Seeking Medical Advice Research Articles

Incarcerated Intestine by Testicular Mass in Huge Scrotum: A Case Report

Large testicular tumor is not a commonly seen entity in the modern era. While treatment of large testicular tumors is via inguinal radical orchiectomy, large testicular tumors carry the dilemma of delivering these large masses via the inguinal or scrotal approach. Our case was a 90 years old man with obstruction signs and huge scrotum that shows incarcerated large bowel with huge testicular mass, that in his surgery we did Radical Orchiectomy and we replace incarcerated Large Bowel in scrotum and discharge him successfully. Giant testicular cancer is considered one of the largest testicular masses in the world. Delayed seeking medical advice and appropriate management is the major cause behind this rare presentation. Increasing the awareness regarding self-examination and eliminating the stigma is the cornerstone to markedly reduce this type of unusual presentation since any testicular size change and mass can be easily noted by the patient. Surgical exploration and adjuvant chemotherapy seems as a reasonable treatment option in the setting of bilateral intra-abdominal testis tumor in an adult patient. The study underscores the effectiveness of the intervention in promoting preventive behaviours against testicular cancer among university students, laying the groundwork for future educational initiatives. Although testicular cancer (TC) is the most common malignancy in males between the ages of 18 and 50 years, little effort has been made to increase public awareness about TC and testicular self-examinations (TSEs). Intestinal obstruction without a past surgical history of abdominal surgeries or trauma is a rare and challenging clinical situation. This case report describes the presentation, diagnosis, and management of intestinal obstruction in a patient with an uncommon aetiology of small bowel obstruction. Chronic hernia incarceration can lead to weakening and ischemia of the bowel, and minimal trauma can lead to perforation of the weakened segment. In such presentations, bowel resection and repair of the defect with a biological material is safe and feasible.

Home Remedy Practices Among Stay-at-Home COVID-19 Patients in Bangladesh

During the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bangladesh lacked treatments and immunizations, so patients used several home remedies to heal themselves. This study was conducted among stay-at-home COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh to determine their awareness of the disease and establish correlations between COVID-19 symptoms and the use of home remedies. This is a cross-sectional study that employed a convenient sampling technique. Primary data were collected using a convenient sampling technique from various demographic bases. Data were gathered through 70 face-to-face interviews and an online survey with 276 participants using a semi-structured questionnaire. Participants were from different regions and districts of Bangladesh. In total, 346 respondents participated in the study from May to August 2021. Nearly equal numbers of males and females of various ages participated. More than half of the participants were aged 21–30. Dhaka had the highest participation rate (82%). The study found that 95% of people were aware of the need to consult a doctor, and 99% of participants took the COVID-19 test. 46% of the participants were isolated for 1–2 weeks. Fever, dry cough, loss of smell, tiredness and fatigue, and aches and pains were the most commonly reported symptoms. 77% of the study's participants checked their O2 saturation level daily. Participants with and without various comorbid diseases used home remedies, like drinking honey-ginger tea, taking vapors or steam, eating more citrus fruits, frequent hand washing, etc. In Bangladesh, home remedies such as citrus fruits, honey-ginger tea, steam inhalation, hand washing, and mask usage were common among stay-at-home COVID-19 patients due to limited medical access. Despite seeking medical advice and testing, patients still prefer home care. This study emphasizes the need to understand these patterns and conduct further research to evaluate efficacy and inform policy development.

Barriers to medical consultation and strategies for enhancing the prevention and reporting of child abuse: A cross-sectional survey of caregivers of paediatric patients at a tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan.

To assess the knowledge of caregivers in a tertiary care setting about child abuse, their perception of potential barriers in the way of seeking medical advice for the victims, and to identify proposed solutions to ensure prevention and reporting of child abuse. The cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2022 at the paediatric ward of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised caregivers who were attendants of inpatients. Data was collected using a predesigned anonymous questionnaire consisting of demographic information and 27 items that were scored on a 6-point Likert scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. Of the 144 caregivers, 96(66.6%) were females and 48(33.3%) were males. Overall, 86(59.7%) were aged <35 years, 132(91.7%) were married, and 120(83.3%) were the admitted child's parent. The majority of caregivers 110(76.4%) perceived themselves to possess a high level of knowledge about child abuse. Barriers identified included a lack of trust in police and medicolegal departments 136(94.4%), fear of repercussion from the suspect 120(83.3%) and lack of confidentiality of the victims' identity 116(80.6%). The proposed solutions included spreading awareness among teachers 136(94.4%) and caregivers 131(91.0%) about timely reporting and consultation, and developing proper mechanisms to follow-up on victims 133(92.4%). There were significant associations between some demographic characteristics of the respondents and their self-perceived knowledge and perceptions (p<0.05). There was found a need to enhance public trust, ensure confidentiality, and fostering awareness through targeted strategies for a safer and more facilitative environment for children.

Transcultural Adaptation of the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure in a Rural Border Area of Greece.

Breast cancer awareness is a concept suggesting that awareness of signs and symptoms and early seeking of medical advice may decrease mortality, especially in limited resource settings. A modified questionnaire based on the breastcancerawarenessmeasure (BCAM) by Cancer Research UK was translated into Greek and used for the first time. Participants were women residing in a rural border area in Greece. For statistical analysisthe χ2 goodness-of-fit and Cramer's V test for categorical comparisons were used and Cronbach's alpha for reliability analysis. In total, 110 women filled out and returned the questionnaire. Respondents appeared to be inappropriately informed regarding the less common warning signs of breast cancer, the most common age of breast cancer occurrence, the national screening program, and the less important risk factors of breast cancer. On the other hand, most women appeared to be confident in recognizing breast changes and seeking medical advice if needed. The translated modified BCAM tool can be used to evaluate breast cancer awareness in Greek women. Future campaigns developed by policymakers should focus on improving breast cancer awareness, especially in socioeconomically deprived areas.

MedEase+ - A Healthcare System

Abstract: India is a very populous nation, recently surpassing China and Russia. According to the World Health Organization data from 2019, India had approximately 1.45 doctors per 1,000 people. Due to this difference in ratio, the issues related to soft flow of hospital management are on inclining graph. Therefore, the introduction of project MedEase+ comes into light. The purpose of this project is to implement a proper healthcare management system integrating all the basic functionalities powered by an Artificial Intelligent chat bot that is capable of having a very organic conversation with the user and solving their queries using knowledge base. The knowledge base is a collection of real-time data that is pre-processed using bag of words to prepare it for additional processing. The data is collected in a JSON format where Natural Language Understanding (NLU) comes into picture. The chat bot has the ability to offer navigation links based on the user's requests. Moreover, it has the ability to suggest seeking medical advice or taking any necessary instant action. And it also offers diagnostics information in advance. Furthermore, this project provides a robust web application using Django framework to carry out the functionalities and services of both hospital administration and user engagement.

Delay in seeking treatment and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel zone, Benishangul Gumuz region, Western Ethiopia.

Tuberculosis is a major global public health problem and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. TB prevention and control in low-income countries, such as Ethiopia, face significant challenges, including late detection and treatment initiation. A delay in the initiation of tuberculosis treatment increases the morbidity and mortality of patients and community transmission. Therefore, this study aimed to assess patient delay and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending public health facilities in the Metekel Zone, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Western Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2020 among newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients. All pulmonary tuberculosis patients (416) who came to all public health facilities of the Metekel zone for treatment during the period were included. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured and pretested questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression was fitted to identify independent factors for delay in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs were determined, and variables with p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Nearly three-fourths 302 (72.6, 95% CI: 68.5, 76.7) of the patients were delayed in seeking medical advice, with a median patient delay of 27 days (IQR: 21-31). Age of the patients [above 54 years (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.30, 5.40), 36-54 years (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.14,3.02)], family size of 5 members and above (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.10-3.14), travel time above 60 min (AOR = 3.65, 95% CI: 1.55, 8.60), history of visits to informal care providers (AOR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.14), and poor knowledge about PTB (AOR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.04-2.44) were statistically significant factors associated with delays in seeking treatment among PTB patients. Most pulmonary tuberculosis patients delay seeking medical advice for their illnesses. Delays in seeking treatment were associated with older age, large household size, longer travel time to reach the nearby health facility, visiting informal care providers, and poor knowledge about pulmonary tuberculosis. Hence, it is crucial to consider community screening programs, enhance public awareness, and ensure the accessibility of TB diagnostic and treatment services.

Barriers to Timely Seeking of Breast Cancer Care Among Palestinian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Examining the association of breast cancer (BC) symptom awareness with time to help seeking and exploring barriers to timely presentation may enhance the effectiveness of BC awareness campaigns and early detection efforts. This study aimed to assess the anticipated time for seeking medical advice when experiencing a potential BC symptom among women in Palestine and to identify their barriers to early presentation. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit adult women from hospitals, primary health care facilities, and public areas across 11 governorates in Palestine. A translated-into-Arabic version of the validated BC Awareness Measure was used. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic information, recognition of 13 BC symptoms and reporting time for seeking medical advice, and barriers to early presentation. A total of 5,257 questionnaires were included. The proportion of participants who would seek medical advice immediately varied on the basis of the nature of BC symptoms. For symptoms related to the breast, the proportion ranged from 25.7% for redness of the breast skin to 53.5% for a lump or thickening in the breast. For symptoms related to the nipple, the proportion ranged from 30.7% for nipple rash to 48.0% for discharge or bleeding from the nipple. Exhibiting good BC symptom awareness was associated with a higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week for all BC symptoms. Emotional barriers were the most frequently reported barriers. There was no association between increasing levels of BC awareness and reporting fewer or more barriers. The nature of BC symptoms had an impact on help-seeking behaviors. Participants with good BC symptom awareness were more likely to seek medical advice earlier.

A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Knowledge of Medicine Safety and Frequency of Reading Medication Leaflets and Its Predictors - Insights from Saudi Adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, patient safety, is of the utmost importance, in addition to health care providers' counseling and advice, patient information leaflets (PILs) also have a significant impact on health outcomes. This study aimed to assess the Knowledge of medicine safety and Frequency of reading medication Leaflets and their predictors among the Saudi population in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted over three months in 2023 using online structured self-administered questionnaires, on the adults of Saudi Arabia, admitted to provide informed consent, aged ≥18 years, able to complete the questionnaires, being Saudi nationals, and currently living in the country. The data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27. In this study, 23.6% (n=123) of respondents always read the PILs, while 14.6% (n=76) of them never read the PILs. In addition, 22.6% (n=118) of them find it difficult to understand the PILs. In this study, 53.9% of them revealed that ADRs are unexpected reactions after taking the normal dose and 15.4% of them do not know what ADRs are. The respondents gender (B= 0.164; SE=0.075; 95CI = 0.017-0.310; p = 0.029), Social status (B = 0.251; SE = 0.079; 95CI = 0.096-0.406; p = 0.002) and monthly income (B= 0.136; SE = 0.021; 95CI = 0.095-0.178; p < 0.001) was the predictor of reading PILs. In this study, two-thirds of participants took medication and knew why they were taking it. However, only a few of them took the medicine after seeing a doctor, suggesting self-medication practice. In addition, 22.1% of them find it difficult to understand the PILS, and a small number of them would rather read it. Highlighting the significance of seeking medical advice from healthcare professionals before using a medication.

Health Information Seeking Behavior on Social Networking Sites and Self-Treatment: Pilot Survey Study.

Social networking site use and social network-based health information seeking behavior have proliferated to the point that the lines between seeking health information from credible social network-based sources and the decision to seek medical care or attempt to treat oneself have become blurred. We contribute to emerging research on health information seeking behavior by investigating demographic factors, social media use for health information seeking purposes, and the relationship between health information seeking and occurrences of self-treatment. Data were collected from an online survey in which participants were asked to describe sociodemographic factors about themselves, social media use patterns, perceptions about their motivations for health information seeking on social media platforms, and whether or not they attempted self-treatment after their social media-related health information seeking. We conducted a binomial logistic regression with self-treatment as a dichotomous categorical dependent variable. Results indicate that significant predictors of self-treatment based on information obtained from social networking sites include race, exercise frequency, and degree of trust in the health-related information received. With an understanding of how sociodemographic factors might influence the decision to self-treat based on information obtained from social networking sites, health care providers can assist patients by educating them on credible social network-based sources of health information and discussing the importance of seeking medical advice from a health care provider.

What can we learn from a Chinese social media used by glaucoma patients?

PurposeOur study aims to discuss glaucoma patients’ needs and Internet habits using big data analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP) based on deep learning (DL).MethodsIn this retrospective study, we used web crawler technology to crawl glaucoma-related topic posts from the glaucoma bar of Baidu Tieba, China. According to the contents of topic posts, we classified them into posts with seeking medical advice and without seeking medical advice (social support, expressing emotions, sharing knowledge, and others). Word Cloud and frequency statistics were used to analyze the contents and visualize the keywords of topic posts. Two DL models, Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), were trained to identify the posts seeking medical advice. The evaluation matrices included: accuracy, F1 value, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC).ResultsA total of 10,892 topic posts were included, among them, most were seeking medical advice (N = 7071, 64.91%), and seeking advice regarding symptoms or examination (N = 4913, 45.11%) dominated the majority. The following were searching for social support (N = 2362, 21.69%), expressing emotions (N = 497, 4.56%), and sharing knowledge (N = 527, 4.84%) in sequence. The word cloud analysis results showed that ocular pressure, visual field, examination, and operation were the most frequent words. The accuracy, F1 score, and AUC were 0.891, 0.891, and 0.931 for the BERT model, 0.82, 0.821, and 0.890 for the Bi-LSTM model.ConclusionSocial media can help enhance the patient-doctor relationship by providing patients’ concerns and cognition about glaucoma in China. NLP can be a powerful tool to reflect patients’ focus on diseases. DL models performed well in classifying Chinese medical-related texts, which could play an important role in public health monitoring.

Anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible ovarian cancer symptoms and perceived barriers to early presentation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study

BackgroundSeveral factors contribute to delayed presentation with ovarian cancer (OC) symptoms including poor symptom awareness and barriers to seeking help. This study explored the anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible OC symptoms and its association with OC symptom awareness. In addition, it examined perceived barriers that may delay help-seeking among Palestinian women.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among adult women (≥ 18 years) recruited from hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 Palestinian governorates. A modified version of the OC awareness measure was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic details, awareness of 11 OC symptoms and time to seek medical advice, and barriers to early presentation.ResultsOf 6095 participants approached, 5618 completed the OCAM (response rate = 92.1%). The proportion of participants who would immediately seek medical advice for a possible OC symptom varied based on the symptom’s nature. For OC symptoms with pain, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 7.9% for ‘persistent low back pain’ to 13.6% for ‘persistent pain in the pelvis’. For non-specific potential OC symptoms, the proportion that reported immediate seeking of medical advice ranged from 2.3% for ‘feeling full persistently’ to 15.8% for ‘increased abdominal size on most days’. Good OC symptom awareness was associated with higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week from recognizing 10 out of 11 OC symptoms.Emotional barriers were the most common barriers with ‘feeling scared’ as the most reported barrier (n = 1512, 52.4%). Displaying good OC symptom awareness was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting ≥ 4 emotional barriers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.38–0.98).ConclusionParticipants with good OC symptom awareness were more likely to seek medical advice earlier and to display fewer emotional barriers. Establishing educational interventions to raise OC awareness may help in promoting earlier help-seeking and, thus, facilitate earlier diagnosis and improved prognosis.

Study of assessment of knowledge and understanding for coping with sick days among patients with diabetes in community pharmacy: a cluster randomized controlled trial (SAKURA trial)

BackgroundAwareness regarding coping with sick days among patients with diabetes is limited. Thus, we evaluated the effectiveness of sick-day education by community pharmacists among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using sick-day educational materials (sick-day cards).MethodsA cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted. Pharmacists in the intervention group educated patients with T2D on coping with sick days (adjusting medication dosage and seeking medical advice) using sick-day cards compared with the usual counseling. Differences in questionnaire scores (“Anxiety”, “Intention”, “Attitude”, and “Knowledge” about sick days) before and after the intervention were compared between the groups.ResultsOverall, 318 patients with T2D (intervention, 119; control, 199) participated in this study, and 270 (intervention, 92; control, 178) patients were examined. There were no significant differences in “Anxiety”, “Intention”, or “Attitude” scores between the two groups, but “Knowledge” scores improved in the intervention group. For all intervention groups (92/92), a physician reviewed and approved medication and adjustment doses for sick days on the cards.ConclusionsAccording to patients’ responses, sick-day education using teaching materials improved patient knowledge. This may help patients and their caregivers cope with sick days appropriately through medication dose adjustment and fluid intake.Research registration number: UMIN000043161 (February 1, 2021), https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr.cgifunction=brows&action=brows&recptno=R000048124&type=summary&language=J

Parental Beliefs About the Causes, Treatments, and Medical Assistance for Children With Nocturnal Enuresis in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

To assess parental beliefs about the causes, treatment, and necessity for medical assistance for children with nocturnal enuresis (NE). A self-administered survey questioned parents' beliefs about NE, including causes and at-home behavioral therapy. We evaluated the association between demographic characteristics and the tendency to seek medical advice for NE. The questionnaire received responses from 1232 individuals, 77.1% of whom were female and 82.9% of whom were 30 years of age or older. Psychological issues (53.5%) and laziness to get up (47.6%) were the most often believed causes of NE. Two frequent at-home behavioral therapies chosen by participants were voiding before bedtime and restricting fluid intake at night (73.4% and 70%, respectively). However, only 6.9% of respondents believe that a bedwetting alarm is an effective treatment. The two most frequently reported reasons for not seeking medical attention wereparents' belief that their child will eventually outgrow bedwetting (34.1%) and "parents or children's embarrassment" (21.8%). The chi-squared test was used to evaluate the association between demographic characteristics and seeking medical advice. Participants with a single child were more likely than those with more than three children to take their child to the doctor (61.5% vs. 48.6%, respectively). Also, parents who don't have NE-afflicted children were more open to consider seeking medical advice for NE therapy (if their children developed it in the future) compared to parents who already have children with NE. Parents in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia hold various misconceptions about the causes and treatment of NE. Only 52.1% of parents would take their child to see a doctor if wetting the bedand only 48.1% of parents were aware of effective treatments for NE. These results emphasize that healthcare practitioners need to provide proper information to raise public awareness of NE.

Unravelling the predictors of late cancer presentation and diagnosis in Jordan: a cross-sectional study of patients with lung and colorectal cancers

ObjectivesLate presentation or diagnosis of cancer results in a poor clinical prognosis, negatively affects treatment and subsequently lowers one’s chances of survival. This study aimed to identify the factors associated...

Perceived barriers to early presentation and symptom-specific time to seek medical advice for possible colorectal cancer symptoms among Palestinians

This study explored the anticipated time to seek medical advice for possible colorectal cancer (CRC) signs/symptoms and its association with CRC symptom awareness. In addition, it examined perceived barriers that may delay seeking medical advice. Palestinian adults were recruited from hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 governorates. A modified, translated-into-Arabic version of the validated Bowel Cancer Awareness Measure was used. The questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographics, assessment of CRC symptom awareness and time to seek medical advice, and barriers to early presentation. A total of 4623 participants were included. The proportion that reported seeking immediate medical advice for possible CRC signs/symptoms with blood or mass ranged from 47.1% for ‘blood in stools’ to 59.5% for ‘bleeding from back passage’. Less than half of the participants reported immediate seeking of medical advice for non-specific symptoms (ranging from 5.4% for ‘loss of appetite’ to 42.0% for ‘anemia’) and other gastrointestinal symptoms (ranging from 7.7% for ‘feeling persistently full’ to 35.7% for ‘change in bowel habits’). Good CRC symptom awareness was associated with higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week from recognizing a CRC symptom. About 13.0% reported a delay to visit their doctor after recognizing a CRC symptom. The most reported barriers were practical with ‘would try some herbs first’ (50.9%) as the leading barrier. CRC symptoms with blood or mass prompted earlier help seeking. Participants with good CRC awareness were more likely to seek medical advice within a week.

P096 Exploring fibromyalgia patients by gender using routinely collected primary-care data from Wales, UK: a descriptive epidemiological study

Abstract Background/Aims Fibromyalgia predominantly affects women (80-90%), however contradictory findings show lower estimates (59%). The psychosocial impacts are similar in men and women but men delay seeking treatment and medical advice. Revisions of the 1990 American College of Rheumatology fibromyalgia classification criteria removed the requirement for at least 11 of 18 tender-point sites, which led to various prevalence rates and female-to-male ratios. This study aimed to measure new cases of fibromyalgia, determine the sex ratio following criteria revisions and explore treatments and symptoms by gender. Methods A retrospective population-based cohort study using primary-care electronic health-data from the Secured Anonymised Information Linkage Databank in Wales. Individuals aged 18 years and over with fibromyalgia READ Codes (N239’. and ‘N248.’) between 2004 and 2018 were included in the study. New cases were defined at first appearance of fibromyalgia READ codes. New cases of fibromyalgia were calculated at three 5-year periods; period 1 (2004-2008), 2 (2009-2013) and 3 (2014-2018). Descriptive analysis performed on variables for individuals by gender. Results Data on 22,568 individuals with fibromyalgia were extracted. The mean age of individuals was 48 years (SD: 13) and 20,040 (88.8%) were female. In period 1, among 5,296 new cases of fibromyalgia, 784 (14.8%) were male and 4,512 (85.2%) were female. In period 2, 642 (10.8%) of 5,958 new cases were male and 5,316 (89.2%) female, while in period 3, 1,102 (9.7%) of 11,314 new cases were male and 10,212 (90.3%) female. Women had a significantly higher BMI compared to men (difference: 1.6%, 95% CI: 1.5 - 1.7) and experienced more widespread pain (difference: 3.9%, 95% CI: 2.4 - 5.6). Women also experienced more stress and bereavement (difference: 12.1%, 95% CI: 10.3 - 13.8) and adverse life events (difference 10.4%, 95% CI: 9.1 - 11.6) compared to men. Men had significantly more comorbidities however women had more gastrointestinal disorders (difference 10%, 95% CI: 8.4-11.4) and abnormal thyroid function (difference 3.3%, 95% CI: 2.7-3.8). Significantly more women received steroid treatment (difference: 8.3%, 95% CI: 6.3-10.3), antidepressants (difference: 5.4%, 95% CI: 4.2-6.6), anxiolytics and barbiturates (difference: 7.2%, 95% CI: 5.2-9.2) and vitamin D (difference: 1.8%, 95% CI: 1.0-2.5), while significantly more men were treated with gabapentin (difference: 9%, 95% CI: 7.0-11). Conclusion Routinely collected health-data does not demonstrate an increase in fibromyalgia in men despite changes in classification criteria. Fibromyalgia may be underdiagnosed in men. However, significant gender differences in men and women living with fibromyalgia were observed. Different medications used may represent clinician or patient choice and is worthy of future study. Disclosure R. Cooksey: Grants/research support; Pfizer. E. Choy: Grants/research support; Abbvie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Bio-Cancer, Biocon, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Chugai Pharma, Eli Lilly, Galapagos Gilead, Janssen, Novimmune, Novartis, ObsEva, Pfizer, Regneron, Roche, R-Pharm, Sanofi, SynAct Pharma, UCB.

Knowledge about COVID-19 and Perception of the Role of Media Among Non-Medical Students

Objective: The study aimed to determine the knowledge about disease and perception of the role of media regarding COVID-19 among non-medical students.Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study.Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in educational institutions of Punjab including University of Lahore, National University of Science and Technology, COMSATS University, Forman Christian College University, University of Management and Technology, Punjab University, GC University Faisalabad, The University of Agriculture Faisalabad, University of Engineering &amp; Technology, University of Central Punjab, Islamia University Bahawalpur and Lahore College of Women University from June 2021 to November 2021.Materials and Methods: Using the convenience sampling technique, a sample of 400 non-medical students was included in the study. A self-constructed pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version 23. Independent t-test and ANOVA were applied to find the association between variables. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Mean age of participants was 21.45± 2.16 years. About 38.7% used three or more sources of information. The most reliable source of media (37.75%) was social media updates. About 77.5% of participants used mass media daily and an increase in social media usage was reported by 88% of participants. The mean score related to knowledge was 14.09±4.5 out of 20. A statistically significant difference was found in the knowledge score of groups based upon sources of information (p = &lt;0.001), communication practices (p = &lt;0.001), gender (p=0.01), reported an increase in social media usage (p=0.04) and habit of seeking medical advice from media influences (p =0.05). The majority of participants agreed that media is creating awareness but also increasing fear and anxiety. Conclusion: Respondents had good knowledge about COVID-19. Gender, information sources, communication practices, increase in media usage and taking medical advice from media influenced the knowledge. Participants agreed that media is creating awareness but also increasing fear and anxiety. &#x0D;

Current Self-Medication Practices among the Russian Population

Introduction: The practice of self-medication is widespread among the population. It is a kind of a socio-cultural norm that is habitual for many Russian people. Self-treatment, however, can be dangerous and lead to complications and poor health, thus being a serious challenge for healthcare. Misuse of antibiotics poses a particular danger. Self-medication has many reasons related to personal beliefs and external circumstances. The scientific community is discussing the topic of responsible self-treatment that implies reasonable health care and does not exclude seeking medical advice. The necessity of forming a responsible attitude of Russians to their health draws special attention to the problem of self-medication. Objective: To analyze changes in the prevalence of self-medication among the Russian population and to establish the reasons for its demand in the contemporary context. Methods: The empirical basis of the study was the personal in-home interview survey of the population aged 18 years and older. The field stage was carried out on April 18–27, 2022 in 30 regions of the Russian Federation and captured 1,500 respondents. Result: We have found that the health status and everyday well-being of Russians leaves much to be desired and necessitates different types of treatment. Self-medication remains a common practice. Every second respondent prefers self-care choosing medicines and folk remedies. Yet, we noticed a gradual decrease in the demand for this kind of treatment in favor of seeking professional medical advice. We revealed a significant dependence of the population, especially young people, on taking self-prescribed medications. We established also that many citizens cannot either afford or get access to necessary medical services or drugs in the area of residence, and are therefore compelled to self-treatment. The worse the respondents assess the healthcare system, the less often they consult a doctor and the more often they opt to self-medicate. Conclusions: The problems described indicate the importance of raising awareness of self-treatment and potential dangers of drug self-administration among Russian people. It is essential to improve the general level of the culture of health and responsibility of citizens for their health, and to create conditions for getting affordable professional medical care.

Sinonasal masses: modalities, clinical presentation, and management in Sudan

BackgroundSinonasal masses are not an uncommon spectrum of diseases. They are frequently encountered in Sudan, sometimes with variability in modalities across the country. The objective of this study is to document the pattern of sinonasal masses in Sudanese patients and to highlight the knowledge of the modalities, clinical presentations, and management. As a consequence, this will raise awareness especially of the general practitioners and family physicians and hence the community locally and regionally. Early diagnosis and appropriate management can reduce the rate of recurrence, fatal complications, and hence morbidity and mortality.MethodsThis is a prospective descriptive, comparative hospital-based study conducted from January 2020 to January 2021. All patients with sinonasal masses, who came to Khartoum ENT Teaching Hospital seeking medical advice during the above-mentioned period were included in the study provided they satisfy the inclusion criteria. Enrollment was optional with the right to withdraw at any time. Consent was verbal with the reassurance about the aspect of confidentiality, privacy, and consent of the data. Ethical clearance was obtained from the ethical committee (EDC) SMSB and from the research committee of Khartoum teaching hospital. Analysis was done using a computer and the statistical package of social sciences SPSS V.25ResultsA total number of 244 patients were studied. The age group of 21–40 years was the most encountered with the disease (42.6%). Two hundred three patients (83%) had a non-neoplastic disease, (9%) benign neoplastic lesions, and (8%) malignant neoplastic lesions. The non-neoplastic group was dominated by nasal polyposis of which the fungal were the most common (50%). Among benign neoplastic lesions, pyogenic granuloma ranked first (24%). Among malignant neoplastic lesions, squamous cell carcinoma dominated the epithelial origin lesions (71%) and Rhabdomyosarcoma dominated the connective tissue cell types (50%). Nasal obstruction is the most common complaint (94.7%) followed by nasal discharge (64.8%) then anosmia (53.3%). Endoscopic surgery was done in (84.4%) of patients, combined approach endoscopic and open surgery in (5.3%) while open surgery alone was done in 2.5%. Radiation and chemotherapy were used in 2% each, while chemo-radiation was used in (2.5%). The rest of the cases (1.3%) were managed by surgery followed by chemoradiation.ConclusionPatients with sinonasal masses in Sudan especially the age group 21–40 years must be seen in specialized Otolaryngology clinics to pick, diagnose and treat significant diseases in an early stage. Radiology and histopathology are a must in sinonasal swellings to diagnose malignant diseases at an early stage. Nasosinus fungal polyposis being the commonest in non-neoplastic lesions, the commonest among all sinonasal masses added together, and a known reported endemic disease in the country must receive special consideration and investigation for early diagnosis and treatment.

COVID-19 pandemic: perception, attitude, and practices of university students from health sector faculties

BackgroundAdherence to preventive control measures is influenced by perception, attitudes, and practices toward the disease prevention.AimTo assess the perceptions, attitude, and practices of university students in three health sector faculties (Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) from six Egyptian universities towards COVID-19 pandemic prevention.MethodsAn electronic online survey was distributed to students of 3 faculties (Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing) in six Egyptian universities from March to July 2021. The questionnaire consists of the following parts: socio-demographic data of participants, student perception and attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, as well as practices of preventive measures in the community.ResultsThe study included 1990 participants. Most respondents perceived the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic (88.2%). The rates of practicing precautionary measures were mostly high (approximately 90% or above). Significantly high attitude scores toward the pandemic were detected in people with quite-to-extremely concerned, very good/excellent status, aware of infection risk, willing to report positive cases and avoiding contact with them, and seeking medical advice regarding infection. The attitude to protective measures followed a similar pattern along with average health status, female students, and avoidance of contact when experiencing flu symptoms. Significantly higher practice scores were observed in those with bad health status, rural areas, perceiving the risk of infection, willing to report positive cases, and avoiding contact with positive cases.ConclusionThe effectiveness of precautionary measures should be stressed to promote positive student practices.