Search

Purpose: This study aimed to examine personal and professional factors in determining the research activity and research culture among dental teaching faculty members in Hyderabad City, Telangana. Materials and Method: Two dental schools with ongoing dental undergraduate and postgraduate programmes were included in the study. The Research and Development (R&D) Culture Index Questionnaire comprising 16 items was employed for this study. Also, self‑reported research activity undertaken in the past twelve months was recorded. The association of demographic variables and professionally related variables with the perception of R&D culture and participation in research activities was assessed using the Chi‑square test. A P value was set at 0.05. Results: Of the one‑hundred and fifteen faculty members who participated in the study, seventy‑four (64.4%) worked in the government sector and forty‑one (35.6%) in privately funded dental college. The mean age of the study population was 34.11 + 7.13 years. The majority of them presented a paper or poster at the conference (66.1%; 76) followed by publishing paper in peer‑review journal (42.6%; 49) and grant application for research (6.1%; 7), and authoring of a textbook was undertaken by only 2.6% of the study population. Males (61.1%; P = 0.04) and those employed in private dental college (65.8%; P = 0.02) had significantly high levels of overall perception than their respective counterparts. Conclusion: Our study concludes that this study population has a positive perception (50.32 + 6.95) towards research with the majority of them having done a paper or poster publication (66.1%) in the last one year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The Big Five model is a well-accepted model of personality but there is scant research on the factor structure of personality from Asian populations. It is unclear whether the Big Five personality model can account for cross-cultural variation in personality structures. Aim: To explore the factor structure of personality by analyzing the Big Five personality factors in a sample from Karnataka, South India. Settings and Design: This was a cross-structural observational study conducted in Udupi and Mangalore. Methods and Material: 400 community participants (200 women) from diverse socio economic backgrounds were recruited for the study and were assessed on either an English or Kannada version of the BFI-2-S. The reliability of the translated version of BFI-2-S was established. Statistical Analysis Used: Exploratory factor analysis using Principal Component Analysis with Varimax Rotation and Kaiser Normalization was carried out. Results: Factor Analysis revealed a four-factor and a five-factor solution that varied distinctly from the original Big Five. None of the identified factors fit into the original five factors. The four-factor solution explained 36.86% of the variance and the five-factor solution explained 41.74%. The five factors were named as -- Social Effectiveness, Interpersonal Ability, Altruism, Emotional Instability, and Innovativeness. The translated tool showed good temporal stability. Conclusions: The Five factors identified in the present study differ from the Big Five model or the General Factor of Personality. This raises questions about the cross-cultural validity of the Big Five model as well as highlighting the need to adopt more culturally adaptive methods of assessing personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across India, there have been multiple studies conducted to address the issues of the mental health of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study estimated the pooled prevalence of psychological morbidity among healthcare workers during the early phase of the COVID 19 pandemic in India. We searched the following electronic bibliographic databases: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley online library, and Google scholar for studies conducted from the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic until 25 September 2021. The methodological quality of each study was scored and outcome measures with uniform cut off scores as per various screening measurements were evaluated. According to the current meta analysis, the pooled estimates of depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia among Indian healthcare workers during the COVID 19 pandemic are 20.1% (95% CI: 15.6 to 24.6%; n = 21 studies), 25.0% (95% CI: 18.4 to 31.6%; n = 20 studies), 36% (95% CI: 23.7 to 48.2%; n = 22 studies) and 18.9% (95% CI: 9.9 to 28.0%; n = 6 studies) respectively. In subgroup analyses, low quality studies based on the JBI checklist (Score < 3/9) and studies using DASS 21 showed a higher pooled prevalence of depression and anxiety. About 20–36% of the healthcare workers in India reported having depression, anxiety, and stress during the early phase of the COVID 19 pandemic. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the overall burden of mental health problems among healthcare workers during the COVID 19 pandemic in India necessitating appropriate intervention strategies to protect these frontline groups before the memory of the pandemic crisis starts to fade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Pandemic and consequent lockdowns are likely to affect the drug market by the sudden disruption of the supply chain. We explored the change in the availability, access, purity, and pricing during lockdown from respondents seeking treatment for drugs, alcohol, and tobacco dependence. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 404 respondents from seven treatment centers across India. A structured questionnaire assessed the change in availability, access, quality, and price of substances used during the first phase (March 24–April 14) and the second phase (April 15–May 3) of lockdown. Results: A majority of the respondents in treatment used tobacco (63%) and alcohol (52%). Relatively few respondents used opioids (45%) or cannabis (5%). Heroin (44%) was the most common opioid the respondents were treated for. Seventy-five percent, 65%, and 60% of respondents treated for alcohol, tobacco, and opioid problems, respectively, reported a reduction in the availability and access during the first phase of the lockdown. In the second phase, respondents with alcohol and tobacco dependence reported greater availability than those with opioid and cannabis dependence. The reported price of all substances increased more than 50% during the first phase of lockdown and remained higher throughout the second phase. Deterioration in purity was reported by more than half of the people who used opioid. Conclusion: Lockdown could have affected both licit and illicit drug markets, albeit to a varying degree. The observed changes seemed short-lasting, as suggested by the recovering trends during the second phase of lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delirium is considered a manifestation of acute brain failure that usually has an acute onset, fluctuating course, and is often associated with multitude of negative outcomes. It is usually seen in medical-surgical patients, with very high prevalence rates among those on mechanical ventilation. It is often undiagnosed and undertreated. In developed countries, delirium is usually managed by multidisciplinary teams and the focus is on both prevention and management of delirium. In contrast to the developed countries, in India, physicians–surgeons have a negative attitude toward delirium and due to which not only it is underdiagnosed and undertreated but also mismanaged, and mental health professionals are not consulted. The research on delirium in India is also limited. The psychiatrists when involved in the care of patients with delirium also mainly focus on using pharmacological agents, with relatively lesser emphasis on the use of nonpharmacological measures. Further, in their encounter with specialists from other specialties, psychiatrists pay little attention to discussing the diagnosis of delirium and its management. There is a need to have an attitudinal change both at the level of the physicians–surgeons and psychiatrists in terms of clinical practice and research on delirium in the Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore if psychiatrists in India carry out less research as opposed to psychiatrists of Indian origin working in the United Kingdom (UK), we carried out a small-scale survey of psychiatrists practicing in India and psychiatrists of Indian origin working in the UK. In light of the findings of this survey and from the three authors' experience of teaching, training, working, and engaging in research in India and the UK, we try to answer questions such as "why do psychiatrists in India carry out less research? Should it change, and if so how? What can one learn?" Here, we do not assume or advocate that one system (East or West) has all the answers. We merely wish to discuss the place of research in psychiatric training and psychiatric practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In India, where the annual incidence of cancer is projected to reach 1.7 million by 2020, the need for clinical research to establish the most effective, resource-guided, and evidence-based care is paramount. In this study, we sought to better understand the research training needs of radiation oncologists in India.Methods: A 12 item questionnaire was developed to assess research training needs and was distributed at the research methods course jointly organized by Indian College of Radiation Oncology, the American Brachytherapy Society, and Education Committee of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology during the Indian Cancer Congress, 2017.Results: Of 100 participants who received the questionnaire, 63% responded. Ninety percent (56/63) were Radiation Oncologists. Forty-two percent (26/63) of respondents had previously conducted research. A longer length of practice (>10 years) was significantly associated with conducting research (odds ratio (OR) 6.99, P = 0.031) and having formal research training trended toward significance (OR 3.03, P = 0.058). The most common reason for not conducting research was "lack of training" (41%, 14/34). The most common types of research conducted were Audits and Retrospective studies (62%, 16/26), followed by a Phase I/II/III Trial (46%, 10/26). Having formal research training was a significant factor associated with writing a protocol (OR 5.53, P = 0.016). Limited training in research methods (54%, 13/24) and lack of mentorship (42%, 10/24) were cited as reasons for not developing a protocol. Ninety-seven percent (57/59) of respondents were interested in a didactic session on research, specifically focusing on biostatistics.Conclusions: With research training and mentorship, there is a greater likelihood that concepts and written protocols will translate into successfully completed studies in radiation therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stigmatization and overall scarcity of psychiatrists and other mental health-care professionals remain a huge public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries, more specifically in India. Most patients seek help from faith healers, and awareness about psychiatrists and treatment methods is often lacking. Our study aims to explore public attitudes toward psychiatrists and psychiatric medication in five Indian metropolitan cities and to identify factors that could influence these attitudes. Materials and Methods: Explorative surveys in the context of public attitudes toward psychiatrists and psychiatric medication were conducted using five convenience samples from the general population in Chennai (n = 166), Kolkata (n = 158), Hyderabad (n = 139), Lucknow (n = 183), and Mumbai (n = 278). We used a quota sample with respect to age, gender, and religion using the census data from India as a reference. Results: Mean scores indicate that attitudes toward psychiatrists and psychiatric medication are overall negative in urban India. Negative attitudes toward psychiatrists were associated with lower age, lower education, and strong religious beliefs. Negative attitudes toward psychotropic medication were associated with lower age, male gender, lower education, and religion. Conclusion: In line with the National Mental Health Policy of India, our results support the perception that stigma is widespread. Innovative public health strategies are needed to improve the image of psychiatrists and psychiatric treatment in society and ultimately fill the treatment gap in mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary health care is an evidence-based priority, but it is still inadequately supported in many countries. Ironically, on one hand, India is a popular destination for medical tourism due to the affordability of high quality of health care and, on the other hand, ill health and health care are the main reasons for becoming poor through medical poverty traps. Surprisingly, this is despite the fact that India was committed to 'Health for All by 2000' in the past, and is committed to 'Universal Health Coverage' by 2022! Clearly, these commitments are destined to fail unless something is done to improve the present state of affairs. This study argues for the need to develop primary care as a specialization in India as a remedial measure to reform its health care in order to truly commit to the commitments. Three critical issues for this specialization are discussed in this review: (1) The dynamic and distinct nature of primary care as opposed to other medical specializations, (2) the intersection of primary care and public health which can be facilitated by such a specialization, and (3) research in primary care including the development of screening and referral tools for early diagnosis of cancers, researches for evidence-based interventions via health programs, and primary care epidemiology. Despite the potential challenges and difficulties, India is a country in dire need for primary care specialization. India's experience in providing low-cost and high quality healthcare for medical tourism presages a more cost-effective and efficient primary care with due attention and specialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: India has the third-highest number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the world. Early diagnosis can prevent HIV transmission and since a large proportion of the Indian population are likely to be seen in a dental setting, it may serve as an important site for early HIV diagnosis.Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge of HIV, attitudes, and willingness to conduct HIV testing among Indian dentists.Settings: A cross-sectional survey of 503 Indian dentists was conducted in Delhi, Gandhinagar, Bhubaneswar, and Hyderabad (representing low, moderate, and high HIV prevalence areas).Subjects and Methods: HIV knowledge was measured using the HIV-KQ-18, and attitudes and willingness were examined.Statistical Analysis Used: Descriptive analysis and Chi-square test were performed using SPSS version 21.Results: A third of the respondents had a high HIV knowledge score. High knowledge scores were positively associated with age group, level of education, and dental specialty. Over 73% were willing to deliver HIV-positive test results. Almost 80% of the respondents felt that rapid HIV testing was needed in a dental setting. Attitudes and willingness were found to be significantly related to the survey site suggesting cultural difference as an important factor in taking up HIV testing.Conclusions: General awareness of HIV among this sample of Indian dentists appears to be low. The findings from this study however suggest that Indian dentists have expressed a need for rapid HIV testing in dental setting with a strong emphasis on the need for further education on HIV testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]