1.Barriers and Motivation Factors towards Treatment Compliance from the Perspective of Defaulted Tuberculosis Patients in Kuala Lumpur
Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff ; Shamsul Azhar Shah, Fadzilah Kamaludin
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2017;15(1):75-87
There is a large volume of published studies describing the adverse relationship between treatment non-adherence
with tuberculosis treatment outcome. Non-adherence could result in increased risks of prolonged infectiousness, drug
resistance, relapse cases and poor survival among tuberculosis patients. Nevertheless, few studies are to be found providing
detailed on the reason of defaulting treatment among tuberculosis patients in Malaysia. Hence the goal of this paper is
to find out the barriers and motivations factors that affect patients’ treatment compliance among our local tuberculosis
patients. This is a qualitative study which included 12 in-depth interviews with tuberculosis non-compliance patients
who were treated at Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Kuala Lumpur. All the conversations were recorded, transcribed
and analysed by using thematic analysis. It was found that low knowledge, self-negative attitudes, traditional believes,
negative perceptions towards health caregiver, drug side effects, stigma, financial problems, less family support and
work commitments are the barriers that prevent the patients from religiously taking their anti-tuberculosis treatment.
Meanwhile, factors that encourage them to continue their treatment were the believes of bad effects of the disease onto
their lives and health, good relationship between patient and health caregiver and social support from people around
them. In conclusion, non-adherence involved a dynamic influence of individual, socio-economic and treatment-related
factors on the patients. The results presented here may facilitate improvement in the activities in promoting compliance
among tuberculosis patients in the future which tailored to the patients’ specific needs.
Tuberculosis
2.Influence of Breastfeeding Pattern on Cardiovascular Disease Risks During Adulthood: A Review
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2018;14(Supplement 1):173-178
Infant feeding is thought to modulate cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemia. This possible association between patterns of feeding with development of cardiovascular disease later in life provides the opportunity for early intervention and prevention strategies. Among all the feeding methods applied, breastfeeding is thought to be the best method and is said to be attributable to future health benefits. However, current evidence from the literature is weak and inconsistent to advocate risk factors management. Therefore, this narrative review aims to provide current findings in assessing the association of breastfeeding pattern and risk of developing cardiovascular diseases later in life. We searched three databases (MEDLINE, PubMed and Google Scholar) from year 2000 to 11 July 2018. Findings on the association between breastfeeding and cardiovascular risk factors are equivocal, although positive trend of beneficial effects of breastfeeding in reducing risk of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood was reported in majority of the studies. Future research should address all limitations that were identified by previous studies such as bias of study design and heterogeneity of samples to establish the association between breastfeeding pattern and cardiovascular disease in later life.
Breastfeeding
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Cardiovascular diseases
3.Validation Of The Malay Version Of The Posttraumatic Growth Inventoryshort Form (Ptgi-Sf) Among Malaysian Cancer Patients
Mohammad Farris Iman Leong Abdullah ; Rohayu Hami ; Gokula Kumar Appalanaido ; Nizuwan Azman ; Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff ; Siti Shahanis Md Sharif
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2017;18(2):1-9
Introduction: Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is a positive psychological change in
life that occurs as a result of struggle with highly challenging life crises. There is
a growing need to explore posttraumatic growth (PTG) in cancer patients, as
higher PTG may enhance well-being of patients. Objectives: The aim of this
study was to translate the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form (PTGISF)
into the Malay language and evaluate its psychometric properties for
assessing Malaysian cancer patients in future studies. Methods: Two parallels
forward and backward translations of the PTGI-SF into the Malay language
were conducted. The test was administered to 195 cancer patients. Reliability
was evaluated by testing internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and calculating the
test-retest intra-class correlation coefficient, and validity was examined by
determining face, convergent, and discriminant validities and using
confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: The Malay version of the PTGI-SF
and its five domains demonstrated good internal consistencies and acceptable
test-retest reliability. All 10 items of this version were highly correlated with
their own domains and thus exhibited convergent validity. Discriminant validity
was achieved, as all domains of the Malay PTGI-SF was not highly correlated
with the domains of the Source of Social Support Scale. CFA resulted in a bestfitting
5-factor model. Conclusion: The Malay version of the PTGI-SF is a
suitable tool for measuring PTG in Malaysian cancer patients.
4.Validation Of The Malay Version Of The Sources Of Social Support Scale Among Malaysian Cancer Patients
ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry 2017;18(2):20-27
Objective: It is important to investigate the association between spousal support
and psychology of cancer patients, thus a validated instrument to measure the
degree of perceived spousal support is required. We translated and evaluated the
psychometric properties of the Sources of Social Support Scale-Malay version
(SSSS-Malay) among Malaysian cancer patients. Methods: In this study, the
SSSS-Malay and Hope Scale-Malay [used to compare with the SSSS-Malay to
assess discriminant validity] were administered to 195 Malaysian cancer patients
during baseline assessment. The SSSS-Malay was re-administered 2 months
after the baseline assessment during follow-up. Results: The SSSS-Malay total
score (Cronbach’s α = 0.70, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.72) and
its domains (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.70 to 0.83, intraclass correlation
coefficient ranging from 0.6 to 0.76) exhibited good internal consistencies and
good test-retest reliability. The SSSS-Malay also demonstrated good convergent
and discriminant validities. However, confirmatory factor analysis of the SSSSMalay
showed that it was best fit into a 3-factor model instead of the 4-factor
model of the original English version. Conclusion: The SSSS-Malay
demonstrated good psychometric properties for use in Malaysian cancer
patients.
5.Validation of the Malay Version of the Snyder Hope Scale Among Malaysian Cancer Patients
Mohammad Farris Iman Leong Abdullah ; Rohayu HAMI ; Gokula Kumar APPALANAID ; Nizuwan AZMAN ; Noorsuzana Mohd SHARIFF ; Siti Shahanis Md Sharif
Malaysian Journal of Health Sciences 2018;16(1):95-102
Hope leads to lower depression and anxiety and is associated with improved quality of life of cancer patients. In thisstudy, Hope Scale (HS) was translated into Malay, and the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the HopeScale were investigated among Malaysian cancer patients. Concurrent translation and back translation of the originalEnglish version of the Hope Scale were performed, and the Malay version was administered to 195 cancer patientswith different cancer diagnoses at baseline assessment and 2 months later at follow-up. The Hope Scale (Malay) totalscore (Cronbach’s α = 0.72; intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.67) and its domains (Cronbach’s α [pathway] =0.7; Cronbach’s α [agency] = 0.7; ICC[Pathway] = 0.64; ICC[Agency] = 0.70) demonstrated acceptable internal consistencies andtest-retest reliability. Convergent and discriminant validities were also achieved by the Hope Scale (Malay). The HopeScale (Malay) demonstrated construct validity, as confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the items in the HopeScale (Malay) best fit into two domains, which was true for the original English version. The Hope Scale (Malay) hadacceptable psychometric properties and thus is suitable for assessing hope in Malaysian cancer patients.
6.Impact of Transfusion Practice on the Occurrence of Acute Transfusion Reactions in a Malaysian Hospital: A Single-centre Retrospective Study
Firdaus Che Ros ; Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff ; Siti Nadiah Abdul Kadir ; Sharifah Azdiana Tuan Din
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.4):87-94
Introduction: Acute transfusion reactions (ATR) are commonly reported in clinical transfusion practice, which may
result in significant morbidity and mortality. This study aims to explore the impact of transfusion practice on the
prevalence, characteristics, and associated factors of ATR at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah, Malaysia. Methods:
This was a retrospective study using records from haemovigilance forms of reported transfusion reactions, E-Delphyn
(blood bank system), and E-His (hospital information system). A total of 118 cases of ATR from January 1, 2015 until
December 31, 2017 were selected and analysed. For each case, a control was selected from a patient who did not
develop ATR. Results: A total of 122,215 units of whole blood and blood component transfusions have been performed
and 415 ATR were reported. The prevalence of ATR was 0.34% or one in 294 units transfused. There was a
significant association between ATR and red cell concentrate (RCC) stored for more than 14 days (adj OR = 65.29,
95% CI 9.29-458.85). The most common ATR were allergic reactions with 63 cases (53.4%), followed by febrile
non-haemolytic transfusion reactions (FNHTR) with 45 cases (38.1%). Allergic reactions were significantly associated
with female patients (p = 0.038) and the paediatrics age group (p = 0.038). Multivariate analysis revealed a
significant association between FNHTR and RCC stored more than 14 days (p = 0.002). Conclusion: The prevalence
of ATR in this hospital was low and associated with RCC stored for more than 14 days. Implementation of pre-storage
leucoreduction is recommended.
7.Study of Knowledge, Motivational Factors, and Potential Barriers Concerning Blood Donation Between Lapsed and Regular Blood Donors
Azizul Hassan ; Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff ; Siti Nadiah Abdul Kadir ; Sharifah Azdiana Tuan Din
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.2):20-29
Introduction: Many countries struggle to supply enough blood while maintaining their quality and safety. Increasing
the number of regular donors is expected to increase the donor pool and blood safety. Thus, this study describes
lapsed and regular blood donors’ characteristics, knowledge, motivation, and barriers concerning blood donation.
Methods: This observational cross-sectional study has adopted an assisted self-administered questionnaire, which
was distributed to blood donors at the Department of Transfusion Medicine, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah. A
total of 328 participants consisting of 164 lapsed and 164 regular donors were selected. Logistic regression tests
were used to determine the factors that predict lapsed donors. Results: Out of the selected 328 respondents, 54.3%
were in the 25–39 age group, 66.2% were males, and 85.1% were Malays. Most of the respondents (88.4%) showed
adequate blood donation knowledge, and 99.7% cited altruism as a motivator for blood donation. About 47.0% of
the respondents claimed they lack enough time as their donation barrier. Donors who were younger in age, had a
moderate blood donation knowledge (adjusted OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 1.34-9.64), didn’t know where to donate (adjusted
OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.47-5.29), lack enough time (adjusted OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.04-3.24), and insufficient information
about blood donation campaigns (adjusted OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.23-3.91) were more likely to lapse. Conclusion: Donor education, convenient time and location, and sufficient information about blood donation campaigns targeted at
young donors are critical for preventing lapsed donors, which could subsequently increase the regular donor pool.
9.Factors Contributing to Non-Communicable Diseases in a Selected Low Socio-Economic Status Community in Kedah, Malaysia
Rohayu Hami ; Sa&rsquo ; adiah Shahabudin ; Hazwani Ahmad Yusof@Hanafi ; Noorsuzana Mohd Shariff ; Noor Mastura Mohd Mujar ; Salbiah Isa ; Husniyati Roslan ; Mohd Afifuddin Mohamad
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.1):117-123
Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are evolving as the leading cause of death worldwide, including
in Malaysia. Changes in a socio-economic status have increased at-risk populations with NCDs. The objective of this
study is to describe the prevalence of self-reported NCDs and its contributing factors in a selected low socio-economic status community in Kedah, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire was done among convenience samples of 139 adults (age more than 18 years old) living in a selected low
socio-economic status community in Kedah. Results: Among 139 respondents with a mean (SD) age 48.5 (13.1),
there were 40.3% of respondents reported to have chronic illnesses with a prevalence of hypertension (25.9%),
diabetes mellitus (21.6%), hypercholesterolemia (7.2%), chronic respiratory diseases (5.0%), heart disease (2.9%)
and stroke (1.4%). The significant contributing factors of NCDs by multiple logistic regression were age, marital and
working status. A person with an increase in 1 year of age has 1.05 times the odds to have NCDs (95% CI: 1.01 to
1.09, p-value=0.007). A divorcee has 3.55 times the odds compared to a married person to have NCDs (95% CI:
1.28 to 9.80, p-value=0.015). The non-working individual has 2.27 times the odds compared to working individuals
to have NCDs (95% CI: 1.03 to 5.01, p-value=0.042). Conclusion: The prevalence of NCDs is high in this selected
low socio-economic status community. The contributing factors are age, marital and working status.