Prescription pattern and its influencing factors in Chinese county hospitals: a retrospective cross-sectional study.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wang H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3651245 | biostudies-other | 2013
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:BackgroundTo explore the key factors affecting prescription practices of essential medicines in Chinese county hospital. National essential medicine policy (NEMP) plays important roles in health care system, especially in developing countries. As a fundamental component in the Chinese health system reform, NEMP was implemented in primary health care institutions during the first stage of reform. As it is rolled out, priority usage and zero-mark-up policy of essential medicines are to be applied in every government-run healthcare institution. However, the intention and influence factors of physicians on priority selecting essential medicine remains unclear.MethodsBased on the theory of planned behavior, a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze physicians' intention, attitude, subjective norms (SNs) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on prescrictions and their actual behavior on selection of essential medicines.ResultsTwo hundred eighty-two physicians participated in the structural questionnaire interview. The final structural equation model reflected influencing factors affecting physicians' prescribing behavior (χ2/df = 1.32, GFI = 0.99, IFI = 0.99). Structural equation model analysis showed that attitude, other influencers and institutional environment, and PBC significantly affected behavioral intention. However, the control extent of cognition behavior of physicians prescribing had no significant positive effect on the priority usage of essential medicines.ConclusionInvestigation results demonstrate physicians are unaware of NEMP design and implementation plans. To help enhance rational use of essential medicines we suggest educating physicians on the value of NEMP, and integrating the drug shortage report into the essential medicine (EM) bidding system seamless communication with pharmaceutical manufacturers' credit information system.
| S-EPMC6923978 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundA much higher prevalence of alexithymia has been reported in medical students compared with the general population, and alexithymia is a risk factor that increases vulnerability to mental disorders. Our aim was to evaluate the level of alexithymia in Chinese medical students and to explore its influencing factors.MethodsA cross-sectional study of 1,950 medical students at Shenyang Medical College was conducted in May 2014 to evaluate alexithymia in medical students using the Chinese version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by Cronbach's ? coefficient and mean inter-item correlations. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate construct validity. The relationships between alexithymia and influencing factors were examined using Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21.0.ResultsOf the 1,950 medical students, 1,886 (96.7%) completed questionnaires. Overall, Cronbach's ? coefficient of the TAS-20 questionnaire was 0.868. The results of CFA showed that the original three-factor structure produced an acceptable fit to the data. By univariate analysis, gender, grade (academic year of study), smoking behavior, alcohol use, physical activity, history of living with parents during childhood, and childhood trauma were influencing factors of TAS-20 scores (p?<?0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, physical activity, grade, living with parents, and childhood trauma also had statistically significant association with total TAS-20 score (p?<?0.05).ConclusionsGender, physical activity, grade, history of living with parents during childhood, and childhood trauma were all factors determining the level of alexithymia. To prevent alexithymia, it will be advisable to promote adequate physical activity and pay greater attention to male medical students and those who are in the final year of training.
| S-EPMC5379661 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background: Infections are a leading cause of refugee morbidity. Recent data on the rate of airway infections and factors influencing their spread in refugee reception centers is scarce. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of de-identified medical records with a focus on respiratory infections in underage refugees was conducted at two large German refugee reception centers. Results: In total, medical data from n = 10,431 refugees over an observational period of n = 819 days was analyzed. Among pediatric patients (n = 4289), 55.3% presented at least once to the on-site medical ward with an acute respiratory infection or signs thereof. In 38.4% of pediatric consultations, acute airway infections or signs thereof were present. Airway infections spiked during colder months and were significantly more prevalent amongst preschool and resettled children. Their frequency displayed a positive correlation with the number of refugees housed at the reception centers. Conclusions: We show that respiratory infections are a leading cause for morbidity in young refugees and that their rate is influenced age, season, status, and residential density. This illustrates the need to protect refugee children from contracting airway infections which may also reduce the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the current pandemic.
| S-EPMC7557950 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMale circumcision (MC) has been shown to reduce the risk of female to male transmission of HIV. The goal of this survey was to explore the acceptability of MC among the Chinese and to identify factors associated with circumcision preference.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted between September 2009 and December 2010. We interviewed 2,219 male community participants, from three high HIV prevalence provinces in western China. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on MC knowledge, willingness to accept MC, reasons to accept or refuse MC, and sexual behaviors and health. For those who refused MC, a health education intervention providing information on the benefits of circumcision was conducted. We used multiple logistic regression models to identify factors associated with the acceptability of MC.ResultsOf the respondents (n?=?2,219), 44.6% (989/2,219) reported they would accept MC for the following reasons: promotion of female partners' hygiene (60.3%), redundant foreskin (59.4%), prevention of penile cancer (50.2%), enhanced sexual pleasure (41.4%), and protection against HIV and STDs (34.2%). The multivariable logistic regression showed that five factors were associated with MC willingness: long foreskin (OR?=?15.98), residing in Xinjiang province (OR?=?3.69), being younger than 25 (OR?=?1.60), knowing hazards of redundant foreskin (OR?=?1.78), and having a friend who underwent circumcision (OR?=?1.36).ConclusionThe acceptability of male circumcision was high among the general population in China. Our study elucidates the factors associated with circumcision preference and suggests that more health education campaigns about positive health effects are necessary to increase the MC rate in China.
| S-EPMC3257276 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundNurses are the main caregivers of dying patients. Facing or dealing with death-related events is inevitable. Death-coping self-efficacy (DCS) is very important, as it can reduce the risk of nursing staff to adverse emotional distress, help them participate in end-of-life care and improve the quality of care of patients.MethodsUsing the convenient sampling method, this study included a total of 572 nurses from a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou, China. The status and influencing factors of the DCS of nurses were explored using a general information questionnaire and DCS scale.ResultsThe scores of each parameter, ranging from low to high, were in the order of coping with grief, preparation for death and hospice care. Factors influencing nurses' DCS included attendance in hospice care education courses within the previous year, experience of accompanying the family members of the deceased and attitude towards death.ConclusionsThe overall self-efficacy of nurses in palliative care was at a medium level. Moreover, their self-efficacy in coping with grief and preparation for death should be strengthened. Managers of medical institutions can assess the death-coping ability of nurses, which helps provide corresponding support and training for nurses at an early stage. Nurses should receive guidance in grief adjustment and emotion regulation. Medical units should provide nurses with a platform for continuous training and education, use of death-related theoretical models and frameworks to guide nurses in dealing with death-related events, reduce nurses' negative mood and jointly promote their mental health.
| S-EPMC9467326 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been widely promoted as a natural and safe way to treat illness during pregnancy. However, prescription patterns and factors influencing its use are largely unknown. Therefore, we conducted a population-based study to address these questions.MethodsPregnant women aged 18-50 years were selected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2001 to 2011. CHM prescriptions and diagnostic records were collected. Demographic data and pre-existing diseases were compared between CHM users and non-users. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify possible factors influencing the use of CHM during pregnancy.ResultsA total of 81,873 eligible prescription records were identified, and 16,553 pregnant women were prescribed CHM during pregnancy, yielding a CHM prescription rate of 20.2%. The three most frequently used herbs were Scutellariae Radix (Huang Qin) (4.4%), Eucommiae cortex (Du Zhong) (2.5%), and Atractylodes Rhizome (Bai Zhu) (2.4%). The most frequently used herbal formulae were Dang-Guei-Shao-Yao-San (4.1%), Jia-Wei-Xiao-Yao-San (3.5%), and Xiang-Sha-Liu-Jun-Zi-Tang (2.6%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that subjects with an older age, a university education, a pre-pregnancy history of CHM use, asthma, chronic renal disease, and cardiac valvular disease and living in a residential area other than northern Taiwan had an increase in adjusted odds ratio for CHM use during pregnancy.ConclusionsIn this population-based study, we found that demographic factors and pre-existing diseases were associated with the use of CHM among pregnant women. It is worth noting that Leonuri Herba (Yi Mu Cao) and Shao-Fu-Zhu-Yu-Tang should be used with caution in the first trimester. Further research is needed to explore the safety and effectiveness of the use of CHM in pregnant women.
| S-EPMC7391530 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOnline hospitals are part of an innovative model that allows China to explore telemedicine services based on national conditions with large populations, uneven distribution of medical resources, and lack of quality medical resources, especially among residents needing to be protected from COVID-19 infection.ObjectiveIn this study, we built a hypothesis model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) in order to analyze the factors that may influence patients’ willingness to use mobile medical services. This research was designed to assist in the development of mobile medical services. Residents who do not live in urban areas and cannot access medical assistance would greatly benefit from this research, as they could immediately go to the online hospital when needed.MethodsA cross-sectional study based at the West China Hospital, Sichuan University, was conducted in July 2020. A total of 407 respondents, 18 to 59 years old, in Western China were recruited by convenience sampling. We also conducted an empirical test for the hypothesis model and applied structural equation modeling to estimate the significance of path coefficients so that we could better understand the influencing factors.ResultsOut of 407 respondents, 95 (23.3%) were aware of online hospitals, while 312 (76.7%) indicated that they have never heard of online hospitals before. Gender (P=.048) and education level (P=.04) affected people's willingness to use online hospitals, and both of these factors promoted the use of online hospitals (odds ratio [OR] 2.844, 95% CI 1.010-8.003, and OR 2.187, 95% CI 1.031-4.636, respectively). According to structural equation modeling, the results of the path coefficient analysis indicated that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions have positive effects on patients' willingness to use online hospitals.ConclusionsThe goal of our research was to determine the factors that influence patients' awareness and willingness to use online hospitals. Currently, the public's awareness and usage of online hospitals is low. In fact, effort expectancy was the most important factor that influenced the use of online hospitals; being female and having a high education also played positive roles toward the use of mobile medical services.
| S-EPMC7869921 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAntibiotic resistance is a major health threat. Inappropriate antibiotic use has been shown to be an important determinant of the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Decision support systems for antimicrobial management can support clinicians to optimize antibiotic prescription.ObjectiveThe aim of this systematic review is to identify factors influencing the implementation of decision support systems for antibiotic prescription in hospitals.MethodsA systematic search of factors impeding or facilitating successful implementation of decision support systems for antibiotic prescription was performed in January 2022 in the databases PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library. Only studies were included which comprised decision support systems in hospitals for prescribing antibiotic therapy, published in English with a qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods study design and between 2011 and 2021. Factors influencing the implementation were identified through text analysis by two reviewers.ResultsA total of 14 publications were identified matching the inclusion criteria. The majority of factors relate to technological and organizational aspects of decision support system implementation. Some factors include the integration of the decision support systems into existing systems, system design, consideration of potential end-users as well as training and support for end-users. In addition, user-related factors, like user attitude towards the system, computer literacy and prior experience with the system seem to be important for successful implementation of decision support systems for antibiotic prescription in hospitals.ConclusionThe results indicate a broad spectrum of factors of decision support system implementation for antibiotic prescription and contributes to the literature by identifying important organizational as well as user-related factors. Wider organizational dimensions as well as the interaction between user and technology appear important for supporting implementation.
| S-EPMC9903563 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere are limited nationwide data regarding breast cancer surgery in China. The Chinese Anti-Cancer Association's Committee of Breast Cancer Society and the Chinese Society of Breast Surgeons conducted a nationwide survey to examine the use of and barriers associated with surgical options among patients with breast cancer.MethodsSurveys were sent via e-mail to the directors of 110 centers that performed at least 200 breast cancer operations in 2017. The electronic questionnaire contained 183 questions and covered six aspects, including demographic information about the hospitals and surgeons, surgical practice, and application of breast reconstruction.ResultsThe selected hospitals were from 31 provinces or municipalities. The overall proportion of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) was 22%. Local gross domestic product was significantly related to the rate of BCS (p = .046). Sentinel lymph node biopsy was performed routinely in 76% of hospitals. Only 14.5% (16/110) of hospitals used the dual-tracer method, including radioisotopes. For patients with cN0 disease receiving BCS with one or two positive sentinel lymph nodes, 20% (22/110) of hospitals accepted omitting axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). For patients who underwent mastectomy, only 4% (4/110) of hospitals accepted omitting ALND. There was an obvious polarization trend in the proportion of oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery (OPS); 35/110 (32%) performed OPS in fewer than 10% of cases, whereas 36/110 (33%) performed OPS in more than 50% of cases. OPS was more likely to be performed in academic hospitals. Volume displacement was more commonly used than volume replacement (p < .001). Breast reconstruction was routinely performed in 96/110 (87%) of hospitals, 62% of which involved cooperation with the plastic surgery department. Factors influencing breast reconstruction after mastectomy included the establishment of a plastic surgery department, regional economy, and cooperation between the plastic and general surgery departments. Overall, the proportion of breast reconstruction procedures after mastectomy was 10.7%, with 70% being implant-based reconstruction, 17% autologous tissue reconstruction, and 13% a combination. Overall, 22% of the hospitals predominantly performed immediate breast reconstruction. For delayed reconstruction, two-stage implant-based breast reconstruction was the first choice for 46% of centers, whereas 20% of centers chose autologous reconstruction. Among the 96 centers that performed autologous-based reconstruction, 96% performed latissimus dorsi flap reconstruction, 65% performed transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap reconstruction, and 45% used deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps.ConclusionThe results are of great value for promoting the implementation of a consensus on diagnostic and treatment standards, development of guidelines for breast cancer, and training of breast specialists.Implications for practiceThis study aimed to establish comprehensive baseline data on the status of current breast cancer treatment in China by presenting the statistics on clinical treatments and surgeries, the distribution of clinical stages, and the demographic characteristics of patients. This report is based on a survey conducted by the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association's Committee of Breast Cancer Society and the Chinese Society of Breast Surgeons, which examined the use of breast cancer surgical options in hospitals all over the country and the factors hindering the adoption of procedures and techniques. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because there are limited nationwide data regarding breast cancer surgery in China.
| S-EPMC7543333 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The veterinary prescription of antibiotics in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) remains largely undocumented. In Bhutan, however, the national veterinary service keeps records of their activities and prescriptions, which offer an opportunity to establish a benchmark to assess the use of these agents in this and other LMIC. A cross-sectional retrospective study was designed and 2,266 handwritten veterinary records from 2017 were sampled from 23 animal health premises (AHPs) to estimate individual and an overall proportion of consultations that resulted in an antibiotic prescription. The frequency of antibiotic prescription per species, type of AHP, and according to WHO's AWaRe index and OIE list of priority antimicrobials were also explored. It was estimated that 31% (95% confidence interval: 29-33%; intracluster correlation: 0.03) of the veterinary consultations resulted in an antibiotic prescription. The incidence of antibiotic prescription was highest in consultations of poultry across AHP. Across species, diarrhea and wounds were frequently treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics including sulfonamides, tetracyclines, trimethoprim + sulfa, and penicillin. Between 45% and 70% antibiotics prescribed correspond to AWaRe's access group and up to 25% to AWaRe's watch group. Over 70% of antibiotics dispensed in veterinary consultations for any species correspond to the OIE's veterinary critically important antimicrobial agents. Overall, the study demonstrated positive features of veterinary antimicrobial stewardship in Bhutan, given the conservative proportion of consultation that results in this type of prescription and the type of antibiotic prescribed. Although the veterinary service closely follows the Bhutanese Standard Treatment Guidelines, the prescription of antibiotics to key species should be closely monitored. Our study suggests that further improvements of antibiotic stewardship can be achieved through standardisation of antibiotic prescription to some species, a revision of the guidelines toward reducing the prescription of antibiotics of high relevance for human medicine, and by including details of clinical investigation, use of tests, and treatment outcomes in veterinary consultation records.
| S-EPMC8194083 | biostudies-literature