Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality and health expenditures worldwide. Despite having higher ASCVD in the Pakistani population, data on subclinical coronary atherosclerosis in young Pakistanis remain scarce. The PAKistan Study of prEmature coronary atHerosclerosis in young AdulTs (PAK-SEHAT) aims to assess the prevalence, severity and determinants of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis among Pakistani men (35–60 years) and women (35–65 years) free of clinically symptomatic ASCVD and will assess 5-year rates of ASCVD events.
PAK-SEHAT is an ongoing prospective cohort study with 2000 participants from all provinces of Pakistan who will be interviewed at the baseline along with phlebotomy, measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Phlebotomy will be repeated at 2.5 years, whereas CIMT and CCTA will be repeated at 5 years. We will report the frequency of maximal coronary stenosis ≥50% and ≥70%, number of coronary vessels with plaque and the number of coronary segments affected per participant on CCTA. We will use Cox proportional hazards regression models to evaluate the association between baseline characteristics and incident ASCVD events during follow-up. These associations will be presented as HRs with 95% CIs.
The study protocol was approved by the Tabba Heart Institute Institutional Review Board (THI/IRB/FQ/22-09-2021/016). All study procedures are consistent with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Findings of the study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
This study examined the experiences of Syrian refugees in a community centre in Turkiye as they access mental health services and receive psychiatric nursing care.
A qualitative design was adopted in the study.
Data were collected from southern Turkiye between November and December 2021. The researchers conducted three semi-structured focus group interviews. Colaizzi's phenomenological method was followed to analyse the qualitative data. A total of 19 Syrian refugees participated in the focus group interviews.
Three key themes related to immigrants' experiences of receiving mental health services and nursing care were identified: barriers to receiving mental health services, coping with negative experiences in Turkiye and satisfaction with mental health services. The participants identified the barriers they experienced while receiving health services as those pertaining to language, discrimination and stigmatization. They also mentioned the methods of coping with these negative experiences in Turkiye. Despite their negative experiences, they expressed satisfaction with the mental health services they received, especially psychiatric nursing care.
This study determined that Syrian refugees face barriers in accessing and receiving mental health services. They stated that mental health professionals in Turkiye approach them with empathy, particularly those in psychiatric nursing. Healthcare professionals may be trained in culturally sensitive care to increase awareness.
Studies have frequently examined the experiences of nurses providing care to refugees, but few have focused on evaluating nursing care from the perspective of refugees. Syrian refugees have reported various obstacles in accessing and receiving mental healthcare services. Health professionals, especially psychiatric nurses in mental health psychosocial support centres, must facilitate the processes to eliminate these obstacles.
The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) were used.
No patient or public involvement.