Syed Baqir Shyum Naqvi

The cost of poliomyelitis: Lack of cost-of-illness studies on poliomyelitis rehabilitation in Pakistan

182 Archives of Pharmacy Practice  Vol. 7  Issue 4  Oct‐Dec 2016 restore them to a functional life. Usually, LT results in excellent shortand medium-term outcomes although rarely long-term. Those patients are lucky who come walking back through the doors of the Intensive Care Unit to offer thanks to doctors and their near and dear ones. For others with permanently failing organ systems, life-sustaining interventions do not work out while new complications keep arising, and recovery looks impossible. Patients often think of the irony, what kind of living is this? Perhaps need to be tolerated only if recovery being the final reward. Patients need to undergo LT provided they find a suitable donor match in time and only if they are ready to take on the added cost of follow-up care. For patients of age <40 LT is a life saving procedure. However, for the underprivileged looking at the current cost of procedure and treatment, LT looks unaffordable.

Estimation of the Direct Cost of Poliomyelitis Rehabilitation Treatment to Pakistani Patients: A 53-Year Retrospective Study

BackgroundPakistan is one of the last few countries in which poliomyelitis is endemic. Evidence indicates that out-of-pocket expenditures are a barrier to polio rehabilitation treatment, yet there are no reported figures related to the financial burden of this disease on patients in a recently polio-endemic country.ObjectiveThis study investigated direct costs attributed to rehabilitation treatment of poliomyelitis among Pakistani patients and reported its duration along with the socioeconomic status of poliomyelitis survivors.ConclusionThe cost of poliomyelitis rehabilitation in Pakistan is high; it has an economic effect on the lives of patients and their families. Despite good education, polio survivors in Pakistan appear to have low socioeconomic status, lower chances of employment and marriage, as well as fewer children. Further research is recommended to explore the burden of disease on society, i.e., indirect costs and suffering.

Evaluation of Potential Drug-Drug Interactions with Antidepressants in Two Tertiary Care Hospitals.

BACKGROUND Limited resources of healthcare system and high use of antidepressants have raised some serious concerns regarding proper surveillance system of prescribed medicines. Not much literature is available from Pakistan regarding the potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) associated with antidepressants. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of pDDIs associated with antidepressants, their severity, significance and their association with patient characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective, observational study was conducted in two major hospitals of Karachi for the period of three months. Patient profiles, medication charts, and physician notes were thoroughly reviewed to gather all the relevant information. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were set prior to data collection. The collected data was then analysed using Micromedex Drug-REAX System. Descriptive and binomial logistic regression analysis was used to express results. RESULTS Of 245 prescriptions reviewed, 141 prescriptions had at least one pDDI (57.5%). A total of 181 pDDIs were identified in prescription containing antidepressant. The ratio of pDDI per prescriptions was 0.78. 42.5% interactions were moderate in severity, 30% of interactions were rapid in onset, and 43% were considered as significant interactions. Polypharmacy (OR=3.41, p< 0.001) and presence of chronic problems (OR=2.14, p=0.002) were significantly associated with the occurrence of pDDIs. Citalopram and diclofenac (11.6%) was commonly prescribed interacting pair in this study. CONCLUSION The findings of this study recorded high frequency of antidepressants associated pDDIs. Our results confirm the significant association of polypharmacy with the occurrence of pDDIs with antidepressants. Future studies are warranted to establish these results by including hospitals in different parts of the country.

Development of Evidence-Based Disease Education Literature for Pakistani Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Rheumatoid arthritis affects 0.5% to 1% of the population globally and is one of the most common causes of disability. Patient education plays a key role in improving treatment outcomes. The purpose of this study was to discuss the process involved in designing an evidence-based disease education literature for rheumatoid arthritis patients of Pakistan in Urdu language with culturally relevant illustrations. A study was conducted to develop disease education literature using Delphi consensus, content validity, and patient feedback. A panel of experts comprised of university professors and health care experts, including health practitioners and pharmacists as well as a social scientist, was set up to assess the need. Eight patients were randomly selected and were asked to give their feedback. Their feedback was incorporated in the development process. The entire process was carried out in eight steps. A disease education literature for patients of rheumatoid arthritis was developed and edited in the form of a booklet. The booklet contained evidence-based information that must be provided to patients in both Urdu and English languages with culturally relevant illustrations. The availability of such literature is significant, as it enables the patients to seek knowledge at home at their convenience. This home-based knowledge support is as helpful as any other means of medical care. The developed literature is planned to be used in further studies which will evaluate its impact in improving knowledge of RA patients.