African journal of medicine and medical sciences
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The UNICEF/WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) programme was developed to train health workers and equip them with the required knowledge and skills to protect, promote and support breastfeeding among mothers through the implementation of the "Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding". This study was conducted to assess the effect of BFHI training on knowledge, attitudes and support practices of nurses with regards to exclusive breastfeeding. A total of 298 nurses in maternal and child health care units were interviewed, of these 113 (37.1%) had participated in the BFHI training workshop. ⋯ The overall knowledge scores of the BFHI trained nurses was significantly higher than that of the untrained (11.9 +/- 1.8 versus 10.7 +/- 2.4 P < 0.01). Higher proportions of BFHI trained nurses reported correct support practices for the initiation and establishment of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers. The findings show that nurses who had participated in the BFHI training workshop were significantly more knowledgeable about some aspects of exclusive breastfeeding, they had more positive attitudes and were more likely to employ correct practices for the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding.
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This study seeks to define the clinical presentation, the usefulness of diagnostic tests, surgical management approach and outcome of treatment among patients with diaphragmatic injuries. One hundred and sixteen patients with diaphragmatic injuries were treated. This was 6.5% of 1,778 chest trauma patients. ⋯ Routine chest radiograph remains the best screening test for diaphragmatic rupture. Diaphragmatic injury may be a predictor of severity of injury in blunt trauma patient. Surgical approach should be individualized.
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All cases of septicemia among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria between Jan 1995 and Dec 1996 were studied. Our aims were (1) to assess the incidence and microbial epidemiology of neonatal sepsis, (2) to generate baseline data and necessary research question for a proposed study on predictors of neonatal sepsis in our centre. Microbiology records of patients with confirmed septicemia was reviewed. ⋯ There was a lower incidence of sepsis compared to reports from other parts of the country. This, in addition to differences in antibiotic sensitivity pattern call for more multi-centre studies on predictors of neonatal sepsis. The antibiotic sensitivity profiles suggest that the initial empirical choice of ampicillin-sulbactam and gentamicin appears to be the most rational for our environment.
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The relationship between pain scores obtained on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) the Box Numerical Scale (BNS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) was studied. The subjects were 35 volunteer female patients who had their babies through caesarian section 1-3 days prior to the study. Demographic data and pain scores were collected through a questionnaire, which was available in both English and Yoruba, the two most commonly spoken languages in Ibadan where the study was carried out. ⋯ Significant correlations existed between pain scores obtained on the VAS and VRS (r = 0.48, p = 0.003); VAS and BNS (r = 0.74, P = 0.000); BNS and VRS (r = 0.74, P = 0.000). High educational attainment improved correlation between the scales in this study. It was concluded that the three pain rating scales measure the same construct, and could be used for pain measurement in obstetrically related conditions in this environment.
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This audit was undertaken to assess the utilisation of the emergency theatre in University College Hospital, Ibadan. It was also to find out if there was effective use of the emergency theatre space on a daily basis. Data was collected on all patients scheduled for emergency surgery excluding obstetric emergencies between May 1st and July 31st 1999. ⋯ Theatre utilisation during this study was between 5 to 50% (mean 26.9%) and the period of maximal utilisation was between 16.00 and 03.00 hours. Reasons why surgery was not performed on all (100%) booked patients included among others "Surgeons did not show up" (62%), "Surgery postponed by surgeons" (18%) and "Patient ill prepared for surgery" (10%). This study showed gross under-utilisation of emergency theatre space with contributing factors mainly human and preventable.