Drug resistance patterns, treatment outcomes and factors affecting unfavourable treatment outcomes among extensively drug resistant tuberculosis patients in Pakistan; a multicentre record review

Clinical effects of detailed nursing management interventions on medication adherence and disease perception in patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic respiratory infectious disease that considerably jeopardizes human health, and there is no effective vaccine suitable for its prevention in the entire population.

AIM

To investigate the promotion of medication adherence and disease cognition in patients with drug-resistant (DR-)TB using detailed nursing management.

METHODS

In total, 114 patients with DR-TB who were diagnosed and treated at our hospital between January 2019 and January 2023 were included in this study. Patients in the control group (n = 57) were managed with conventional nursing care, while those in the observation group (n = 57) were managed with detailed nursing care. Medication adherence, disease awareness scores, medication safety, and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups after the intervention.

RESULTS

The post-intervention medication compliance rate was 91.23% in the observation group and 75.44% in the control group, with the former being 15.79% higher than the latter (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the disease awareness scores between the two groups before the intervention; the disease awareness scores of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group after the intervention (P < 0.05). The incidence of gastrointestinal reactions, joint swelling and pain, hearing loss, electrolyte disorders, and liver and kidney function abnormalities were lower in the observation group than those in the control group. The total nursing satisfaction of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Implementation of detailed nursing management for patients with DR-TB can effectively improve medication adherence, enhance awareness of the disease, ensure safety of medication, and improve satisfaction with nursing care.

Antibiotic Overprescribing among Neonates and Children Hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pakistan and the Implications

There are concerns with excessive antibiotic prescribing among patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Most studies have been conducted in adults with limited data on neonates and children, including in Pakistan. A retrospective study was conducted among four referral/tertiary care hospitals, including the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, the prevalence of bacterial co-infections or secondary bacterial infections and antibiotics prescribed among neonates and children hospitalized due to COVID-19. Among 1237 neonates and children, 511 were admitted to the COVID-19 wards and 433 were finally included in the study. The majority of admitted children were COVID-19-positive (85.9%) with severe COVID-19 (38.2%), and 37.4% were admitted to the ICU. The prevalence of bacterial co-infections or secondary bacterial infections was 3.7%; however, 85.5% were prescribed antibiotics during their hospital stay (average 1.70 ± 0.98 antibiotics per patient). Further, 54.3% were prescribed two antibiotics via the parenteral route (75.5%) for ≤5 days (57.5), with most being 'Watch' antibiotics (80.4%). Increased antibiotic prescribing was reported among patients requiring mechanical ventilation and high WBCs, CRP, D-dimer and ferritin levels (p < 0.001). Increased COVID-19 severity, length of stay and hospital setting were significantly associated with antibiotic prescribing (p < 0.001). Excessive antibiotic prescribing among hospitalized neonates and children, despite very low bacterial co-infections or secondary bacterial infections, requires urgent attention to reduce AMR.

Understanding of Final Year Medical, Pharmacy and Nursing Students in Pakistan towards Antibiotic Use, Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship: Findings and Implications

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a leading public health threat, which is exacerbated by the high and inappropriate use of antibiotics. Consequently, there is a need to evaluate knowledge regarding antibiotic use, AMR and the readiness to implement antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) among final year medical, pharmacy and nursing students in Pakistan. This reflects the high and increasing rates of AMR in the country, and students as future healthcare professionals (HCPs). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1251 final year students from 23 public and private educational institutions in Punjab. The majority of the surveyed participants possessed good knowledge of antibiotic use, AMR and the potential causes of AMR. The most common sources of the information on antibiotics were smartphones (69.9%), peers (35.9%) and medical textbooks (30.6%). However, most surveyed participants were not fully prepared to participate in ASPs. They knew, though, how to reduce AMR by educating HCPs about appropriate prescribing, implementing ASPs and improving laboratory facilities. There was a significant association between antibiotic knowledge and causes of AMR with sex, family income and student type (p < 0.05). Being a student at a public sector university (OR = 4.809; CI = 3.261−7.094; p < 0.001) and age (OR = 0.524, CI = 0.327−0.842; p < 0.008) were among the key factors impacting students’ training on ASPs. Educational curricula must be improved to include more information about appropriate antibiotic use and ASPs, along with sufficient training, workshops and clinical rotations in the final year, to fully equip students by graduation.

Perceptions of healthcare professionals and patients on the role of the pharmacist in TB management in Pakistan: A qualitative study

Background: Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is the second major cause of death from infectious diseases, particularly in developing countries. A multidisciplinary approach to the management of TB may help to curb the disease burden. Objective: The objective of this study was to outline the perceptions of healthcare professionals and patients regarding the potential role of pharmacists in TB management in Pakistan. Method: This was a large-scale qualitative study conducted at the Chest Disease Unit (CDU) of the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH), Punjab, Pakistan. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with physicians, pharmacists, and patients recruited using a mix of convenient and snowball sampling. The sample size was decided through standard saturation point criteria. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed to draw conclusions using a thematic analysis approach. Results: Analysis of the data yielded 19 categories and seven themes. Physicians considered pharmacists qualified healthcare professionals, whereas patients considered them merely dispensers. Inventory management and dispensing of medicines were considered as major responsibilities of pharmacists. Physicians were extremely overburdened and wanted to delegate certain duties to pharmacists, subject to their prior extensive trainings. However, most of the physicians were unaware of the legal scope of pharmacy practice in Pakistan. With regard to the potential duties of pharmacists, physicians, pharmacists, and patients (patients-upon explaining the potential roles during the interview) endorsed monitoring, counseling, medicine brand selection, dose adjustment, inventory management, dispensing, and polypharmacy assessment as their potential roles. In view of all stakeholders, the rationale for integrating pharmacists in TB management included overburdened physicians, sub-standard patient care, medication safety issues, and patient dissatisfaction. The healthcare professionals highlighted that the major barriers to integrating pharmacists within the TB management system were limited interest of regulatory authorities and policy makers, followed by inadequate training and experience-driven questionable competency of pharmacists. Conclusion: The study participants acknowledged the potential role of pharmacists in TB management. However, it was emphasized that healthcare policy makers should devise strategies to overcome the underlying barriers before assigning medicine-related clinical roles to pharmacists.

Frequency and Factors Associated With Adverse Events Among Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients in Pakistan: A Retrospective Study

Background

Treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) for a prolonged period with comparatively less effective and more toxic second-line anti-TB drugs is associated with greater incidence of adverse events.

Study aim

This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and factors associated with occurrence of adverse events among patients with MDR-TB attending the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Study design

This retrospective study included all patients with MDR-TB who were registered and treated at the study site between June 2014 and December 2016 and had their treatment outcomes available at the time of data collection (i.e., November 2018).

Measures and outcomes

The Electronic Nominal Record System (ERNS) records, medical charts of patients, and laboratory reports were reviewed to obtain the data. Adverse events were reported as per the standard criteria recommended by the WHO. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to find the independent factors associated with the occurrence of adverse events.

Results

A total of 179 patients with MDR-TB were included in the final analysis. Out of these, 114 (63.7%) patients experienced at least one adverse event during the course of their treatment. Depression was the most common adverse events (33%), followed by nausea and vomiting (27.4%) and arthralgia (27.4%). The factors associated with the occurrence of adverse events included presence of comorbidity (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.951; 95% CI 1.423, 6.118) and being employed (AOR 3.445; 95% CI 1.188, 9.993).

Conclusion

Adverse events were prevalent in this cohort, however, resolved with the effective management approaches. Patients with identified factors for occurrence of adverse events need special attention and enhanced clinical management.