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Objective: This study was done to evaluate the knowledge of primary health-care workers about the newborn care components. Methods:The Institutional Ethics Committee approval was obtained, and a cross-sectional study was carried out among the primary health-care workers of Karaikal using a pretested questionnaire from January 2015 to March 2015. The questionnaire contained questions on various domains of newborn care components. The study participants were explained about the study. Verbal informed consent was obtained, and the questionnaire was introduced to 383 health-care workers. The answered questionnaires were collected and analyzed.Results: A total of 349 participants (192-government employees; 157-private employees) were willing to take part in the study. Most (54.7%) of the government participants were nurses and auxiliary nurse midwives (43.2%) whereas the private sector participants were predominantly (79%) nurses. The knowledge level about some of the newborn care components, namely, positioning and attachment, advice on discharge, time of follow-up checkup, bad child rearing practices, and danger signs of newborn were assessed to be predominantly inadequate among a majority of health workers of both sectors. 22.29% and 41.1% of the private health-care workers and government health-care workers respectively, were having an overall adequate knowledge (overall score >75%) on newborn care components. Knowledge of the government health workers was significantly better than private health-care staff (P < 0.001). Conclusion:Knowledge is found to be inadequate among health-care workers on some newborn care components which necessitate measures to improve.

Objective: This study was done to evaluate the current prescribing and usage pattern of antimicrobial agents (AMAs) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Methods:A prospective, hospital-based, cross-sectional study (prescription audit) was carried out between May and August 2012 in the NICU of a Teaching Hospital. Data were collected by reviewing case records of all neonates admitted to the NICU during the study period.Results: A total of 120 case records were reviewed and 100 were eligible to be included in the study. Out of the 100, no antimicrobial prescription was made in 35 case records. Remaining 65 (65%) were prescribed at least one AMA. 167 AMA prescriptions were made in total and average number of AMAs utilized per neonate was 1.670. Cefotaxime (24.6%) was the most commonly prescribed AMA followed by amoxicillin (23.4%). Aminoglycosides (43.7%) were the commonly prescribed group of AMAs followed by penicillins (28.7) and cephalosporins (24.6%). Most of the AMAs were prescribed to non-bacteriologically proven infections (50.5%). Among the 167 AMA prescriptions, 104 (62.28%) were made in their brand names and 63(37.72%) were made in their generic names. Discussion and Conclusion:This study highlights current usage of AMAs in the NICU of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Puducherry. AMAs were found to be prescribed frequently without bacteriological evidence and in their brand names. This necessitates the need for motivating doctors to improve AMA prescriptions with supportive bacteriological evidence and in generic names.

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Cancer has become a chief ailment and danger to the global society. It is one of the foremost reasons for demise in the world. A survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that 8.2 million people died from cancer in 2012 and it may rise to 19 million by 2025. Drug interactions connected through anticancer drugs are a global concern and should not be ignored. Nausea, vomiting or some other mild response to extreme myelosuppression may vary from adverse drug reactions. Analysis of prescription trend is a possible method in ascertaining the position of drugs in culture and it has to be taken out at every hospital regularly. The research is developed to examine the prescription pattern of anticancer drugs in the clinical oncology unit of a tertiary care centre in India. The patient's demographic data, medication name, type, dose, intensity and duration etc., have been analyzed in each prescription  Commonly utilized anticancer narcotics and different forms of cancer were identified and the national essential drug list percentage of the medicines used was analysed. The current study intended to assess the tendencies and pattern of prescribing anticancer drugs. The prescribing practises were apposite and were in agreement with WHO strategies. The present study seemed to sustenance best proposing performs in order to endorse cost effective treatment and improved health care delivery.

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