Sabiha Khanum

Stroke is a prevailing public health concern worldwide that has rapidly increased in the past few decades. People of any age may be affected by stroke; how

Background: Emotional safety is increasingly recognized as crucial for high-quality patient care, encompassing a patient’s sense of security, courteous treatment, being heard, and a peaceful environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of patients and providers (doctors and nurses) regarding emotional harm and safety in relation to hospitalized patients. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study in public-sector teaching hospitals in Peshawar, Pakistan. Data were collected after we obtained informed consent using individual interviews with 15 providers, namely, doctors (n = 7) and nurses (n = 8), and five focus group discussions (FGDs) with 25 hospitalized patients. Data from both the interviews and FGDs were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase approach to thematic analysis. Results: The key themes revealed by the providers’ perspectives were factors contributing to emotional harm, staff-related factors, coping mechanisms and solutions, and the impact of prior experiences and involvement. The main themes that emerged from the patients’ perspectives were anxiety upon admission, the impact of communication, emotional stress due to treatment delays, systemic/bureaucratic challenges, financial burden, a lack of emotional support, and post-hospitalization concerns. The consistent perspectives shared by both patients and providers included the impact of systemic factors, communication issues, the role of staff attitude/behavior, financial concerns, and the influence of prior experiences. Conclusions: This study highlights the complex interplay of systemic, staff-related, and patient-specific factors. It suggests a need to improve communication, staff support, administrative processes, financial counseling, emotional support integration, and discharge planning to minimize harm and create a patient-centered environment.

Excessive screen time is a growing concern for child development, particularly language acquisition. This study investigated the relationship between screen time and speech delay in Pakistani children aged 2-6 years receiving speech therapy. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at a rehabilitation center in Islamabad from April to May 2024. A sample of 80 children was recruited via consecutive sampling. Data on demographics and screen time were collected via questionnaire, and speech delay was assessed using the Blank Level of Questions tool. The mean age of participants was 4.57 years (±1.24). Most were male (61.3%), from urban (72.5%) and high-income (80%) backgrounds. The majority (58.75%) had severe screen exposure (>2 hours/day). A highly significant correlation was found between screen time and the degree of speech delay (χ²=69.073, p<0.001). Critically, only children in the severe screen time category are presented with the most severe speech impairments (Levels III and IV). These results underscore a strong association between excessive screen time and delayed speech severity, highlighting an urgent need for public health campaigns and parental education to limit screen exposure in young children.

Background:In the mid-20th century (the 1950s), public health was badly threatened by a deadly virus known as poliovirus. Poliomyelitis is a highly contagious, fatal, and exclusive human disease caused by the poliovirus that affects mostly children under the age of five. Among the disabilities, a low level of physical activity is determined in polio survivors, which indicates the need for assistance in mobility. Aim of the study: The study aimed to determine the correlation between family support and self-efficacy among paralytic polio survivors.Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using the Correlational study design to determine the association between family support and self-efficacy. A total of 152 participants were included in the study from the paraplegic center Hayatabad Peshawar KPK through consecutive sampling techniques. Data was collected through a validated and translated questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Pearson correlation, independent sample T-test, and Chi-square tests were applied to determine the correlation and association among variables. Results: The study findings resulted that among 152 participants, 97 were male and 57 were female. The mean age of the current study participants was 32.54 ± 8.030 years. There was a highly significant correlation with the P-value of 0.001 between family support and self-efficacy among paralytic polio survivors. Some demographic variables like gender, Education, paralyzed parts of the body, and age of onset of disease presented highly significant positive associations. Conclusion: The correlation between family support and self-efficacy was highly significant. Participants who had more family support had high self-efficacy. Furthermore, the study findings suggested that the hospital management should arrange workshops, seminars, and other educational programs for polio survivors and their family members to educate them to increase family support for the paralytic polio survivors.

The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus was reported in the province of Wuhan china and spread to more than 220 countries in no time. The patient who diagnosed corona virus has symptoms of flu, fever, sore throat and respiratory tract infection. In Pakistan the cases of covid-19 were also higher (305,671) and deaths (6416) due to six biggest populations in the world. Objective: The aim of the study was to explore the psychological distress, adaptation and well-being of patients diagnosed with covid-19 in Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted from May 2021 to September 2021 having a sample size of 173 having a consecutive sampling technique in Khyber teaching hospital and Hayat Abad medical complex Peshawar. Data was collected through valid and reliable instruments that are: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (k-10), psychological adaptation scale (PSA), and The Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (WEMWBS) were used for data collection. Microsoft Excel and SPSS were used for analysis of mean, standard deviation, independent t-test and Pearson correlation. Results: In this study the number of male participants was higher (56.6%) than female participants (43.4%). The k-10 means score were (34.42), PSA (80.86) and Well-being was (59). Independent t-test findings were (k-10) p-value=0.713, (PSA) p-value= 1.501 and well-being p-value (0,795). The Pearson correlation shows that psychological distress was strongly correlated with PSA (p-value=0.002), and well-being (p-value=0.001). Conclusions: The study concluded that patient were physically, psychological, and emotionally affected after covid-19, so hospitalized patients received only physical treatment regimens and the other aspects of holistic care, especially psychological care, were ignored by the healthcare professionals.

Objective: to compare the quality of life of women after natural childbirth and cesarean section from a mental health perspective. Method: this is a causal-comparative study that included 104 women, 52 of whom underwent natural childbirth: and 52 cesarean sections. It was conducted in the gynecology ward of Liaqat Memorial Hospital in Kohat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan using the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire. Pakistani Nurses made direct translation of it in to Urdu language, interview by interview (read in English and told in Urdu). The results related to Emotional Health Problems, Energy, Emotions and Social Activities were analyzed. Results: women after cesarean section reported more problems regarding emotional health variables than women after natural childbirth. The mean quality of life score among the natural childbirth group was 89.94 and 66.02 among the cesarean section group (p<0.001). Conclusion: women who undergo natural childbirth have better quality of life than women who undergo cesarean section (average versus poor quality of life). Mental health is also affected, especially for those who undergo cesarean section. Thus, natural childbirth demonstrates benefits in the puerperium in terms of emotional indicators.

The development of information and communication technologies and the accessibility of mobile devices has increased the possibilities of the teaching and learning process anywhere and anytime. Mobile and web application allows the production of constructive teaching and learning models in various educational settings, showing the potential for active learning in health. The objective of this study was to present the design and development of an educational technology (SavingLife, a web, and mobile-based application) for learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation and advanced cardiovascular life support for adults. SavingLife is a technological production, based on the concept of virtual learning and problem-based learning approaches. SavingLife was developed using five phases (analyze, design, develop, implement, evaluate) of the instructional systems development process. The technology presents 10 scenarios and 12 simulations, covering different aspects of basic and advanced cardiac life support skills. The contents can be accessed in a non-linear way leaving the students free to build their knowledge based on their previous experience. Each scenario is presented through interactive tools such as scenario description, assessment, diagnose, intervention and re-evaluation. Animated ECG rhythms, text documents, images, and videos are provided to support procedural and active learning considering the real-life situations. Accessible equally on small to large devices with or without an internet connection, SavingLife offers a dynamic, interactive and flexible tool, placing students at the center of the learning process. SavingLife can contribute to the student’s learning in the assessment and management of basic and advanced cardiac life support for adults, in a safe and ethical way.

All pregnant women need easy access to pregnancy-related personalized information, on-time quality healthcare services and effective communication links with healthcare providers. Smartphone-based devices, communication systems and eHealth applications can play an important role in facilitating some of these services to pregnant women in a fast and efficient way and can thus prevent most of the pregnancy-related complications. The objective of this work is to propose and design a pregnancy care network for pregnant women and healthcare providers. The network model, an eHealth application based on smartphone-based devices and communication systems, is designed to strengthen communication links between health professionals and pregnant women and increase education, awareness and quality of care during pregnancy and childbirth.

Networking provides access to countless opportunities for nurses and patients and allows them to communicate, interact and collaborate with each other in order to enhance nursing care practice and improve health. The ubiquity of information and communication technologies have the potential to improve access to both health information and services in health care. The authors aim for this study is to investigate the role of networking tools in shaping and improving nursing care practices. An integrative review was conducted and electronic databases of PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct and ACM Digital Library were searched for studies published between 1985 and 2015. Sixteen articles, based on the use of networking tools in nursing care practice, were included in the review. Data synthesis consists of writing descriptive summaries and thematic analysis of the key findings in the included articles. Different networking tools are currently used by nursing professionals for patient’s safety and well-being. These include information technology, telehealth nursing, IT and networking applications, social media networks, miscellaneous interaction networks, internet as a source of information and communication networks. Networking assist healthcare professionals with completing their daily tasks such as teaching patients, monitoring their health, tracking their blood pressure and much more. A variety of networking tools are available for managing chronic disease, diet, and lifestyle choices of patients. However, privacy, security and reliability of exchanged information is extremely important in improving the quality of patient care.

In this study, we examine and analyze the experiences of women and their perceptions on handling and managing their breast cancer. Seven women from Peshawar, Pakistan who had breast cancer and have been cured, were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis of their life stories was performed using a computerized software Atlas.ti. In the coding process, 128 codes were initially developed. These codes were then grouped into 12 categories, which were then further refined into 8 theoretically grounded categories: awareness and education about breast cancer, cultural barriers, early detection, quality of care and treatment, support, side effects, courage and learned to face challenges. The early views of participant’s feelings about breast cancer are mostly similar to the general population in Pakistan. Before starting treatment, all participant were unaware of the treatment process and had fear in their mind. They were hesitant in starting their treatment and were worried. However, when they were cured, their attitudes toward breast cancer and even to their whole lives were changed. Comprehensive awareness programs in a culturally acceptable language and facilities for routine breast examinations should be easily accessible to all women in Pakistan in order to promote early detection. In order to eradicate cultural barriers, female staff who are trained to perform routine breast examinations, should be available in all facilities and treatment centers.