Research 2007 at AKU

Road Traffic Injured Choose Distant Hospitals Resulting in Preventable Trauma and Deaths

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A study presented at Aga Khan University 's (AKU) annual research session shows that many road traffic victims are rushed to distant hospitals by attendants instead of the nearest facility resulting in preventable trauma and deaths. This indicates a dire need for an organised referral system for road accident victims in Karachi , where road traffic injuries are on the rise.

Dr Junaid Razzak, Associate Professor and Head of the Section of Emergency Medicine, and his team studied the medico-legal records of Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Civil Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and discovered the trend of rushing road traffic victims to hospitals of choice located at a distance instead of the nearest facility which results in delayed treatment of injuries and increases the risks of preventable deaths and damage to the injured. The team has been working on developing an integrated emergency response system involving hospitals, care units and emergency vehicles as well as specialised training of health professionals in injury control.

Another study presented by Dr Fahim Jafary, whose oral presentation was judged to be the best, provides strong evidence that a normal stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) result, particularly if after exercise, carries robust prognostic value in Indo-Asians – confirming that the nuclear cardiology “warranty” holds in this population similar to the western population. An abnormal MPI scan predicts a three-fold higher risk of death, study adds.

Dr Nawal Salahuddin, who shared the award for best oral presentation, and her researchers, discovered a need for on-going formal discussions and training of physicians and nurses on the issues surrounding End-of-Life. Their cross sectional survey conducted at three major hospitals in Karachi documented the knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians and nurses dealing with the critically ill. The survey addressed questions regarding recognition of end-of-life in the ICU, knowledge of commonly used terms to describe limitations of care, and attitudes and practices towards withdrawal and limitation of life support measures and organ harvest for transplantation.

Over 120 research abstracts and several research titles were presented at the Research 2007, which is an annual event of AKU's Department of Medicine since the last 6 years.

Studies presented at the event included a comparison of patterns of Type 2 diabetes between native Pakistani and UK immigrant South Asians , a study on the Dengue out-break in Karachi in 2006 , and the disproportionately high risk of left ventricular hypertrophy in Indo-Asian women.

At the closing session of Research 2007, Chief Guest Dr Huma Qureshi, Executive Director of the Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC), presented an overview of the activities of PMRC and said that the Government's health sector initiatives did not invest in medical research. She informed that the PMRC developed health kits for diabetics, would be offered to the public at economical rates.

Every important research meeting held in the country or in the region included submissions from AKU's Department of Medicine. Dr Wasim Jafri, Chairman of the Department of Medicine, AKU said that the department consistently publishes more than 70 peer-reviewed manuscripts of quality in national and international journals in a year. “The current research being carried out in the Department of Medicine is impact-related and aims to deliver knowledge relevant to this community and region's immediate needs,” he elaborated. Special areas of research include Diabetes, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, Cardiac Diseases, Cancer, Renal Diseases, Infectious Diseases such as Typhoid and Malaria and Chronic Liver Diseases with all its complications as well as projects in Emergency Medicine.

Recognising the impact of this annual research and academic activity at AKU, Dr Mohammad Khurshid, Dean AKU-Medical College , said that this tradition set by the Department of Medicine has been adopted by many other departments of the University.

Dr Mohammad Wasay, Associate Professor and Chair Departmental Research Committee said that the foremost challenge was to improve quality of research and increase conversion of these abstracts into full papers. A manuscript writing support unit as well as support for ethical review process and grant writing was being planned at AKU.

Firoz Rasul, President of AKU, appreciated the efforts of the Department of Medicine in research dissemination. He emphasised that unless research is internationally peer reviewed, it remains interesting not useful, “Our aim is to produce work that is useful for the people of this country and the region,” he stressed.

AKU appreciates that the endemic problems of a region beset with financial difficulties and low development indicators, can be addressed only through relevant research focusing on producing low cost, accessible and innovative solutions.

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