The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a threat to public health. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced a global action plan to tackle AMR in World Health A...

High levels of stress are expected when crises affect people’s lives. Therefore, this Web-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among university students from Pakistan to investigate the psychological impairment and coping strategies during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Google Forms were used to disseminate the online questionnaire to assess anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), and coping strategies (Brief-COPE). A total of 1134 responses (age, 21.7 ± 3.5 y) were included. The frequency of students having moderate-severe anxiety and depression (score ≥ 10) were ≈ 34% and 45%, respectively. The respondents’ aged ≥ 31 y had significantly lower depression score than those ≤ 20 y (P = 0.047). Males had significantly less anxiety (6.62 ± 5.70 vs 7.84 ± 5.60; P = 0.001) and depression (8.73 ± 6.84 vs 9.71 ± 7.06; P = 0.031) scores. Those having family members, friends, or acquaintances infected with disease had significantly higher anxiety scores (8.89 ± 5.74 vs 7.09 ± 5.56; P < 0.001). Regarding coping strategies, the majority of respondents were found to have adopted religious/spiritual coping (6.45 ± 1.68) followed by acceptance (5.58 ± 1.65), self-distraction (4.97 ± 1.61), and active coping (4.81 ± 1.57). In conclusion, COVID-19 caused significant impairment on mental health of the students. The most frequent coping strategies adopted by students were religious/spiritual and acceptance coping. During epidemics, mental health of students should not be neglected.

Introduction: In view of increasing concerns with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the World Health Organization (WHO) instituted a Global Action Plan (GAP) to address this. Area covered: One of the strategies to achieve the goals of GAP is to conduct regular surveillance of antimicrobial use through point prevalence surveys (PPS). In this review, PubMed, EBSCO, Proquest, Cinahl, and Scopus were searched for PPS of antimicrobial use published in English between January 2000 and December 2019. After systematic database screening of 2,893 articles, 60 PPS met the inclusion criteria and consequently were incorporated in this systematic review. Expert opinion: This review highlighted that most of the PPS were conducted in upper-middle and high-income countries. Prevalence of antimicrobial use was significantly higher in non-European hospitals compared with European hospitals. The domination of third-generation cephalosporin and fluoroquinolones use across all the regions suggests substantial use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials across countries. Among all identified regions around the world, India was the region where the highest use of antimicrobials was observed. Although PPS is a useful tool to assess the pattern of antimicrobial use and provides a robust baseline; however, a standardized surveillance method is needed. In order to optimize antimicrobial use, more efforts are required to improve antimicrobial use.

Introduction: Deaths-related to medications errors are common in Pakistan but these are not accurately reported. Recently, the death of a 9 months old baby due to abrupt administration of 15% potassium chloride injection sparked the issue of high alert medications (HAMs) related errors in the country. Since drug administration is the prime responsibility of the nurses, it is pivotal that they possess good knowledge of HAMs. Since there is no published data regarding the knowledge of HAMs among Pakistani nurses, we aimed to assess knowledge of HAMs among registered nurses of Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among registered nurses, recruited using a convenient sampling technique, from 29 hospitals all over the Punjab Province. Data were collected using a validated self-administered instrument. All data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: The study sample was comprised of 2,363 registered nurses (staff nurses = 94.8%, head nurses = 5.2%). Around 63% were working in tertiary hospitals whereas almost 25 and 12% were from district headquarter hospitals and tehsil headquarter hospitals, respectively. Around 84% of the study participants achieved scores <70%, indicating majority of Pakistani nurses having poor knowledge of HAMs administration as well as regulation. There was no significant difference of overall knowledge among age, hospitals, departments, training, designations, qualification, and experience categories. Major obstacles encountered during HAMs administration were “getting uncertain answers from colleagues” (72.9%), “unavailability of suitable person to consult” (61.1%) and “receiving verbal orders” (55.6%). Conclusion: Our study revealed the serious inadequacies in HAMs knowledge among Pakistani nurses which may lead to adverse patient outcomes. Nurses should receive comprehensive pharmacology knowledge not only during in-school nursing education but also as hospital-based continuing education. Moreover, it is of immense importance to bridge the gaps between physicians, clinical pharmacists, and nurses through effective communication as this will help reduce medication errors and improve patient care.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic and reproductive disorder affecting women of childbearing age. Its symptoms associated with androgen excess and menstrual abnormalities have great impact on the quality of life in women with PCOS. Data on the knowledge of PCOS and health-related practices among Malaysian women is scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, knowledge and health-related practices of PCOS among women in Klang Valley, Malaysia.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among women in Klang Valley, Malaysia using a self-administered questionnaire. Participants were conveniently recruited through online platforms. Questionnaire consisted of four sections. The knowledge scores ranged from 0-20 where < 10 was classified as poor knowledge. Health-related practices scores ranged from 10-50, with score <30 was classified as poor practice. Descriptive statistics was used to report demographic characteristics. Inferential statistics was used to report the differentiation, association, and correlations of the variables.Results: A total of 410 respondents participated in this survey. The finding revealed that 43 (10.49%) respondents had medical diagnosis of PCOS, 11 (2.68%) were diagnosed with PCOS based on signs and symptoms, and 135 (32.93%) were suspected with PCOS. Nearly half of the respondents had poor knowledge (47.30%) and poor practice (47.60%) of PCOS. Also, 46 (11.22%) respondents reported abnormal scalp hair loss and 30 (7.32%) respondents had diabetes. Educational levels and PCOS history were significantly associated with PCOS knowledge. Respondents with healthcare related educational background demonstrated good knowledge (p<0.01). Majority of respondents (n= 328, 80%) were unable to control their diets on weekends. Married participants and aged between 40 to 45 women showed better practice of PCOS.Conclusion: Nearly half of the respondents had poor knowledge and health-related practices towards PCOS. Women with suspected or diagnosed PCOS should seek immediate medical help as early diagnosis and treatment for PCOS are beneficial in improving their quality of life.