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Background: Information needs of Breast Cancer (BC) and its perceived importance has not been adequately assessed in Sri Lanka. The present study aimed to assess cognitive information needs of BC among the adults. Methods: A household survey was conducted among a representative sample (n=1500) of over 18 years of age resident in the district of Colombo not having BC patients in the families. A validated interviewer-administered questionnaire collected information on general and cognitive information needs. Exploratory factor analysis assessed whether any of the aspects of informational needs are redundant and to group the needs. Results: Mean age of the participants was 37.21 (SD = ±9.7) years. Proportion of females was 51.7%, 82.9% were married and 44.1% had been educated up to General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level. Exploratory factor analysis revealed all items of the questionnaire to form two groups that were named as “Factual information on BC prevention and earl...

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world and the commonest in Sri Lanka. The provision of relevant and accurate information in a social-culturally appropriate manner will lead to proper understanding of the disease and treatment options. Objectives: The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Sri Lankans' Informational Needs Assessment Questionnaire of Breast Cancer (SINAQ-BC). Methods: Item generation was through review of literature and using qualitative research techniques among stakeholders. Thus developed and pretested 69 items SINAQ-BC was administered through interviews to 150 women at least 18 years of age who have been diagnosed as having breast cancer within the period of one year prior to the study and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used for further item reduction. Internal consistency reliability and acceptability were also assessed. Results: Exploratory factor analysis determined that 58 items should be retained in the questionnaire and that they be best organized into five subscales labelled as disease, diagnosis, treatment, physical care and psychosocial care. SINAQ-BC showed good internal consistency reliabilities with Cronbach's alpha of 0.76 to 0.93.An average 30 minutes (+5 mins) was taken to complete the SINAQ-BC and it did not require any additional explanations demonstrating its acceptability. The SINAQ-BC demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool to assess informational needs of breast cancer patients. It is recommended to be used to determine informational needs of women with breast cancer and as a tool to assess effectiveness of educational interventions.

Background: Breast cancer [BC] is the commonest cancer in women in Sri Lanka. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on BC among sample of adults from the general public. Materials and Methods: A household survey was conducted among a representative sample of adults of general public [n=1500] living in Colombo district. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge on BC. Overall knowledge and knowledge on -different aspects of BC were estimated based on percentage scores and were presented as 'good / poor' levels based on predetermined cut-offs. Results: [n=1500] Response rate was 97.2%. Mean age of participants was 37.21 [SD = ± 9.7] years and 48.3% [n = 725] of the sample were males. Only 207 [13.8%] [95% CI -12.1 -15.6] adults have a 'good' overall knowledge on breast cancer. Less than 20% had 'good' knowledge on risk factors, symptoms, screening / diagnosis methods and services provided through Well-Women Clinics. Those with knowledge on available treatment methods were 31.8% [95% CI -29.5 -34.1]. Being female [p<0.0001], married [p<0.0001], with high level of education [p<0.001] and being employed [p<0.0001] were associated with a 'good' overall knowledge on breast cancer. Conclusion: Knowledge on risk factors, symptoms, screening / diagnostic methods and the services provided through Well-Women Clinics were particularly poor among adults of the general public. Educational interventions targeted at these aspects are recommended to improve awareness among the general public on BC.

Medical Library, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Professor in Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. National Professional Officer (Health Systems Evidence and Analysis), World Health Organisation Country Office, Sri Lanka. Former Senior Oncological Surgeon, National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, Sri Lanka.

Objective: This study assessed the information needs of breast cancer (BC) patients who presented themselves to the outpatient clinics or wards of the National Cancer Institute, Maharagama, Sri Lanka. Methods: Information needs were measured using the validated questionnaire in the vernacular (Sri Lankan Information Needs Assessment Questionnaire-BC). Results: All affected women indicated a strong need for information related to the disease, treatment, and psychosocial service while the need for information on procedures for diagnosis and physical care was not strong. Younger women (age ≤37) (P < 0.0001) and women with higher education (P < 0.0001) had significantly higher information needs. Conclusions: The results indicated that information needs to be addressed in educational packages require that younger women and those with higher education have specific needs.

Review question / Objective: This study reviews the current evidence on clinical characteristics and outcome of Acute Pancreatitis following spinal surgery. Condition being studied: Acute pancreatitis in spinal surgery. Information sources: All articles were searched electronically using PubMed/Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Latin American & Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) before May 2020 without any restriction in the language or status of publication. Key words related to acute pancreatitis and its complications and various types of spinal surgeries were searched in the title and abstract fields.

Background Aerophagia is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder among children. The disease leads to symptoms related to air in the intestine leading to burping, abdominal distension, and excessive flatus. We aimed to perform a systematic review and a meta-analysis to assess the epidemiology of aerophagia in children. Methods We conducted a thorough electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Web of Science) search for all epidemiological surveys conducted in children on aerophagia. All selected studies were assessed for their scientific quality and the extracted data were pooled to create a pooled prevalence of aerophagia. Results The initial search identified 76 titles. After screening and in depth reviewing, 19 studies representing data from 21 countries with 40129 children and adolescents were included in the meta-analysis. All studies have used standard Rome definitions to diagnose aerophagia. The pooled prevalence of aerophagia was 3.66% (95% Confidence interval...

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered how medical knowledge is transmitted and learned. Due to the virus, universities in Sri Lanka had to close in 2019, which compelled all educational systems to switch to online learning. Both lecturers and undergraduates completed their required curriculum using online resources. There may be another wave of sickness or another tragedy in the future. Also, the pandemic threat is not yet finished. Additionally, in this age, utilizing online resources has become crucial. This study was conducted to identify how undergraduates at the Institute of Indigenous Medicine (IIM), University of Colombo, use online resources for their studies. A survey research design with a random sample technique was used for this purpose. 600 students make up the sample, of whom 100 were randomly chosen from each level, representing the first through final years. Data collection took performed within a month using questionnaires as a tool for data collection. Th...