Objective: To explore the role of mass media on knowledge generation and counter the misconceptions about tuberculosis (TB) transmission in Nepal.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in the largest referral hospital in Nepal. The quota sampling technique was used to recruit 283 subjects into the sample.
Results: A total of 235 (83.0%) respondents correctly replied that TB transmits through air by coughing or sneezing. A total of 29 (10.2%) respondents had correct knowledge about TB transmission without having misconceptions. Similarly, regarding the misconceptions about TB transmission, 157 (55.5%) replied that TB transmits through utensils, 163 (57.6%) respondents replied that TB transmits through sharing clothes/bed sheets/towel, 62 (21.9%) respondents replied that TB transmits through touching a person with TB, 142 (50.2%) respondents replied that TB transmits through food, 88 (31.1%) respondents replied that TB transmits through sexual contact. Respondents who read newspaper (ajusted odd ratio=3.004, cofidence interval=1.208-7.471) and listen to the radio daily (ajusted odd ratio=4.610, cofidence interval=1.738-12.234) were more likely to have correct knowledge on transmission of TB.
Conclusions: National TB Control Program in Nepal should give priority in disseminating TB related message through newspapers, magazines and radio programs.

Efficiency of the hospitals affects the price of health services. Health care payments have equity implications. Evidence on hospital performance can support to design the policy; however, the recent literature on hospital efficiency produced conflicting results. Consequently, policy decisions are uncertain. Even the most of evidence were produced by using data from high income countries. Conflicting results were produced particularly due to differences in methods of measuring performance. Recently a management approach has been developed to measure the hospital performance. This approach to measure the hospital performance is very useful from policy perspective to improve health system from cost-effective way in low and middle income countries. Measuring hospital performance through management approach has some basic characteristics such as scoring management practices through double blind survey, measuring hospital outputs using various indicators, estimating the relationship between management practices and outputs of the hospitals. This approach has been successfully applied to developed countries; however, some revisions are required without violating the fundamental principle of this approach to replicate in low- and middle-income countries. The process has been clearly defined and applied to Nepal. As the results of this, the approach produced expected results. The paper contributes to improve the approach to measure hospital performance.
*Developing Countries ; Efficiency, Organizational/*classification ; Hospital Administration/*classification ; Hospitals/*classification ; Management Audit/methods/*organization & administration ; Nepal ; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care)/methods/*organization & administration

To evaluate the analgesic effect of extracts of Alpinia galanga (AG) rhizome in mice and elucidate the possible mechanism for its analgesic action.