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Introduction: Data mining in healthcare is a nascent arena of research in healthcare. Heterogeneity of Diabetes Mellitus in terms of clinical presentation calls for newer methods of research to study potential risk factors. Aim: The paper aims to use clustering techniques to identify the relationship between the four variables, namely the pre-prandial and postprandial sugar level, age and sex. Methods: The data was taken from a diagnostic laboratory in Wagholi, Pune. We conducted K-mean algorithm, EM algorithm, model-based clustering and t-mixture model. Results: It is evidenced that the data was best fitted to the t-mixture model. Our 50% samples were people with diabetes, 17% had prediabetes. Trivial correlation existed between age and sugar level. Males and females were equally at risk of having diabetes. Data presented concludes that age and sex have no effect on the risk of having diabetes. Data mining can be used to deduce meaningful clusters to drive plan-based interventions in the population. Conclusion: Methods of data mining can be used to deduce meaningful clusters in a heterogeneous dataset thus providing policymakers and healthcare researchers with novel information that will potentially contribute in formulating evidence-based policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social determinants of malnutrition play a significant role in dictating the course of malnutrition outcomes in any population. Sustained efforts to optimize these determinants are indispensable to sustainable changes in the status of nutrition of the affected population. Despite the efforts undertaken, such a high prevalence of child malnutrition in India defies logic. Multiple causes of child mortality exist. Malnutrition accounts for 69% of these underfive deaths in India losing up to US$3.5 trillion loss per year, globally. Understanding the social determinants of malnutrition and its impact on child health is crucial to formulate sound and equity-based policies and interventions yielding fruitful outcomes. The situation has further worsened due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The paper emphasizes gaining cognizance of the grim and longstanding issues of malnutrition, its social determinants, and existing interventions to curb the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community mobilization can lower the risk of HIV infection and help enhance and sustain the HIV/AIDS prevention program. Its applicability has been proved valuable while working with the sex workers and other high risk groups affected by HIV/AIDS infection. The challenges to community mobilisation basically include the absence of a sense of shared identity. Although the Community Mobilization (CM) approach is used in HIV/AIDS intervention programs, it fails to address structural barriers and related policy implications. A specific and in-depth analysis of community mobilisation relevant at the individual group level was conducted among two community based groups (CBGs) in Maharashtra using focused group discussion and participatory research methodology. The findings highlight that CM through these CBGs successfully implements the existing government programs among high risk groups but faces structural barriers while dealing with vulnerable groups. The finding introduces the community mobilisation group (CMB) models into our health policy ensuring that communities address prevention of disease and related challenges among stigmatized groups thereby enabling subsequent policy changes to overcome structural barriers. Considering the limited availability of healthcare resources, this method can optimize the program by strengthening the performance and elevating the sustainability levels thereby encouraging its inclusion in policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based groups (CBGs) are a frequent feature of community mobilization. In HIV/AIDS prevention programs in India, CBGs and networks are seen as a vehicle to strengthen demand for services and manage programmatic activities. Community mobilization is an important component of a participatory approach to health and development interventions.1 and2 have developed a methodology for measuring community mobilization score using community ownership preparedness index (COPI). These authors further use COPI to assess the effectiveness of the community mobilization in a 10-year, large-scale HIV Prevention intervention program, viz., "Avahan, the India AIDS Initiative". The COPI was calculated as a weighted average of 22 sub index scores, where the weights are based on the domain knowledge (or perception). In this paper, we attempt to develop a new data-driven (adaptive) composite index to measure the community mobilization score of a CBG. The suggested data-driven composite score index has been calculated using multivariate statistical methods such as principal components and factor analysis. The nearness of the suggested index to COPI has been established, thus justifying the use of COPI as a community ownership and preparedness index. The effectiveness of the program over the period of evaluation can be clearly seen from the improvement in the adaptive scores during the period 2009 to 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient safety is the fundamental principle underlying quality health care meted out by health care professionals and organizations. Considering the insufficient information on the existing challenges to patient safety and the precipitating factors of unsafe medical practices at primary healthcare levels in India, this study was conducted to redesign the multiple interventions and formulate an alternative patient-oriented healthcare model with a policy and procedural change to facilitate patient safety. In-depth interviews and focused-group discussions were conducted in primary healthcare centers in Western Maharashtra. Data were analyzed using qualitative research methods by adopting the "health system approach and thematic analysis". A comparative analysis of patient safety measures and procedures used in UK was carried out to suggest recommendations. The research findings in terms of identification of barriers to patient safety and providing an alternative healthcare framework focusing on integration of health care system and patients' rights by restructuring the health care system, using standardized procedures, regulatory framework, grievance redresses mechanisms, training as well as clinical audit are enlightening for policy makers, healthcare officials, academicians, NGOs and other civil society organizations. The recommendations, if adopted, definitely guarantee the right to health for all, especially to the disadvantaged sections of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]