Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Open Access

Skin infection: An association between awareness and quality of life among adults in Petaling district, Malaysia

European Pharma Congress

August 25-27, 2015 Valencia, Spain

Jamuna Rani

International Medical University, Malaysia

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Pharma Care Health Sys

Abstract :

Background: The prevalence of skin infection is on the rise globally and there is a lack in published data pertaining to skin infection in Malaysia. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the awareness of skin infection among adults and to study the effect of skin infection on Quality of Life (QoL). Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adults 18 years and above in Petaling district, Malaysia. Subjects were interviewed based on a validated questionnaire to elicit information on socio-demographic data, prevalence and level of awareness on skin infection. Whereas the impact of skin infection on quality of life was questioned using a validated questionnaire Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 18.0. Results: Out of 384 participants, 230 (60%) of subjects had skin infection. Bacterial skin infection such as acne (54.8%) being most prevalent followed on by fungal infection (29.6%), viral infection (11.7%) and parasitic infection (3.9%). It was found that most of the subjects were aware of the risk factors of skin infection. Nevertheless, those with skin infection reported their quality of life was affected mainly due to the physical symptoms of skin infection and treatment of skin infection. A significant association was found between the awareness of risk factor of skin infection and QoL in those with skin infection with a p-value <0.05. Conclusion: The prevalence of skin infection among adults in Petaling district was found to be 60%. Besides that, there is association found between level of awareness of skin infection and QoL in subjects with skin infection. A full drug review on medications for skin infection among community pharmacies is highly recommended to improve pharmaceutical care in this region.

Biography :

Email: Jhamunaa2@gmail.com