1. Effects of Counseling and Education to Patients Presenting with Hepatitis at a Tertiary Care Hospital.
- Author
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Raza, Anoshia, Wahab, Adeela, Amin, Shamsa, Ejaz, Syeda Zauveen, Ashraf, Ushna, Majeed, Uzma, and Aziz, Sina
- Subjects
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COUNSELING research , *PATIENT education , *HEPATITIS , *BEHAVIOR modification , *HOSPITALS , *PATIENTS - Abstract
Background: Hepatitis is an escalating problem in Pakistan due to lack of awareness about its risk factors. Objectives: To create awareness about risk factors for hepatitis in patients coming for its treatment at a tertiary care hospital using a counseling intervention. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted at civil hospital, Karachi. Patients having hepatitis B or C were enrolled. Each patient filled a pre and post counseling questionnaire (after 6 months). Results A total of 153 hepatitis positive patients were counseled. There were 108 females and 45 males. Majority (83) had hepatitis C virus, 56 had hepatitis B virus, 08 had co-infection of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis D virus and 06 had hepatitis B virus with hepatitis C virus. Counseling was done on multiple parameters. Pre counseling figures for using brand new syringes were 32% which improved to 81% after counseling, for using screened blood these changed from 22% to 81%, for sterilized dental instruments they improved from 21% to 65% and for avoiding road side barbers they improved from 58% to 78%. The figures for hepatitis B virus vaccination in hepatitis C virus patients rose from 3% to 36.6% and for families rose from 2.6% to 43.1%. Conclusions: Great improvements were seen in the awareness and health seeking behavior of hepatitis cases following behavior change communication. Policy message: More stress should be given on preventive strategies through mass awareness and counseling programs to control disease spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013