Objective/background: Many studies have suggested that sputum smear conversion after 2 months of antituberculosis treatment is an important determinant of treatment success and can be a predictor for relapse. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that influence sputum smear conversion after 2 months of treatment among pulmonary tuberculosis patients receiving treatment in the Institute of Respiratory Medicine in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Methods: A total of 75 cases and 75 controls were interviewed, and their medical records were retrieved in order to extract the information needed. All analyses were conducted using SPSS version 17, and binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of sputum smear nonconversion. Results: Results showed that the following factors were associated with sputum smear positivity after 2 months of intensive treatment: diabetes mellitus ( p =.013, odds ratio [OR] = 2.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.27–5.33), underweight body mass index ( p =.025, OR = 1.67, 95% CI 0.80–3.49), nonadherent to tuberculosis treatment ( p =.024, OR = 2.85, 95% CI 1.21–6.74), and previous history of tuberculosis ( p =.043, OR = 2.53, 95% CI 1.09–5.83). Multivariable analysis identified diabetes mellitus ( p =.003, OR = 4.01, 95% CI 1.61–9.96) as being independently associated with the risk of persistent sputum smear positivity after 2 months of intensive treatment. Conclusion: Based on the findings, identification of these factors is valuable in strengthening the management and treatment of tuberculosis in Malaysia in the future. This study emphasizes the importance of diabetes screening and integration of diabetic controls among tuberculosis patients in achieving better treatment outcome.

The number of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients is increasing each year in many countries all around the globe. Malaysia has no exception in facing this burdensome health problem. We aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among Malaysian tuberculosis patients. An unmatched case-control study was conducted among tuberculosis patients who received antituberculosis treatments from April 2013 until April 2014. Cases are those diagnosed as pulmonary tuberculosis patients clinically, radiologically, and/or bacteriologically, and who were confirmed to be resistant to both isoniazid and rifampicin through drug-sensitivity testing. On the other hand, pulmonary tuberculosis patients who were sensitive to all first-line antituberculosis drugs and were treated during the same time period served as controls. A total of 150 tuberculosis patients were studied, of which the susceptible cases were 120. Factors found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are being Indian or Chinese (odds ratio 3.17, 95% confidence interval 1.04–9.68; and odds ratio 6.23, 95% confidence interval 2.24–17.35, respectively), unmarried (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.09–6.09), living in suburban areas (odds ratio 2.58, 95% confidence interval 1.08–6.19), are noncompliant (odds ratio 4.50, 95% confidence interval 1.71–11.82), were treated previously (odds ratio 8.91, 95% confidence interval 3.66–21.67), and showed positive sputum smears at the 2nd (odds ratio 7.00, 95% confidence interval 2.46–19.89) and 6th months of treatment (odds ratio 17.96, 95% confidence interval 3.51–91.99). Living in suburban areas, positive sputum smears in the 2nd month of treatment, and was treated previously are factors that independently contribute to the occurrence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Those with positive smears in the second month of treatment, have a history of previous treatment, and live in suburban areas are found to have a higher probability of becoming multidrug resistant. The results presented here may facilitate improvements in the screening and detection process of drug-resistant patients in Malaysia in the future.

Turnover intention (TI) among doctors is a critical issue in healthcare systems worldwide, as it can lead to workforce shortages, increased workload for remaining staff, and negatively impact patient care. This review aimed to explore the prevalence and determinants of TI among doctors, providing a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing their turnover intentions. A systematic review was conducted using four electronic databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Scopus. Studies published between January 2019 and December 2024 were included. Observational studies reporting the prevalence of turnover intention among doctors and meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each study, and relevant data were extracted and recorded. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prevalence of turnover intention, with heterogeneity assessed using the I². Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were conducted to examine variations in study-level characteristics. A total of 34 studies (involving 97,672 doctors) were included in this review. The overall prevalence of turnover intention among doctors was 39% (95% CI = 0.34–0.44). Those doctors with lower job satisfaction (OR = 0.484, 95% CI = 0.358–0.654) were more likely to express an intention to leave their current positions. However, the odds ratio for male doctors (OR = 1.251, 95% CI = 0.916–1.708) did not reach statistical significance. Approximately 39% of doctors reported turnover intention. Lower job satisfaction was identified as a significant risk factor for turnover intention among doctors, whereas male gender was not found to be a statistically significant predictor.

(1) Background: This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Malay version of SCNS-SF34 among Malaysian cancer patients. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 171 cancer patients. Data were collected using the structured five-factor survey via telephone call or face-to-face interviews. The internal reliability and the construct validity of SCNS-34M were analysed using principal component analysis with varimax rotation. (3) Results: The health system and information need (HSI) was the domain with the highest mean score (2.73 ± 0.88), followed by patient care and support needs (2.16 ± 0.90), as well as physical and daily living needs (1.99 ± 0.98). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a moderate model fit for RMSEA with 0.070, TLI = 0.911 and CFI = 0.924. (4) Conclusions: The SCNS-SF34M was found to be a conceptually applicable and culturally appropriate scale in measuring the supportive care for cancer patients within the Malaysian context.