Nondisclosure of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use may cause individual to be at risk of undue harm. This study aimed to explore patient's experience and views on their decision to disclose the use of T&CM to the doctor. An exploratory qualitative study using in-depth interview involving 10 primary care clinics attendees in Kuching was conducted. The results indicated that disclosure of T&CM use will motivate them to get information, increase doctor's awareness, and get support from family and friends for disclosure. Fear of negative relationship and negative response from doctors was a barrier for disclosure. Doctor's interpersonal and communication skills of being involved, treating patients respectfully, listening attentively, respecting privacy, and taking time for the patient were a critical component for disclosure. Intrapersonal trust regarding doctor influences their satisfaction on healthcare. Women are more open and receptive to a health concern and expressing negative emotions and tend to share problems, whereas men always described themselves as healthy, tended to keep their own personal feeling to themselves, and tended to not share. The doctor should consider gender differences in disclosure, their attitude towards T&CM use, and gained patient's trust in the delivery of healthcare services. Good interpersonal and communication skills must be maintained between doctor and patients.
Background Child marriage, a marriage that involves someone under the age of 18 years, is a long-standing social issue in Sarawak state, Malaysia. The state has taken several measures to improve situations of inequity for women who get married early; however, the practice is still a common part of the tradition and culture. The aim of this study was to explore the factors leading to child marriage in Sarawak state, Malaysia. Methods This was an exploratory qualitative study conducted via semi-structured interviews with twenty-two women who were married when they were younger than 18 years old in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Participants were recruited through purposive and convenient sampling with the use of data from a reproductive health clinic and recruitment in villages. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Results Four overarching themes were identified: health risk behaviour, family poverty, early marriage as fate, and family disharmony. Conclusions In-depth understanding of the unique factors leading to child marriage locally will facilitate the introduction of new approaches to interventions to eradicate child marriage in Sarawak state, Malaysia.
Leptospirosis is an important zoonotic disease globally and is endemic in Malaysia. A study was conducted in the Rejang basin of Sarawak from June 2011 to May 2013 to determine the seroprevalence of leptospirosis among the communities and dominant infecting Leptospira serovars. A total of 508 human sera were analyzed using ELISA and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). The seroprevalence of leptospirosis in the study area was 37.4%, with the highest prevalence in Kapit division. More women were positive for leptospirosis (59.5%), and the mean age of seropositive individuals was 42.2 (SD = 18.7) years. Antibody titers between 1:50 and 1:1600 were reported, and serovars djasiman (22.1%), shermani (13.2%), and pomona (7.9%) predominated, with varied distribution between geographical locations. This study highlighted the endemicity and diversity of existing Leptospira serovars within the community. This information should be communicated to local health personnel and communities at risk, and rapid diagnostic capability should be made available to local health facilities.
This paper reported the quality of life (QoL) of 260 Malaysian parents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and factors which influencing it. About half of these parents reported to having good QoL. The factors identified in the double ABCX model showed that perceived social support and sense of coherence (SOC) were mediated by coping strategies and had a positive direct and indirect effect on parents' QoL. These finding reiterate the importance of social support, coping skills, and strong SOC reflection skills in influencing the QoL of parents with ASD child. We therefore suggest parents to utilize the widely available social and organization supports to gain good QoL, which is also important for the wellbeing of their child.
Background: Migrant workers are exposed to vulnerable health risks related to occupational safety, infection and personal health risk behaviours. These vulnerabilities, together with low capacity to pay medical care, and poor access to healthcare, can result in unsatisfactory health outcomes. This objective of the study was to determine the pattern of morbidity and the care seeking behaviour of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Sarawak. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among Bangladeshi migrant workers in selected districts in Sarawak, Malaysia. A total of 314 Bangladeshi workers were interviewed by face to face using a pre-designed and validated questionnaire. Simple descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0. However, to supplement the quantitative findings, field notes were also analysed. Results: The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 35.9 (7.3) years. Most of the workers were engaged in manufacturing job (43%) followed by construction (32.2%) and a variety of job according to the employers' desire (22.9%). The median monthly salary of the workers was MYR 923 with median duration works was 10 years. One-fourth of the workers (25.5%) had no health insurance, while another one tenth of workers were unaware of health insurance. It was found that 20% had medial ailments in the last two weeks, while 45.2% had physical complaints in the last one month. The most frequent complaints were fever (48.4%) followed by injuries (11.3%) in the last two weeks. About three fifths (57.4% in last two weeks and 60.6% in last one month) visited private health hospitals or clinics for their treatment. Only a few workers visited public hospitals or clinics for their ailments. One-fifth of the workers were self-medicated. While another one tenth of workers visited traditional healer for their ailments. Qualitative analysis revealed a high cost and no scope of bargain as factors which discourage them to take treatment from public hospitals or clinics. The majority of migrant workers in this study sought healthcare when they fell ill. Conclusion: However, knowledge about health-related insurance was poor and low wage might be significant issues in accessing health care services. The study concluded that workers’ friendly health policy could be instituted for the welfare of the foreign workers’ despite of their awareness of local health services. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2019; 45: 47-53
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