Introduction: Diabetic control depends partially on self-management. Diabetes self-care is reported to be a strong predictor of glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients. Factors contributing to better self-care include self-efficacy and social support. We aim to determine effects of these factors on glucose control in T2DM patients in a primary care clinic. Methods: This study utilised data from a bigger study looking into factors affecting social support and self-efficacy and their correlation in T2DM patients. This study was done among 329 T2DM pa- tients attending a primary care clinic in Selangor, Malaysia between November 2013- January 2014. Systematic ran- dom sampling was used. Instruments used were the MOS Social Support Survey and the Diabetic Management Self Efficacy Scale (DMSES). Patients’ socio-demographic data and glucose monitoring records were obtained. The asso- ciation between social support and self-efficacy with blood glucose control was determined using logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the respondents is 54.6 (+11.2), mostly female (55.3%) and Malay ethnicity (63.5%). Being older and retired were predictors for good glucose control (OR=1.05,p=0.01 and OR=2.2,p=0.023) respectively. There is also significant correlations between number of close friends/relatives with social support and self-efficacy (r=0.162,p=0.030 and r=0.190,p=0.01) respectively. The correlation of social support and self-efficacy with HbA1c levels are r= -0.044(p=0.426) and r= -0.08(p= 0.744) respectively. Conclusion: There were no correlations between social support and self-efficacy with the level of HbA1c among patients with T2DM in this study. We found older aged and retired patients to have better HbA1c levels.
Cases of penile siliconoma are unusual and less commonly present to medical practitioners. The siliconoma is a subsequence of injecting high viscous solution into the penis; commonly sillicone with the aim to enhance its size and performance. This case will look at a patient who developed penile siliconoma after a dubious penile implant injection gone wrong. It will also look at what surgical options are available to the unfortunate patients to ease their suffering. Physician should have a high index of suspicion on the use of such substances to enhance sexual perfor- mances in patients presenting with atypical penile swelling.
Introduction: Since 1978, Rohingya refugees have fled from their native nation, Myanmar to escape ethnic prose- cution. They comprise of the Muslim minority ethnic group originating from the Rakhine state in Myanmar. In many host countries, they may have difficulty to access health care services. The Islamic Association of Malaysia (IMAM) Response and Relief Team (IMARET) have taken many initiatives to provide healthcare services to the refugees through their volunteer-led mobile clinics. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the utilisation of drugs among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients visiting this clinic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among Rohingya refugees with T2DM that visited the IMARET mobile clinics from August until November 2017. Convenient sampling method was used. Data were collected through patient’s interview, review of the patient’s prescriptions and their HbA1c readings. Results: A total of 29 T2DM patients were included in this study. The majority were female (75.9%) and aged below 65 years old (75.9%). The most commonly prescribed anti-diabetic agent was metformin (72.2%), followed by glibenclamide (22.2%) and gliclazide (5.6%). Metformin as a monotherapy (31%) was the most frequent treatment prescribed. More patients had controlled T2DM (62.1%) compared to those with uncontrolled DM. We found 90.9% of patients who were treated according to the recommended DM guidelines achieved a good blood glucose control (p=0.02). Conclusion: In Rohingya refugees having T2DM who were treated in the IMARET mobile clinic, the percentage having good control DM status is higher in those whose treatment regimen adheres to the clinical practice guidelines.
Introduction: In first six months of life, breastfeeding is the recommended form of feeding by the World Health Organisation for the growing child. To enable the working mother to continue this noble practice, adequate workplace breastfeeding support and self- efficacy is needed. This study aims to determine the prevalence of breastfeeding among working mothers of children aged three months to two years and factors associated with breastfeeding practice including workplace support and mother’s self-efficacy. Method: This is a cross sectional questionnaire study carried out in a rural Health Clinic in Selangor using socio-demographic data, Workplace Breastfeeding Support Scale (WBSS), and the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form (BSES-SF). This study was conducted for a period of three months from April to June 2015. The respondents were employed Malaysian mothers of healthy infants aged three months to two years. A total of 84 participants were involved in the study. Data analysis was done with SPSS 22.Results: The prevalence of breastfeeding among working mothers were high at 97.6%. We found significant association of breastfeeding practice with workplace breastfeeding support (p=0.005) and self-efficacy (p= 0.017). We also noted a significant correlation between breastfeeding workplace support and breast feeding self-efficacy (r= 0.40, p