1.Risk of Bias Assessment and Risk Minimisation Strategies in COVID-19 Diagnostic Test Accuracy Study
Muhammad Ikhwan Mud Shukri ; Nur Za&rsquo ; Imah Zainal ; Ahmad Zaid Fattah Azman
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2024;20(No.1):359-364
It is paramount to assess the risk of biases in may arise from diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) study as it will affect the
accuracy and validity of the tests. These biases can be found in published researches and here we look at COVID-19
DTA studies. The evaluation of bias risk in diagnostic research is mainly performed using QUADAS-2. The aim of
this review was to determine potential selection and information biases in diagnostic test accuracy studies and strategies to minimize risk of biases. Literature review related to diagnostic test accuracy study is identified through an
online search of databases namely PubMed, ScienceDirect, Research Gate, Google Scholar, and official government
websites range. Six potential biases in four QUADAS-2 domains are identified in COVID-19 diagnostic test accuracy
study which are 1) spectrum bias in patient selection; 2) interpretation bias in index test; 3) differential misclassification bias and nondifferential misclassification bias in reference standard; and 4) partial verification bias and
differential verification bias in patient flow. The identified biases exert effects on accuracy of COVID-19 diagnostic
tests. Six strategies are recommended to reduce these biases, hence, improving the accuracy of COVID-19 diagnostic
tests. The best diagnostic test can give benefits to the population in the mass screening program during COVID-19.
2.Prevalence and associated factors of Dog Bites: A cross-sectional study among Primary School Children in Madawaki District Gusau, Nigeria
Ibrahim Hassan ; Salmiah Md. Said ; Ahmad Azuhairi Ariffin ; Ahmad Zaid Fattah Azman
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2022;18(No.2):81-88
Introduction: Dog bite is a global public health concern because it is the main risk factor for human rabies and it
particularly affects children. In Nigeria, most dog bites are from stray dogs and their vaccination status remains unknown. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of dog bite among public primary
school children in Madawaki district Gusau, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an unequal stratified sampling technique among 999 children aged 11 to 13-year-old at seven public primary schools from
September 2017 to January 2020. A self-reported history of dog bites, socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge
on interaction with dogs, knowledge on the implication of dog bites, risk behaviours of children and dog ownership
were collected using a validated questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of dog bites was 54.5%. The predictors of
dog bite among the children were being a male (Adjusted Odds Ratio; AOR = 2.252; Confidence Interval; CI = 1.719,
2.949), dog ownership by respondent’s family (AOR = 1.456; Cl = 1.089, 1.946), dog ownership by neighbours of
the respondents (AOR = 1.752; Cl =1.334, 2.303), total score for knowledge on interaction with dogs (AOR = 0.884;
Cl = 0.858, 0.911), and total score for risk behaviours of children (AOR = 1.020; Cl =1.004, 1.035). Conclusion: Poor
knowledge on interaction with dogs, children’s risk behaviours around dogs, dog ownership and being male were
the factors associated with a high prevalence of dog bite among primary school children from this study. These factors should be considered in order to develop an effective awareness campaign in schools to reduce the prevalence
of dog bites among children.