Health Status of Patients With β-Thalassemia in the West Bank: A Retrospective-Cohort Study

Addressing Thalassaemia Management from Patients' Perspectives: An International Collaborative Assessment

Background and Objectives: The effective management of chronic diseases, particularly hereditary and rare diseases and thalassaemia, is an important indicator of the quality of healthcare systems. We aimed to assess healthcare services in different countries for thalassaemia patients by using publicly available health indicators and by surveying thalassaemia patients and their caregivers. Materials and Methods: We reviewed official worldwide databases from the WHO, World Bank, and scientific resources, and we used a structured patient-tailored self-completed questionnaire to survey thalassaemia patients and their caregivers in 2023. Results: A total of 2082 participants were surveyed (mean age, 27 years; males, 42%). About 1 in 4 respondents did not complete high-school education, while 24% had a bachelor's degree. About a third of respondents were married and were in either full- or part-time employment. The vast majority (~80%) had initiated transfusion therapy between 1 and 4 years of age. Only 42% reported no delays in receiving blood transfusion, while 47% reported occasional delays and 8% serious delays. About half of patients reported being very satisfied (11%) or satisfied (38%) with the quality of services provided, while 1 in 3 patients reported being unsatisfied or very unsatisfied, and that their access to treatment was difficult or very difficult due to traveling expenses and the high cost of treatment. Conclusions: Important improvements in the care of thalassaemia patients have been documented during the past few decades. Nevertheless, additional focus is required through national healthcare systems to effectively address the many unmet needs revealed by our recent survey, as well as to achieve satisfactory patient outcomes.

Assessment of genetic familiarity and genetic knowledge among Palestinian university students

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Genetic knowledge and familiarity among the population represent the lane toward effective participation in social decisions regarding genetic issues. This cross sectional research aimed to assess genetic knowledge and familiarity among university students in Palestine.

METHODS

The familiarity with genetics was evaluated using the Genetic Literacy and Comprehension instrument (GLAC), and genetic knowledge was measured using a 16-item scale of prevalent genetic concepts.

RESULTS

Among the 624 participants, 59.5% were females. 38.8% reported family history of genetic diseases. The genetic familiarity mean score was 4.83 and the genetic knowledge mean total score was 11.5. Students' genetic familiarity was high for the terms chromosome and genetic while it was low for the terms sporadic and vulnerability. Genetic knowledge was highest for gene definition while it was the lowest regarding the number of human genes. The age group, year of study, and learning genetic courses were the significant predictors of familiarity among medical students. The year of study, family history of genetic diseases, parental consanguinity, and learning genetic courses were the significant variables associated with genetic knowledge among medical students. Regarding the non-medical group of participants, all study variables were significant for both familiarity and knowledge scores except for age group with familiarity.

CONCLUSION

Genetic familiarity and knowledge among Palestinian university students are inadequate. Consanguinity and hereditary disorders are prevalent in Palestine. These findings encourage university stakeholders to take action to improve genetic knowledge and familiarity among students through both appropriate pedagogical and non-pedagogical interventions.