ABSTRACT
Background: The predictors of mortality among patients presenting with severe to critical disease in Nigeria are presently unknown. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of mortality among patients with COVID-19 presenting for admission in a tertiary referral hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: The study was a retrospective study. Patients' sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities, complications, treatment outcomes, and hospital duration were documented. Pearson's Chi-square, Fischer's Exact test, or Student's t-test were used to assess the relationship between the variables and mortality. To compare the survival experience across medical comorbidities, Kaplan Meir plots and life tables were used. Univariable and multivariable Cox-proportional hazard analyses were conducted. Results: A total of 734 patients were recruited. Participants' age ranged from five months to 92 years, with a mean ± SD of 47.4 ± 17.2 years, and a male preponderance (58.5% vs. 41.5%). The mortality rate was 9.07 per thousand person-days. About 73.9% (n = 51/69) of the deceased had one or more co-morbidities, compared to 41.6% (252/606) of those discharged. Patients who were older than 50 years, with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic renal illness, and cancer had a statistically significant relationship with mortality. Conclusion: These findings call for a more comprehensive approach to the control of non-communicable diseases, the allocation of sufficient resources for ICU care during outbreaks, an improvement in the quality of health care available to Nigerians, and further research into the relationship between obesity and COVID-19 in Nigerians.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Male , Infant , Retrospective Studies , Tertiary Care Centers , Nigeria/epidemiology , Hospitalization , Hospital MortalityABSTRACT
Purpose: The shutdown of normal face-to-face educational method of learning caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made the education stakeholders reconsider and rethink education anew in light of the emerging challenges and opportunities imposed on e-learning in higher education in Nigeria post COVID-19. This study investigates the challenges confronting e-learning in higher education in Nigeria amid COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing upon data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 395 lecturers in various disciplines in private, state and federal universities in Nigeria, the study adopts a quantitative research method. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: The findings indicate that Nigeria Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are still in the early stage of adopting the e-learning mode of study. In addition, there was no existing e-learning curriculum before the pandemic. Also, adopting e-learning mode of teaching was an uphill task for both the lecturers and the learners, given the lack of experience in information and communications technology usage and inadequate infrastructure to support e-learning. Research limitations/implications: A major limitation of the study is the inability to investigate the challenges facing students in using e-learning tools due to the unavailability of access to students during the lockdown. However, the limitations create opportunities for further studies into the subject matter. Originality/value: The study is timely given that HEIs in Nigeria and some other countries in Africa are yet to adopt blended teaching methods. Literature reveals that most HEIs in Nigeria are using only brick and mortar mode of teaching despite the benefit of blended learning in a pandemic situation. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The shutdown of normal face-to-face educational method of learning caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made the education stakeholders reconsider and rethink education anew in light of the emerging challenges and opportunities imposed on e-learning in higher education in Nigeria post COVID-19. This study investigates the challenges confronting e-learning in higher education in Nigeria amid COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing upon data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 395 lecturers in various disciplines in private, state and federal universities in Nigeria, the study adopts a quantitative research method. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: The findings indicate that Nigeria Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are still in the early stage of adopting the e-learning mode of study. In addition, there was no existing e-learning curriculum before the pandemic. Also, adopting e-learning mode of teaching was an uphill task for both the lecturers and the learners, given the lack of experience in information and communications technology usage and inadequate infrastructure to support e-learning. Research limitations/implications: A major limitation of the study is the inability to investigate the challenges facing students in using e-learning tools due to the unavailability of access to students during the lockdown. However, the limitations create opportunities for further studies into the subject matter. Originality/value: The study is timely given that HEIs in Nigeria and some other countries in Africa are yet to adopt blended teaching methods. Literature reveals that most HEIs in Nigeria are using only brick and mortar mode of teaching despite the benefit of blended learning in a pandemic situation. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.