The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 due to its rapid spread on a global scale. More than 118,000 cases had been reported in 114 countries, and mortality had reached a total of 4291. Scholars have suggested that the level of panic is correlated with knowledge and attitude among the population. This review presents a summary of knowledge, attitude, and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers, medical students, and populations in the US, the UK, Italy, Jordan, and China in April 2020. Analysis reveals that the level of the knowledge was positive in general, and optimistic attitudes and good practices are held. Utility of substantial knowledge and positive attitudes and practices hopefully can control the spread of COVID-19.

Purpose: To identify perception, knowledge, and attitudes toward mental health disorders and their treatment among students in a university in West Java, Indonesia. Methods: A cross-sectional study which measures perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of 427 university students using convenience sampling through a 53-item self-administered questionnaire was conducted in January 2020. Either a chi-square test or the Kruskal–Wallis test was employed to analyze the association between student characteristics and variables. Furthermore, Spearman rank correlation coefficient was utilized to evaluate the relationship between variables. Results: A total of 51.29% students had negative perceptions, 50.23% had good knowledge, and 52.46% had positive attitudes toward mental disorders and their treatment. The differences in the experience of visiting a psychologist or psychiatrist were associated with perceptions (P< 0.01), knowledge (P< 0.01), and attitudes (P< 0.01). A positive correlation was observed between perception and attitude (r=0.56; P< 0.01) and between knowledge and attitude (r=0.24; P< 0.01). The students obtained most information about mental health from social media (92.74%). Conclusion: Students demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitude toward mental health disorders. However, some continue to hold negative perceptions regarding approaching someone with a mental disorder, encouraging doubt and fear. Health promotion about mental health disorders and their treatment must be conducted to increase positive perceptions, good knowledge, and positive attitudes of the students. Social media tools can be considered to enhance mental health promotion and prevention of mental health problems.

In various countries, approximately 80% of patients use herbal medicine, both in single form or in combination with antihypertensive drugs, for the treatment of hypertension. Therefore, this research summarized studies on the simultaneous use of herbal medicines and antihypertensive drugs among hypertensive patients in the community. A literature search was conducted on PubMed in April 2020, and the following keywords were used: “herbal medicines” and “antihypertensive patients.” In total, 15 of 263 articles were found to be eligible in the initial research. Results showed that studies were performed in different countries worldwide including America and those in Europe, Asia, and Africa between 1960 and 2020. The factors associated with the use of herbal medicines and antihypertensive drugs were age, gender, education level, income, and residence. Herbal medicines and antihypertensive drugs are simultaneously utilized primarily due to their safety and high efficacy. Herbal medicine is frequently recommended by friends or colleagues, herbalists, advertisements, and health workers. Garlic is the most common herbal medicine used along with antihypertensive drugs. The side effects of combination therapy with herbal medicines and prescription drugs for the management of antihypertension include shortness of breath and cough, ulcers, diarrhea, knee cramps, and abdominal discomfort. The lack of communication between patients and health care workers could cause an increase in the simultaneous use of herbal medicines and antihypertensive drugs. Therefore, effective communication among health care workers and appropriate care are important in preventing the side effects and other risks of combined therapy.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and preventative behaviors of university students in Indonesia toward Tuberculosis (TB). Patients and Methods: Participants included students from a university in West Java, Indonesia, who were aged ≥ 18 years, had access to electronic communication devices and the internet, and agreed to participate in this study. This cross-sectional study invited participants to fill an online questionnaire on Google Forms, and the study was conducted from February to March 2021. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the demographic characteristics of participants. Differences in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and preventative behavior were analyzed using t-test. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships between variables. Characteristics of participants that influenced preventative behavior toward TB were analyzed using linear multiple regression analysis. Results: This study included 524 students. The average knowledge scores out of a possible 11 points of health and non-health students were 7.03 ± 2.36 (out of 11) and 4.98 ± 2.20, respectively. The attitude was 45.40 ± 4.17 (out of 52), 43.75 ± 4.09 respectively, and their average scores out of 44 for preventative behaviors toward TB were 33.08 ± 4.49 and 33.16 ± 4.40, respectively. Female students and students from health faculties demonstrated greater knowledge and better attitudes. Students with a postgraduate academic degree had better knowledge and attitudes and engaged in more preventative behavior. Students who did not smoke had greater knowledge than those who did, and students who had received information about TB engaged in more preventative behavior. Conclusion: Faculty, knowledge of symptoms, preventative examinations, and attitudes toward preventative examinations, treatment, and preventative education, were found to affect TB prevention behavior. These variables should be emphasized in the development of university TB socialization and education programs. The internet and social media should be used in TB education for students.

Background: Digital health interventions (DHIs) have shown promising results in enhancing the management of heart failure (HF). Although health care interventions are increasingly being delivered digitally, with growing evidence on the potential cost-effectiveness of adopting them, there has been little effort to collate and synthesize the findings. Objective: This study’s objective was to systematically review the economic evaluations that assess the adoption of DHIs in the management and treatment of HF. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using 3 electronic databases: PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Articles reporting full economic evaluations of DHIs for patients with HF published up to July 2023 were eligible for inclusion. Study characteristics, design (both trial based and model based), input parameters, and main results were extracted from full-text articles. Data synthesis was conducted based on the technologies used for delivering DHIs in the management of patients with HF, and the findings were analyzed narratively. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed for this systematic review. The reporting quality of the included studies was evaluated using the CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) guidelines. Results: Overall, 27 economic evaluations were included in the review. The economic evaluations were based on models (13/27, 48%), trials (13/27, 48%), or a combination approach (1/27, 4%). The devices evaluated included noninvasive remote monitoring devices (eg, home telemonitoring using digital tablets or specific medical devices that enable transmission of physiological data), telephone support, mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems. Most of the studies (24/27, 89%) used cost-utility analysis. The majority of the studies (25/27, 93%) were conducted in high-income countries, particularly European countries (16/27, 59%) such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems yielded cost-effective results or even emerged as dominant strategies. However, conflicting results were observed, particularly in noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support. In 15% (4/27) of the studies, these DHIs were found to be less costly and more effective than the comparators (ie, dominant), while 33% (9/27) reported them to be more costly but more effective with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below the respective willingness-to-pay thresholds (ie, cost-effective). Furthermore, in 11% (3/27) of the studies, noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support were either above the willingness-to-pay thresholds or more costly than, yet as effective as, the comparators (ie, not cost-effective). In terms of reporting quality, the studies were classified as good (20/27, 74%), moderate (6/27, 22%), or excellent (1/27, 4%). Conclusions: Despite the conflicting results, the main findings indicated that, overall, DHIs were more cost-effective than non-DHI alternatives. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42023388241; https://tinyurl.com/2p9axpmc

Introduction: The use of medication therapy management (MTM) is a proven method for reducing medication errors. MTM services rely heavily on pharmacists as service providers, particularly in community health centers (CHCs). Thus, understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of MTM among pharmacists in CHCs is crucial to the strategy for the implementation of MTM program in Indonesia. This study aimed to assess the level of KAP regarding MTM among pharmacists working at CHCs and its associated factors and investigate pharmacists’ perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of MTM provision in the future.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The respondents were pharmacists working at CHCs in 28 provinces in Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses. Demographic differences were determined using Chi-square and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and associations were identified using multivariable ordinal regression for knowledge and multivariable logistic regression for attitude and practice. Barriers and facilitators were determined from codes and categories of frequency derived from pharmacists’ responses to the open-ended questions.Results: Of the 1,132 pharmacists, 74.9% had a high level of knowledge, 53.6% had a positive attitude, and 57.9% had a positive practice toward MTM. Gender, practice settings, province of CHCs, years of practice, and experience in MTM services were factors associated with the KAP level. Respondents perceived that the chronic disease conditions in Indonesia, MTM service features, and current practices were facilitators of MTM provision. The lack of interprofessional collaboration, staff, pharmacist knowledge, patient cooperation, facilities/drug supply/documentation systems, stakeholder support, and patient compliance were the most common barriers to MTM implementation in the future.Conclusion: Most of the pharmacists had high knowledge of MTM; however, only half had positive attitudes and practices toward MTM. Information about factors associated with the KAP level suggests that direct involvement is essential to improve pharmacists’ understanding and view of MTM. Pharmacists also perceived barriers to the MTM provision in the future, such as interprofessional and pharmacist-patient relationships. A training program is needed to improve the KAP of MTM and develop skills for collaborating with other healthcare professionals and communicating with patients.