Following the introduction of the competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum for MBBS in India in 2019, several papers have been published on challenges and opportunities arising from its implementation. We review the key concerns raised in these publications and attempt to explain why they have occurred and to suggest a way forward.

Background People of all genders face sexism in academia and medicine is no exception. One of the key strategies that we, as academics, can employ to resist it is to talk, study and write about it. Recent reports in the Indian media about sexism faced by women in higher education academia have led to the development of policies to curb it. But these measures work only on overt forms of sexism. The more subtle sexism that women face is barely talked about because it has become so internalized in society, that it is ‘normal’. Methods To initiate the discussion on sexism that women students and faculty face in medicine, the authors conducted a piece of feminist research using collective biography as the methodology. Essays written by four women at different levels of seniority in academia, on the sexism they encountered during their career trajectory were coded independently by two authors and categories and themes were derived from the codes generated. Strategies to address sexism were discussed. Results Four themes emerged from the analysis – sexism in academic medicine is a real presence, resisting sexism, need for social support for change to happen and optimism for change. All the four essays recounted encounters with sexism, the different ways they resisted these practices, the support they received from families and colleagues in moving ahead and a hint of optimism and hope for change. Conclusions This small inquiry into a pervasive problem that women face in their everyday work emphasizes the need for a multipronged approach to address it. While the older generation of women in medicine have relied mostly on their inner strength and resolve to combat sexism, it is time that a collective effort by both men and women is made to take academia closer to achieving equality.

Inclusion of research methodology and biostatistics in the postgraduate curriculum by the National Medical Commission is a welcome step to improve the research milieu in medical colleges in India. This step will have a long-term impact on research outcomes and scientific publications. In 2019, AIIMS-Bhubaneswar implemented the revised postgraduate curriculum, which introduced a faculty-facilitated program on research methodology and biostatistics for all postgraduate students. The institute also made the examination in research methodology mandatory, which can be viewed as a complementary mechanism. As the revised curriculum has been in practice for the last 4 years and six sessions of examinations have been completed, the authors tried to look back to check whether the program is having the expected results and share the experience they gained.

Introduction: Literature on implementation leadership program in undergraduate (UG) medical education is lacking in the Asian continent. We aim to describe our experience in sensitizing the 1st year undergraduate medical students (UGMS) toward the principles of leadership in a medical institution. Materials and Methods: Each year, one hundred 1st year UGMS were sensitized towards leadership principles and core domains through interactive sessions, focus group discussions, and short lectures. The students were asked to reflect on the sessions' activities as well as their follow-up usefulness in their day-to-day activities through a structured questionnaire shared through Google forms. Results: A high proportion (75%) of students reported an improved perception or knowledge toward leadership principles and practices. Leadership attributes such as team building, decision making, confidence building, motivation, and managing crisis were reported to be very useful by 77.8%, 74.1%, 69.1%, 64.2%, and 61.7% of students, respectively. On follow-up, students described this sensitization exercise to be useful in their academic (16/52, 30.76%), organizational (10/52, 19.2%), sports (6/52, 11.53%), short-term research (4/52, 7.7%) activities, and editorial responsibilities (3/52, 5.7%). Conclusion: The leadership sensitization workshop helps students adjust to the medical school's environment; and this may be incorporated in the UG curriculum to strengthen students' leadership potential. The following core competencies are addressed in this article: Systems-based practice, Interpersonal and communication skills, Professionalism.

Yoga nidra, also known as 'yogic sleep', is a simplified form of an ancient tantric relaxation technique. The most general description of the practice is that it combines guided mental imagery with a specific yoga posture called Shavasana (or "corpse pose"). The goal of yoga nidra is to promote a profound state of relaxation, which differs from sleep inasmuch as there is still an awareness of one's surroundings. While several components of the practice have been known since ancient times, it was not until the 1960s that an updated and systematized system of practice was introduced to the public through the writings of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Unlike other schools of yoga, which emphasize concentration or contemplation, yoga nidra's goal is complete relaxation. As such, its advocates claim that it is suitable for all individuals, from beginners to advanced practitioners of yoga. The calm inner stillness induced by yoga nidra is claimed by practitioners to be an effective stress management tool as well as a means for attaining greater receptivity to personal resolutions. These resolutions can range from the goal of achieving self-transformation, enhancing creativity, or improving one's learning ability. Additionally, yoga nidra is claimed to promote beneficial changes in physiological and mental health. The following narrative review summarizes the basic steps used to achieve the final state of yoga nidra relaxation as well as some recent experimental findings regarding its physiological and psychological effects. Standard research databases were searched for relevant articles. Clinical studies have shown that yoga nidra meditation is associated with positive physiological changes, including improvements in several hematological variables, red blood cell counts, blood glucose levels, and hormonal status. Two neuroimaging studies have shown that yoga nidra produces changes in endogenous dopamine release and cerebral blood flow, a further confirmation that its effects on the CNS are objectively measurable. The practice has also been shown to reduce psychometrically measured indices of mild depression and anxiety, although these benefits were not shown in an experimental study to extend to severe depression or severe anxiety.

In this retrospective observational study, we have performed a comparative analysis of the demographic, clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the HCWs affected with SARS-CoV-2 infection during first two waves in India. The overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs was found to be 15.24% (14.20-16.33) and 23.38% (22.14-25.65) during first and second waves respectively. The second wave showed an adjusted odds ratio of 0.04(0.02-0.07) and 2.09(1.49-2.93) for hospitalization and being symptomatic, respectively. We detected significantly higher level of C-reactive protein (CRP) among admitted HCWs during the second wave (5.10 -14.60 mg/dl) as compared to the first wave (2.00 - 2.80 mg/dl). Our study found the relative risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among HCWs during the second wave to be 0.68 [0.57-0.82, p < 0.001)]. Although, the prevalence of SARS CoV-2 infection and risk of being symptomatic was higher during second wave, the risk of hospitalization was less when compared with the first wave.

The quality of the research output of an individual or an institution is the currency by which the caliber of a scientist or an educational institution is judged by peers. In India, the quality of research conducted in medical colleges and scientific institutions leaves much to be desired. The educational system in schools does not foster creativity and originality. The medical undergraduate training focuses mainly on making medical students good clinicians and does not have the curricular time for research. At a postgraduate level, residents are overburdened with clinical work or stifled by the lack of ideas and enthusiasm of their guides. The Indian Council of Medical Research has introduced a short-term studentship for undergraduate students and a research grant for postgraduate students in a bid to encourage research. The National Medical Commission has made it mandatory for postgraduates and faculty to undergo online training in research methodology. The thesis has been a part of the postgraduate curriculum with the idea that as the resident does the project, they will also learn how to do research. In a bid to translate the thesis into publications, many professional bodies conduct workshops and courses during conferences on various aspects of scientific writing. However, many postgraduates do not want to spend time in an activity that is seen as nonrewarding. Unless a drastic change in the postgraduate curriculum is made and the issue of research training is adequately addressed, along with a change in the outlook of faculty, the status quo is likely to continue.

Objective Patients with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience significant morbidity and mortality. The patient's quality of life deteriorates with the progression of the disease. Pharmacological treatment focuses on reducing the symptoms. The psychological impact of the disease on the patient's quality of life is not assessed by all healthcare providers. There is limited knowledge about the patient's demographic and clinical factors affecting the quality of life in CRD patients and aspects hindering or influencing the management of disease in this population. Hence we aimed to conduct a qualitative study on patients with asthma or COPD to get a view of their knowledge about the disease, the problems they encounter in their day-to-day life and the treatment. Methods Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted by the investigator in the hospital during the patient's follow-up visits. The questions focused on the patient's awareness of the disease, living with chronic respiratory disease, understanding of disease and treatment, and compliance with inhaled therapy. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis of the data was done manually. Codes and themes were derived manually. Themes were formed from the codes and sub-themes. Results Five themes were generated from the data obtained: (1) misconceptions regarding the contagious nature of the disease; (2) psychological stress due to feelings of worthlessness, helplessness due to inability to work and poor understanding among family members; (3) inappropriate lifestyle modifications like avoiding fruits and vegetables due to the fear of acute attacks; (4) poor adherence to inhalers due to work timing and difficulty travelling; and (5) lack of reinforcement by the healthcare providers on inhaler technique and adherence were identified as causes of poor inhaler technique and inappropriate knowledge about drugs. Conclusion Subjective reporting by patients in this study was helpful in understanding issues concerning disease management in CRD patients. Apart from assessing the patients' symptoms and prescribing drugs, healthcare providers should take time to impart knowledge about the disease to patients. Though patient education and psychological intervention are challenging to implement daily, they are supplemental to the pharmacologic management of the disease.

ABSTRACT India approved COVID-19 vaccine called Covaxin, developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research and Bharat Biotech Ltd. The primary objective of the study was to estimate the effectiveness of Covaxin in preventing breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers (HCWs). A test-negative matched case-control study was conducted among HCWs of tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. Any HCW who tested positive for COVID-19 using RT-PCR during April and May 2021 was taken as the case. The HCWs who tested negative for COVID-19 by RT-PCR were considered as controls after matching with the date of testing and profession of the cases. Vaccination data were collected from the institution’s vaccine database and recall. In case of discrepancy, it was confirmed from the CoWIN portal (cowin.gov.in). The sample size was 670 participants (335 pairs). Conditional logistic regression models were used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio for breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated using the following formula: VE = (1-aOR) × 100%. Sensitivity analysis was done for effectiveness of Covaxin, excluding Covishield vaccination. The mean age of participants was 29.1 years (SD = 7.1), and the majority were males (55.2%). Among the study participants, 60% were completely vaccinated, 18.51% were partially vaccinated, and 21.49% were unvaccinated. After adjusting for age, gender, type of household and past history of COVID-19 disease in conditional logistic models, the vaccine effectiveness was 22% (aOR 0.78, 95% CI: 0.52–1.17; p = .233). Sensitivity analysis with Covaxin showed an effectiveness of 29% (aOR 0.71, 95% CI: 0.47–1.08; p = .114) for preventing breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection.

BACKGROUND:Ivermectin is one among several potential drugs explored for its therapeutic and preventive role in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The study was aimed to explore the association between ivermectin prophylaxis and the development of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers.METHODS:A hospital-based matched case-control study was conducted among healthcare workers of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, India, from September to October 2020. Profession, gender, age and date of diagnosis were matched for 186 case-control pairs. Cases and controls were healthcare workers who tested positive and negative, respectively, for COVID-19 by RT-PCR. Exposure was defined as the intake of ivermectin and/or hydroxychloroquine and/or vitamin-C and/or other prophylaxis for COVID-19. Data collection and entry was done in Epicollect5, and analysis was performed using STATA version 13. Conditional logistic regression models were used to describe the associated factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection.RESULTS:Ivermectin prophylaxis was taken by 76 controls and 41 cases. Two-dose ivermectin prophylaxis (AOR 0.27, 95% CI, 0.15-0.51) was associated with a 73% reduction of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers for the following month. Those involved in physical activity (AOR 3.06 95% CI, 1.18-7.93) for more than an hour/day were more likely to contract SARS-CoV-2 infection. Type of household, COVID duty, single-dose ivermectin prophylaxis, vitamin-C prophylaxis and hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis were not associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.CONCLUSION:Two-dose ivermectin prophylaxis at a dose of 300 μg/kg with a gap of 72 hours was associated with a 73% reduction of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers for the following month. Chemoprophylaxis has relevance in the containment of pandemic.

Statement of the Problem: Healthcare workers (HCW) are the most vulnerable group for contracting SARS-CoV-2. Assessment of seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among HCW, thus can provide important data on pathogen exposure, infectivity, and adherence to personal protective equipment (PPE). The present study aimed at assessing SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among HCW and exploring associations with demographics, category of exposure to COVID-19 patients, preventive measures taken and relation with COVID-19 symptoms. Method of Study: HCWs with a minimum gap 2 weeks from last duty were eligible to participate in the study. The enrolled HCW were categorized into high-risk and low-risk category based on work in COVID-19 areas. HCWs SARS-CoV-2 specific IgG and IgM antibodies were detected using rapid immunochromatography test. Results: Out of 821 randomly selected HCWs, either IgM or IgG antibody was detected in 32 HCWs (32/821, 3.9%). Only IgM antibodies were detected in 14 (1.7%), only IgG was detected in 9 (1.0%), and both IgM and IgG antibodies were present in 9 HCWs. Seropositivity was significantly higher in high-risk category (5.7% vs. 2.2.%), HCWs who ever had COVID-19 related symptoms in last 3 months (5.6% vs. 2.8%), and those who had earlier tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (36.6% vs. 3.5%). Seroprevalence was highest (6.9%) among housekeeping and sanitation staff. Conclusions: Overall, low seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in our HCWs is an indicator of effective infection control practice. HCW posted in dedicated COVID ward need more stringent implementation of infection prevention measures.

Background: The contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of health care workers (HCWs) are essential to minimizing the further transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mitigating the shortage of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Objective: This study aimed to assess the yield of contact tracing for COVID-19 cases and the risk stratification of HCWs who are exposed to these cases. Methods: This was an analysis of routine data that were collected for the contact tracing of COVID-19 cases at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, in Odisha, India. Data from March 19 to August 31, 2020, were considered for this study. COVID-19 cases were admitted patients, outpatients, or HCWs in the hospital. HCWs who were exposed to COVID-19 cases were categorized, per the risk stratification guidelines, as high-risk contacts or low-risk contacts Results: During contact tracing, 3411 HCWs were identified as those who were exposed to 360 COVID-19 cases. Of these 360 cases, 269 (74.7%) were either admitted patients or outpatients, and 91 (25.3%) were HCWs. After the risk stratification of the 3411 HCWs, 890 (26.1%) were categorized as high-risk contacts, and 2521 (73.9%) were categorized as low-risk contacts. The COVID-19 test positivity rates of high-risk contacts and low-risk contacts were 3.8% (34/890) and 1.9% (48/2521), respectively. The average number of high-risk contacts was significantly higher when the COVID-19 case was an admitted patient (number of contacts: mean 6.6) rather than when the COVID-19 case was an HCW (number of contacts: mean 4.0) or outpatient (number of contacts: mean 0.2; P=.009). Similarly, the average number of high-risk contacts was higher when the COVID-19 case was admitted in a non-COVID-19 area (number of contacts: mean 15.8) rather than when such cases were admitted in a COVID-19 area (number of contacts: mean 0.27; P<.001). There was a significant decline in the mean number of high-risk contacts over the study period (P=.003). Conclusions: Contact tracing and risk stratification were effective and helped to reduce the number of HCWs requiring quarantine. There was also a decline in the number of high-risk contacts during the study period. This indicates the role of the implementation of hospital-based, COVID-19-related infection control strategies. The contact tracing and risk stratification approaches that were designed in this study can also be implemented in other health care settings.

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) are vulnerable to getting infected withSARS-CoV-2. Preventing HCWs from getting infected is a priority to maintain healthcare services. The therapeutic and preventive role of ivermectin in COVID-19 is being investigated. Based on promising results of in vitro studies of oral ivermectin, this study was conducted with the aim to demonstrate the prophylactic role of oral ivermectin in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infectionamong HCWs at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, which provides both COVID and Non-COVID care since March 2020. All employees and students of the institute who provided written informed consent participated in the study.Uptake of two-doses of oral ivermectin (300 μg/kg at a gap of 72 hours) was considered as exposure. The primary outcome of the study was COVID-19 infection in the following month of ivermectin consumption diagnosed by RTPCR as per Government of India testing criteria guidelines.The log-binomial model was used to estimate adjusted relative risk, and the Kaplan-Meier failure plot was used to estimate the probability of COVID-19 infection with follow-up time. Results Of 3892 employees, 3532 (90.8%) participated in the study. The ivermectin uptake was 62.5% and 5.3% for two-doses and single-dose, respectively. Participants who took ivermectin prophylaxis had a lower risk of getting symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection(6% vs 15%). HCWs who had taken two-doses of oral ivermectin have a significantly lower risk of contracting COVID-19 disease during the following month (ARR 0.17; 95% CI, 0.12-0.23). Females had a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 than males (ARR 0.70 95% CI, 0.52-0.93). The absolute risk reduction of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 9.7%. Only 1.8% of the participants reported adverse events, which were mild and self-limiting. Conclusion and relevance Two-doses of oral ivermectin (300 μg/kg given 72 hours apart) as chemoprophylaxis among HCWs reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection by 83% in the following month. Safe, effective, and low-cost chemoprophylaxis have relevance in the containment of pandemic alongside vaccine.

Background: The medical and social impact of being overweight, as well as the difficulty in making long-term changes in diet, physical activity, and pitfalls associated with allopathic management, lure obese individuals to over-the-counter weight-loss herbal products (WHPs). However, the safety of herbals is questionable, as reports from all over the world suggest adulteration with synthetic weight loss agents. Objective: The present study was carried out to develop a rapid and sensitive method to screen potential weight loss adulterants in WHPs. Methodology: We procured 33 licensed brands of WHPs that are available in Puducherry (India) and through web stores. Drug-free spiked herbal matrices were used for internal proficiency testing. Spiked herbal matrices and samples were extracted and centrifuged. The supernatant was collected and subjected to liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyses. Isocratic elution was carried out by the mobile phase of methanol: 0.1% v/v formic acid (70%:30% v/v) through a C-18 column. Analytes were monitored in electrospray ionization positive and negative modes, and an multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) scan was used. Results: Run time was 12 min. Intra- and inter-day precision was < 15% and recoveries were in the range of 99% to 115%. Limit of quantification (LOQ) of the analytes were in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 ng/ml. Conclusion: We developed a sensitive and rapid validated method for the detection of potential adulterants in WHPs. None of the WHPs analyzed were found to contain adulterants. The proposed method will be useful for routine monitoring. WHPs analyzed in this study were not adulterated indicating that WHPs from licensed sources are reliable.

BackgroundIvermectin is one among several potential drugs explored for its therapeutic and preventive role in COVID-19 infection. The study was aimed to explore the association between ivermectin prophylaxis and development of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers.MethodsA hospital-based matched case-control study was conducted among healthcare workers of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, India, from September to October 2020. Profession, gender, age and date of diagnosis were matched for 186 case-control pairs. Cases and controls were healthcare workers who tested positive and negative, respectively, for COVID-19 by RT-PCR. Exposure was defined as the intake of ivermectin and/or hydroxychloroquine and/or vitamin-C and/or other prophylaxis for COVID-19. Data collection and entry was done in Epicollect5, and analysis was performed using STATA version 13. Conditional logistic regression models were used to describe the associated factors for COVID-19 infection.ResultsIvermectin prophylaxis was taken by 77 controls and 38 cases. Two-dose ivermectin prophylaxis (0.27, 95% CI, 0.15-0.51) was associated with 73% reduction of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers for the following one month, those who were involved in physical activity (3.06 95% CI, 1.18-7.93) for more than an hour/day were more likely to contract COVID-19 infection. Type of household, COVID duty, single-dose ivermectin prophylaxis, vitamin-C prophylaxis and hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis were not associated with COVID-19 infection.ConclusionTwo-dose ivermectin prophylaxis at a dose of 300 μg/kg with a gap of 72 hours was associated 73% reduction of COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers for the following one-month. Further research is required before its large scale use.

Introduction: Contact tracing and subsequently quarantining of HCWs is essential to minimize further transmission. In this study, we have reported our experience of contact tracing and risk categorization in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Eastern India. Methodology: This is a secondary data analysis of routine data collected from 19th March to 31st August 2020 during the process of contact tracing in a tertiary care teaching hospital in India amongst 3411 health care workers (HCWs). HCWs exposed to COVID-19 infections were categorized as per the risk stratification guidelines and the high risk cases were quarantined for 14 days and tested on 7th day of last contact. The low risk contacts were encouraged to closely monitor their symptoms and allowed to continue work. Results: Out of 3411 contacts 890 (26.1%) were high risk contacts and 2521 (73.9%) were low risk contacts. The test positivity rate of high risk contact was 3.82% and for low risk contact was 1.9%. Number of high risk contacts was more in Non-COVID area (15.84) as compared to COVID area (0.27); p value < 0.001), amongst IPD patients (6.61) as compared to staff (4.02) and OPD (0.22) ; p value = 0.009 and when clustering of cases present (14.35) as compared to isolated cases (8.21); p value < 0.001 Conclusion: The case identification, risk stratification and contact tracing have helped in reducing the number of contacts with due course of time, so preventing the depletion of human resources for continuing health care. The contact tracing approach designed in the current study can also be implemented in other healthcare settings. Key word: COVID-19, contact tracing, health care workers, risk stratification

Background:Medication errors have an adverse impact on the healthcare system by increasing patient morbidity and mortality. They are preventable, and educational or technology-based interventions are needed to reduce their prevalence and improve medication safety. We aimed to study the impact of a sensitization programme and a blame-free reporting tool for doctors and nurses on the prevalence and reporting of medication errors in the intensive care units (ICUs) of a tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods:This prospective interventional study was conducted in the ICUs of cardiology, medicine, paediatrics and neonatology. Baseline medication errors were detected by prescription order review and direct observation of administration of medication for 30 days. A sensitization programme was conducted for doctors and nurses in these ICUs, the results were discussed, and a blame-free medication error reporting tool was introduced. Medication charts were modified to remove the transcription process in the cardiology and paediatrics ICUs. The follow-up study was conducted for 30 days in each ICU to monitor the impact of the sensitization programme.Results:The prevalence of medication errors was found to be 334.1/1000 patient observation days. Prescription errors were the most common types of errors at 129.1/1000 patient observation days. The interventions significantly reduced the error rate in all four ICUs. The overall number of prescriptions with errors was reduced from 9.1% (177/1944) to 3.5% (48/1373) and no medication error was reported using the tool.Conclusion:The sensitization programme on medication errors for doctors and nurses may be effective in improving medication safety. The impact was more pronounced in prescription errors. Reporting of medication errors did not improve in this study despite the introduction of a blame-free reporting tool.

Background: There are several reports worldwide on adulteration of herbal medicines (HMs) with allopathic drugs. In India, only a few studies have reported adulteration of HMs with antidiabetics and there are no systematic studies. Aims: To develop a rapid and validated method for detection of allopathic antidiabetic adulterants and to explore the extent of adulteration in HMs sold in South India. Materials and Methods: Standards and solvents were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. Different brands of antidiabetic HM samples with manufacturing licenses were procured from dispensaries. Spiked drug free psyllium husk as solid and flask seed oil as liquid herbal matrices were used for method development. The spiked matrices with different concentrations were extracted with methanol and subjected to centrifugation. The supernatant was collected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Isocratic elution was carried on a C18 column with 0.1% (v/v) formic acid:methanol (3:7, v/v) as a mobile phase. All drugs were monitored for two ion products in positive electrospray ionization mode using multiple reaction monitoring scans. Results: The retention time was 9 min. Limit of detection is 10 Pictograms (pg) for all analytes except for metformin, which was 370 pg. Recoveries of analytes range from 96% to 117%. Forty different brands of antidiabetic HMs were analyzed. Adulterant peaks were not observed in the mass chromatograms of HMs. Conclusions: A single-run method was developed by LC-MS/MS for the detection of proposed antidiabetics in HMs from licensed manufacturing units and online sold HMs across herbal dispensaries in Puducherry union territory, India. None of the HMs was found to be adulterated with proposed allopathic antidiabetic adulterants.