A Study on Assessment of Knowledge on Self-medication Among the Students A Crossectional Study

Self-medication is very frequent and common among the people. Several side effects have been reported to be associated with inappropriate use of self-medication like risk of drug dependence, abuse, major drug interactions and adverse effects. The aim of this study is designed to assess knowledge on self-medication among students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in students of various department located in Ghaziabad, UP, India. A total of 200 students were enrolled and interviewed using prevalidated questionnaire on self-medication. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics were used to represent the sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge levels. Association of various socio-demographic variables with Knowledge levels are determined using the Chi-square test. A total of 200 students are recruited in these 53(26.5%) diploma in pharmacy, 128 (64%) bachelor’s in pharmacy, 19 (9.7%) master’s in pharmacy. Among 200 respondents, 90 (45.2%) good knowledge on self-medication. Subject’s age, residential status, and occupation of their parents were significantly associated with knowledge and rational practice on self-medication with a P < 0.05.CONCLUSION: The study concludes there is lack of knowledge on responsible side effect of self-medication.

Policy Assemblages and Policy Resilience: Lessons for Non-Design from Evolutionary Governance Theory

Evolutionary governance theory (EGT) provides a basis for holistically analyzing the shifting contexts and dynamics of policymaking in settings with functional differentiation and complex subsystems. Policy assemblages, as mixes of policy tools and goals, are an appropriate unit of analysis for EGT because they embody the theory’s emphasis on co-evolving elements within policy systems. In rational practice, policymakers design policies within assemblages by establishing objectives, collecting information, comparing options, strategizing implementation, and selecting instruments. However, as EGT implies, this logical progression does not always materialize so tidily—some policies emerge from carefully considered blueprints while others evolve from muddled processes, laissez faire happenstance, or happy accident. Products of the latter often include loosely steered, unmoored, and ‘non-designed’ path dependencies that confound linear logic and are understudied in the policy literature. There exists the need for a more intricate analytical vocabulary to describe this underexplored ‘chaotic’ end of the policy design spectrum, as conjuring images of ‘muddles’ or ‘messes’ has exhausted its usefulness. This article introduces a novel metaphor for non-design—the bird nest—to bring studies of policy design and non-design into lexical harmony.

Pulmonary Effects Due to Physical Exercise in Polluted Air: Evidence from Studies Conducted on Healthy Humans

Physical inactivity has caused serious effects on the health of the population, having an impact on the quality of life and the cost of healthcare for many countries. This has motivated government and private institutions to promote regular physical activity, which, paradoxically, can involve health risks when it is carried out in areas with poor air quality. This review collects information from studies conducted on healthy humans related to the pulmonary effects caused by the practice of physical activity when there is poor air quality. In addition, several challenges related to the technological and educational areas, as well as to applied and basic research, have been identified to facilitate the rational practice of exercise in poor air quality conditions.

The Economic Rationality of Religious-Based Medical Abstinence in the Early Twentieth Century: The Case of Philadelphia’s Faith Tabernacle Congregation

At the turn of the twentieth century, Faith Tabernacle Congregation’s commitment to medical abstinence was an economically rational practice. To the working poor of Philadelphia, who constituted the earliest members, Faith Tabernacle’s therapy was financially attainable, psychologically supportive, and physically rejuvenating. Orthodox medicine was deficient in these three areas based on the patient narratives (i.e., testimonies) published in the church's monthly periodical Sword of the Spirit and testimony book Words of Healing. First, some early members spent all their money on orthodox medical care without relief causing significant financial hardship, while others found medical care prohibitive. Second, many early members experienced a great loss of hope because orthodox physicians ended treatment due to chronic or critical illness, both of which were interpreted as psychologically harmful. Third, early members of the church perceived getting physically worse by physicians because of low quality care, which was compounded by low access to orthodox medicine. Faith Tabernacle alternatively provided care that – in the patient narratives of the earliest members – helped them improve and get back to work faster.

Skill and Sensitivity to Reasons

In this paper I explore the relationship between skill and sensitivity to reasons for action. I want to know to what degree we can explain the fact that the skilled agent is very good at performing a cluster of actions within some domain in terms of the fact that the skilled agent has a refined sensitivity to the reasons for action common to the cluster. The picture is a little bit complex. While skill can be partially explained by sensitivity to reasons – a sensitivity often produced by rational practice – the skilled human agent, because imperfect, must navigate a trade-off between full sensitivity and a capacity to succeed.

Safety and Efficacy of Convalescent Plasma Therapy for the Management of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Till date, no proven therapy exists for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), though different types of treatment modalities are being practiced around the world. Different studies regarding convalescent plasma (CP) therapy from COVID-19 recovered donors have shown favorable results with fewer adverse consequences. In this systematic review, we have aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of CP as a therapy for COVID-19. Methods and Materials: The English language databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect were searched up to 22 May 2020. Eligibility for inclusion, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction from the included studies were determined and a narrative synthesis was conducted. Results: A total of 12 studies were selected for review. The overall risks of bias were moderate to high. The results revealed significance in the initiation of CP therapy during the early stages of viremia in a safety and efficacy viewpoint. The patients were also receiving concomitant drugs and other supportive therapies in most cases. Some cases of mortality were reported in 3 studies. Viral loads were documented to decrease and become negative in 8 studies within 3-26 days post-transfusion. The improvement in clinical symptoms following CP therapy was demonstrated in 9 studies. Most of the patients experienced very few adverse effects. Conclusions: The rational practice of CP therapy based on a risk-benefit judgment can prove to be an efficacious therapeutic option as a last resort until the approval of any therapeutic and/or prophylactic agent(s). The substantial randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are necessary to validate the effectiveness of such therapy.

The impact of legal expertise on moral decision-making biases

Traditional and mainstream legal frameworks conceive law primarily as a purely rational practice, free from affect or intuition. However, substantial evidence indicates that human decision-making depends upon diverse biases. We explored the manifestation of these biases through comparisons among 45 criminal judges, 60 criminal attorneys, and 64 controls. We examined whether these groups’ decision-making patterns were influenced by (a) the information on the transgressor’s mental state, (b) the use of gruesome language in harm descriptions, and (c) ongoing physiological states. Judges and attorneys were similar to controls in that they overestimated the damage caused by intentional harm relative to accidental harm. However, judges and attorneys were less biased towards punishments and harm severity ratings to accidental harms. Similarly, they were less influenced in their decisions by either language manipulations or physiological arousal. Our findings suggest that specific expertise developed in legal settings can attenuate some pervasive biases in moral decision processes.

Paradigm Shift in Practice: The Role of Pharmacists in COVID-19 Management

The continuously escalating burden of COVID-19 pandemic is challenging the health care systems around the world. The healthcare professionals of different specialties throughout the globe are working day and night for its proper mitigation. Pharmacists are healthcare professionals who are working on the frontline for the management of COVID-19 in different settings. In this review, we highlight the potential roles pharmacists can play for effective management of COVID-19. The collaborative effort of all professionals, including healthcare and other stakeholders is necessary for the appropriate management of such pandemic. Pharmacists, having expertise in clinical as well as administrative aspects, can play a pivotal role in extended health services (EHS) from prevention to eradication of COVID-19. Firm determination, inter- and intra- professional collaboration, and legislative support are mandatory for the rational practice of professionalism in such disasters.

Bortom realismen?

This article examines debates on historical theory in the journals Historisk tidskrift and Scandia between 1965, when theory is frequently said to have been introduced in Swedish historiography, and 2009. The study focuses on discussions on the epistemological concepts “theory”, “objectivity”, “relativism”, “truth”, and “neutrality”. It is shown that some historians initially perceived theory as a threat to empirically driven studies. Theory was sometimes understood as synonymous with social science theory and sometimes as synonymous with historical materialism. This was only the case up until the late 1970s, when the notion that theory in some sense should be part of historical research gained increasing acceptance. It was no longer thought of as a threat to empiricism and realist epistemology. Accepting the place of theory in historical research led to insights about the impossibility of neutrality, which brought about debates on relativism, objectivity, subjectivism, and truth. The threat from relativism was intensified as postmodernism was introduced in the journals in the late 1980s. Postmodernism was initially seen as the antithesis to knowledge, and some commentators thought that postmodernism reduced history to fiction. However, by the end of the studied period, postmodernism was rather thought of as a possible “inspiration” than as a threat. Epistemological stances are seldom articulated in the debate and central concepts are rarely defined. For this reason, many of the historians talk past one another and have trouble navigating between the extreme positions of total relativism and absolute objectivism, even though few historians actually embrace either of these positions. The main argument of the article is that what is primarily at stake in the debates is a realist view of knowledge. Most historians share the view of knowledge as correspondence and the idea that history is supposed the create representations of a past reality. Postmodernism and theory are only accepted as long as they do not question this underlying assumption. The article concludes by suggesting that history should abandon the realist view of knowledge and its associated vocabulary for a pragmatic approach to historiography. According to Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen, such an approach would look upon history as a rational practice and a matter of argumentation, rather than representation.