ABSTRACT
Background: Accurate mortality statistics are needed for policy formulation; implementation and monitoring of health intervention that are aimed at improving the health status of the people. Mortality level is one of the indicators of the quality of life and status of health of a population. However; accurate collection; collation; analysis and interpretation of such data is poorly organised in developing nations; including Nigeria leading to a gap in health policy formulation; implementation and monitoring. Therefore; policies and strategies for disease prevention are based on empirical evidence rather than on data primarily collected to formulate disease specific interventions.Though; hospital data have inherent deficiency in its use to design prevention. However; when accurately generated and adequately managed would provide both qualitative and quantitative information on morbidity and mortality if not for the entire society at least for a segment of the population utilizing it. We implemented a system of death certification to determine causes and pattern of mortality in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital; Zaria Methods: From May 1999 to November 2005; all case folders of deceased patients were retrieved from the central library of health information management department of the hospital; case folders of deceased patients are required to have in them a completed IFMCCD(International Form of Medical Certification of Cause of Death). All case folders of deceased patients after relevant information were extracted by the staff of health management information department; were passed on to the staff of department of Community Medicine directly involved in this study. The completed cause of death certificates received in the department of Community Medicine (between May 1999 and November 2005); were examined. Coding rules were employed to select the appropriate code for those certificates that were incorrectly completed. The underlying cause of death as identified from the correctly completed IFMCCDS is coded according to ICD-10. Results: For the period under study; there were 4019 deaths: 2212 males and 1807 females. Total of 2914 (72.5) deaths were certified; using the IFMCCD of which 1641 of them were males and 1273 females and formed the basis of this analysis. Coverage rates ranges from 56.2in 2001 to 85in 1999. The proportion of garbage codes ranges from 0to 2.4while the three leading causes of death are HIV infection; road traffic accident (RTA); and cardiovascular diseases among the ten. The time-trend of the leading causes of death show RTA maintaining steady upward climb while malaria; septicemia; PEM; sepsis in the neonatal period shows unsteady fluctuation. Conclusion: This study assessed the pattern of mortality and causes of death in ABU Teaching Hospital; Zaria; it also provided information on leading causes of death
Subject(s)
Accidents , Cause of Death , HIV Infections , MortalityABSTRACT
Background: The adoption of primary health care in Nigeria has led to the expansion of health care delivery frontiers especially at the rural level. At this level is the most critical health services delivery point, with an attendant increase in contact between primary health care providers and patients. There is however also a simultaneous increased exposure to occupational and related health risks and hazards. Methods: The objectives of this study were to assess the universal precaution profile of primary health care facilities and determine those factors that inform their prevailing safety status. Using a structured checklist, 23 representative primary health care facilities from the 23 local government areas in Sokoto State were randomly selected for the study, one from each of the local government areas. Results: The facilities were found to have poor universal precaution profile that could guarantee effective control of infection transmission and safety of their personnel. The facilities' mean score on measures and frameworks for ensuring the implementation of Universal Precautions was 53.12% ± 21.68% with only 56.52% scoring above 50%. Conclusion: Safety protocol and facilities for ensuring safe environment were inadequate and poorly developed. None of the facilities had full complement of facilities or resources for ensuring safety of working environment and for personnel's implementation of Universal Precautions. Policy for safety practice was poor, and post exposure intervention programmes for staff in event of accidental exposure grossly underdeveloped. Interventions to improve safety environment and creation of safe climate are essential to protect primary health care workers against occupational hazards
Subject(s)
Health Care Facilities, Manpower, and Services , Nigeria , Occupational Health , Primary Health CareABSTRACT
Background: Carcinoma of the breast is an important public health problem in Nigeria and studies have reported low levels of awareness and practice of breast self examination as an important method of prevention. Breast self examination is a cost-effective method of early detection of cancer of the breast especially in resource poor countries. We assessed knowledge and practice of breast-self examination (BSE) among female undergraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria; Nigeria. Method: In this study; knowledge and practice of BSE were examined among 221 female students aged 16 - 28 years old studying at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria using self administered questionnaires. Results: It was found that despite nearly three quarter of the respondents (87.7) had heard of BSE; only 19.0of them were performing this examination monthly. Regarding the sources of information about BSE among respondents; media was found to be most common followed by health workers accounting for 45.5and 32.2respectively. Regular performance of BSE was significantly correlated with duration of stay in the University (X2 = 81.9; df = 3; P .05) and family history of breast cancer (X2