Background: While warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are used to manage thromboembolic events, they possess several features that impact adherence. Objective: To assess medication adherence and self-efficacy in patients receiving warfarin or DOAC treatment. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed at Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital in Baghdad from December 2022 to May 2023 on patients receiving either warfarin or DOACs. The Arabic version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale (ARMS) questionnaire and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale (SES6C) questionnaire were used to assess adherence and self-efficacy. Results: 181 patients were enrolled in the study, of whom 56.9% received warfarin and 43.1% received DOACs. The mean ARMS score was 13.71, and 81.77% of the patients were adherent to anticoagulant therapy. There was a significant difference in adherence between the warfarin and DOAC groups. The mean SES6C score for the participants was 50.01. Patients in the DOAC group had significantly higher self-efficacy compared to those in the warfarin group. The adherence score correlated significantly with patients’ gender, education level, hospitalization and duration of anticoagulant use, while the SES6C score did not correlate with any of the independent variables. There was a significant negative correlation between self-efficacy scores and medication adherence scores. Conclusions: Patients receiving DOACs showed a higher self-efficacy to manage chronic diseases and lower medication adherence as compared to warfarin. Higher self-efficacy was associated with higher adherence to treatment.
During infection, T. gondii disseminates by the circulatory system and establishes chronic infection in several organs. Almost third of humans, immunosuppressed individuals such as HIV/AIDS patients, cancer patients, and organ transplant recipients are exposed to toxoplasmosis. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the possibility that Toxoplasma infection could be a risk factor for COVID-19 patients and its possible correlation with C-reactive protein and ferritin. Overall 220 patients referred to the Al Furat General Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq were enrolled from 2020–2021. All serum samples were tested for T. gondii immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM) antibodies, C-reactive protein and ferritin levels. In patients with COVID-19, the results
... Show MoreThe acceptance sampling plans for generalized exponential distribution, when life time experiment is truncated at a pre-determined time are provided in this article. The two parameters (α, λ), (Scale parameters and Shape parameters) are estimated by LSE, WLSE and the Best Estimator’s for various samples sizes are used to find the ratio of true mean time to a pre-determined, and are used to find the smallest possible sample size required to ensure the producer’s risks, with a pre-fixed probability (1 - P*). The result of estimations and of sampling plans is provided in tables.
Key words: Generalized Exponential Distribution, Acceptance Sampling Plan, and Consumer’s and Producer Risks
... Show MoreCoral reef area in northwest of the Arabian Gulf was investigated for mineralogy and geochemistry to throw lights on such unique Iraqi Marine Environment; six specimens of two main species of coral reefs, Platygyra pini Chevalier, 1975 and Octocoral Menella were collected at two sites. While eight samples of the surrounding sediments are chosen from other two sites. The mineralogy is determined by XRD, and reveals that calcite, low magnesium-calcite, and aragonite are the main minerals that comprise the Octocoral Menella in site 1, whilst aragonite and calcite are dominate in the P. pini coral reef at site 4.
The non–carbonate fractions indicate that thes
... Show MoreCutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a widespread, yet often overlooked, parasitic disease caused by the Leishmania protozoan, which is prevalent in numerous countries, including Iraq. This condition is marked by the appearance of skin lesions on various exposed areas of the body. In most old-world regions, sodium stibogluconate (SSG) is the classical widely used drug to treat CL. The progression of skin ulceration is controlled by different inflammatory modulators including cytokines and enzymes. In this study, the possible role of the enzyme Matrix metalloproteinase9 (MMP-9) and its inhibitor Metallopeptidase inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) as immunological markers was evaluated in CL patients suffering from cutaneous leishmaniasis before and aft
... Show MoreAbstract:
Objectives: To assess nurses' attitude toward end of life phase. To find out relationships between nurses attitude and socio demographic data (age, gender, level of education, years of experience).
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study design is carried out to assess the attitude on nurses concerning patient at the end of life phase at critical care units, from the period of (1nd November 2021) to (1th February 2022). A probability sample random sampling technique used. Then, the number of participants in Baquba Teaching Hospital and general al khalis hospital were determined by using rando
... Show MoreBackground: planter fasciitis is a common condition
seen in adults and sport men, it is characterized by dull
pain in the heel, especially when getting up and
standing on the foot in the morning or after sitting for a
long time.
Recently low level laser therapy is used as a method of
treatment.
Objective: to evaluate the benefit of laser therapy in
treatment of planter fasciitis.
Methods: Out of twenty five patients with planter
fasciitis exposed to laser therapy. Laser used is (diode
type) given in two cessions per week for four weeks,
time for each cession is about (12 minutes).
Results: complete recovery seen in (32%) of patients,
moderate improvement in (16%), mild improvement in
(24%), no
Extensive evaluation of 76 women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared with 25 fertile women as control group was achieved by routine investigations and hormonal study of each female which were done in one period during the menstrual cycle. Then the women with PCOS have been divided into 2 groups according to their menstrual cycle (irregular menstrual cycle) during assessing their hormonal profiles as follow:- 1- (54) Patients with oligomenorrhea. 2- (22) Patients with menorrhea. This study shows that the women with PCOs have different clinical features taken from a history of disease of all of the women. Those features were distributed as follow: 57.92% of them suffer from hirsutism. 19.24% suffer from irregular menstr
... Show MoreThere is no doubt that the field of education and teaching (in any country and whatever its ruling system varies “d”) is considered one of the most specific and sensitive field, because it is related to the building of human. And as the human is a purpose (aim) and the means in the same time and he is the strategist capital, so he way of his rearing, education, choosing the educator, methods of working and the aims are considered serious matters.
The educational process has aim determined by the society for him self through its working establishments in this field and these are the official and public establishments. And as he feels that the establishments have failed to achieve its d
... Show MoreThe use of antibiotics without prescription (self-medication) is growing globally and is associated with increased bacterial resistance, ineffective treatment and adverse reactions. This study aimed at assessing the practice of antibiotic self-medication in the Iraqi population. A cross-sectional study design was adopted in this work. The sample was comprised of 303 staff members from the non-medical colleges in Iraq. An online questionnaire was distributed between the 29th of June to the 14th of September 2021 to collect data including socio-demographic characteristics and questions about antibiotic self-medication. Most of the participants had a university degree and a moderate monthly income. The majority (88%) h
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