Knowledge, attitude and practice of cervical cancer screening - Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) among female health care providers in Port Harcourt

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy affecting women globally and the commonest female genital cancer in Nigeria. It can be prevented through regular cytologic screening by Pap smear. The general public sees health care providers as models; therefore; their attitudes and actions would predictably influence societal health behaviour. Aim: To assess the knowledge; attitude and practices of female health workers in Port Harcourt; towards cervical cancer screening. Methods: A questionnaire-based survey of 133 female health care providers at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital; Port Harcourt; which evaluated the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents; knowledge of cervical cancer; attitude and utilization of cervical cancer screening service was carried out. The data were entered into SPSS version 11.0 which was used for analysis and results are presented as Frequency tables; percentages and means. The level of significance was set at p-value 0.05. Results: Up to 123 (92.2) respondents had knowledge of Pap smear as a screening tool for cervical cancer; and 96 (72.2) respondents recognized early sexual debut as a risk factor. Nine-three (70) respondents would be willing to have Pap smear. Only 17(12.8) had done a Pap smear previously. Conclusion: The high knowledge of cervical cancer screening and their positive attitudes towards it did not translate to service utilization by female health professionals in Port Harcourt.There is therefore need to improve uptake of Pap smear by health professionals in order to improve their effectiveness in encouraging the public to utilize this service

Perinatal Outcome of Macrosomic Births in Port Harcourt

Background: Macrosomic babies are at increased risk of adverse perinatal outcome and therefore constitute a high risk group of neonates and the incidence appears to be rising. The objective was to determine the incidence of fetal macrosomia; and the perinatal outcome of macrosomic babies; compare with matched term; appropriate weight neonates in the booked antenatal population of the UPTH. Methods: It was a- one year prospective study of the perinatal outcome of singleton babies whose birth weights were 4000g and above (macrosomia) delivered to booked antenatal mothers in UPTH between 1st October 2003 and 30th September 2004; comparing them with term appropriate (2500-3999g) weight babies. The birth weight; sex; perinatal and maternal complications documented from direct observations; questioning and other information extracted from patients' case notes; were entered into a personal computer; analysed and presented as frequency tables; percentages; Chi-square x2; calculated as appropriate using Epi info version 3.4.3 statistical soft ware. P 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Fetal macrosomia occurred in 354 out of 2417 singleton term deliveries; giving an incidence of 1in 7 deliveries or 14.65.The birth asphyxia (7.90vs 2.60; p= 0.011); Neonatal admission (29.54vs 2.85; p= 0.001) and perinatal mortality (48/1000 vs 23/1000 births; p=0.001); caesarean delivery (55.70vs18.64; p=0.001) rates were significantly higher in the macrosomic than the control group. Conclusion: There is a high incidence of fetal macrosomia in Port Harcourt with associated relatively higher adverse perinatal outcome compared to singleton term normal weight babies

Experience with conscious sedation for oocyte retrieval in Nigeria

Conscious sedation is the most common method of pain relief used during ultrasound-directed transvaginal follicle aspiration (UDFA) for in-vitro fertilisation/embryo transfer (IVF /ET). It is associated with minimal risks and facilitates early discharge following UDFA. The aim of this study was to assess clients' pain experience; acceptance of conscious sedation and correlates of pain during oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) at The Bridge Clinic; Port Harcourt. It was a crosssectional survey conducted between May 1 and October 31 2004. Pain was assessed using a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS). Clients' pain experience and correlates were evaluated using Pearson's correlation and the student's t-test. The mean pain score was low and the duration of the procedure did not significantly affect the severity of pain felt by the client. Most (69.0) clients would prefer the same sedation and analgesia for any subsequent procedure. Conscious sedation and analgesia are one of several methods used to relieve pain during oocyte retrieval in IVF procedures. The information in this study is of value when considering the management of pain in patients undergoing oocyte retrieval procedures. (Afr Reprod Health 2008; 12[1]:30-34)