Journal of the Asian Medical Students Association
Not a member yet
284 research outputs found
Sort by
Knowledge and Awareness of Stroke among residents in a Singapore housing estate
No full textIntroduction Inadequate knowledge of warning symptoms and risk factors of stroke is associated with significant pre-hospital and treatment delays. This study aims to assess the awareness of warning symptoms and risk factors of stroke amongst Singaporeans and permanent residents, and to identify factors associated with awareness. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was done in a local public housing estate. Through multi-stage random sampling, 1522 household units were selected for a face-to-face, open-ended questionnaire interview, which was conducted by trained interviewers. Information collected included knowledge of stroke warning symptoms and risk factors, together with hypothetical scenarios to assess participants’ responses. Socio-demographic information, participant reports of health-related behaviours, and personal and family history of stroke risk-conferring conditions were obtained. Results 52.4% of participants were unable to identify any key warning symptoms of stroke, with up to 12.4% of participants citing symptoms more closely associated with an acute myocardial infarction. 60.4% were unable to identify ≥ 2 risk factors for stroke. 4 out of 10 participants were unable to provide the correct number to dial for an emergency ambulance in Singapore. No increased level of awareness was noted amongst participants with stroke risk-conferring medical conditions, nor among the elderly. Conclusion There was a general lack of awareness of stroke. Participants at a higher risk of stroke were ill-informed about the condition. Broad-based educational efforts targeted at the general population to improve awareness of stroke symptoms are needed. In addition, education should be aimed at individuals with greater stroke risk
Management of Tuberculosis in Taiwan:A Look into the Shared Responsibilities of the Government, General Public and Medical Students
Get PDFTuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease worldwide due to its high incidenceand mortality rate. Its impact on Taiwan is no exception. This paper aims to examineeffectiveness of national policies on TB control, assess public awareness, and evaluatewhether involvement of medical students would have a positive effect towards TBcontrol in Taiwan.Literatures were first reviewed to assess effectiveness of Directly Observed Treatment,Short-course (DOTS). Although there is limited improvement in treatment success inTaiwan, there is an overall positive effect.Questionnaires designed to assess public knowledge and behaviors revealedinadequate public knowledge about DOTS, which could have led to the lack ofdistinct success in the national policy. Healthcare workshops were conducted by medical students, with survey resultsshowing a significant improvement in participants’ knowledge. Thus, medicalstudents are recommended to engage in healthcare activities to effectively aid TBcontrol.
Management of Depression for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Australia
No full textBackground: The occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) co-morbidly with depression is extremely common, with diabetic patients having more than twice the risk of developing depression, and depression being a major risk factor for T2DM. In Australia, it is estimated that half of T2DM patients currently have depression, and this prevalence is much higher than the 6.2% seen in the general population (aged 6-85). Objective: To explore the relationship between T2DM and depression, investigate management options that may reduce the risk of depression, and ways to increase awareness about these non-communicable diseases. Methods: Data was examined from the 20 Diabetes-MILES study, a postal survey sent to 5,000 randomly selected adults from the National Diabetes Services Scheme database, with 3,338 respondents. It included questions regarding demographics, existing diabetic care, and the PHQ-9 questionnaire. From the dataset, we analysed the subset of respondents with T2DM (n= 962). Depression was defined as having a PHQ-9 score greater than 8. We examined factors impacting on the prevalence of depression in this population using both odds ratio methods and log odds models. Results: Respondents who reported lower rates of receiving necessary information or teaching about managing their issues from their diabetes care team were significantly more likely to suffer from depression (OR= .89 and .58, respectively). Similarly, lower rates of inter-appointment contact from the diabetic care team for general follow-up were associated with higher rates of depression (OR= .76). Log odds models demonstrated strongly negative linear relationships between the frequency of depression and the rates of access to information and teaching. Conclusion: Improvements in provision of information, education and inter-appointment contact result in lower rates of depression in patients with T2DM. This highlights the importance of access to diabetes education, information and inter-appointment contact to decrease rates of depression in T2DM patients
OTOCEPHALY - A CASE REPORT
Get PDFOtocephaly is a condition characterized by aplasia or hypoplasia of mandible, a small oral fissure and low lying ears at the level of neck usually meeting in the midline. this case report is about a male child with otocephaly,who was unable to survive for long after birth.. The reporting of such cases is important to know the incidence of the anomaly, for further study on the developmental defects or determine the causitive agents/risk factors leading to such conditions and to make strategies to decrease the incidence
