly non-existent in Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the proportion of probable cases of women with mental disorders and examine the associated conditions and risk factors which contribute to maternal mental ill-health.

METHODS:

With convenient sampling 260 mothers in an urban squatter settlement of Karachi were interviewed. The tools consisted of a household questionnaire collecting information on basic demographic and other characteristics and the Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS), an instrument to assess psychiatric morbidity.

RESULTS:

The proportion of probable cases of mental disorder was …

Views About Women's Mental Health: Study In A Squatter Settlement Of Karachi., Fauziah Rabbani

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE:

Mental health of women is globally receiving particular attention. This study assessed community's view on certain aspects of women's mental health prior to introducing an intervention.

SETTING:

The study was conducted in an urban squatter settlement located in District West of Karachi in 1997 where the Aga Khan University has set up a Primary Health Care program in partnership with the communities.

METHODS:

Using convenient sampling, door to door household survey was conducted by medical students.

RESULTS:

Two hundred and eighty one residents were interviewed. Respondents were asked to list contributory factors which lead to mental distress in women. …

Economic Development And Health Status Among The Poor In Squatter Settlements Of Karachi., Fauziah Rabbani, Anwer T. Merchant

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE:

Socioeconomic status is an important determinant of health outcome measures. This study examines and presents some of the important health outcomes amongst the higher and lower socioeconomic groups within the urban poor.

SETTING:

Data analysis is based on a Health and Demographic Survey conducted in urban squatter settlements of Karachi in 1996.

METHODS:

A structured questionnaire was administered to all households in the catchment area. The indicator used to assess economic status is ownership of assets.

RESULTS:

Comparison between the two economic levels shows that the lower socio-economic group was more likely to experience child mortality, (CI; 1.02-1.29, p …