Assessing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a solution-focused resource-orientated approach (DIALOG+) to improving the quality of life for people with psychosis in India and Pakistan-a cluster RCT.

Background: Severe mental illness (SMI) presents a major challenge worldwide, affecting approximately 5-8% of the world's population. It causes significant distress to affected people, families and wider communities, generating high costs through loss of productivity and ongoing healthcare use. Over 75% of patients with psychosis receive inadequate care and experience a negative financial impact and reduced quality of life (QoL).

Job morale of physicians in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic literature review of qualitative studies.

Objectives: To systematically review the available literature on physicians' and dentists' experiences influencing job motivation, job satisfaction, burnout, well-being and symptoms of depression as indicators of job morale in low-income and middle-income countries.

Design: The review was reported following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for studies evaluating outcomes of interest using qualitative methods. The framework method was used to analyse and integrate review findings.

Harnessing Photovoice for tuberculosis advocacy in Karachi, Pakistan.

In Pakistan, despite publically available free testing and treatment throughout the country, there were an estimated 58,000 deaths due to tuberculosis in 2010. Understanding the experiences of people affected by TB is essential in addressing barriers to effective treatment. The Indus Hospital used Photovoice to understand the experiences of people affected by TB in Karachi.

Barriers to accessing surgical care: a cross-sectional survey conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: The need for surgical care far exceeds available facilities, especially in low income and poor countries. Limited data are available to help us understand the extent and nature of barriers that limit access to surgical care, particularly in the Asian subcontinent. The aim of this study was to understand factors that influence access to surgical care in a low-income urban population.

The burden of non-communicable disease in transition communities in an Asian megacity: baseline findings from a cohort study in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: The demographic transition in South Asia coupled with unplanned urbanization and lifestyle changes are increasing the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD) where infectious diseases are still highly prevalent. The true magnitude and impact of this double burden of disease, although predicted to be immense, is largely unknown due to the absence of recent, population-based longitudinal data. The present study was designed as a unique 'Framingham-like' Pakistan cohort with the objective of measuring the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension, obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease and hepatitis B and C infection in a multi-ethnic, middle to low income population of Karachi, Pakistan.