scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF PHARMACEUTICAL CARE ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ALLERGIC RHINITIS

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1022-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Todorova ◽  
Antoaneta Tsvetkova ◽  
Silvia Mihaylova ◽  
Kalina Andreevska ◽  
Antonia Kondova ◽  
...  

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease with great social and economic impact that is largely undiagnosed and inadequately self-treated. Healthcare professionals such as pharmacists play a key role in recognizing and assessing the severity of AR, dispensing of OTC drugs, counseling of patients and in severe cases, referring them to health care specialists for further treatment.Objective: This study explores the impact of pharmaceutical care and patient counseling on the self-management of seasonal AR. Methods: The participating pharmacists follow the stepwise algorithm of ARIA (Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma) Pharmacist’s Guide. The effectiveness of the specialized pharmaceutical care is assessed by the changes in patients’ quality of life (QOL) before and after the provision of patient counseling and pharmacist monitoring on patient self-management. The quality of life is measured with the help of the generic tool 12v2 SF.Results: As a result of the provided pharmaceutical care, the analysis indicates improvement of all assessed aspects of patients’ QOL. The analysis shows that the better scores of the indicators Physical functioning, Vitality, Physical health and Mental health are not accidental; rather, they are in a statistically significant correlation with the provided pharmaceutical care.Conclusion: The study highlights the need for professional patient counseling and the education of patients to perform adequate disease management and improve their quality of life.

Background: Integrated disease management with self-management for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is effective to improve clinical outcomes. eHealth can improve patients’ involvement to be able to accept and maintain a healthier lifestyle. Eventhough there is mixed evidence of the impact of eHealth on quality of life (QoL) in different settings. Aim: The primary aim of the e-Vita-COPD-study was to investigate the effect of use of eHealth patient platforms on disease specific QoL of COPD patients. Methods: We evaluated the impact of an eHealth platform on disease specific QoL measured with the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ), including subscales of symptoms, functional state and mental state. Interrupted time series (ITS) design was used to collect CCQ data at multiple time points. Multilevel linear regression modelling was used to compare trends in CCQ before and after the eHealth intervention. Results: Of 742 invited COPD patients, 244 signed informed consent. For the analyses, we only included patients who actually used the eHealth platform (n = 123). The decrease of CCQ-symptoms was 0,20% before the intervention and 0,27% after the intervention; this difference was statistically significant (P=0.027). The decrease of CCQ-mental was 0,97% before the intervention and after the intervention there was an increase of 0,017%; this difference was statistically significant (P=0,01). No significant difference was found in the slopes of CCQ (P=0,12) and CCQ-function (P=0,11) before and after the intervention. Conclusion: The e-Vita eHealth platform had a potential beneficial impact on the CCQ-symptoms of COPD patients, but not on functional state. The CCQ-mental state remained stable after the intervention, but this was a deterioration compared to the improving situation before the start of the eHealth platform. In conclusion, this study shows that after the introduction of the COPD platform, patients experienced fewer symptoms, but their mental state deteriorated slightly at the same time. Therefore, health care providers should be aware that, although symptoms improve, there might be a slight increase in anxiety and depression after introducing an eHealth intervention to support self-management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 264-268
Author(s):  
Viv Marsh

Allergic rhinitis is common in the UK and can cause significant symptoms and reductions in quality of life. Viv Marsh considers how health professionals can support self-management of these patients Many of us look forward to the spring and summer months with warmer weather, longer days and more opportunity to spend time outdoors. But for hay fever sufferers these months can be truly miserable. For others, the winter months can be equally challenging as, with more time spent indoors, exposure to indoor allergens is greater. Hay fever is the term commonly used to describe seasonal nasal allergy triggered by pollen. It affects many children and adults in the UK, causing significant symptoms and reduction in quality of life. Often, people with allergic rhinitis try to manage the condition themselves using home or over-the-counter remedies to reduce and control symptoms. However, effective management may not be straightforward and guidance from knowledgeable and experienced health professionals can lead to improved outcomes. Taking an evidence-based approach, this article will explore the impact of allergic rhinitis on those who experience it, and will consider how health professionals can support self-management to enable people with the condition to manage their symptoms and minimise its impact on their lives.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Herlin Hamimi ◽  
Abdul Ghafar Ismail ◽  
Muhammad Hasbi Zaenal

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam which has a function of faith, social and economic functions. Muslims who can pay zakat are required to give at least 2.5 per cent of their wealth. The problem of poverty prevalent in disadvantaged regions because of the difficulty of access to information and communication led to a gap that is so high in wealth and resources. The instrument of zakat provides a paradigm in the achievement of equitable wealth distribution and healthy circulation. Zakat potentially offers a better life and improves the quality of human being. There is a human quality improvement not only in economic terms but also in spiritual terms such as improving religiousity. This study aims to examine the role of zakat to alleviate humanitarian issues in disadvantaged regions such as Sijunjung, one of zakat beneficiaries and impoverished areas in Indonesia. The researcher attempted a Cibest method to capture the impact of zakat beneficiaries before and after becoming a member of Zakat Community Development (ZCD) Program in material and spiritual value. The overall analysis shows that zakat has a positive impact on disadvantaged regions development and enhance the quality of life of the community. There is an improvement in the average of mustahik household incomes after becoming a member of ZCD Program. Cibest model demonstrates that material, spiritual, and absolute poverty index decreased by 10, 5, and 6 per cent. Meanwhile, the welfare index is increased by 21 per cent. These findings have significant implications for developing the quality of life in disadvantaged regions in Sijunjung. Therefore, zakat is one of the instruments to change the status of disadvantaged areas to be equivalent to other areas.


Author(s):  
Carlos Mena Canata ◽  
Rebeca Noemí Ruiz Vallejos

The objective of this study is to determine the impact of adenotonsillectomy on the quality of life of postoperative patients.The study is observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective. The files of all postoperative adenotonsillectomy patients in Otorhinolaryngology Service, Hospital de Clínicas, San Lorenzo Paraguay. The Obstructive sleep apnea – 18 questionnaire (OSA 18) was applied, asking patients about symptoms before and after surgery. An effective sample of 143 postoperative patients was obtained. The average age was 6.05 ± 2.08 years, 55.10% (81) were male and 44.89% (66) were female, 65.30% (96) were from urban areas and 34.69% (51) from the rural areas. The t test was performed for means of two paired samples, comparing the results of the Obstructive sleep apnea – 18 questionnaire surveys before and after surgery which presented a significant difference (p <0.05) with a tendency to improve the quality of life after surgery. It has been shown that there is a significant difference, a considerable improvement in the quality of life of patients after adenotonsillectomy.


Author(s):  
Sathesh Kumar Sukumaran ◽  
Ayswarya P

ABSTRACTObjective: To study the impact of patient counseling on medication adherence and quality of life (QOL) in epileptic patients and to assess the factorsaffecting medication adherence.Methods: This study is a prospective observational study involving 100 patients with an age limit of 8-60 years and those taking Antiepilepticdrugs for at least 3 months. The study population received patient counseling during their first visit. The impact of patient counseling on QOL andmedication adherence was assessed using self-reported questionnaire QOLIE-31 and MMAS-8 between the first visit and the second visit. Statisticalanalysis (Paired t-test and Paired Chi-square test) was performed to analyze the impact of patient counseling on QOL and medication adherence inepileptic patients.Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the study. After providing patient counseling, it was observed that there was a statistically significant(p<0.05) improvement in all domains of QOLIE-31 and MMAS-8 scores. Before counseling, mean overall T-score of QOLIE-31 was 44.08±2.07whichwas changed to 49.14±1.27 after patient counseling with a mean change of 5.06 in overall T-score. In the case of medication adherence, beforecounseling 77% subjects were nonadherent to therapy, after counseling it was reduced to 41%. The common reasons for medication adherence wereforgetfulness, unawareness, therapy related, and economics related. Out of which forgetfulness along with unawareness was the major one.Conclusion: The study described that patient counseling plays a major role in improving QOL and medication adherence.Keywords: QOLIE-31, MMAS-8, Epilepsy, Antiepileptic drugs, Patient counseling.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tunis Ozdoganoglu ◽  
Murat Songu ◽  
Hasan Mete Inancli

Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem that causes major illness and disability worldwide. Although nasal and nonnasal symptoms are directly attributable to inflammation in the upper respiratory tract, individuals also experience generalized symptoms that include fatigue, mood changes, depression, anxiety and impairments of work and school performance, and cognitive function. Health-related quality of life focuses on patients’ perceptions of their disease and measures impairments that have a significant impact on the patient. The burden of disease, as the patient perceives it, forms the basic motivation to seek medical aid or to undergo therapy. Adherence to therapy requires changes in health, perceived by patients as relevant and outweighing eventual disadvantages of intervention. Because so many factors are involved in health-related quality of life, there are multiple ways in which it can be measured. A variety of validated and standardized questionnaires have been developed including assessments of school performance, work performance, productivity, and other parameters that quantify the impact of allergic rhinitis and its treatment on quality of life. The aim of this review is to highlight the impact of allergic rhinitis on the quality of life and to analyze the most commonly used health-related quality of life instruments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Montse Romero-Mas ◽  
Anna Ramon-Aribau ◽  
Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza ◽  
Andrew M. Cox ◽  
Beni Gómez-Zúñiga

Caring for a person with dementia burdens family caregivers, and there is a close negative relationship between this burden and their quality of life (QoL). Research suggests that caregivers’ main needs are information and training about the disease and support from others experiencing the same situation, and Internet interventions hold considerable promise for meeting these needs. Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) are Internet frameworks to share knowledge where members collaborate and achieve a sense of trust in the community. This paper seeks to evaluate the impact of participating in a VCoP (developed through an App) on the QoL of caregivers to people with Alzheimer’s. Results show QoL before and after the intervention changed significantly. The impact of VCoP on caregivers’ overall QoL is moderated by age and relation with the person with Alzheimer’s, specifically those over 65, and spouses. VCoPs allow interaction and knowledge sharing among caregivers which provide them mainly with information and support from peers helping them to meet their needs. Furthermore, caregivers’ QoL did not decrease when their relative deteriorated functionally, which could be due to the participation in VCoP. Although we found significant pre- and post differences in caregivers’ health literacy, we must report the ambiguous result that this variable only impacts on QoL’s physical domain. Participants also reported that they had a positive experience because the App was perceived to be a useful tool, because they could manage their own participation and they met peers and felt less lonely. Results suggest that participation in a VCoP impacts positively on caregivers’ QoL.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristotelis Koinis ◽  
Vasiliki Giannou ◽  
Vasiliki Drantaki ◽  
Sophia Angelaina ◽  
Elpida Stratou ◽  
...  

Workplace stress can influence healthcare professionals’ physical and emotional well-being by curbing their efficiency and having a negative impact on their overall quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact that work environment in a local public general hospital can have on the health workers’ mental-emotional health and find strategies in order to cope with negative consequences. The study took place from July 2010 to October 2010. Our sample consisted of 200 healthcare professionals aged 21-58 years working in a 240-bed general hospital and the response rate was 91.36%). Our research protocol was first approved by the hospital’s review board. A standardized questionnaire that investigates strategies for coping with stressful conditions was used. A standardized questionnaire was used in the present study Coping Strategies for Stressful Events, evaluating the strategies that persons employ in order to overcome a stressful situation or event. The questionnaire was first tested for validity and reliability which were found satisfactory (Cronbach’s α=0.862). Strict anonymity of the participants was guaranteed. The SPSS 16.0 software was used for the statistical analysis. Regression analysis showed that health professionals’ emotional health can be influenced by strategies for dealing with stressful events, since positive re-assessment, quitting and seeking social support are predisposing factors regarding the three first quality of life factors of the World Health Organization Quality of Life -BREF. More specifically, for the physical health factor, positive re-assessment (t=3.370, P=0.001) and quitting (t=−2.564, P=0.011) are predisposing factors. For the ‘mental health and spirituality’ regression model, positive re-assessment (t=5.528, P=0.000) and seeking social support (t=−1.991, P=0.048) are also predisposing factors, while regarding social relationships positive re-assessment (t=4.289, P=0.000) is a predisposing factor. According to our findings, there was a notable lack of workplace stress management strategies, which the participants usually perceive as a lack of interest on behalf of the management regarding their emotional state. Some significant factors for lowering workplace stress were found to be the need to encourage and morally reward the staff and also to provide them with opportunities for further or continuous education.


Author(s):  
Sathesh Kumar Sukumaran ◽  
Poojitha Devi G

<p>ABSTRACT<br />Objective: Patient counseling can scientifically improve the physical and mental symptoms of certain diseases that could be a relief to the patient.<br />Non-pharmacological approaches could be an alternative to the drug therapy. Health issues affecting the quality of life (QoL) are to be studied to<br />understand the patient’s physical, mental, emotional, and social functioning.<br />Methods: The present study involves prospective analysis of QoL in men and women with arthritis. The methodology involves the collection and<br />documentation of general information of the patient including personal history, family background, clinical findings, investigations, and medical illness<br />associated with arthritis. Further, the QoL is documented using a specific questionnaire designed to assess the impact of arthritis and their complications.<br />Results: It can be seen that there is no significant changes in the physical and mental component score (MCS) in between the type of arthritis, but<br />there is an extremely significant (p&lt;0.05) values were obtained when compared between pre- and post-counseling phases of physical and MCS.<br />Conclusion: Patients counseling plays a major role in the management of signs and symptoms among patients with arthritis. The non-pharmacological<br />method is also be used for the management of arthritis.<br />Keywords: Quality of life, Arthritis, Patient counseling, Questionnaire, Physical component score, Mental component score.</p>


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