There are about 300 clinical studies being (or have been) conducted in Nepal. The country of the clinical trial is determined by the location of where the clinical research is being studied. Most studies are often held in multiple locations & countries.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if stress management programs can help alleviate existing and prevent future symptoms of stress in nursing professionals working in a tertiary care center in Nepal. Researchers will compare the treatment group (exposed to stress management training) to the control group (not exposed to stress management training) to see if 1. Stress management sessions lead to reduction of levels of stress among nurses at tertiary level hospital in Nepal. 2. To compare the pre and post training stress levels among participants of intervention and control group Participants will Fill out the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 and the Perceived Stress Scale before either being exposed to a 4-session stress management training (treatment group) or not being exposed to such training (control). All participants (both groups) will fill out the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 and the Perceived Stress Scale for pre-post comparative measure.
Globally, neonatal and infant mortality persist as challenging concerns, paralleled by a notable prevalence of low birth weight, preterm birth, and challenges in child growth and development. Some of the factors contributing to these issues include poor maternal health and nutrition, maternal smoking, and insufficient maternal awareness. Despite global efforts to improve maternal, newborn, and child health, adverse birth outcomes remain significant challenges, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A noteworthy observation is that not all pregnant women modify their behaviors for their and their baby's health due to lack of social support, fear and insecurity. Recognizing the potential for interventions during pregnancy to positively influence maternal, fetal, and neonatal health, this research underscores the role of Mobile Health (mHealth) technologies in leveraging information and communication technology for health service delivery. Accordingly, the study aims to evaluate the effect of mobile health intervention on birth outcomes and infant health in Nepal. In the initial phase, a qualitative study will be conducted to explore the enablers and barriers of perinatal care and preferences of pregnant women through focus group discussions. These insights will inform the development of user-centered educational videos and tailored m-Health interventions for pregnant women. A two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial will then assess the m-Health intervention's effect on the birth outcomes and infant health of the pregnant women attending the antenatal care clinic of Dhulikhel Hospital. The investigaotors will randomize pregnant women at gestational age 14-22 weeks into either a control group (who will receive standard care along with a control video and reminder phone call for follow-up) or an intervention group (who will receive standard care along with m-health intervention that includes educational video, short message service (SMS) and reminder phone call for follow up). Follow-up will be done from enrollment until the child reaches one year of age, with a focus on evaluating effect of m-Health intervention on birth outcomes (birth weight and gestational age at delivery) and infant health (growth and development of the infant). Data collection will utilize a self-constructed semi-structured questionnaire, along with validated questionnaires. The collected data will be analyzed using STATA 14, contributing valuable insights into the potential effect of m-Health intervention on birth outcomes and infant health.
Despite implementation of many activities related to maternal health, maternal mortality ratio is still unacceptably high in Nepal, 239/100,000 in live births. Most maternal deaths occur within 48 hours of delivery (42.7%) and then in the late postpartum period (from 48 hours after birth to up to six weeks after childbirth) (29.5%), postpartum hemorrhage predominate as the most important cause of maternal deaths (23%), with hypertensive disorder (eclampsia/pre-eclampsia) at 14 percent. Postnatal care service is important for prevention of postnatal complications and to reduce maternal mortality. However, postnatal care service is rare in Nepal. And where it is available quality is poor. Forty-two (42%) percent of women did not receive any postnatal check in Nepal. Lack of awareness of importance to postnatal care, distance of health facility, unsuccessful endorsement of postnatal care by Government and cultural practice of Nepal are major causes of failure to attend postnatal care and visit in Nepal. Mhealth intervention would be the best option to address these constrains to attain or improve postnatal visits according to national protocol. A qualitative and quantitative study will be conducted. Qualitative study will be conducted as a formative study to explore enabling and barriers to attend postnatal care visit. A focused group discussion will be done among postnatal mothers attending immunization clinic and gynae out patient department (OPD) of Dhulikhel hospital. A COM-B model of behavior change will be applied to identify enablers and barriers among women by conducting focus group discussions. Semi structured topic guide will be developed using sources of behaviors, capability, opportunity and motivation and its sub categories. Intervention package will be designed based on evidence that will support the use of behavioral theory for effective outcomes. Thematic Analysis of barriers and enablers to increase uptake of postnatal care (post natal visits, family planning and exclusive breast feeding) will be done by using same model. A quantitative study will be conducted among antenatal mothers attending ANC clinic of tertiary care hospital. A randomized control trial method will be used for the study. Total of 300 third trimester antenatal women will be enrolled for the study. Intervention group will received intervention package which includes, health care video related to postnatal care, care of newborn, danger signs etc. This video will be shown to women during their antenatal period for the first time and then video will be downloaded to their respective mobile phone and will be motivated to watched them later at least for minimum of 3 times. Educational reminder messages will be sent to women around 13 times different periods of postpartum days. These SMSs will be mainly focused on reminder for postnatal care visits, use of postpartum family planning methods and importance of exclusive breast feeding practices. Control group will receive a standard care. At the end, health related outcomes will be measured in both groups as numbers of postnatal visit attended, use of postnatal family planning methods, exclusive breast feeding and seeking care for danger signs of mother and newborns by both groups will be evaluated. Implementation outcomes of mHealth intervention strategy will be evaluated using PROCTORs framework.
Drug addiction is a public health problem, mainly youths are involved in the addiction and the major reason were due to peer pressure. Spiritual meditation is thought to foster a deeper sense of meaning, which creates new sources of positive reinforcement, increasing motivation for alternative behavior patterns, such as entering treatment or maintaining abstinence. Cluster Randomized Control Trial will be performed for 1-year period where mixed method study design will be performed. The major variables will be Anxiety and depression score, Happiness index, Quality of life, Rate of Relapse, Age, Gender, Occupation, Education, Income, Family Size, Family Income, Family support, Social status- High/Middle/Low, History of drug use self, Types of drugs, Duration of usage: Reason of drug use, how they have started, Amount of drugs, Frequency of use, Family history of drug use, Money spent on drugs per month. A modified validated Questionnaire will be used. CRCT will be done by CONSORT Guidelines. A total of 160 samples will be taken, (40 from each center, two were given Meditation intervention and 80 were given standard treatment as a control group) and 16 qualitative interviews will be taken (4 from each center). The intervention will be given for 3 months, for 6 days one hour per day Rajyoga meditation basic course will be provided, followed by a 1-hour daily spiritual lesson, Positive thinking and motivation classes will be provided to the intervention group, and in the control group standard treatment will be given. Follow-up will be done after 1 month of discharge from the rehabilitation centers. Ethical clearance will be taken from the Ethical Review Board (ERB) of the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC). This study will be useful for developing policy and practice in rehabilitation centers to apply the technique of Rajyoga Meditation in relapse prevention.
In certain low- and middle- income country settings, there is a disproportionate level of untreated postpartum depression that presents both acute and long-term risks to a mother's well-being. Although there is increasing willingness among health systems to involve non-specialists, such as community health workers, in the delivery of psychosocial interventions for postpartum depression, the effectiveness of these interventions has been mixed. The incorporation of digital technology, though, has the potential to improve the effectiveness of non-specialist-delivered interventions. The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the acceptability and clinical efficacy of the StandStrong intervention- a non-specialist, passive sensing technology-informed (i.e., digital) mental health intervention- as compared to a standard non-specialist mental health intervention among postpartum-depressed mothers in Nepal. Successful completion of the trial will contribute to the optimization of psychosocial intervention delivery for the postpartum context in low- and middle-income country settings.
With its high prevalence and concomitant increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension (HTN) is a major global public health challenge. About 13.5% of premature deaths, 54% of incident stroke and 47% of incident coronary heart disease (CHD) worldwide are attributed to high blood pressure (BP). In Nepal, the prevalence of HTN among adults is 25% is similar to the global prevalence. In Nepal, however, a comparatively larger proportion of adults (44%) are unaware of their HTN status, 33% of HTN patients are receiving treatment, and only 12% of the patients have their BP under control. There are proven evidence-based interventions that have been recommended for the prevention and control of HTN including weight loss; healthy diet incorporating reduced sodium, increased fruits and vegetables, and reduced saturated fats; increased physical activity; lowered alcohol; and anti-HTN medications. Despite the availability of these proven effective lifestyle changes and low-cost anti-HTN treatment in preventing major vascular events and total mortality, these recommendations have not been translated into practice to improve population health. In Nepal, the Package of Essential Non Communicable Diseases (PEN) Implementation Plan (2016-2020) was adopted in line with the Multi-sectoral Action Plan for the prevention and control of non communicable diseases (NCD). The PEN includes protocols to detect and manage HTN at the basic health facilities that provide primary health care incorporating all of the above-mentioned evidence-based interventions. However, our just-concluded study to evaluate the implementation of PEN in Nepal (1R21TW011718-01) demonstrated major implementation barriers at multiple levels that cannot be addressed by just health facility-based PEN: (a) Individual level: b) Interpersonal level (c) Community level (d) Organizational level. In response to these multi-level implementation barriers, investigators propose to implement and evaluate a new task-shifting strategy to community health workers (CHW), leading to improved HTN prevention and control. Task-shifting has been proposed as a potential solution to not only address an overburdened health care system but also as a viable method for implementing primary and secondary prevention at the community-level. There is growing evidence that HTN patients can be cared for by CHW in other settings.
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a common condition affecting individuals traveling to elevations greater than 2500 meters (8200 feet). While more gradual ascent profiles, as well as the use of acetazolamide, have been shown to decrease the incidence of AMS, it remains a common condition that can affect anyone who travels to altitude. Many pharmacologic options for treatment of AMS exist, however these are not always effective or able to be taken by all patients. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been shown in some small studies and reports to be a potential non-pharmacologic method of both preventing and treating AMS. No large trials to validate the efficacy of CPAP in altitude related illness have been done. This study aims to evaluate the degree to which CPAP can improve symptoms of AMS, as well as improve oxygen saturation among individuals traveling in a high altitude location.
This study is a multi-country and multi-site project to estimate the point-prevalence of high-risk (HR) HPV genotype infections among representative samples of girls and women aged 9-50 years, and among specific sub-populations to estimate the incidence of persistent HPV infection among sexually active young women. The data to fulfill the objectives will be collected through a series of Cross-Sectional Surveys (CSS) and Longitudinal Studies (LS) in all 8 countries 3 South Asian countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and 5 sub-Saharan African countries including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia and DR Congo. Qualitative sub-studies (QS) will be conducted in selected countries and populations following the CSS to further understand and unpack risk factors for HPV infection as well as to explore how gender-related dynamics including perceptions of gender norms and stigma, influence HPV burden and/or create barriers that shape girls/women access to and uptake of HPV prevention, screening, and treatment services. Specific study protocols and corresponding ethical applications for the qualitative sub-studies will be developed separately.
Despite evidence of preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk through lifestyle changes, many patients with hypertension (HTN) do not comply with this and suffer from CVD and other complications. A previous study using a structured lifestyle intervention program has reported a 14% decrease in the 10-year risk of developing CVD at one year among hypertensive and diabetes patients. Low and Middle-Income countries (LMICs) struggle with a shortage of health workers to deliver such interventions. In this context, mobile phones can contribute to bridging this gap by incorporating them into the health system for health intervention delivery. There is a need to develop contextual mHealth intervention adapted to local needs and culture and test its effectiveness in LMIC settings like Nepal. Our previous small-scale pilot mHealth (text messages) study reported promising evidence in reducing blood pressure among hypertensive patients in the intervention arm [adjusted reduction in systolic blood pressure (BP) -6.50 (95% CI, -12.6; -0.33) and diastolic BP -4.60 (95% CI, -8.16; -1.04)], with a greater proportion achieving target BP (70% vs 48% in the control arm, p = 0.006)] and improving treatment compliance (p < 0.001) in Nepal. This finding supports the expansion to a large-scale trial of a structured mHealth intervention to see its long-term effectiveness and sustainability for patients with HTN to improve BP control and reduce CVD risk. Hence, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of a behavioural intervention through mHealth (telephone/mobile phone calls and text messages) informed by the RE-AIM framework for improving blood pressure control among patients with hypertension in a hospital (Manamohan Cardiothoracic Vascular and Transplant Center) of Kathmandu, Nepal.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of point-of-care lung ultrasound versus chest X-ray for the management of childhood lower respiratory infections in a low-resource setting. The main question it aims to answer is: Is point-of-care lung ultrasound as effective as chest X-ray for the management of childhood LRIs in a low-resource setting? Participants will be assigned to either a point-of-care lung ultrasound group (intervention) or a chest X-ray group (control), to compare the effect on overall case management and various clinical outcomes (time to symptom resolution, rate of antibiotic use, length of stay, treatment costs).