Nigerian Medical Practitioner

Seroprevalence of transfusion-transmissible infections among blood donors in two hospital-based transfusion centers in Lagos, South-West Nigeria: A five-year review

OA Oyedeji — 2024-06-26

Transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs) pose a significant public health concern, particularly in Sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria with high disease burden. This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of TTIs among blood donors in hospital-based transfusion centres in Lagos, South-West Nigeria. A retrospective study of blood donation data between January 2017 and December 2021 from two hospital-based transfusion centers in Lagos was conducted. Serological tests for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and syphilis were performed using standard laboratory protocols. A total of 19,741 blood donors were included in the study. The overall prevalence of TTIs was found to be 9.30%, with 6.37%, 0.72%, 1.82%, and 0.38% for HBV, HCV, HIV, and syphilis respectively. The prevalence of HBV was noticed to have an upward trend during the study period. Higher prevalence rates were observed among males compared to female blood donors (9.37% versus 7.79%) and within the 35-46 age groups. There is a significant burden of TTIs among blood donors in Lagos hence the importance of stringent screening protocols and targeted interventions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmissible infections.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of household solid waste minimization by residents of Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria

Uchechi K. Nwasogwa — 2024-06-26

Effective waste management remains a critical challenge for low and middle-income countries, including Nigeria. Many households in Rivers State still have poor waste minimization practices. This study determined the knowledge and practice of household waste minimization methods among residents in Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA), Rivers State. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving the use of questionnaires and multi-stage sampling of 315 eligible heads of households of PHALGA. The level of knowledge, attitude, and practice to household waste minimization was assessed using a Likert-point scale. Data entry was done using MS-Excel and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. Frequencies and proportions were calculated for categorical variables. The study showed that 19.7% of the respondents had poor knowledge, 48.3% had fair knowledge and 32.1% had good knowledge of household waste minimization. The result showed that 55.6% had a positive attitude while almost all (98.7%) of the respondents had poor waste management practices. This study highlighted that despite participants having a fair knowledge and a favourable attitude towards waste minimization methods, they lacked the practical application of these methods in handling their waste. This observed disparity calls for more public health education, community sensitization, and behavioural change interventions for the residents on the importance of effective household waste minimization practices.

Serum lipoprotein @ and cardiovascular risk factors among ambulatory healthy black subjects in Lagos, Nigeria

OI Ajie — 2024-06-26

This is a retrospective descriptive study to evaluate serum lipoprotein @ and cardiovascular risk factors among ambulatory healthy black subjects in Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 841 subject data were considered for this study spanning from 2014 to 2018. Lipoprotein @, HbA1c, fasting glucose were assayed using Cobas 6000 chemistry analyser under standard controlled conditions. Subjects' biodatas were retrieved from the laboratory information system of the healthcare facility. These data were entered into excel sheet and later exported to SPSS software package for windows version 25 for statistical analysis. Mean serum lipoprotein @ for this study (6.1mg/dl) was generally lower than that derived from earlier studies like the Copenhagen general population study. There was even male and female gender distribution of lipoprotein @. No statistical relationship between serum lipoprotein @ and observed CVS risk factors was derived in this study. This may be an indication of earlier findings that lipoprotein @ serum level is genetically determined. Serum lipoprotein @ is generally low among low-risk subjects used for this study and no relationship was derived when compared to CVS risk factors including age, hypertension, smoking, BMI and poor glycaemic control. Therefore, lipoprotein @ should not be considered as a first-line testing in the initial assessment of subjects when lipid profile testing is required. A robust control and genetic study will help delineate the usefulness of lipoprotein @ testing in the prediction of cardiovascular fatalities in humans.

Job satisfaction and intention to migrate among healthcare workers in a multi-specialist facility within Southwest Nigeria

EO Olufela — 2024-06-26

Poor job satisfaction among healthcare professionals has been found to affect the quality of healthcare service delivery and is one of the major motivators for migration especially among those from LMICs. This study aimed to determine the job satisfaction and intention to migrate among healthcare workers in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). A descriptive cross-sectional study among 340 healthcare workers in LUTH was conducted using a multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27 and MS Excel 97-2003 was used for data entry and analysis. The association between independent and dependent variables was depicted using Chi-square test, while the level of significance was set at 5% (p≤0.05). This study revealed that less than half (43.5%) of respondents were aged 21-30, most (68.5%) were female, and around half (49.4%) were single. 26.2% were somewhat satisfied with their job, 25.0% were dissatisfied with the physical working environment, and 25.6% with their salary. 39.4% had moderate satisfaction, 38.8% were dissatisfied, and 21.8% were satisfied. 92% had considered migration, with 77.6% planning to leave, primarily within 6 months. There was a statistically significant association between the respondents' years of practice and their intention to migrate (p=0.015). Overall, only 21.8% of respondents were satisfied with their jobs using the OJSC score, with nearly all respondents intending to migrate. Implementing competitive salary packages may improve satisfaction and reduce migration plans among healthcare workers.