ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly scholarly publication dedicated to advancing research and knowledge in health sciences, medicine, and public health. The journal serves as a platform for researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to share innovative findings, evidence-based practices, and critical insights into global health challenges.
Risk Factors Associated With Multidrug-Resistant Infections in Hospitalized Patients
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections have turned out to be a significant hazard to worldwide health systems, especially in the hospitalized infections where the danger of infections is exceptionally elevated. Pathogens cause these infections that are resistant to various classes of antibiotics and result in failure of treatment, prolonged hospital stay, increased mortality and an increase in healthcare costs. This paper discusses the most prevalent risk factors related to multidrug-resistant infections in hospitalized individuals and the determinants are discussed based on the clinical, environmental, and treatment aspects. The current evidence indicates that long-term hospitalization, antibiotic overuse, invasive medical procedures, immune-compromised states and inadequate practices related to infection control are the main factors leading to MDR infections. Hospitals serve as reservoirs of those pathogens which are resistant to the infection thus sleeping ser ser-transmission to patients and healthcare workers. Also, improper prescribing of antibiotics and absence of antimicrobial stewardship further enhance the development of resistance. The results support the necessity to elaborate on combined intervention measures related to preventing infections, the rational use of antibiotics, and the introduction of a more optimal state of hygiene activities in hospitals to prevent the negative effects of multidrug-resistant infections in the healthcare system.
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Adil Asghar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Establishing Reference Ranges for Pediatric Kidney Size Using Multidetector Computed Tomography in Pakistani Children
Precise reference ranges in terms of kidney size in pediatrics is crucial to diagnose renal pathologies and make proper clinical decisions in pediatric nephrology. Although imaging technology has been advanced, no population-specific computed tomography (CT)-based norms of the renal size are available in Pakistani children. The purpose of the study was to analyze the Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) as a normative range of measurements of kidney length, width, thickness and volume in a representative sample of Pakistani children. We retrospectively analyzed reading of MDCT scans of children aged between 0 and 18 years and we used measurements as an indicator that was compared to demographic factors such as age, height, weight, and body surface area. The findings revealed a steady growth in kidney sizes with age and somatic growth parameters, and were the first CT-based pediatric renal reference data showed in this population. These reference ranges will help the radiologist and clinician to better assess the development of the kidney and promptly detect pathological deviations in Pakistani children.
Copyright (c) 2026 Amina Haq (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Association between Length of Hospital stay and Antibiotic Resistance outcomes
This has made antibiotic resistance a major issue in many parts of the world; it has become a major global health concern yet has made it very difficult to find a successful treatment result and hence more healthcare burdens are incurred. The length of hospital stay (LOS) is one of the aspects of the antibiotic resistance that are less studied and, nevertheless, very important. Long-term hospitalization can introduce patients to resistant pathogens, improper use of antibiotics, and hospital-acquired infections, as a result, raising the chances of poor outcomes. This paper looks at the relationship between length of stay and the outcome of antibiotic resistance by conducting a synthesis of literature and pinpointing factors that contributed to these outcomes. It has been indicated that length of stay in hospitals is highly associated with prevalence of multidrug-resistant infections because of cumulative exposure to invasive procedures, drug abuse, and cross-contamination in health facilities. Moreover, LOS with prolonged time is not just an aspect of resistance development, but also a severity indicator of the infection by resistant organisms, establishing a two-way correlation. The researchers emphasize the significance of antimicrobial stewardship programs, infection prevention measures, and early discharge planning to reduce the risks of resistance. This association is important to healthcare policymakers and practitioners who want to decrease the levels of resistance and enhance patient outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Qamar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Pediatric Renal Health Screening Using Imaging Modalities in Low-Resource Settings
Renal diseases in children can be an important cause of childhood morbidity, and chronic renal problems, especially in low-resource countries where treatment intervention is not always timely. The imaging modalities are also of utmost importance to the screening, diagnosis, and follow-up of renal abnormalities in children. This paper is a review and synthesis of ways in which various levels of imaging: mostly ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used in health screening of renal conditions in resource constrained health systems. Ultrasonography is the preferred modality because of its safety and cost-effectiveness and non-invasiveness, as compared to CT and MRI which are used in complicated or inconclusive cases due to its expensive nature and low availability. Some of the challenges that have been mentioned in the study include insufficient training of radiologists, inadequate infrastructure, inadequate diagnosis, and financial constraints that curtail optimal use of imaging services. In spite of these shortcomings, imaging is required to detect early congenital anomalies, obstructive uropathies, infections and renal developmental abnormalities in children. Enhancing imaging capacity and combining low-cost screening guidelines can greatly enhance the outcomes of pediatric kidney care in low-resource settings.
Copyright (c) 2026 Salama Hassan, Ali Akbar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Age, Height, and Weight-Adjusted Renal Dimension Models Using CT Imaging
The correct measurement of renal size in children is also necessary to identify early onset of congenital and acquired renal anomalies as kidney size not only indicates the structural integrity, but also the morphological development of the kidney. The conventional renal size reference criteria use ultrasound and age charts, which do not consider the variation among individuals in terms of body developmental patterns (Riccabona, 2021). The purpose of this study was to build up age-, height-, and weight-adjusted renal dimension models with the help of computed tomography (CT) imaging in a pediatric sample. The analytical design was cross-sectional and the renal length, width, was measured using up-to-date CT availed data on renal volume, length, and width of the pediatric patients. The anthropometric parameters such as age, height and weight were studied to find out that they are correlated to the renal dimensions. The multivariate regression analysis was used to come up with predictive models of adjusting the size of the kidneys. The findings indicated a good positive relationship among renal dimensions and anthropometric variables with height being the most important predictor, followed by the body weight and age (Lee and Siegel, 2018). The models suggested better accuracy than the conventional textbook reference standards which were age based. The results indicate that anthropometric renal modeling with CT could be applied in pediatric nephrology to improve accuracy of diagnosis especially when the results of the ultrasound are indifferent or non-conclusive (Friedman & Jones, 2022). Such models can help a clinician to identify issues in the kidneys early and enhance the personal approach to the patient.
Copyright (c) 2026 Maria Khan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Role of AI in Diagnostics and Treatment in Pakistan’s Healthcare System
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a revolutionary power in the modern world of healthcare has improved the diagnostic accuracy, allows patients to have a better treatment plan and making healthcare more accessible. In the case of Pakistan, which feels the pressure on the healthcare system over the lack of available medical resources, availability of medical resources among healthcare specialists and healthcare accessibility, AI is playing a vital role to give innovative solutions to the healthcare sector to improve diagnostics and treatment services. This research article focuses on AI utilization in the healthcare system of Pakistan in diagnostics and treatment. The paper includes a theoretical discourse of the available findings as well as applying a new methodology framework and examining the results of AI supported healthcare initiatives. Findings identify that AI has a significant impact on the early detection of the disease, clinical decision making and the management of the patients. However, there are challenges which are infrastructure, data privacy, ethical issues, lack of compliance with regulation, etc. The results of the study conclude that strategic integration of AI can improve the healthcare outcomes in Pakistan provided the support of regulatory frameworks, training and investment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Salma Anwar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Perceptions of Employees regarding Service Quality in Punjab Hospitals
Great significance of the perception of the employees regarding the quality of the service to the patient is tied to the understanding of the hospital performance levels, patient satisfaction, and overall efficiency of healthcare delivery. Punjab, in Pakistan is plagued by healthcare issues such as heavy number of patients, work-force deficit as well as insufficient infrastructure. This research paper explores an investigation into the perception of doctors, nurses, paramedical employees, and the administrative employees relating to the quality of the services provided in the tertiary and secondary hospitals at Punjab. Primary data that included 450 employees of the hospitals of Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan were collected using the structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. These findings indicate that the perception of the professional groups is different, with nurses and the administrative staff mentioning the problems of resource allocation, the working volume, and the support form organizational, and doctors emphasizing the clinical quality and patient outcomes. Overall, organizational efficiency, service delivery quality, and patient satisfaction are the most closely related to the perception of the employees. It is possible to recommend better employee education, schedule optimization, employee rewards, and policy changes as the strategies that can make the Punjab hospitals more virtuous in the case of service delivery.
Copyright (c) 2025 Rehan Shakeela (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Nursing Workload and Patient Care Quality in Hospitals in Multan District
The quality of patient care in hospitals is a highly significant clinical variable associated with the workload in the nursing field, patient satisfaction, or patient safety. Patients given in Multan district in Pakistan are increasing; shortages of staffs and available resources in the district have escalated the burden on nurses which might lead care delivery to be poor. The correlation between a nursing workload and patient care quality in Multan public as well as the private hospitals are researched in this study. It used the mixed-method research, which enabled it to collect information about 300 nurses and 450 patients, in three of the largest hospitals. The findings indicate that high workloads were correlated with low patient satisfaction, high patient care omissions, and low ranked perceived nursing care. According to the research, the best practices in nursing include workload management interventions, continuous professional improvement, on the one hand, and staffing policies that are based on evidence, on the other. These are the lessons aimed at assisting hospital administrators and policymakers in creating sustainable workforce designs in nursing.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Umer Maqsood (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Drug Quality Control and Regulatory Challenges in Pakistan’s Pharmaceutical Industry
Quality control of drugs and efficacy of regulation are significant to safe and effective therapeutic products in any healthcare system. Pharmaceutical industry in Pakistan is an important sector in the provision of drugs within the country but there is a big institutional and operational issues associated with drug quality control and regulation. This paper reviews the history of pharmaceutical regulation in Pakistan, regulatory framework, quality assurance and key bottlenecks in the pharmaceutical regulation of the country, with special reference to the regulatory performance of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and the existence of substandard and counterfeit drugs. Based on a mixed method of policy study, institutional evaluation, and drug quality monitoring information, the study points to the gaps in legal regulations, enforcement limitations, human resources supply challenges, and institutional obstacles in alignment with international standards. The results underline the necessity of the strengthened regulatory framework, the increased availability of the quality control infrastructure, and policy amendments to bring the drug regulation in Pakistan in line with the international standards. The paper summarizes with specific suggestions on how to promote drug quality control and regulatory control in Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Qamar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The paramedical staff which includes nurses, laboratory technologists, radiographers, physiotherapists, emergency medical technicians, and other allied health providers is at the centre of health provision across the globe. In Pakistan, physician shortages, resource limitations, and large patient numbers are widespread and in such a setting, paramedical professionals are the key to the healthcare service and the main providers of preventive, diagnostic, curative, and rehabilitative services. This paper compares the duties, roles and contributions of the paramedical personnel in the tertiary hospitals in Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta by primary research based on surveys and interviews. The results show a lot of satisfaction among the patients at the paramedical services, but the factors involve insufficient training, lack of recognition and pressures at work. The paramedical staff is critical in enhancing access to and efficiency of healthcare and patient outcomes, as evidenced. The policies proposed are policy reforms, standardized education, professional development and planning of the work force in order to maximize their role in the healthcare system of Pakistan.
Copyright (c) 2025 Asmat Khan , Muhammad Abdullah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Mental Health in the Post-Pandemic Era: Challenges and Coping Strategies
The world has experienced long term implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on culture and mental health. It has already caused higher degrees of depression, anxiety, burnout, grief and social isolation among the people. Moreover, socioeconomic instability, future uncertainty, digital fatigue, reduced social cohesion, and more distress are post-pandemic elements that make the current conditions of post-pandemic culture even more complicated. All these are factors that lead to general socio-economic instability. Meanwhile, various coping techniques like the resilience building, mindfulness, social and family support, and the application of digital mental health tools have been found to be critical in facilitating recovery and adaptation. This paper will review the available literature to discuss the key mental health issues of the post-pandemic period and find suggested coping mechanisms at the individual, community, and systemic levels. The findings highlight the need to involve a combined approach that encompasses professional responses, facilitating policy structures, and ground level campaigns to improve mental health systems and develop resiliency to future occurrences of crisis.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sumaira Riaz (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Role of Nutrition and Lifestyle in Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)
The largest single cause of deaths worldwide is non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses, which cause up to 74 percent of all deaths in the world (World Health Organization [WHO], 2022). They are strongly correlated with lifestyle variables such as diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and tobacco smoking that are modifiable. However, nutrition can play a primary role in the prevention and control of NCDs by determining metabolic well-being, immune system, and inflammation. The rising trend in unhealthy eating habits, whereby there is high intake of processed food, added sugar, saturated fat and salt are some of the factors that add remarkably to the growing burden of NCDs especially in low and middle-income countries. In the current research paper, the association between nutrition, lifestyle habits, and the prevention of NCDs is discussed on the basis of epidemiologic studies, clinical trials, and programs of social health. It also takes a review of the policy models and global health policies to reduce NCDs through dietary guidelines, food system change, and community-based intervention. By noting both scientific data and practical strategies, this research underlines the need for incorporating nutritional interventions into national health systems to fight the international NCD epidemic.
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Junaid (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health: Risks and Resilience
As the social media profits prominence withinside the lives of the teenagers, the sociocultural panorama has modified in view that youngsters locate themselves uncovered to new and wonderful kinds of communication, test with identities, and get entry to information. Most of those rising possibilities additionally have doubtlessly risky dangers, especially as worries teenage intellectual properly-being. This paper explores the two-sidedness of the social media amongst kids regarding cyberbullying, social comparison, sleep disturbance, immoderate intake of generation, and publicity to irrelevant content. Also, resilience factors are protected withinside the article, e.g. the price of peer get admission to, the danger with a purpose to explicit their very own identity, and having access to virtual assets that result in coping skills. Through proof and case research primarily based totally in different nations to date, this newsletter will try to provide a balanced mirrored image of ways social media may be used to steer the mental nicely being associated with children to date. In order to guide our dialogue similarly we positioned this in historic context in phrases of developmental lenses of childhood in addition to creation of virtual technologies. We argue that there may be sufficient proof that may be used to take a accountable mindset and renowned dangers and at the different, avenues to resilience. We propose generation companies, educators, parents, and policy-makers to useful resource withinside the technique of virtual literacy ensuing into more secure on line areas with younger users. The modern paper identifies the need of collective techniques to maximise secure worlds to virtual interplay and bear in mind the wonderful components that social media may also probably have at the final results of adolescent intellectual health.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nabeel Ilyas (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Mental Health in the 21st Century: Global Challenges, Interventions, and Future Directions
The mental health has currently been identified as one of the more urgent dilemmas about the public health in the 21 st Century. Approximately, - diseases like depression, anxiety, bipolar and schizophrenia life have the potential to affect hundreds of millions of human beings. Through this means, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately every fourth individual will develop some form of mental or neurological condition during their lifetime, and that the implications to the related syndromes can be far-reaching to the personal wellbeing and the socioeconomic development of family and life.. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of mental health, a range of challenges remain (e.g. stigma and discrimination, lack of access to effective treatment, socioeconomic inequities, and policy gaps in mental health systems). This paper examines the historic response to intellectual fitness, takes a examine the worldwide troubles which might be gift withinside the present day day, the form of interventions which can be supplied to date, and the destiny instructions of addressing the necessities of the intellectual fitness difficulty of the cutting-edge world. Certain interventions like network care, integration in number one care, the capacity of virtual fitness technology, even novel pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic modalities, may be powerful however should be scaled up or down to fulfill cultural-socioeconomic disparities. Besides being one feasible solution to some of fitness problems, we are able to envision the brand new technology together with synthetic intelligence (AI), massive facts, virtual intellectual fitness which can have an equal disruptive ability on the subject of the in addition improvement of the prevention, prognosis and remedy of intellectual fitness conditions. The consequences recommend that it's miles important to have cost-powerful information on a international level, coordinated action, sustainable investments and rules focused on intellectual fitness as a issue regarding social determinants, inequity and culturally able context unique ways. In worldwide intellectual fitness, there may be a want to be perceived and a intellectual fitness attitude that isn't always primarily based totally on intellectual fitness as a loss of infection however as part of human flourishing that provides evolution to the humankind and her societies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Fatima Akhtar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Telemedicine Adoption and The Implications On Patient Care in Rural and Underserved Areas
Telemedicine has come out as a revolution in the provision of healthcare especially in rural and underserved areas where there is still limited access to medical services because of geographical, socioeconomic, and infrastructural factors. This paper discusses telemedicine adoption and how it has affected patient care outcomes, accessibility of health care, and efficiency of health service delivery. The results obtained in terms of secondary data and the existing literature demonstrate that telemedicine is beneficial in terms of access to healthcare, a decrease in the burden of travel, the opportunity to diagnose a disease early, and the ability to monitor a patient. Nevertheless, telemedicine still experiences a number of challenges that include digital illiteracy, poor internet access, technological resistance, and data privacy issues. It is highlighted in the study that it is necessary to invest in digital infrastructure, training and supportive policy frameworks to guarantee the integration of telemedicine in healthcare systems in a sustainable manner. The findings reveal that telemedicine has the potential to curb health disparities and help in the equitable distribution of healthcare when well adopted.
Copyright (c) 2025 Palwasha Nasir (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Impact of Community Health Workers (CHWs) on Childhood Immunization Coverage in Rural Punjab, Pakistan
The research paper is based on Community Health Workers (CHWs) role on coverage of immunization among children in rural districts of Punjab, Pakistan. CHWs are quite significant in linking the communities to the formal healthcare sector because they facilitate outreachs to vaccination, health and follow-up services. The level of childhood immunization regardless of the national immunization programs in Pakistan is not desired particularly in the rural areas (UNICEF, 2021). The research design applied in this study is quantitative research design, which involved the use of structured questionnaires and health records on 150 households spread across the chosen rural districts. The correlation and regression analyses were completed to evaluate the relationship between CHW engagement and immunization outcomes using descriptive statistics. The results show that when CHWs are actively involved, the immunization rates have been significantly higher and the greater the coverage in the household is the higher the home visits, counseling, and reminders by CHWs. The paper highlights the importance of CHWs in addressing the barriers, particularly lack of awareness, distance to health facilities and vaccine hesitancy. Strategies to be recommended to achieve equity in access to childhood immunization in rural Punjab are; strengthening CHW programs, continuous training and enhancing community engagement strategies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Saima Asghar (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns in Hospital-Acquired Infections: A Cross-Sectional Study
HAIs have become a significant clinical issue to healthcare systems in every part of the world particularly due to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). One of the conditions that led to the prolongation of hospitalization, the rise in healthcare expenses and the rise in morbidity and mortality rates is the transfer of multidrug-resistant pathogens in hospitals. It is a cross-sectional study, which tries to assess the antimicrobial resistance pattern of the common bacterial pathogen in association with HAIs. The collected data were based on clinical isolates of the patients who were admitted to different patient wards of a hospital within a 6-month period of time. Laboratory testing was done to find out the patterns of susceptibility based on standardized microbiological tests. The findings have revealed that resistance to the most commonly prescribed antibiotics is very high and this brings out a call to create an antimicrobial stewardship and infection control strategies. The research contributes to the improved understanding of the tendencies in AMR in hospitals and informs the interventions that should be applied to address the burden of HAIs in specific manners.
Burnout and Job Satisfaction among Healthcare Workers in Tertiary Hospitals
Burnout among healthcare workers has become one of the most important issues confronting modern health systems, especially in tertiary hospitals where the load of patients is extremely high, the demands of the job in terms of emotions are great and the pressure comes from the organization. This study investigates the relationship between burnout and job satisfaction among healthcare professionals that are working in tertiary care settings. Using a Cross-sectional approach, the research examines and analyzes emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and individual reduced personal accomplishment as the main elements of burnout, and how these factors affect job satisfaction, motivation, and workforce retention. Findings from global and regional literature has indicated that excessive workload, lack of management support and lack of resources have a significant effect on burnout, which in turn lessens the quality of the care provided to a patient. Understanding this relationship is important to designing interventions that promote worker well-being and patient outcomes and strengthen hospital performance.
Copyright (c) 2025 Abiha Fatima (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Mental Health Challenges among Post-Pandemic Populations: A Multidisciplinary Analysis
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted physical well-being, but also the mental one, leaving a complicated structure of psychological problems that are still present among the world populations. The present work relies on the secondary information gathered in the peer-reviewed literature, the world health reports, and the clinical surveys to investigate the prevalence of post-pandemic mental healthcare problems, their nature, and their determinants. The results reveal that there is a strong rise in anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disturbances among the various age groups and socio-economic backgrounds. Some of the contributing factors are long-term social isolation, economic instability, loss grief, daily routine disruption, and an increase in uncertainty regarding the future. There is also an indication that the vulnerable groups such as healthcare personnel, elderly, and people with pre-existing mental illness are overly impacted. To deal with short- and long-term effects of the pandemic-induced psychological distress, it is recommended to use multidisciplinary interventions that would include psychological support, community engagement, telehealth services, and policy-level mental health planning. This paper highlights the importance of international concerted efforts to reduce the mental health impact of post-pandemic societies.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nasir Jamal (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Rise of Preventive Healthcare: How Lifestyle Changes Reduce Chronic Diseases
Preventive health care has become popular to tackle the worldwide scourge of chronic disease. Examples of some chronic diseases are but not limited to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases. Preventive health care is not about treatment of some disease diagnosed or point of care. The preventive care starts within the environments of a chronic illness and chronic disease. The areas of focus that fall under preventive health care would include: healthy diet, regular physical activity, stress relief, and taking into consideration the necessity to appreciate the significance of monitoring signs and symptoms, lifestyle changes, etc. In this paper, the issue of the prevailing fame of preventive health care in the context of countering the epidemic rate of the prevalence of chronic diseases will be studied. The other aspect that this paper will focus on is that the lifestyle change is beneficial to proactive health results over time. This paper will highlight the economic, social and psychological merits of prevention of chronic disease and lapses in awareness, cultural traditions and medical policies in preventing chronic disease.. The findings in this paper indicate that putting preventive health into practice prevents the dumping of sick people into healthcare systems globally and puts power back into the hands of consumers to understand the significance of their health care and make improvements on their own.
Copyright (c) 2025 Haider Ali (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Role of Telemedicine in Enhancing Healthcare Access in Rural and Underserved Communities
Telemedicine is a major advantage for fighting the consistent barriers to healthcare access that affect rural and underserved populations. People living in these areas often face a range of issues, including access to healthcare professionals, distance from healthcare facilities, and lack of infrastructure—all leading to delayed diagnoses, limited access to specialists, and poor chronic disease management. Telemedicine, which encompasses digital technologies including video visits, mobile health applications, and remote patient monitoring, provides real solutions to these barriers. Telemedicine allows healthcare to be delivered without requiring the patient to physically travel, which means that health care can be accessed in a timely manner for chronic disease management, mental health, maternal health, and post-operative services. In cases where there is very little health care infrastructure, mobile clinics and telehealth kiosks—including some that use solar and satellite technology—can enhance access to health care services. Furthermore, there are opportunities to use smartphones and wearable devices for real-time patient monitoring and timely clinical interventions, which actualizations be able to lower hospitalizations and facilitate better patient outcomes. Notwithstanding these advantages, the implementation of telemedicine in rural areas has been challenged by numerous barriers, including unreliable internet, limited digital literacy, privacy concerns, and regulatory restrictions. Many of these communities do not have the technical training and capacity needed to properly utilize telehealth platforms. Strategies to address these barriers and promote access include building digital infrastructure, comprehensive training for health care providers, and creating cultural and linguistic options for services. Evidence and global initiatives consistently demonstrate that telemedicine can lower healthcare costs, increase patient satisfaction, and disseminate medical expertise. Telemedicine's value was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic that illustrated the need for sustainable and flexible healthcare delivery models. Telemedicine offers significant opportunities for improving healthcare access in rural and underserved communities. With careful implementation and policy support, telemedicine could significantly reduce healthcare disparities and improve health equity for diverse groups of people.
Copyright (c) 2025 ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bridging the Healthcare Gap: The Role of Policy in Ensuring Equitable Access to Health Services for Marginalized Communities
AI chatbots have become an innovative technology in the learning world because it is scalable, personal, and interactive. Based on natural language processing and machine learning, these systems are intelligent systems that respond to questions by students and guide them through their coursework and give them instant feedback simulating human conversation. Their increasing penetration into the educational setting, especially online and blended learning ones help to meet the need in constant support of learners and individualized training. Studies have reported that chatbots have been very instrumental in improving student engagement as it allows real-time communication, quicker response to queries, and self-paced learning. These are also able to enhance academic performance through their support of formative assessment, reinforcements and active engagements. Besides, chatbots relieve instructors of some work by helping them address repetitious inquiry and retrieving data-based reflections about student performance and actions. Although they have such benefits, their effectiveness depends on factors like chatbot design, compatibility of the subject, user interface and campus preparation. The challenges comprise restriction in recognition of complex or unclear inputs, lack in access to technology and ethical issues regarding data privacy and algorithm biases. Moreover, chatbot interactions are not always very useful to all students, particularly in emotionally sensitive or high-level academic situations. However, used in conjunction with curriculum and with the help of educators, AI chatbots could provide an inexpensive and inclusive way to enhance student results. Since educational institutions are becoming more digitalized, chatbots have the potential to fill the existing support gaps and increase learner autonomy. Further research and policy formulation should be made to face the existing limitations and provide equal and pedagogically adequate implementation.
Assessing the Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Outcomes in Rural Communities: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Around the world, health disparities exist in nearly every rural community. The geography, lack of providers, and the hurdle of access outside the community can create challenges for rural patients that can contribute to patterns of healthcare disparities. Telemedicine (TM) may be able to address some of these challenges by providing the opportunity for remote healthcare services through technology. While the adoption of TM has ramped up - particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic - there is a need for a comprehensive synthesis that rationalizes and reports on the impact of TM in measurable healthcare outcomes specifically for rural populations. The systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to: 1) Synthesize existing research about TM impact on key healthcare outcomes (clinical, access, utilization, satisfaction, cost) in rural populations; 2) Where applicable quantify the impact through a meta-analysis; 3) Identify key barriers and facilitators that successfully enable or support TM. We conducted a systematic review of all studies published in PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Web of Science from inception through October 26, 2023. Studies were included if they: (1) researched a telemedicine intervention (synchronous, asynchronous, remote monitoring); (2) involved rural populations (defined by study authors or validated metrics such as RUCA); (3) provided quantitative data on healthcare outcomes pre-defined in the study; (4) employed a comparative design (RCT, quasi-experimental, cohort, pre-post); (5) published in English language. Two individuals screened the records independently, extracted the data, and assessed risk of bias, using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool in RCTs and ROBINS-I for nonrandomized studies. Meta-analyses, using random-effects models, were conducted on reasonably homogeneous outcomes (i.e., HbA1c change in diabetes, hospital admissions, satisfaction scores). Heterogeneous outcomes and implementation variables had a narrative synthesis. 78 studies met inclusion criteria (32 RCT; 46 observational). Main findings were: A meta-analysis of diabetes management studies (n=15) indicated that TM interventions led to a significantly lower HbA1c (Mean Difference: -0.43%, 95% CI: -0.62 to -0.24, p<0.001). There were similar positive trends in hypertension control and reducing symptoms of depression, but there was more heterogeneity in these results. There was limited evidence looking at acute conditions; however, the evidence suggest potential for timely intervention. There was a significant increase in access to specialty care (e.g., psychiatry, neurology, dermatology) that was not previously locally available. The meta-analysis indicated a significantly lower rate of all-cause hospital admissions (Risk Ratio: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81-0.96, p=0.004) and emergency department visits were also significantly less often (Risk Ratio: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.77-0.94, p=0.002) related to participation in TM chronic disease programs. Generally, satisfaction was high across studies (pooled satisfaction score >80%) with studies highlighting dimensions of convenience, reduced travel burden, and perceived quality of care. Evidence was mixed. TM clearly reduced patient travel costs and time but studies reported mixed results regarding the reduction of the overall costs of the health system, often depending on the specific service, reimbursement models, and technology infrastructure that was previously committed. There were examples of cost-effectiveness in the evidence, especially for particular applications such as telestroke and ICU remote monitoring. Key barriers to successful TM: poor broadband infrastructure, digital literacy issues (especially for older adults), reimbursement barriers, licensure barriers, and upfront costs for the technology. Key facilitators to successful TM: a strong local champion, provider training, ease of use for the technology, fit with workflows, sustainable funding model, and addressing "trust/comfort" from the patient perspective. The evidence suggests that telemedicine has significant positive impact on important healthcare outcomes in rural communities, particularly expanding access to comprehensive specialty care, improving chronic disease self-management (e.g., substantial reduction in HbA1c), decreasing unnecessary hospital admissions, and creating high overall patient satisfaction. While challenges associated with infrastructure, equity, and sustainability remain, the evidence strongly supports TM as an important resource to address health disparities in rural health. Next, we must work to ensure that, moving forward, we focus on equity of access, a rigorous evaluation of the many diverse uses of TM, and the creation of viable, integrated delivery models with sustainability considerations tailored to rural contexts.
Mosquities Species Diversity Of The Districts (Punjab, Baluchistan, Sindh And Kpk) Pakistan
This study is essential for the identification of mosquito fauna in Pakistan studied here. This species diversity is reported from some of the districts of Pakistan (Punjab, Baluchistan, Sindh, and KPK). The long and short diameter of the eye, abdomen, length, and width of the head, and thorax size and shape in millimeters were measured to develop for species differentiation and identification. According to the literature, the mosquito fauna of Pakistan includes about 42 different species of mosquitoes found in Pakistan. A further 26 species are Oriental, Palearctic, Holarctic, and Ethiopian Cosmo tropophysical. The species described from localities now within Pakistan and from our collections are recorded in the present work. It lists 10genera and 91 species from West Pakistan and 13 genera and 89 species from East Pakistan. The common genera of mosquitoes newly described are Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex. Mosquitoes are members mosquito family and consist of 3 subgroups: (1) Anophelinae, (2) Culicinae, and (3) Toxorhynchitinae. Anopheles is the most important genus of Anophelinae, and mosquito genera key genera of Culicinae.
AI-Based Early Disease Detection Using Medical Imaging
Timely detection of diseases increases the chances of effective treatment and lowers the costs of care. Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically deep learning and computer vision, has been a rapidly evolving and promising method that has the potential to transform early stage disease detection in the context of medical imaging. This research paper provides a comprehensive review of AI-based diagnostic tools with an emphasis on the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and other deep learning platforms in the diagnosis of radiology. Although this paper will review all imaging modalities that include CT, MRI, X-ray, and ultrasound, we will highlight how AI models have been used in diagnosing early diseases, including cancer, pneumonia, Alzheimer's disease, and cardiovascular illness. We review many recent studies and highlight our experimental results using publicly available datasets, while discussing opportunities, limitations, and future perspectives. We conclude that AI can increase accuracy, reduce the radiology workload, and allow for healthcare equity and access especially in underserved areas.