Nigerian Hospital Practice

Complications from Pelvic Irradiation of 'Cancer of Cervix – The University of Benin Teaching Hospital Experience

Adeyemi OF — 2024-10-03

Summary: Cancer of cervix is the second most common female malignancy worldwide. The incident is about 18.4 per 100,000 women in Nigeria. Pelvic irradiation remains a standard form of treatment beside surgery, especially that most of the patients in developing countries present during late stages of the disease when surgical intervention will result in high morbidity. This study outlines complications of pelvic irradiation and the treatment in a tertiary health care facility in Nigeria. It is a retrospective study. The patient's data extracted from the medical records into Microsoft excel spreadsheet, analysed using Statistical Package Software for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Our findings show that moist skin desquamation was the most common complication while fistula formation was the least complication. Out of the 108 participants, 40 of them have moist desquamation, while, 2 patients have fistula formation. Most of the complications occurred at the late stage of the disease, stage III (48.1%) and stage II (42.1%). The commonest pathology was adenocarcinoma (99%). Complication from pelvic irradiation, following treatment of cancer of cervix is a major cause of marital instability and separation, so aggressive treatment of the complication is highly advocated.

A Five -Year Retrospective Review of Contraceptive Uptake among Women in The Family Planning Clinic Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

Bobo TI — 2024-10-03

Summary: Contraceptive uptake is one of the most important determinants of birth rate in the world. Auditing the activities in the family planning clinic will help to assess contraceptive prevalence rate among women and to gain understanding and insight into the usage patterns and preferences which can help to tailor educational programs and outreach efforts to better meet their contraceptive needs. To review activities in the family planning unit of Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo state between 2018 and 2022. The record of 6769 clients attending the Family Planning unit of Bowen University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ogbomoso, Oyo-State, Nigeria for the period between 2018-2022 was carefully reviewed. Information related to the age, parity, level of education, marital status and the choice of contraception utilized were obtained. All data obtained was entered into a standard proforma and analysed using IBM SPSS statistical software. The main outcome of the study was compared with the independent variables of interest and Pearson chi square test was used for the test of association between independent variables and the main outcomes of the study, with statistical significance set at p- value of 5%. A total of 6769 contraceptive uptakes were observed during the 5-year study, giving a mean acceptor rate of 1354 per annum. Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) had the highest uptake across all the years from 2018-2022 with usage prevalence rate of 44.6%, 48.3%, 32.9%, 42.6%, and 47.9% respectively, followed by injectable which has yearly usage rate of 27.7%, 25.2%, 29.2%,30.9% and 28.6% respectively. There was no statistically significant relationship between contraceptive choice and the respondents' age, parity and marital status. IUCD is the most popular method of contraception in Ogbomoso area of Nigeria. Contraceptive uptake is relatively high among the women. There was an increase in yearly prevalence of contraceptive uptake, a significant decrease in the trend of hormonal contraceptive method use was observed compared to non-hormonal method, IUCD which increased and BTL which slightly increased over the years.

Use of Traditional Herbal Medicine (THM) among Adults in Ojo Local Government Area: Potential for Formal Integration at the Primary Healthcare Level

Komolafe BE — 2024-10-03

Summary: The use of traditional Herbal Medicines (THM) is increasing globally, with about 80% of the world's population relying on them for primary healthcare. The use of THM may be beneficial but comes with issues, such as potential side effects and harmful drug interactions. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 272 adult residents of the Ojo Local government area, selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Data was collected using a semi-structured pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Epi-info version 7.2.2.6 computer software. Chi-square was used to test association between sociodemographic characteristics and use of THM. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. The majority (69.49%) of respondents interviewed were between the ages of 25-44 years, half of the respondents (50.37%) were single. Many respondents (55.51%) had good knowledge of THM, and perceived THM as safe for children (74.26%) and adults (90.07%). The majority of respondents thought that THM were safe for adults (90.1%), children (74.3%) and with fewer side effects than orthodox drugs (63.6%). About 70% of respondents were THM users, while only 7% were THM non-users (having never used THM), with 23% of respondents being THM-exposed (reporting use of THM at least once in their lifetime but not in the preceding 6 months). Factors significantly associated with use were respondents' age (p=0.005), level of education (p=0.003), monthly income (p=0.007), occupation (p=0.018), and wealth quintile (p=0.019). Respondents of older ages, with lower levels of education and income, in partially skilled or unskilled occupations, and classified in the 'poor' wealth quintile were statistically significantly associated with being THM users. The respondents in the study knew about THMs but did not realize the potential risks. Respondents perceived THMs as safe and effective, contributing to high use. While no side effects were reported, public education is needed to promote safe THM use and minimize potential health problems.