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In low and middle-income countries, access to cancer diagnosis and treatment is suboptimal. Further, compliance to cancer treatment is a major issue due to various reasons including financial barriers, lack of family support and fear of treatment. This article discusses the determinants of treatment completion in cancer patients of a government-run hospital, in a rural part of Punjab in India. The Sangrur hospital-based cancer registry data for the year 2018 have been used. We have registered 2,969 cancer cases, out of which 2,528 (85%) cases were eligible for the analysis. Of the total 2,528 cases, 1,362 (54%) cases completed the cancer directed treatment and 1,166 (46%) did not. The data have been collected from the electronic medical record (EMR) department and entered into CanReg5 software. The bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to see the effect of variables on the treatment completion. The results indicate that the elderly age group (>60 years) (odds ratio (OR): 0.52, (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.31-0.86)), distance from hospital (OR: 0.67, (95% CI: 0.50-0.89)) and access to government health schemes (OR: 0.13, (95% CI: 0.10-0.19)] have direct correlation with the treatment completion. The educated patients (OR: 1.49, (95% CI: 1.13-1.96)) and patients who received curative treatment (OR: 2.7, (95% CI: 1.88-3.88)) have shown 58% and 84% compliance to treatment completion, respectively. The other variables like the clinical extent of disease, religion, gender and income do not have any significant effect on the treatment completion. Determinants like age (young), education, distance from the hospital, curative treatment and availability of government health schemes for financial support have shown positive effects on treatment completion. These factors have to be considered by the cancer hospitals, health departments and policymakers while planning for cancer care or control in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating disease having a major impact on the sufferers' lives. Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay of the treatment of schizophrenia. But, antipsychotics can lead to a variety of sexual dysfunctions among the males with schizophrenia, which may affect their treatment compliance. Aim: To assess the prevalence and the types of sexual dysfunctions among married males with remitted schizophrenia who were on a single oral antipsychotic drug from either class (i.e., typical or atypical type). Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary health-care centre from Central India, with a sample size of 100 married males with schizophrenia who were in the remission phase on a single oral antipsychotic drug. Data were collected by using a convenient sampling method. Socio-demographic profile and clinical variables were recorded in a specific case report form prepared for the study using the Arizona Sexual Experiences (ASEX) scale and the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) side-effect rating scale to assess the prevalence and the types of oral antipsychotic drugs induced sexual dysfunctions among study participants. Results: The prevalence of antipsychotic drug induced sexual dysfunction was 54%. The most common type of sexual sideeffect of oral antipsychotic treatment was Decreased Sexual Desire/Drive (DSD) as assessed by both ASEX (94.4%) and UKU (63.0%) scales. Sexual dysfunctions like DSD and Ejaculatory Dysfunction (EJD) were associated with the treatment of schizophrenia with typical antipsychotic drugs. Conclusion: The present study shows that the treatment with typical antipsychotics was significantly associated with sexual side-effects. So, routine inquiry during the follow-ups should be done regarding the evaluation of sexual side-effects of antipsychotic agents in order to improve treatment compliance and disease prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the study: Schizophrenia is a major psychiatric disorder, imparting a major burden in health care sector. Many treatments are available now a days to treat schizophrenia, although, its burden is not decreasing. The main reason behind this is noncompliance to treatment. This study aims to find out the noncompliance prevalence and to study influence of sociodemographic factors, treatment related variables, illness related variables and various subjective reasoning in patients with schizophrenia. Material and methods: Over the period of 1 year, 80 patients with schizophrenia who gave written informed consent were enrolled in the study and their sociodemographic, treatment related and illness related variables were noted. PANSS(positive and negative syndrome scale for Schizophrenia) was used to indicate the severity of illness. ROMI(Rating of Medication Influences Scale in Schizophrenia) was used to assess subjective reasons. Chi square test was used to find out statistical significance. Results: 37.5% patients were non-compliant in our study. Education, the illness severity, the type of regimen and dosages of medication have a significant influence on treatment compliance. The subjective reason "no perceived benefit" is significantly associated with treatment noncompliance. Discussion: A wide literature is available across the globe on compliance in schizophrenia. This study aids in the available resources and throws a light on the regional factor. Conclusion: Schizophrenia, being a major disease imparting burden in psychiatry health care system, needs an attention in the area of compliance to treatment. This type of research should be done on regional basis to find out and address the factors that influence treatment compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected population in India. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: The Medline and Cochrane library database were searched. Any prospective or retrospective study enrolling a minimum of 10 subjects with a primary objective of assessing ART adherence in the HIV population in India was included. Data were extracted on adherence definition, adherence estimates, study design, study population characteristics, recall period and assessment method. For metaanalysis, the pooled proportion was calculated as a back-transform of the weighted mean of the transformed proportions (calculated according to the Freeman-Tukey variant of the arcsine square root) using the random effects model. Results: There were seven cross-sectional studies and one retrospective study enrolling 1666 participants. Publication bias was significant (P = 0.003). Pooled results showed an ART adherence rate of 70% (95% confidence interval: 59-81%, I2 = 96.3%). Sensitivity analyses based on study design, adherence assessment method and study region did not influence adherence estimates. Fifty percent (4/8) of the studies reported cost of medication as the most common obstacle for ART adherence. Twenty-five percent (2/8) reported lack of access to medication as the reason for non-adherence and 12% (1/8) cited adverse events as the most prevalent reason for non-adherence. The overall methodological quality of the included studies was poor. Conclusion: Pooled results show that overall ART adherence in India is below the required levels to have an optimal treatment effect. The quality of studies is poor and cannot be used to guide policies to improve ART adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]