IntroductionPakistan accounts for 85.2% of the total polio cases reported worldwide. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are an integral part of immunization campaigns and source of education for the general public. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes towards polio vaccination among HCWs providing immunisation and education to general public in Quetta and Peshawar divisions of Pakistan.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 490 HCWs was conducted in two major referral public teaching hospitals of Quetta and Peshawar divisions. During February to April, 2015, a random sample of 490 HCWs was invited to participate in this study. Knowledge and attitudes were assessed by using self-administered, anonymous and pretested questionnaire. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to express the results.ResultsA total of 468 participants responded to the questionnaire, giving a response rate of 95.5%. Overall, participants demonstrated good knowledge and positive attitudes towards polio vaccination. The mean knowledge score of HCWs about polio was 13.42±2.39 (based on 18 knowledge questions) while the mean attitude score was 28.75±5.5 (based on 9 attitudes statements). Knowledge gaps were identified about the incubation period of poliovirus (19.5%), management issues (31.9%), use of polio vaccine in mild illnesses (34.7%) and the consequences of the polio virus (36.9%). The majority of participants agreed that all children should be vaccinated for polio (95.1%), while reservations were noted about the need of a booster (38.9%), and sterility issues associated with polio vaccines (43.6%). Internet (n = 167, 37%) and Posters (n = 158, 35%) were the main sources used by HCWs to educate themselves about polio.ConclusionParticipants in this study had good knowledge and positive attitudes towards polio vaccination. Although the data are indicative of gaps in the knowledge of HCWs, the findings may not be generalized to other hospitals in Pakistan.

Objective : Current study is conducted to assess the level of knowledge, awareness and source of information of asthma among school teachers those who are working in government and private schools in urban area of Quetta district in Balochistan Province, Pakistan.Methodology : A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among School teachers in Quetta city of Pakistan. Convenience sampling approach was used to recruit 330 teachers based on sample size calculation. A content-and face-validated questionnaire was used to collect the data from the participants. The collected data were reviewed and statistically analyzed by using SPSS. Man Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to relate the study variables.Results : The recent study shows that 57% teachers have knowledge about asthma and exacerbate factors which increased the risk of asthma attack. Knowledge of female teachers were better as compared to male teachers (p = 0.002). Education levels and school type also affect the knowledge of teachers. Conclusion :This study highlights that school teachers need to train to recognize the early symptoms of asthma in the class room and seek appropriate treatment. The delay of such necessary treatment can have serious consequences or even death. An educational program is needed for Quetta teachers to increase their knowledge about asthma and to meet the needs of a child with asthma to improve wellbeing and school attendance.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major health problem globally and so are misconceptions. Misconceptions can lead to poor glycemic control among diabetic patients and hence may results in complications and therefore increased incidence of morbidity and mortality. Objective: Assessment of knowledge and dietary misconceptions among diabetic patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted among diabetic patients for a period of 6 months, using a validated questionnaire. Patients were contacted while attending to a health care facility in Quetta, Pakistan. A self-administered questionnaire was introduced among participants. Assistance was provided to those who could not read or understand the questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed in English and then translated in to Urdu by a language expert. The data were coded and entered to statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 20. The responses to the questionnaire were analyzed by performing descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Study showed that almost 83% of diabetic subjects believed that "in diabetes sugar cannot be used at any cost", while 68% believed that special diabetic food is used in diabetes; almost 66% patients admitted that they can suffer from other diseases and infections due to diabetes. Misconceptions were more common among uneducated and low income people. Conclusion: The prevalence of misconceptions about Diabetes is high among uneducated and low income people.

revealed that healthcare-system differences influence payer-preferences for PRO-type (e.g., generic/ disease-specific), influenced primarily by need for cost-effectiveness model. All payers stated that PRO-data provide unique perspective on condition/treatment but considered reimbursement difficult to influence; although stated that PRO-data can positively impact prescribing/MA. Payers reported that in EU, PROs are part of the clinical-evidence considered by HTA reviewing committees. Utility data derived from generic instruments are essential for key EU-markets (excluding Germany). US health plans are interested in PRO measures that are tied to "actionable" endpoints (e.g., adherence/persistence, tolerability, reduction in costs or resource utilisation). CONCLUSIONS: Key drivers for a successful PRO strategy include the development of robust PRO and communication strategy tailored to the needs/ requirements of the end-users (regulators, HTA and MA). Sponsors must continue to bring data based on robust PROs to regulators, HTA and MA and thus bringing the patient, the most affected stakeholder, to the forefront in decision making.OBJECTIVES: To identify key drivers for the successful integration of patientreported outcomes (PROs) in clinical programs designed to support regulatory label claims, health technology assessment (HTA) and market access (MA) in diabetes and obesity. METHODS: Reviews of published literature, regulatory, HTA and thirdparty websites were conducted to elicit key components of PRO strategies employed for two case examples: exenatide (diabetes) and lorcaserin (obesity). Qualitative one-on-one interviews were also conducted with payer decision-makers in key European (EU) and United States (US) markets to determine their perceptions of successful PROs strategies. RESULTS: Although there is an FDA draft guidance on PROs to support labeling claims, no disease-specific guidance on PRO-endpoints for obesity/diabetes are issued by FDA or EMA. Registration-trials included assessments of; symptoms/health-related-quality-of-life/depression/psychological-