Journal of Nepal Health Research Council
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Zika virus (ZIKV) is a flavivirus with single stranded RNA related to yellow fever, dengue, West Nile, and Japanese encephalitis viruses and is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes primarily by Aedes aegipti which is widely distributed in Nepal. ZIKV was first identified incidentally in Rhesus monkey in Uganda in 1947 and human infection in 1952; and by now outbreaks of ZIKV disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. ⋯ The aim of this paper is to briefly summarize origin, signs, symptoms, transmission, diagnosis, preventions and management of ZIKV and possible threat to Nepal in light of endemicity of other arbovirus infections and common mosquito vector species in Nepal. Keyword: Aedes aegypti; aedes albopictus; zika virus; microcephaly; birth defect; Nepal.
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J Nepal Health Res Counc · May 2015
Opportunities and Challenges of a Rural-telemedicine Program in Nepal.
Telemedicine services are considered essential for improving the accessibility, quality and efficiency of the healthcare services in developing countries. With these expectations, government of Nepal has implemented a rural-telemedicine program in thirty peripheral district hospitals to improve the accessibility of specialist health services. Telemedicine can be appropriate to the nation like Nepal with low physician/patient ratio. However the acceptability of telemedicine can be a delayed process, where the healthcare modalities are not well internalized. Similarly, the peoples who are involved in the program play a key role for making it efficient and effective. Hence, assessing the opportunities and challenges is important to address needs and better implement the program. ⋯ Overall attitude of the stakeholders involved in delivering telemedicine services was favorable however several loopholes were reported in the existing system. Hence it shows sufficient potentialities of rural- telemedicine to improve the health care delivery in rural and inaccessible areas.
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J Nepal Health Res Counc · May 2015
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder among Medical Personnel after Nepal earthquake, 2015.
Health professionals involved in a disaster are not immune to the stressors. However, little attention is given on the psychological consequences among these professionals. This study has explored the frequency of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among them after the Nepal earthquake 2015. ⋯ This study suggest that PTSD is highly prevalent among healthcare professionals after disaster management and therefore it highlights the need for targeted interventions to specific staff who respond to large disasters to reduce the psychological burden.
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J Nepal Health Res Counc · Jan 2015
Profile of Patients Admitted in Maternal Intensive Care Unit at BPKIHS, a Tertiary Hospital in Eastern Nepal.
Maternal death is a tragic event. It can be reduced by prompt recognition of critical illness in pregnancy and earlier initiation of intensive care. The physiological changes of pregnancy and the presence of a fetus complicates the assessment and management of critically ill obstetric patients. The objective of this study was to analyse the basic contributing factors for maternal intensive care unit admission and the maternal outcome. ⋯ An intensive care unit often offers the opportunity to improve the patient care.
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J Nepal Health Res Counc · Sep 2014
Profile of children with urinary tract infection and the utility of urine dipstick as a diagnostic tool.
Urinary tract infection is a common problem in children and its early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent long-term complications. Urine dipstick can be an important tool in this respect. The aim of this study is to look at the utility of urine dipstick as a diagnostic tool for UTI and will also see the clinical profile of children with UTI and sensitivity pattern of antibiotics among the isolates of urine culture. ⋯ E. Coli is the commonest uropathogen in children with UTI. Amikacin is the most sensitive antibiotic against all the isolates. A positive dipstick both for nitrite and leucocyte esterase is associated with high sensitivity and specificity for urinary tract infection as compared to either of them positive alone. In addition, urine WBC ≥10/hpf is associated with high probability of UTI.