Telehealth in south africa: a guide for healthcare practitioners in primary care

The use of telehealth is becoming a prevalent feature in clinical practice worldwide, partly because of advances in medical and telecommunications technology. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a key driver in justifying the accelerated use of telehealth, leading to healthcare practitioners (HCPs) utilising virtual consultations more avidly. Although challenges remain, recent data have shown that remote consultations are feasible, safe and effective in South Africa (SA) and that HCPs should become proficient in conducting telehealth, virtual or remote consultations. These guidelines are based on the revised Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) General Ethical Guidelines for Good Practice in Telehealth (Booklet 10) and guidelines on remote or video consultations from the University of Oxford, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. These guidelines aim to equip HCPs with the basic knowledge and skills pertaining to medicolegal, communication and practical aspects of telehealth and how to practise telehealth safely and effectively in primary care settings in SA during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.Keywords: telehealth; virtual consultations; remote consultations; primary care; guidelines; ethics; medicolegal; communication.

Trends and Challenges in Access to Essential Medicines in Ethiopia and the Contributions of Local Pharmaceutical Production

Decades ago, the United Nations declared that access to essential medicines was a key element of universal human rights. Accordingly, member states have been striving to address this issue through strategic policies and programs. Strengthening local pharmaceutical production has been a pivotal strategy adopted by many developing countries including Ethiopia. The government of Ethiopia identified local pharmaceutical production as a key industrial sector and has been implementing a ten-years strategic plan to improve capabilities and attract investment. Such support is needed because local production could satisfy only 15 to 20% of the national demand, typically from a limited portfolio of medicines in conventional dosage forms. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases has accentuated the need for a more sustainable supply to reduce reliance on imports and increase access to essential medicines. A full understanding of the structure, constraints and complexities of the Ethiopian pharmaceutical market structure is vital to direct effective policies, target most impactful investments and exploit opportunities for leapfrogging. Hence, the purpose of this review was to assess the trends and challenges in access to essential medicines and local pharmaceutical production in Ethiopia. Literature search through major databases and review of policy documents and performance reports from relevant sector institutions were made to extract information for the review

Status and development of clinical informatics in Nigeria's health care sector

This paper examines the status and development of clinical informatics in the Nigerian health care sector, highlighting the efforts to promote access to and the use of clinical informatics in Nigeria's health care sector. In a recent survey of major international research databases such as Scopus, it was observed that there is a gap in knowledge on clinical informatics in the country healthcare facilities in Nigeria due to a paucity of literature on clinical informatics. Through a literature review, the paper provides a conceptual background of clinical informatics, discusses the status of clinical informatics in Nigeria, and highlights ICT access and use in the healthcare sectors. It also examines the challenges and opportunities of clinical informatics in Nigeria. The last part of the paper discusses the implications of the reviewed literature through a PEST analysis. The paper provides invaluable information on clinical informatics in Nigeria that can be used to inform and support further studies in this growing field. The paper is a contribution to discussions and debates on the development of social informatics. Keywords: Social informatics, clinical informatics.

Information needs and information resources availability for nursing students in mission-Owned schools of nursing in Imo state

This study investigated the information needs and information resources availability for nursing students in mission-owned schools of nursing in Imo State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and five research questions guided the study. All the 416 second and third year nursing students were used for the study. Questionnaire on Information Needs of Nursing Students and a Checklist on Information Resources Availability were the instruments used to collect data. A total of 397 copies of the questionnaire were completed and returned for analysis representing 95.4% of the total population. All the head- librarian of the schools of nursing complied with the checklist. The findings showed that the students need varieties of information. It also showed that the students consulted different sources, mainly textbooks and internet to meet their information needs. Print information resources were available in the libraries and only few electronic information resources were available. The study recommended that the nursing school authorities should be updating their print resources since students were observed to rely more on textbooks. Also the libraries should upgrade to higher bandwidth so as to have easier and faster access to more e-books and e-journals.Keywords: Information, Information needs, Print and Electronic Information Resources Availability, Nursing Education

Professional library services in federal neuropsychiatric hospital, YABA Lagos

This paper is a review of professional library services in Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba. The paper noted that the important role of Medical Librarians in facilitate access to the medical literature for health professionals and students. Data from the library statistics show there is increase in patronage from 4040 library visits in 2011 to 6395 in 2015. Students use the library most. Hospital staff and researchers also use the library. Information services performed in library include current awareness services, Strategic dissemination of information. It was recommended that availability and utilization of ICT or e- library in library should be a priority. Adequate funding, infrastructures development and provision of uninterrupted electricity for conducive learning environment were highly recommended.