Communication skills of residents: are they as good as they think?

Purpose: To evaluate the current communication skills of resident physicians and identify areas for improvement.

Study Design: Using a cross-sectional design, data from medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty were assimilated at one of the largest academic medical centers in a low-and-middle-income country via a self-administered, validated survey with a 5-point LIKERT scale. One-way ANOVA was used to compare intra-group means, followed by the Bonferroni test, with a p-value <0.

Patient-resident physician communication - a qualitative study to assess the current state, challenges and possible solutions.

Background: Patients perceive effective patient-doctor communication as an important metric when evaluating their satisfaction with health systems. Hence, optimal patient-physician communication is fundamental for quality healthcare. High-income countries (HICs) have extensively studied patient-resident communication.

Exploring the priorities of ageing populations in Pakistan, comparing views of older people in Karachi City and Thatta.

As a lower middle-income country, Pakistan faces multiple issues that influence the course of healthy ageing. Although there is some understanding of these issues and the objective health outcomes of people in Pakistan, there is less knowledge on the perceptions, experiences, and priorities of the ageing population and their caretakers (hereafter, "stakeholders"). The aim of the study was to identify the needs and priorities of older adults and stakeholders across both urban and rural locations.

No healthcare coverage, big problem: lack of insurance for older population associated with worse emergency general surgery outcomes.

Introduction: Older populations, being a unique subset of patients, have poor outcomes for emergency general surgery (EGS). In regions lacking specialized medical coverage for older patients, disparities in healthcare provision lead to poor clinical outcomes. We aimed to identify factors predicting index admission inpatient mortality from EGS among sexagenarians, septuagenarians, and octogenarians.

Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum Reforms in Pakistan: A Mixed Methods Study of Academic Leadership Perspectives.

Purpose: Periodic revision of undergraduate medical education (UGME) curricula is an essential part of evidence-based educational practices. Pakistan's national UGME curriculum, last updated in 2005, was reviewed, and recommended updates were made in 2022. The authors explore academic medical school leaders' perspectives about the proposed reforms, gaps within the existing curriculum, and how to ensure the reform implementation is effective, collaborative, and feedback-driven.

Association between maternal experiences of intimate partner violence and child stunting: a secondary analysis of the Demographic Health Surveys of four South Asian countries.

Objectives: To determine the association between maternal exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and child stunting using the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) data comparing four South Asian countries.

Design: A secondary analysis.

Setting: Data from the seventh round of the DHS data of four South Asian countries; Pakistan, Nepal, India and Maldives.

Disparities in patient-resident physician communication and counseling: A multi-perspective exploratory qualitative study.

Effective communication between physicians and patients plays an integral role in clinical care. Gaps in a physician's ability to ensure effective communication, especially with patients from diverse backgrounds, are known causes of medical errors. This study explores the potential biases and disparities in patient-resident communication, which may influence a patient's quality of care.

Evaluating knowledge about HIV and discriminatory attitudes among Pakistani women of reproductive age using 2017-18 Demographic Health Survey data.

A prominent issue associated with HIV is the stigma around it owing to a lack of awareness. This study aimed to find the association between HIV and AIDS-related knowledge and discriminatory attitudes amongst Pakistani women of reproductive age using the 2017-18 Pakistani Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) data. We analyzed a sample of 3381 Pakistani women of reproductive age using ordinal logistic regression for complex survey data.

Barriers to research productivity amongst postgraduate trainees: results from a survey of 333 medical and surgical residents.

Purpose: We aimed to determine the perceptions of, barriers to, and predictors of research engagement amongst residents at a national level in Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used REDCap for online survey dissemination to residents from 12 institutes accredited by the national accreditation body (College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan) for core medical and surgical specialties. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations between likelihood of publications and participant characteristics.

Association of depressive symptoms and quality of life in Pakistani youth (15-24 years) with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a web-based analytical cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with impaired quality of life (QOL) of individuals, predominantly in youth, who are most vulnerable to its impact. Psychological morbidity could be one of the factors influencing QOL. The study investigated the association between depressive symptoms and QOL in Pakistani youth (15-24 years) with PCOS and determined other factors associated with QOL.

Leveraging the vantage point - exploring nurses' perception of residents' communication skills: a mixed-methods study.

Introduction: Effective communication is key to a successful patient-doctor interaction and improved healthcare outcomes. However, communication skills training in residency is often subpar, leading to inadequate patient-physician communication. There is a dearth of studies exploring the observations of nurses - key members of healthcare teams with a special vantage point to observe the impact of residents' communication with patients.

Development, outcome and costs of a simulation-based neurosurgery bootcamp at the national level.

Introduction: With a growing interest in simulation-based training to develop clinical proficiency, bootcamps have been utilized for imparting basic skills to medical trainees. While considerable research on the topic exists in high income countries, no such neurosurgical teaching standards have been employed in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the effectiveness of first low-cost, multi-center regional neurosurgery bootcamp in South Asia.

Demographic and Psychosocial Factors associated with Internet Addiction among the Pakistani Population during COVID-19: A Web-Based Survey.

This study aims to determine the burden of COVID19-induced internet addiction and related psychosocial factors among the Pakistani sample. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2021. An analytical cross-sectional survey was broadcast on the internet via a Google form completed by 1145 Pakistanis.

Effect of frequency of parent to child maltreatment on symptoms of anxiety disorder in Pakistani adolescents: A community based cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the association between Parent to Child Maltreatment and the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms among Pakistani adolescents under 18 years.

Method: A prospective study was conducted to examine the effect of frequency of Parent to child maltreatment (PTC) on the occurrence of anxiety disorders in a community setting. A sample of 800 adolescents who reported none to rare, occasional, and frequent were followed for the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms over two years.

Burden and factors associated with perceived stress amidst COVID-19: a population web-based study in Pakistan.

Objective: This study aims to determine the burden and factors associated with perceived stress in the Pakistani population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to August 2020.

Population: This survey was broadcasted on the web using a Google form link and 1654 Pakistani residents had completed this survey.

Characteristics and patterns of individuals who have self-harmed: a retrospective descriptive study from Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Self-Harm (SH) is a major global public health problem under-researched in Pakistan due to religious and legal implications. This study aims to identify the characteristics and patterns among patients with SH and factors associated with the intent to die.

Method: This retrospective descriptive study where SH cases presented to private tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2013 to December 2017 were extracted from HIMS records.

The role of parent-to-child maltreatment in the pathway of self-reported depressive symptoms in Pakistani adolescents.

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment has been demonstrated to drastically affect a child's mental well-being and plays a significant role in developing depressive symptoms. However, little is established about the effect of frequency of parent-to-child maltreatment on the development of depressive symptoms among Pakistani adolescents.

Methods: A longitudinal prospective study was conducted, from 2015 to 2017, with 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years old recruited from 32 systematically selected urban and peri-urban areas of Karachi.

Longitudinal association between parental-to-child-Maltreatment and self-reported Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms in Pakistani Adolescents.

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment is considered one of the risk factors for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested in Pakistani settings.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between parent-to-child maltreatment and the risk of developing GAD symptoms among adolescents.

Methods: The association of none to rare, occasionally, and frequently parent-to-child maltreatment with the incidence of GAD symptoms was investigated in a sample of 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years who were followed for two years.

The effect of a culturally sensitive mental well-being module on Pakistani nursing students' knowledge and beliefs regarding their own mental health and illness.

This study examined the effect of a mental well-being module on undergraduate nursing students' knowledge and beliefs regarding causes and treatment of mental health and illness, and explored the relationship between these variables and depression and anxiety. The one group design incorporated pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention phases, in a consecutive sample of 246 students in a 4-year BScN programme in Pakistan. A culturally sensitive, interactive mental well-being module of four hours length was delivered to three groups of approximately 40 students per group.

Effect of parent-child relationship on physical aggression among adolescents: Global school-based student health survey.

Data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2009 consisting of 5192 Pakistani school-going adolescents was used to assess the association between parent-child-relationship and physical-aggression. A multilevel-weighted-cox-proportional-algorithm was performed. The overall prevalence of physical-aggression was 41% of which 27% had a poor parent-child relationship.

Effectiveness of a School Based Smokeless Tobacco Intervention: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

To assess the effectiveness of intervention in improving knowledge, attitude and perception regarding smokeless tobacco (SLT) use and its harmful effects and intention to quit SLT among school going adolescents. A school-based cluster randomized control trial was carried out in 18 secondary schools targeting male and female students from grades 6 to 10 in Karachi. Primary outcome was knowledge about hazards of smokeless tobacco (SLT) and secondary outcomes were attitude and Perception about hazards of SLT, and intention to quit SLT.

Quality improvement initiative using transcutaneous bilirubin nomogram to decrease serum bilirubin sampling in low-risk babies.

Background: Screening for neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia in the postnatal ward has traditionally been performed using serum bilirubin sampling, but this has significant drawbacks such as risk of infection and slower reporting time.

Objective: We aimed to assess the impact of introducing transcutaneous bilirubin (TcBR) testing using TcBR nomogram on the number of serum bilirubin samples sent.

Methods: A before-and-after study was performed following the introduction of a protocol integrating the use of the Dragger JM-105 transcutaneous bilirubinometer in the postnatal ward.

Physical Maltreatment and Its Associated Factors Among Adolescents in Karachi, Pakistan.

In many developing countries, physical child maltreatment is considered as an acceptable disciplinary strategy. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with physical maltreatment among adolescents in Karachi, Pakistan. A survey of 800 adolescents was done using a structured questionnaire adopted by The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment: Predictors of child emotional maltreatment among 11 to 17 years old children residing in communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: Families where parents had childhood history of victimization may likely to abuse their children; hence contributing as an important predictor of child emotional maltreatment (CEM). This study aimed to determine the relationship of intergenerational abuse with CEM among 11-17 years old children residing in peri-urban and urban communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

Method: Structured interviews were conducted with 800 children and parents-pair using validated questionnaire "International Child Abuse Screening Tool for Child (ICAST-C)" comprised of 4 domains.

Factors Associated With Child Maltreatment Among Children Aged 11 to 17 Years in Community Settings of Karachi, Pakistan, Using Belsky Ecological Framework.

Child maltreatment is considered as a global social issue and results as combined effect of parental background, socioeconomic environment, family structure, and child characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with child maltreatment among children aged 11 to 17 years in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey of 800 pairs (children ranging from 11 to 17 years old and their parents) was randomly selected from 32 clusters of Karachi, using multistage cluster sampling.