Factors associated with the usage of health insurance among cancer patients in public hospitals in a middle-income country.

Introduction: Private health insurance (PHI) plays an important supplementary role on top of the existing subsidised health financing system to prevent heavy reliance on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses, especially in diseases with high costly treatment. This study was done to examine the factors associated with PHI usage among cancer patients and its associated influencing factors in Malaysia.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in three Malaysian public hospitals using a multilevel sampling technique to recruit 630 respondents.

Compliance of Malaysian healthcare workers towards tuberculosis prevention programmes in workplace: An exploratory sequential mixed method study protocol.

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the incidence of tuberculosis among healthcare workers is increasing yearly and exceeds the incidence of tuberculosis in the community in almost all the countries that report to the WHO. The problem is greater in countries with high burden of tuberculosis disease in the community. The cause of this problem may be contributed by the attitudes of the healthcare workers themselves, such as non-compliance of the procedures at their work tasks meant to prevent them from contracting the disease.

The prevalence of Dysphagia among head and neck cancer patients in tertiary public hospitals in Malaysia.

Introduction: Dysphagia is the most common problem among head and neck cancer patients. It can occur before, during, and/or after cancer treatment due to cancer growth or side effects from cancer treatment. To date, the data on the prevalence of dysphagia in Malaysia is very limited.

Observational study on patient's satisfactions and quality of life (QoL) among cancer patients receiving treatment with palliative care intent in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia.

The main objective of palliative treatment for cancer patients has been to maintain, if not improve, the quality of life (QoL). There is a lack of local data on satisfaction and QoL among cancer patients receiving palliative treatment in Malaysia. This study covers patients with incurable, progressive cancer disease receiving palliative treatment in a teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur, comparing the different components of QoL and correlations with patient satisfaction.

Empirical treatment with pantoprazole as a diagnostic tool for symptomatic adult laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of intensive empirical treatment with pantoprazole in diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux in adults.

Study Design: This was a prospective, double-blind study.

Subjects And Methods: Fifty-five patients with either a Reflux Symptom Index of more than 13 or a Reflux Finding Score of more than 7 were enrolled.

Correlation of serum insulin like growth factor-I with retinopathy in Malaysian pregnant diabetics.

Aim: To study the association of serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) with diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: Serum IGF-1 levels were measured in 25 pregnant diabetic patients and 25 pregnant non-diabetic patients who were matched for age, ethnicity, parity and period of gestation. Fundus examination was performed in both groups at 28, 32 and 36 weeks of gestation.

Compliance towards methadone maintenance therapy and its associated factors in Selangor primary care centers and Kuala Lumpur hospital.

This paper seeks to determine the client's compliance level towards Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) and identify its associated factors. A cross sectional study was conducted from June to September 2007 where 288 samples were interviewed. The outcomes were divided into good compliance and partial compliance categories.