In many countries, self-medication is, in fact, the main service provided, exhausting pharmacist time and increasing their workload. However, there are currently no reports describing the impact of burnout on patient medication counseling. This study was conducted to determine the influence of burnout on over-the-counter (OTC) medication counseling services in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted in community pharmacies across four districts in Can Tho City, Vietnam, between April and May 2023. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), comprising three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE; 9 items), depersonalization (DP; 5 items), and personal accomplishment (PA; 8 items). OTC medication counseling activities were evaluated using 12 questions. Of the 385 participants recruited, 22.3% reported high work intensity as a common factor contributing to burnout. Pharmacists with burnout had significantly lower medication counseling scores than those without burnout (mean = 4.35 vs. mean = 4.55, P = 0.005). Of the 12 OTC medication counseling activities, 6 activities, including inquiring about the recent medications used by the patient (P = 0.044), discouraging long-term medication use (P = 0.021), warning about the possibility of self-misdiagnosis (P < 0.001), warning about the possibility of the patient choosing the wrong treatment method (P = 0.001), providing advice on improving health (P = 0.005), and inquiring about allergies in the patient (P < 0.001), had significantly lower scores in pharmacists with burnout. There was a significant negative association between burnout and medication counseling activities. Increasing staff numbers may be a useful solution for reducing work intensity, as this factor is reported to contribute the most to burnout among current pharmacists.

Introduction: Hypertension, a major health concern, is associated with significant mortality and disease burden worldwide, including Vietnam. Comprehensive interventions targeting medication, lifestyle modifications, dyslipidemia (DLP), and microalbuminuria (MAU) are vital for effective hypertension management and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease complications (CDV). While medication interventions have proven efficacy, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of community-based health education interventions in managing DLP and MAU is limited. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of community health education interventions in reducing hypertension risk factors and achieving hypertension management objectives, as well as managing DLP and MAU among hypertension patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 330 hypertensive patients with dyslipidemia (DLP) and/or microalbuminuria (MAU) who were divided into a control group (n = 164) and an intervention group (n = 166). The control group received standard national hypertension management, while the intervention group received additional intensive health education provided by trained volunteers. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed by comparing outcomes such as lifestyle factors, BMI control, treatment adherence, hypertension control, and DLP and MAU status between the two groups before and after a two-year intervention period. Results: The health education intervention resulted in significant reductions in dietary risk factors, specifically in fruit and vegetable consumption (p < 0.001). There was a lower prevalence of high salt intake in the intervention group compared to the control group (p = 0.002), while no significant differences were observed in other dietary factors. Smoking habits and low physical activity significantly decreased in the intervention group, with a notable disparity in physical activity proportions (p < 0.001). Both groups showed significant improvements in achieving hypertension management targets, with the intervention group demonstrating superior outcomes. The intervention was effective in reducing the prevalence of risk factors, particularly treatment non-adherence, blood pressure control, and low physical activity. Additionally, the intervention group had a higher likelihood of achieving DLP and MAU control compared to the control group. Conclusions: This study underscored the additional positive impact of incorporating health education by non-professional educators in achieving favorable outcomes, including better control of BMI, blood pressure, medication adherence, and management of dyslipidemia (DLP) and microalbuminuria (MAU). Further research is warranted to fully explore the potential of health education in primary healthcare settings and maximize its effectiveness.

Background: Depression is prevalent among health professional students. In low-resource settings, preference-aligned unguided preventive interventions (UPIDs) may address unmet needs. Objective: To elicit students’ preferences for unguided depression prevention programs. Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted (n=894). Each participant completed 12 choice sets (two alternatives and an opt-out) varying seven attributes: content, expert response format, privacy, out-of-pocket cost, incentives, delivery modality, and time distribution/intensity. Preferences were estimated using multinomial logit models with main and interaction effects; relative importance, marginal willingness-to-pay, and average marginal effects were derived. Sensitivity analyses assessed robustness when including respondents who failed attention and/or dominance checks. Findings: Students preferred options offering nonmonetary incentives (points β = 0.80; certificates β = 1.12), lower out-of-pocket costs (β = −0.018), anonymous participation (β = 0.46), and synchronous expert support; asynchronous support reduced utility (β = −0.38) (all p < 0.001). Basic knowledge content was preferred overall, whereas students reporting depressive symptoms shifted toward coping skills content and showed less sensitivity to privacy and cost attributes. The results were consistent in sensitivity and robustness analyses. Novelty: These findings provide context-specific design guidance for university-based prevention. Future studies should test whether preference-aligned designs improve uptake and sustained use.

This study aimed to address the lack of accurate and straightforward sarcopenia screening tools in Vietnamese primary care by developing and validating ViSarco, a pragmatic anthropometry-based instrument for older adults. Using a sequential mixed-methods design, we reviewed the literature and worked with frontline providers to identify feasible screening items. In the development cohort (n = 416), criterion validity was established against DEXA, handgrip strength, and gait speed, and logistic regression identified body mass index (2 points), arm circumference (1 point), and calf circumference (1 point) as the strongest predictors. External validation in a large, stratified cohort (n = 806) using multifrequency BIA confirmed consistent performance across age, sex, and urban–rural strata. A cutoff score of ≥2 yielded 77.2% sensitivity and 76.6% specificity (AUC = 0.77) in the development phase and an AUC of 0.83 with 78.0% diagnostic accuracy in validation, outperforming six international comparators. ViSarco’s novelty lies in its co-design, methodological rigor, and operational simplicity; relying solely on BMI, AC, and CC, it can be completed in minutes with negligible training and no equipment, making it well-suited for resource-limited primary care and offering a scalable model for sarcopenia screening in low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Depression is prevalent among health professional (HP) students, yet mental health services remain underused because of stigma and limited mental health literacy. Unguided preventive interventions for depression (UPIDs) are effective but often struggle with low engagement. Designing UPIDs based on user preferences will increase their engagement. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the patterns of HPs’ preferences for UPID. Methods: This mixed-methods study employed a Q-methodology to explore preference patterns for UPID among HP students. The qualitative phase identified five themes: privacy, expected effectiveness, expert support, engagement factors, and the unguided nature. The Q-sorting phase was completed by fifty students. The data were analyzed via principal component and Q factor analyses. Findings: The analysis identified five preference patterns among HP students: effectiveness-oriented optimism, practical engagement, maximizing benefit and convenience, prioritizing privacy and caution, and trusting the expert. Novelty: This study offers the first empirically derived typology of HP students’ UPID preferences, identifying unreported patterns. This typology points to two research directions for UPID programs. First, discrete choice experiments or segmentation studies should be used to determine the distribution of preference patterns. Second, examining actual preferences and behaviors in existing UPIDs can guide program modifications to improve engagement and sustainability.