Background:Non-adherence to anti-tuberculosis (TB) treatment adversely affects treatment success rate. It increases disease morbidity and mortality. Also, it contributes significantly to the development of drug resistance.Aim:To identify risk factors for non-adherence to anti-TB treatment by new pulmonary TB patients.Subjects and Methods:It is a prospective cohort study at 21 TB treatment centres in E ward of Mumbai Municipal Corporation. All sputum smear positive new pulmonary TB patients initiated on treatment regimen of short course chemotherapy fro 1st January to 30th June of a calendar year were enrolled and followed up till any final outcome as per revised national TB control program. Non-adherence was defined as interruption of anti-TB treatment for ≥ 1 month. The factors were identified by univariate and logistic regression analysis.Results:We studied 156 newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients. Out of these 78 (50%) were non-adherent to anti-tuberculosis treatment (ATT). Independent risk factors for non-adherence were identified as male gender (P = 0.035) and lack of knowledge of importance of regular treatment (P = 0.001). Being female sex worker (FSW) was also an absolute risk factor for non-adherence.Conclusions:There is immense need for continuous, effective and reinforcing health education to the patient and his family. Special groups like males in the age group of 15-49 years, patients who do not have any family support like migrants, FSW need special attention to ensure adherence to ATT.

Purpose. The aim of this study is to understand the level of awareness and knowledge of plastic surgery in healthcare professionals in a tertiary health care facility in Pune, India. This study also aims to highlight the perception of the medical professionals about plastic surgery and what they think a plastic surgeon does. Materials and Methods. A questionnaire-based survey was done at B.J Medical College and Sassoon Hospital, Pune in 2011. Feedback evaluation forms from hundred resident doctors and faculty were evaluated and analyzed. Results. There is not much awareness about plastic surgery as a specialty amongst health care providers. Plastic surgery is mostly perceived as cosmetic surgery, and the other spectrum of the patients we cater to goes largely unnoticed. Of all the clinical conditions given to the participants, there was not a single clinical condition where the respondents favored unanimously for plastic surgeons. Conclusion. Plastic surgery as a specialty is poorly understood by our medical colleagues, and the onus of creating and improving the awareness and perception of our specialty lies on us. Herculean unified efforts at individual as well as global level will help us achieve this goal.

Background:Annually, India meets only half of its blood requirement and half of it from unsafe blood donors. There is a need to increase blood donations from safe and voluntary blood donors. Recruitment and retainment of voluntary blood donors are key challenges for blood agencies.Aim:The aim of this study is to assess the impact of mass counseling in the creation of voluntary blood donor.Subjects and Methods:Interventional study with intervention of mass counseling of relatives of patients admitted in the wards of Tertiary Care Hospital attached to medical college in Pune. It was carried out during 1st May 2010 to 31st May 2010. 110 relatives were randomly selected for the study. Mass counseling of cases regarding voluntary blood donation was carried out by trained persons. Pre-counseling and post-counseling knowledge, attitude, and behavior (KAB) scores regarding blood donation were assessed using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire.Results:Counseling improved knowledge, attitude and behavior score (KAB) regarding blood donation significantly. Pre-counseling and post-counseling KAB scores difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001) and was not merely by chance. Counseling helped to improve behavior of cases regarding blood donation, too.Conclusion:Continuous counseling sessions for blood donation may serve the purpose for institutes dealing with a large number of people every-day. Establishment of mobile counseling units by blood banks may help to create a voluntary blood donor. Changes in motivation and the development of self-identity as a blood donor are needed to retain voluntary blood donors. Incentive's offered for voluntary blood donation card should be strengthened.

Background: Treatment delays increase adverse treatment outcome of tuberculosis (TB). It is necessary to identify reasons behind such delays in different phases of anti-TB treatment (ATT). Objective: To study treatment seeking behavior (TSB) and risk factors for treatment delays among TB patients. Materials and Methods: New smear positive (NSP) pulmonary TB patients initiated on category one regimen of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) at 24 DOTS centers (N = 156) in E-ward of Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) were interviewed using pre-tested semi-structured schedule, which was designed to elicit the TSB and factors associated with treatment delays. Results: Median duration of cough with expectoration before consulting a provider was 8 weeks (min = 1, max = 96 weeks). Risk factors for patient delay were age <45 years, living without family. Mean provider delay was 17.91 (SD = 18.026, range = 7-99 days). First approach to the private sector for the treatment was associated with provider delay. Mean delay to start continuation phase (CP) was 18.46 days (SD = 16.292) (min = 4 days, max = 67 days). Delay to go for sputum microscopy, to collect reports, delay in reporting, supposed that treatment is completed as felt better were the reasons to delay to start CP. It was associated with migration, smoking, alcoholism, living away from family, social stigma involving hiding the disease from spouse and relatives. Conclusion: Risk factors identifi ed for treatment delays were age <45 years, lack of family support, fi rst approach to the private sector, migration, addictions and social stigma. Strengthening Revised National TB Control Program by operational research to involve the private sector, improving transfer procedures for migrants, creating public awareness to remove stigma and transport of patients and/or their sputum samples from DOTS centers to microscopy centers may be considered to decrease treatment delays. Abstract Access this article onlineWebsite: www.ijmedph.org

Background:Scientific writings provide a link between production of knowledge and its use. They guide to plan for necessary improvements in treatment and prevention modalities. Inadequate and incomplete reporting of research studies weakens the medical literature.Aim:The aim of the study was bibliometric analysis of dissertations submitted by medical post-graduate (PGs) students.Material and Methods:It was a cross-sectional record based study carried out at one of the medical colleges at Pune. All the dissertations including observational studies submitted by PGs were analyzed using a pre-tested, structured assessment tool with strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) as the reference from 1st March 2009 until 30th March 2011. Data was compiled in excel sheet and it was imported into. SPSS 15 software (Statistical package for the social sciences, manufactured by IBM, Chicago Illinois in November 2006) for further analysis.Results:A total of 220 dissertations were analyzed in the present study. Nearly 73.18% (161/220) of dissertations were from clinical subjects, 15% (33/220) were from para-clinical and 11.8% (26/220) were from pre-clinical subjects. The majority of dissertations reported findings incompletely and inadequately without uniformity.Conclusion:PGs should be more vigilant in reporting their research in dissertations to increase their usefulness. They should adopt tools like STROBE, etc., to report data to create more uniformity in reporting. Adoption of such guidelines will also reduce chances of oversights and mistakes in reporting and dissertation writing.