Rubina Barolia

Aga Khan University, Pakistan | AKU · School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Objectives To explore patients’ awareness of risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) and experiences of the behavioural modifications, they made during their recovery through in-depth semistructured interviews. Design Qualitative exploration was undertaken as part of a larger project to answer the study questions. Setting Participants were...

Introduction Evidence shows that cancer treatment-related symptoms could be managed effectively in 8–18 years old children through Digital Health Interventions (DHIs), consequently improving their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). However, limited research is available about digitally mediated educative health interventions for children with...

Behavior modification is important in managing and preventing recurrent cardiac events. By emphasizing lifestyle modifications and addressing psychosocial factors, healthcare providers can empower patients to take control of their cardiovascular health and improve long-term outcomes. Integrating evidence-based behavior modification programs into ro...

The life experiences of children with cancer and their parents as individuals have been well documented in literature. However, little is known about their experiences as child–parent dyads in Pakistan regarding these children’s quality of life. Thus, the study was conducted in the context of the family-centric society of Pakistan. In-depth intervi...

Background: After a myocardial infarction, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is essential to the patient's recovery. However, due to limited CR facilities, many patients are not offered CR as a routine procedure, and those who are offered show reluctance due to CR expectations. Therefore, it is important to explore the preferences of patients who survive...

Malnutrition among adolescents has been identified as major issue in low income developing countries which causes deficiencies of important vitamins and proteins leading to extreme situations, susceptibility to infections and many other health hazards. Theresearch intended to explore the perceptions of school going adolescents and their mothers/imm...

Objectives: This study aimed to assess and compare the impact of implementing a standard clinical pathway on clinical outcomes and quality of life among Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients at Dr. Ruth Katherina Martha Pfau Civil Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: A quasi-experimental non-randomized controlled study was conducted fro...

Objective Disturbances in the oral mucosa is a major concern among patients undergoing chemotherapy. One of the most significant barriers in the implementation of oral care is the lack of knowledge. The aim of the study was to assess gingival and periodontal health status of chemotherapy patients before and after the provision of oral hygiene instr...

A colonoscopy is a procedure commonly used for the diagnosis of colorectal diseases but may be associated with high levels of anxiety and discomfort, which can lead to complications during sedation and decreased patient comfort and cooperation. This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi to assess the effectiveness of music ther...

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) continue to be a major global public health concern, accounting for a considerable portion of the burden of morbidity and mortality. The CAD in Pakistan imposes a substantial economic and social burden on individuals, families, and the healthcare system. Despite advances in medical interventions and therapi...

Dietary patterns of pregnant women are closely related to cultural values, beliefs, and various social and economic factors. Knowledge of the food choices and practices among pregnant Aboriginal and immigrant women, who both are vulnerable to poor pregnancy and birth outcomes, is essential for midwives and other maternity care providers to provide...

Behavior modification is important in managing and preventing recurrent cardiac events following a heart attack. By emphasizing lifestyle modifications and addressing psychosocial factors, healthcare providers can empower patients to take control of their cardiovascular health and improve long-term outcomes. Integrating evidence-based behavior modi...

Background: Medication non-adherence poses substantial risks, including disease progression, increased hospitalizations, and elevated healthcare costs. Understanding the importance of medication adherence and the unique challenges faced by individuals with CVD in Pakistan is essential for implementing targeted interventions and improving patient ou...

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation plays a significant role in patients' lives for returning to a healthy routine. Recovery from a heart attack without a structured cardiac rehabilitation program is incomplete or delayed. Unfortunately, structured cardiac rehabilitation centers are scarce in countries with limited resources, particularly Pakistan....

Objective Maternal sepsis is the third leading cause of maternal mortality globally. WHO and collaborators developed a care bundle called FAST-M (Fluids, Antibiotics, Source identification and treatment, Transfer and Monitoring) for early identification and management of maternal sepsis in low-resource settings. This study aimed to determine feasib...

Introduction Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an important strategy to bring cardiac patients back to a normal life after a cardiac event. The benefits of CR as part of secondary prevention are widely known among people who have undergone myocardial infarction or revascularisation. As evidenced by several systematic reviews and meta-analyses, home-ba...

Purpose of Review The review aims to explore the available literature on the role of advance practice providers (APPs) in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recent Findings CVD are the major cause of death and disease with the growing burden of direct and indirect costs. Globally, one out of every three deaths is due to CVD....

Adolescence is the make-or-break stage of life. Major physical, mental, and psychological growth takes place at this age. Adequate and balanced nutrition is a vital requirement to support this phase. Adolescents living in developing and low-income countries are more likely to face nutritional challenges. Poor nutritional status during adolescence i...

Purpose of Review South Asia has around 1/6th of the current global population. Epidemiological studies suggest that South Asians living in South Asia and diaspora are at an increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVDs). This is due to an interplay of genetic, acquired, and environmental risk factors. Due to its incre...

Introduction: Socioeconomically deprived populations are at greater risk for smoking-induced diseases and death, such as cancers, and cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. The initiation of a nurse-led smoking cessation program in clinical practice is an effective method to enhance smoking cessation among cardiovascular and respiratory patient...

Introduction The World Health Organization and partners developed and evaluated a maternity-specific sepsis care bundle called ‘FAST-M’ for low-resource settings. However, this bundle has not yet been studied in Asia. Our study sought to evaluate the perceptions of healthcare providers about the implementation of the FAST-M intervention in Pakistan...

Objective A maternal sepsis management bundle for resource-limited settings was developed through a synthesis of evidence and international consensus. This bundle, called ‘FAST-M’ consists of: Fluids, Antibiotics, Source control, assessment of the need to Transport/Transfer to a higher level of care and ongoing Monitoring (of the mother and neonate...

Background: This qualitative exploratory study explores smokers’ perspectives regarding smoking cessation processes amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Purposive sampling was employed to conduct semi-structured interviews with cigarette smokers visiting cardiac and pulmonary clinics at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Thematic analys...

Background Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition, defined by organ dysfunction caused by infection during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. It is estimated to account for between one-tenth and half (4.7% to 13.7%) of all maternal deaths globally. An international stakeholder group, including the World Health Organization,...

Background Cigarette smoking is one of the most preventable causes of morbidities and mortalities. Since 2005, the World Health Organization Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) provides an efficient strategic plan for tobacco control across the world. Many countries in the world have successfully reduced the prevalence of cigarette...

Background This study aimed to document the evolution of perceptions of frontline healthcare workers (FHCW) regarding their well-being and the quality of health systems' response to the COVID-19 pandemic over four months in Pakistan. Methods We conducted this prospective longitudinal qualitative study during the four months (June–September 2020) c...

Objective: To assess the effect of acute myocardial infarction standard clinical pathway among acute myocardial infarction patients on length of stay in public tertiary care setting. Methods: The quasi-experimental non-randomised study was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, from September to December...

Background Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition, defined by organ dysfunction caused by infection during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. It is estimated to account for between one tenth and half of all maternal deaths globally. An international stake-holder group, including the World Health Organization, developed a mate...

Objectives The study explored the perceptions of adult smokers with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases regarding cigarette smoking cessation. We also explored factors that may hinder or facilitate smoking cessation process. Design Qualitative descriptive exploratory design Sample Purposive sample of 13 adult smokers with cardiovascular or re...

Background This feasibility study aimed to assess the use of WhatsApp for qualitative data collection to document the evolution of perceptions of frontline healthcare workers (FHCW) regarding their wellbeing and the quality of health systems' response to the COVID-19 pandemic over four months. Methods This was a prospective longitudinal qualitativ...

Background This feasibility study aimed to assess the use of WhatsApp for qualitative data collection to document the evolution of perceptions of frontline healthcare workers (FHCW) regarding their wellbeing and the quality of health systems' response to the COVID-19 pandemic over four months. Methods This was a prospective longitudinal qualitativ...

Introduction Hypospadias is a congenital anomaly of male external genitalia and is the second most common congenital anomaly of male newborns after cryptorchidism. Although its prevalence in Afghanistan is unknown, anecdotal evidence shows that hypospadias is an important clinical and psychosocial problem in Afghanistan. There is no data available...

Introduction Unfortunately, like many other health risks, smoking rate has been on the rise in developing countries. Half of current smokers in the world reside in only three countries of Asia that include India. Many smoking cessation interventions that were developed and successfully implemented in the context of developed countries have not been...

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of global morbidity and mortality. Sufferings of the terminal stage, adult cancer patients can be alleviated through palliative care. Such patients prefer getting palliative care at home. Aims: The objective of this study was to discover the ways by which palliative care needs of adult cancer patients are being...

Introduction: Do not resuscitate (DNR) decision making is an integral component of emergency medicine practice. There is a paucity of data, protocols and guidelines regarding the perceptions and barriers that are involved in the interactions among healthcare professionals, patients and their caregivers regarding DNR decision making. The aim of thi...

Background There has been an increase in the use of smokeless tobacco in recent times. Whether smokeless tobacco use may predispose individuals to use other addictive substances is unknown. The use of multiple addictive substances may compound their adverse health effects. Methods In a cross-sectional analysis, we used the 2016-2017 Behavioral Ris...

Background: Food insecurity (FI) is alarmingly high in developing countries including Pakistan. A quarter of Pakistan's population consists of adolescents yet there is no information on their experience of FI. FI at adolescent age have long term effect on mental and physical health hence we aimed to determine the prevalence of food insecurity (FI)...

Objective: To measure the psychological distress among the informal caregivers of disabled young adults with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and to identify its associated factors. Methods: An analytical cross sectional study was conducted with 76 informal caregivers of young adults (19 - 50 years) with TBI, using admission records of one of the...

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to identify the palliative care needs of adult cancer patients from the perspective of patients and their family members. A qualitative and descriptive study design was used for this study. The snowball sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. In all, 24 participants participated in this study...

This study explores factors that affect the people of low socioeconomic status regarding food choices after diagnosis with cardiovascular disease. Qualitative approach was used to identify the important factors associated with dietary changes as a result of their disease. Twenty-four participants were interviewed from two cardiac facilities in Kara...

Background: Pain is the subjective feeling of an individual, which affects the overall recovery of patients after cardiac surgery. Postoperative pain is the most inadequately managed symptom of cardiac surgery. Subsequently, there are many factors that can either hinder or facilitate pain management, including patients' beliefs, cultural values, p...

Cardiovascular diseases possess a major cause for fatality and disability the world over. Since last several decades, the rates of cardiovascular diseases-related deaths have decreased in a number of high-income countries but increased in low- and middle-income countries with around 80% of the burden. Despite the seriousness of cardiovascular disea...

ABSTRACT Background: In a patriarchal society like Pakistan, where women are oppressed, women dominating professions like nursing is mostly seen as disempowered and requires the considerable struggle to achieve its due recognition and respect. Aim: This study aims to explore the experiences of empowerment among the nursing leaders of Pakistan. Meth...

Cardiovascular disease exerts an enormous burden on women's health. The intake of a healthy diet may reduce this burden. However, social norms and economic constraints are often factors that restrain women from paying attention to their diet. Underpinned by critical realism, this study explores how gender/sex influences decision-making regarding fo...

Background Canada is among the top immigrant-receiving nations in the world. Immigrant populations may face structural and individual barriers in the access to and navigation of healthcare services in a new country. The aims of the study were to (1) generate new understanding of the processes that perpetuate immigrant disadvantages in maternity hea...

Background: Canada's diverse society and its statutory commitment to multiculturalism means that a synthesis of knowledge related to the healthcare experiences of immigrants is essential to realise the health potential for future Canadians. Although concerns about the maternity experiences of immigrants in Canada are relatively new, recent nationa...

Background Immigrant women may be regarded as a vulnerable population with respect to access and navigation of maternity care services. They may encounter difficulties when accessing culturally safe and appropriate maternity care, which may be further exacerbated by language difficulties and discriminatory practices or attitudes. The project aimed...

Background: Immigrant women may be regarded as a vulnerable population with respect to access and navigation of maternity care services. They may encounter difficulties when accessing culturally safe and appropriate maternity care, which may be further exacerbated by language difficulties and discriminatory practices or attitudes. The project aimed...

There is a misconception that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the burden of wealthy nations, but, in fact, it is the leading cause of death and disability-adjusted life worldwide. Healthy diets are an essential factor in the prevention of CVD. However, promoting healthy diet is challenging, particularly for people with low-socioeconomic status (SES...

Because of the increasing demand for nurses entering professional practice to have a baccalaureate degree, the pressure to have faculty members prepared at the graduate level is also mounting. Due to personal, economic, or organizational factors, faculty members may undertake graduate studies at the institutions where they teach. No research has be...

The aim of this study was to discover the key components of caring within an Islamic context. The grounded theory methodology was utilized to discover caring processes. Seven scholars were interviewed; four were nursing scholars and three were Islamic scholars. Literature was simultaneously searched for support of emerging concepts and to fill in g...

Faculty practice can promote a collaborative partnership mutually beneficial to both nursing education and service. However, little is known about its implementation in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential for introducing faculty practice within the cultural milieu of Karachi, Pakistan. Focus groups of nursin...