scholarly journals 9. Influenza Vaccine Rates Amongst Patients With Limited English Proficiency In A Primary Health Care Clinic; Our 3 Years Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S27-S27
Author(s):  
Eloho Ajayi ◽  
Atsoufui kpehor ◽  
Shristi Khanal ◽  
Samavia Munir ◽  
Adrian Estepa

Abstract Background Influenza has been recognized to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. It was the cause of 10.1% of all deaths recorded on death certificates during the week ending January 20, 2018.In order to reduce the risk of influenza, Centers for Disease Control recommends that every person six months and older who have no contraindications be vaccinated with the influenza vaccine. Limited English Proficiency (LEP) describes individuals who have limited ability to speak, read, write or understand English language. Sadly, there is an increasing body of data that suggest that patients with LEP are less likely to seek out medical attention in a timely manner, are less adherent to medically recommended preventive and therapeutic measures. The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of acceptance of the Influenza vaccine amongst patients with LEP in our resident ran out-patient clinic. Methods This study was retrospective, data was obtained through chart review of the electronical medical records (EMR). Patients had to be at least 18 years old and registered patients at our primary health care clinic to be enrolled in this study. Data was gathered for the 2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 influenza seasons. The months of October to May were designated as the Influenza season as these months have been identified as the time frame that the influenza virus has the most activity. Results 109 of 499 the randomly selected participants were not included in the final analysis due to reasons like: no visit to the primary health care clinic during specified periods, ability to communicate in English, insufficient data in to the EMR. Data from 390 patients were analyzed. 43.3% spoke Spanish, 36.2% were Portuguese speaking and 20.5% spoke other languages. A large majority of patients across all language groups did not receive the influenza vaccine each season. Table 1 Figure 1 Figure 2 Conclusion Results from this study indicate that there was an alarmingly low rate of influenza vaccination among patients with LEP in our primary care clinic in during the 2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 influenza seasons. This highlights the need for implementing interventions aimed at both understanding why this vaccination gap exist and improving the vaccine acceptance rate amongst this venerable population. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Author(s):  
Manal Badrasawi ◽  
May Hamdan ◽  
Mohammad Al Tamimi

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a lifelong metabolic disease with a high rate of mortality and morbidity. Uncontrolled and untreated diabetes results in serious complications that subsequently cause patients’ quality of life (QoL) to deteriorate. Adherence to Mediterranean diet (MD) may relieve the complications of diabetes, thereby improving the quality of life for these patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the QoL of DM patients who adhered to MD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we examined the QoL and MD data of 106 DM II patients being treated at a primary health care clinic in Hebron. We used the SF-36 questionnaire to measure the patients’ QoL and the MEDAS tool to assess their MD adherence. We also recorded their anthropometric measurements, abdominal obesity, lifestyle habits and blood biochemical results. RESULTS: The sample comprised male and female DM II patients between the ages of 35 and 72, with their mean age being 55.8±10.24. Patients’ QoL scores showed a significant relationship with three BMI categories, i.e., total QoL score, physical function, and pain domains (p <  0.05). In terms of diet, high adherence to MD had a positive impact on all domains and on patients’ total QoL with significant differences in physical functioning, emotional well-being, social functioning and pain domains. CONCLUSION: Patients’ QoL domains were relatively low and highly affected by DM II. Patients with greater MD adherence reported higher scores in all QoL domains. Significantly higher scores were noted for the physical, social and pain domains. Hence, MD is a recommended dietary pattern for DM II patients to achieve a better QoL.


2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Uschenka Padayachey ◽  
S Ramlall ◽  
J Chipps

Background: Depression in the geriatric population has been identified as a significant problem in view of the associated negative outcomes regarding poor functioning, increased perception of poor health and increased utilisation of medical services. Significantly associated with increased morbidity and mortality, depression has been found to be an independent cause of disability as well as adding to disability due to primary physical illnesses. Early identification and treatment of depression reduces medical costs and lessens caregiver burden. Epidemiological data and prevalence rates of geriatric depression in Africa are limited, although such data are vital to mobilise and plan government mental health initiatives aimed at screening and early intervention. Objective: To determine the prevalence of depression and associated clinical and socio-demographic factors amongst older adult patients attending a primary health care clinic in the Ethekwini District in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Methods: The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale and a socio-demographic questionnaire were administered in English to 255 geriatric outpatients, randomly selected, at a local community clinic in Durban. Data analysis: Data were analysed using SPSS version 23®. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the sample demographics and response rate and non-parametric statistics were used to test for associations and differences. Results: A Cronbach’s alpha for the GDS was calculated (p = 0.793). Some 40% of participants screened positive for depression. Female gender, widowhood and a negative subjective health status rating were significantly associated with depression and marriage appeared to be protective (p < 0.001). Participants with a poor subjective health rating were 21 times more likely to be depressed and widowhood conferred an almost fourfold increased risk of being depressed, with widows at greater risk than widowers. No association between depression and specific medical conditions was identified. Conclusion: There is a high rate of undetected depression among the elderly attending a local primary health care clinic with widowhood and poor subjective health being strong predictors of mood disorders. The findings warrant replication in bigger samples. (Full text of the research articles are available online at www.medpharm.tandfonline.com/ojfp) S Afr Fam Pract 2017; DOI: 10.1080/20786190.2016.1272250


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gul Ghuttai Khalid ◽  
Khine Wut Yee Kyaw ◽  
Christine Bousquet ◽  
Rosa Auat ◽  
Dmytro Donchuk ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In the high-prevalence setting of Pakistan, screening, diagnosis and treatment services for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients are commonly offered in specialized facilities. We aimed to describe the cascade of care in a Médecins Sans Frontières primary health care clinic offering CHC care in an informal settlement in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods This was a retrospective cohort analysis using routinely collected data. Three different screening algorithms were assessed among patients with one or more CHC risk factors. Results Among the 87 348 patients attending the outpatient clinic, 5003 (6%) presented with one or more risk factors. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) positivity was 38% overall. Approximately 60% of the CHC patients across all risk categories were in the early stage of the disease, with an aspartate aminotransferase:platelet ratio index score &lt;1. The sequential delays in the cascade differed between the three groups, with the interval between screening and treatment initiation being the shortest in the cohort tested with GeneXpert onsite. Conclusions Delays between screening and treatment can be reduced by putting in place more patient-centric testing algorithms. New strategies, to better identify and treat the hidden at-risk populations, should be developed and implemented.


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