Background
In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global health pandemic. The rapid spread and high fatalities associated with COVID-19 have increased interest in assessing ...Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) toward this illness among the general population in comparison to specific subgroups. Most publications to date have explored KAP among the general public, healthcare providers, and people with chronic conditions, but not amongst those with mental illness. Yet, research has shown patients with mental illness are at higher risk of poor outcomes related to infectious diseases such as COVID-19. The objective of this study is to compare KAP toward COVID-19 between people with mental illness and the general public.
Materials and methods
This is a cross-sectional study, done over 3
°
months in 2020, to compare KAP during the COVID-19 pandemic in three groups: outpatients from outpatient Psychiatry clinics (
N
= 165), inpatients admitted to a Psychiatry ward (
N
= 100), and the general public (
N
= 345). KAP parameters were assessed through online surveys.
Results
The proportion of subjects in the public group (84.8%) giving the correct responses to most Knowledge questions was significantly higher than those in the inpatient and outpatient groups. Compared to the public and inpatient groups, subjects in the outpatient group (92.7%) were significantly more optimistic and confident that COVID-19 would be brought under control. A higher proportion of subjects from the general public (82.9%) indicated that they attended crowded places and were more compliant in wearing masks. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that poorer COVID-19 knowledge was associated with being single and having a young age (18–29), with both inpatients and outpatients and with primary-or secondary-level education.
Conclusion
Patient populations, both inpatients and outpatients, had inadequate Knowledge, more positive attitudes and confidence regarding the outcome of COVID-19, and less safe practices than the public. This highlights the need for targeted approaches around COVID-19 and pandemics in general in this vulnerable population.
Intellectual disability (ID) is a common condition that consists of a heterogeneous group of clinical conditions with different etiologies, including genetic conditions. Identifying those with a ...genetic cause results in better clinical management.
To identify the genetic etiology of ID in adult patients with unknown etiology presenting to a specialist learning disability service in Qatar.
Retrospective review of chart notes of patients referred for ID service from January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2020.
Of the 228 patients, 82 had a known cause of ID and did not require genetic testing, 22 had an unknown cause and underwent genetic testing, and 124 had an unknown cause and did not undergo genetic testing. Of the 82 patients with a known cause of ID, about one-half had an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and 18 patients had a genetic disorder. Of the 22 patients who underwent genetic testing, 2 were positive for the Fragile-X mental retardation 1 gene, 3 underwent chromosomal microarray, and 7 underwent whole-exome sequencing. Seven abnormal genes were identified.
Identifying the underlying genetic etiology of patients with ID has major implications for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Additionally, it guides a prediction of the natural history of the disease and makes it possible to test at-risk family members.
Lithium is commonly used to treat various psychiatric disorders and is particularly effective in the maintenance phase of bipolar disorder. Unfortunately, this drug has a narrow therapeutic index ...and, if not monitored regularly, can result in toxicity. Therefore, for lithium to be prescribed safely, clinicians must ensure that patients are well educated on lithium toxicity, its prevention, and symptom recognition. This article summarizes studies that investigated lithium education strategies to help promote the safe use of lithium.
Four electronic databases were searched using key terms and subject headings. Reference lists of relevant papers were also reviewed. The search was limited to literature published in English, without year limits. Eligible studies examined lithium patient education and the impact on patients' knowledge of safe lithium use.
Of a total of 517 citations that were retrieved from the electronic database search, 12 were selected for inclusion in this review. Most of the studies included assessed the effect of lithium education on various aspects of patients' knowledge, including but not limited to, lithium toxicity. Of the studies assessing the correlation between lithium knowledge and lithium levels, most demonstrated a positive correlation between lithium knowledge and lithium levels that were more stable and within the higher end of the recommended therapeutic range.
Studies evaluating lithium patient education and its effect on improving the safe use of lithium are limited. Nevertheless, this literature review highlights that lithium patient education is critical to promote its safe use.
Subjective views of clozapine treatment among patients with schizophrenia in the Middle East and North African MENA Region have not previously been assessed. Globally, few studies have assessed the ...views of carers to clozapine treatment. We conducted a cross-sectional survey, using a clinician administered structured interview, of patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder prescribed clozapine in Qatar, and their primary carers. Participants were asked to rate clozapine against prior their antipsychotic treatment in terms of specific benefits and side effects. Forty-two patients and 33 carers participated in the study. Of the patients, two thirds were male, approximately half were Qatari and the mean age was 33.9 years. Patients and carers rated clozapine as superior to prior antipsychotic treatment on all 7 potential benefits inquired about. The greatest perceived benefit was improved mood. Patients rated clozapine as less likely to cause extrapyramidal side effects but more likely to cause 18 other potential side effects compared to prior antipsychotic treatment, with the greatest difference being for nocturnal salivation, increased appetite, and constipation. Nearly half of patients (48 %) and two thirds of carers (64 %) stated that they would have preferred to start clozapine earlier in their illness. Sixty percent of patients and 37 % of carers regarded the information that they had received from health professionals on clozapine as inadequate. Less than half of patients and approximately-two thirds of carers had adequate knowledge of haematological monitoring for clozapine. Generally, there were significantly positive correlation between patients and carers regarding the overall side effects of clozapine treatment. Likewise, improvement in hearing voices paranoid thoughts correlated with improved quality of life. In summary, the results show that patients and carers appreciate the benefits of clozapine despite its side effects being problematic. The results support clozapine being offered earlier in treatment and services providing more information on clozapine to patients and carers.