BackgroundGlobally, the population of older people is on the rise. As families are burdened with the high cost of care for aging members, demand is increasing for medical care and nursing homes. Thus, medication management is crucial to ensure that residents in a care center benefit and assist the management of the care center in reducing the burden of health care. This study is aimed to qualitatively explore issues related to medication management in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).Participants and methodsA total of 11 stakeholders comprising health care providers, administrators, caretakers and residents were recruited from a list of registered government, nongovernmental organization and private RACFs in Malaysia from September 2016 to April 2017. An exploratory qualitative study adhering to Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies was conducted. In-depth interview was conducted with consent of all participants, and the interviews were audio recorded for later verbatim transcription. Observational analysis was also conducted in a noninterfering manner.Results and discussionThree themes, namely medication use process, personnel handling medications and culture, emerged in this study. Medication use process highlighted an unclaimed liability for residents’ medication by the RACFs, whereas personnel handling medications were found to lack sufficient training in medication management. Culture of the organization did affect the medication safety and quality improvement. The empowerment of the residents in their medication management was limited. There were unclear roles and responsibility of who manages the medication in the nongovernment-funded RACFs, although they were well structured in the private nursing homes.ConclusionThere are important issues related to medication management in RACFs which require a need to establish policy and guidelines.
Islamic obligatory cleansing known as sertu in Malay language is one of the essential elements to ensure the halal integrity of products including in pharmaceuticals [1], [2]. It is an islamic cleansing required to be conducted when tools and equipment in the production facility are contaminated with severe najs (Naj Mughallazah) which are of pork or dog-based contaminant. Islamic law has prescribed the way to cleanse Naj Mughallazah by using one time of clay and clean water suspension followed by six times of rinsing with pure water (mutlaq) [3]. The study on the implementation of sertu cleansing especially in halal pharmaceutical industry is very limited if any [4]. Hence this study was conducted to explore the process, issues, and challenges as well as to discover the success factors in the implementation of sertu cleansing in pharmaceutical facilities from the perspective of sertu providers. This study used the qualitative in-depth interview and purposive sampling technique where participants were selected among sertu providers who have the experience of conducting sertu cleansing in pharmaceutical facilities. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and validated through triangulation with data from a few sources.
The increase of obesity among Malaysians is recognized as a health concern on par with hypertension and diabetes. Early detection such as health screenings and prevention via education, can reduce morbidity and mortality. Conducting health screenings through community pharmacies may be a good choice considering the easy access to the community. This study aimed to investigate the possible factors such as demographic (age, gender, family history of obesity) and lifestyle (exercise habit, frequency of eating outside, smoking behaviour) that are associated with occurrence of obesity. This was a cross-sectional study in an area of Johor, utilising a guided data collection form. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used as the parameter for obesity status. According to Clinical Practice Guideline on Management of Obesity 2004, Body Mass Index (BMI) of 27.5 kg/m² and more is considered obese. A total of 183 respondents revealed 62 (33.9%) were obese and 121 (66.1%) were not obese. Both family history of having obesity and exercise habit were significantly associated with BMI values that could be related to risk in obesity, while age and frequency of eating outside had no significant correlation and association respectively.
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