Anxiety and depression have been found to be increasing among people with leprosy and it may lead to decreased social participation. The progressive muscle relaxation technique (PMRT) is widely used today in choice of treatment for reducing the anxiety and depression. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of PMRT in reducing anxiety and depression among the hospitalized leprosy affected person in a tertiary care centre. This study is a case series of 50 leprosy affected people aged between 18–60 years who were admitted for leprosy complications in tertiary leprosy referral hospital. The Anxiety-Depression scale was developed and validated by the investigators and administered before intervention of PMRT and after 2 weeks. The follow-up assessment was done at 6 weeks after the initial intervention. The finding shows that a statistically significant difference was observed on anxiety domain before and after application of PMRT. The anxiety means score showed steady decline from 6.76 at pretest to 3.0 (t=25.068, P≤0.001) at post test and 1.12 (t=22.679, P≤0.001) at follow-up. In depression domain, a statistically significant difference was seen in before and after application of PMRT. The depression means score showed steady decline from 6.92 at pre test to 3.28 (t=16.082, P≤0.001) at post test and to 1.16 (t=18.918, P≤0.001) at follow-up. This study proved that the PMRT as a valid treatment option for hospitalized person with leprosy in minimizing the anxiety and depression related symptoms and to benefit the psychosocial wellbeing of leprosy affected patients.

Objective Engaging learners during the COVID-19 pandemic is a significant challenge for educators. The pandemic has propelled the popularity of online learning, with Google Classroom being widely used by educational institutions as a remote learning platform. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an online faculty development programme on nurse educators' perceived competency in creating and delivering e-content using Google Classroom and other freely available digital tools. Methods A pre-experimental design was adopted for the research. A six-module online faculty development course was conducted for 24 nurse educators of an affiliated nursing college, over a period of eight days. A debriefing session was held on ninth day after the completion of the course. A 10-item rating scale was used to assess the participants' perceptions of their competency in using Google Classroom and other digital tools for online teaching before and after the online faculty development course. Results Out of 24 trained participants, 18 completed the post-evaluation rating scale, giving a response rate of 75%. In the post-evaluation phase, a high level of competency was perceived by 83.3% of participants for using Google Classroom and 66.7% for creating video lectures and using an online grade book. A statistically significant difference ( p < 0.001) between pre- and post-course evaluations was observed. Conclusion This study shows that the online faculty development programme enhanced the perceived skills of faculty members in effectively delivering online teaching using various digital tools during the pandemic.

Purpose: Although leprosy is completely curable with multidrug therapy, it is unfortunate that the stigma attached to leprosy persists even today. Fear of social exclusion prevents disclosure of the disease to the family and community. This study aimed to evaluate the extent of disclosure of disease among women affected by leprosy in a tertiary referral hospital in Chhattisgarh State, India.Method: A qualitative study was conducted with 57 women affected by leprosy who reported at a tertiary referral hospital in Champa, Chhattisgarh State. The respondents were 18 years of age or older, and had completed multidrug therapy for leprosy. They were asked whether the disclosure of disease had affected their interactions with family, neighbours and community members.Results: Of the 57 women, 48 (84%) had disclosed their disease to their family, 17 (30%) to their neighbours and 13 (23%) to the community members. Thirty women (53%) reported that they experienced problems after revealing the ailment to their family, friends and neighbours. The qualitative analysis found that negative behaviour towards people affected by leprosy still persists in the community. Consequently, women affected by leprosy try to hide their disease due to fear of negative community reactions. Conclusion:This study emphasises the need to spread awareness about the disease and its transmission, by educating the people affected by leprosy, their families and the community. This should be a continuous process in order to reduce or remove the stigma and discrimination against women affected by leprosy, in particular.

The present study emphasizes the need for continuous counseling and health education for persons affected with leprosy to avoid or minimize the psychological problems. Periodical screening and counseling will improve their psychosocial well-being and quality of life.

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