Malaysian Journal of Medical Research (MJMR)

Contemporary Management Strategies for Appendicular Abscess: A Narrative Review

Kumar Hari Rajah — 2025-01-30

Introduction: Appendicular abscess is a complication arising from the perforation of the appendix, occurring in approximately 10% of acute appendicitis cases. It is diagnosed through clinical examination, leucocytosis, and imaging techniques such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT). Management traditionally involves a conservative approach, including intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and percutaneous drainage. However, with advancements in laparoscopic surgery, immediate appendectomy has gained preference, while interval appendectomy is now reserved for patients with recurrent symptoms. Methods: This narrative review explores the various management strategies for appendicular abscess. Relevant literature was reviewed to assess the effectiveness of conservative treatment, percutaneous drainage, and surgical interventions, including laparoscopic and interval appendectomy. Results: Conservative management remains the first-line treatment for appendicular abscess, focusing on infection control and symptom relief. The shift towards laparoscopic appendectomy has been observed, with evidence supporting its safety and feasibility. Interval appendectomy, once routinely performed, is now limited to cases with recurrent symptoms, reflecting a change in clinical practice. Conclusion: The management of appendicular abscess has evolved over time, with a growing preference for early laparoscopic intervention in select cases. While conservative treatment remains a viable approach, interval appendectomy is no longer routine. Further studies are needed to refine treatment protocols and optimize patient outcomes.

Determinant of Life Expectancy in Indonesia: Bibliometrics Literature Review

Kurniawan — 2025-01-30

Most of the provinces (74 percent) in Indonesia have life expectancy below the national average. There is a gap in life expectancy between provinces in Indonesia. Justice and equitable development are urgently needed in Indonesia. Increasing life expectancy will contribute to increasing household income thereby reducing poverty levels. A bibliometric literature review was conducted to explain the determinants of life expectancy in Indonesia. A literature search was carried out in the Google Scholar database using the keyword life expectancy in Indonesia. The criteria for selecting literature are those starting in 2015 and published in journals indexed by Scopus, Sinta, and Copernicus. The article searches successfully controlled 19,900 articles. Article selection succeeded in controlling 25 articles that met the criteria. The determinants of life expectancy in Indonesia can be divided into health, social, economic, demographic, political, and environmental infrastructure factors. Recent research on the determinants of life expectancy in Indonesia focuses on health infrastructure variables. Future research needs to be carried out to provide evidence of the influence of inadequate food consumption, food insecurity, stunting, availability of medicines in health facilities, unmet health service needs, self-medication, hand washing facilities, and crime on life expectancy in Indonesia.

Survey on the Use of E-Application for Anaemia in Pregnant Women at Midwifery Clinic

Retno Sugesti — 2025-01-30

Background: Among pregnant women, anaemia is a common health issue, as nutritional requirements increase to support fetal growth. Anaemia during pregnancy can have serious consequences, including an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, and complications during delivery. This article aims to analyse the extent to which health promotion and accessibility to healthcare services influence anaemia in pregnant women. Methods: This study adopts a quantitative approach using a cross-sectional research design. The research was conducted to test a system developed using the waterfall method, in the form of utilising information technology in a knowledge-based system. The population in this study consisted of pregnant women who visited the Midwifery Clinic, with a total of 52 pregnant women from August to October 2024. Results: The significance test p=0.000 confirms that this relationship is statistically significant, indicating that the application has great potential to help effectively detect anaemia in pregnant women. Based on the ANOVA test, the regression model used in this study is statistically significant with a significant value p=0.000. The significance value p=0.000 emphasises that the application plays an important role in enhancing the accuracy of anaemia detection based on hemoglobin levels. The analysis shows an R Square value of 0.695, indicating that about 69.5% of the variation in HB test results can be explained by the application results, reinforcing the application's role in predicting HB test outcomes. Conclusion: The use of the E-Application influences identifying pregnant women with anaemia.

Pharmacists' Knowledge of Non-Sterile Good Compounding Practice (GCP) and Its Implementation in Balikpapan Community Health Centers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Devindy Arsita Rusmawantia — 2025-01-30

Introduction: Good Compounding Practice (GCP) is a guide to compounding drugs that contains more in-depth instruction on implementing good compounding practices to prepare compounded drug formulations that will be given to patients. Poorly conducted compounding can reduce quality, including uniformity of content/levels and weights, impaired stability in both physical, chemical and biological, and the risk of drug interactions and side effects. This study aims to determine the level of pharmacist knowledge about GCP, and GCP implementation. Methods: This type of research is the descriptive correlation with a cross-sectional research design. The object of this research is to the level of knowledge of pharmacists in all Health Centers of Balikpapan City about GCP, and its implementation. The sampling technique used in this research is total sampling technique, then data analysis to determine the correlation between knowledge level and implementation using chi-square analysis. Results: The results showed that the level of pharmacist knowledge about GCP was classified as good, with an average of 87.78. Implementation of GCP by pharmacists is also good with an average value of 83.10. No significant relationship was found between the level of knowledge and the implementation of Good Compounding Practice (GCP) with a P value 0f 0.484. Conclusion: There is no significant relationship between pharmacists' knowledge of Good Compounding Practice (GCP) and its implementation in Balikpapan City Health Centers.