ObjectivesThis study’s objectives were to estimate the prevalence of major non-communicable conditions and multimorbidity among older adults in rural Nepal and examine the associated socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors.DesignThis was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted between January and April 2018.SettingRural municipalities of Sunsari and Morang districts in eastern Nepal.Participants794 older Nepalese adults, 60 years and older, were recruited using a multistage cluster sampling approach.Primary outcome measure(s)Prevalence of four major non-communicable chronic conditions (osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and multimorbidity.ResultsAlmost half (48.9%: men 45.3%; women 52.4%) of the participants had at least one of four non-communicable chronic conditions, and 14.6% (men 12.5%; women 16.8%) had two or more conditions. The prevalence of individual conditions included: osteoarthritis—41.7% (men 37.5%; women 45.9%), cardiovascular disease—2.4% (men 2.8%; women 2.0%), diabetes—5.3% (men 6.0%; women 4.6%) and COPD—15.4% (men 13.3%; women 17.5%). In the adjusted model, older adults aged 70–79 years (adjusted OR (AOR): 1.62; 95% CI: 1.04 to 2.54), those from Madhesi and other ethnic groups (AOR: 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.72), without a history of alcohol drinking (AOR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.18 to 2.01) and those physically inactive (AOR: 5.02; 95% CI: 1.47 to 17.17) had significantly higher odds of multimorbidity.ConclusionsThis study found one in seven study participants had multimorbidity. The prevalence of multimorbidity and associated socioeconomic and behavioural correlates need to be addressed by integrating social programmes with health prevention and management at multiple levels. Moreover, a longitudinal study is suggested to understand the temporal relationship between lifestyle predictors and multimorbidity among older Nepalese adults.

Aim To evaluate the attitude and training of nurses in Saudi Arabia towards the care of patients with diabetes. Design A cross‐sectional study. Methods Data were collected in 2016 from 1,695 participants at the King Fahad Medical City using the Diabetes Attitude Scale version 3. Results Most nurses had not received diabetes training. The agreement score of nurses for the requirement of special training for the management of diabetes is high; the survey found that most nurses were aware of the psychological effect of diabetes. However, the low agreement regarding the perception of the seriousness of diabetes among nurses and the valuing of self‐care attributes such as tight control of glycaemic level in patients with diabetes indicates the need for diabetes training.

BackgroundIn recent times, digital technologies in healthcare have been well recognized in Nepal. It is crucial to understand what is working well and areas that need improvements in the digital health ecosystem. This narrative review was carried out to provide an overview of Nepal's challenges and opportunities for implementing digital health interventions.MethodsThis study was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and used key search terms such as telehealth, telemedicine, e-health, mobile health, digital health, and Nepal to identify primary studies published between 1 January 2010 and 30 December 2021 in four databases, namely PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and CINAHL. Initially, identified studies were screened against predetermined selection criteria, and data were extracted, and the findings were narratively synthesized.ResultThe review identified various challenges, opportunities, and benefits of implementing digital health initiatives in Nepal. The most expressed challenge was inadequate technical facilities (lack of electricity and internet) and rugged geographical distribution, making transportation difficult in hilly and mountain areas. Lack of skilled workforce and lack of supportive policies were also notable challenges documented. Meanwhile, major opportunities identified were education and training of the students and health practitioners and increasing awareness among the general population.ConclusionThe study identified various factors associated with the successful implementation of digital health initiatives in Nepal. Our findings may guide to formulation of digital health policy and interventions to improve mass health outcomes using digital health services.