1.Knowledge, attitude and practice of antibiotics prescribing among medical officers of public health care facilities in the state of Kedah, Malaysia
Tan Wei Leong ; Siti Rahmah@Noor Syahireen Mohammed ; Shahfini Ishak ; Zuraidah Ali
The Medical Journal of Malaysia 2015;70(5):307-311
Background: Antibiotic resistance is a rising problem in
Malaysia. For instance, high antibiotic prescribing rate for
upper respiratory tract infection and inappropriate choice of
antibiotic is a significant healthcare concern in Malaysia.
Our main objective was to study knowledge, attitude and
practice of antibiotic prescribing among medical officers in
Kedah, Malaysia.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in
outpatient departments of health clinics and hospitals in
Kedah from June 2013 until December 2013. Sample size
was 118 and systematic sampling was conducted. Research
tool used was a validated questionnaire from studies
conducted in Congo and Peru.
Results: Response rate was 84.8%. Majority of our
respondents were female doctors (71.0%), local graduates
(63.0%), and practiced for 4 years or less (61.0%). 52.0% of
the respondents prescribed antibiotics more than once
daily. Mean knowledge score on antibiotics was 5.31 ±1.19
(95% CI: 5.06; 5.54). More than half (62.0%) of our
respondents were confident in antibiotic prescribing and
there were merely 18.0% of them consulted any colleagues
prior to prescription. There was a significant difference in
frequency of antibiotic prescribing between junior doctors
and senior doctors (P-value: 0.036). In addition, there was
also a significant association between frequency of
antibiotic prescribing and awareness of antibiotic resistance
in their daily practice. (P-value: 0.002).
Conclusion: Knowledge on antibiotic was moderate among
our medical officers and antibiotic prescribing was frequent.
Training and courses on appropriate antibiotic prescribing
should be emphasized to ensure the best practice in
antibiotic prescription.
Drug Prescriptions
;
Drug Resistance, Microbial
2.Incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer in Malaysia.
Muhammad Radzi ABU HASSAN ; Ibtisam ISMAIL ; Mohd Azri MOHD SUAN ; Faizah AHMAD ; Wan Khamizar WAN KHAZIM ; Zabedah OTHMAN ; Rosaida MAT SAID ; Wei Leong TAN ; Siti RAHMAH ; Noor Syahireen MOHAMMED ; Shahrul Aiman SOELAR ; Nik Raihan NIK MUSTAPHA
Epidemiology and Health 2016;38(1):e2016007-
OBJECTIVES: This is the first study that estimates the incidence and mortality rate for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in Malaysia by sex and ethnicity. METHODS: The 4,501 patients were selected from National Cancer Patient Registry-Colorectal Cancer data. Patient survival status was cross-checked with the National Registration Department. The age-standardised rate (ASR) was calculated as the proportion of CRC cases (incidence) and deaths (mortality) from 2008 to 2013, weighted by the age structure of the population, as determined by the Department of Statistics Malaysia and the World Health Organization world standard population distribution. RESULTS: The overall incidence rate for CRC was 21.32 cases per 100,000. Those of Chinese ethnicity had the highest CRC incidence (27.35), followed by the Malay (18.95), and Indian (17.55) ethnicities. The ASR incidence rate of CRC was 1.33 times higher among males than females (24.16 and 18.14 per 100,000, respectively). The 2011 (44.7%) CRC deaths were recorded. The overall ASR of mortality was 9.79 cases, with 11.85 among the Chinese, followed by 9.56 among the Malays and 7.08 among the Indians. The ASR of mortality was 1.42 times higher among males (11.46) than females (8.05). CONCLUSIONS: CRC incidence and mortality is higher in males than females. Individuals of Chinese ethnicity have the highest incidence of CRC, followed by the Malay and Indian ethnicities. The same trends were observed for the age-standardised mortality rate.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
;
Colorectal Neoplasms*
;
Demography
;
Ethnic Groups
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Incidence*
;
Malaysia*
;
Male
;
Mortality*
;
World Health Organization