Janaka Pushpakumara | Rajarata University of Sri Lanka (original) (raw)
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Papers by Janaka Pushpakumara
Ceylon Medical Journal
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Li... more This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
BMJ Open
IntroductionAlcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity and adverse social seq... more IntroductionAlcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity and adverse social sequelae in Sri Lanka. Effective community-based, culturally adapted or context-specific interventions are required to minimise these harms. We designed a mixed-methods stepped wedge cluster randomised control trial of a complex alcohol intervention. This paper describes the initial trial protocol and subsequent modifications following COVID-19.Methods and analysisWe aimed to recruit 20 villages (approximately n=4000) in rural Sri Lanka. The proposed intervention consisted of health screening clinics, alcohol brief intervention, participatory drama, film, and public health promotion materials to be delivered over 12 weeks.Following disruptions to the trial resulting from the Easter bombings in 2019, COVID-19 and a national financial crisis, we adapted the study in two main ways. First, the interventions were reconfigured for hybrid delivery. Second, a rolling pre–post study evaluating chang...
Anuradhapura Medical Journal
The trend of establishing new outstation MBBS degree programs The extraordinary gazette issued by... more The trend of establishing new outstation MBBS degree programs The extraordinary gazette issued by the Minister of Higher Education of Sri Lanka, on 20 th March 2023 gave clearance to the Uva Wellassa University to establish a Faculty of Medicine under the Universities Act of Sri Lanka, and to run a MBBS degree program. This is the 12 th MBBS degree program in the state university system under the purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC). These 12 MBBS degree programs and the one offered by the Faculty of Medicine of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), which is established under a separate parliamentary Act, are the MBBS degree programs delivered by government institutes in Sri Lanka. Of the 12 MBBS degree programs under the purview of the UGC, six have been established over the last 17 years. Five of the recently-established MBBS degree programs are in 'outstation' universities (Rajarata, Eastern, Wayamba, Sabaragamuwa and Uva Wellassa Universities), and the other is at the University of Moratuwa, located within the Western province.
Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to a... more Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to all police stations (n=28) in a rural district (Kurunegala District), Sri Lanka were collected for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Data of a case-control study (Exploration of associations between deliberate self-poisoning and p... more Data of a case-control study (Exploration of associations between deliberate self-poisoning and psychiatric disorders in rural Sri Lanka: a case-control study). SN, Age, Sex, Ethnic Group, Religion, Education Level & DSM-IV TR Axis I & II Diagnosis of cases (patients admitted with self-poisoning) and controls (age, sex and residential DS division matched).<br>
Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to a... more Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to all police stations (n=28) in a rural district (Kurunegala District) Sri Lanka, those were collected for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. Double counting (due to inter hospital transfers and re-transfers) removed cohort of patients admitted to all hospitals (n=46) in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka, in 2011. (Data sets are in three separate tabs)
Ceylon Medical Journal
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Li... more This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
BMJ Open
IntroductionAlcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity and adverse social seq... more IntroductionAlcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity and adverse social sequelae in Sri Lanka. Effective community-based, culturally adapted or context-specific interventions are required to minimise these harms. We designed a mixed-methods stepped wedge cluster randomised control trial of a complex alcohol intervention. This paper describes the initial trial protocol and subsequent modifications following COVID-19.Methods and analysisWe aimed to recruit 20 villages (approximately n=4000) in rural Sri Lanka. The proposed intervention consisted of health screening clinics, alcohol brief intervention, participatory drama, film, and public health promotion materials to be delivered over 12 weeks.Following disruptions to the trial resulting from the Easter bombings in 2019, COVID-19 and a national financial crisis, we adapted the study in two main ways. First, the interventions were reconfigured for hybrid delivery. Second, a rolling pre–post study evaluating chang...
Anuradhapura Medical Journal
The trend of establishing new outstation MBBS degree programs The extraordinary gazette issued by... more The trend of establishing new outstation MBBS degree programs The extraordinary gazette issued by the Minister of Higher Education of Sri Lanka, on 20 th March 2023 gave clearance to the Uva Wellassa University to establish a Faculty of Medicine under the Universities Act of Sri Lanka, and to run a MBBS degree program. This is the 12 th MBBS degree program in the state university system under the purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC). These 12 MBBS degree programs and the one offered by the Faculty of Medicine of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), which is established under a separate parliamentary Act, are the MBBS degree programs delivered by government institutes in Sri Lanka. Of the 12 MBBS degree programs under the purview of the UGC, six have been established over the last 17 years. Five of the recently-established MBBS degree programs are in 'outstation' universities (Rajarata, Eastern, Wayamba, Sabaragamuwa and Uva Wellassa Universities), and the other is at the University of Moratuwa, located within the Western province.
Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to a... more Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to all police stations (n=28) in a rural district (Kurunegala District), Sri Lanka were collected for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Data of a case-control study (Exploration of associations between deliberate self-poisoning and p... more Data of a case-control study (Exploration of associations between deliberate self-poisoning and psychiatric disorders in rural Sri Lanka: a case-control study). SN, Age, Sex, Ethnic Group, Religion, Education Level & DSM-IV TR Axis I & II Diagnosis of cases (patients admitted with self-poisoning) and controls (age, sex and residential DS division matched).<br>
Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to a... more Details of deliberate self-poisoning admission in all hospitals (n=46) and suicides reported to all police stations (n=28) in a rural district (Kurunegala District) Sri Lanka, those were collected for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. Double counting (due to inter hospital transfers and re-transfers) removed cohort of patients admitted to all hospitals (n=46) in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka, in 2011. (Data sets are in three separate tabs)