Determinants of Interest in Nephrology Career Choice among Internal Medicine Junior Residents in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: There has been decreased interest in postgraduate nephrology training over the years. This trend could worsen the shortage of nephrologists and inability to meet the health needs of patients with kidney diseases if not urgently addressed. AIM: To determine interest in and determinants of nephrology career choice among junior internal medicine residents in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 273 junior residents in internal medicine across Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire that was adapted from two previous studies was used for data collection. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 33.6±4.4 years with a male: female ratio of 1.8:1. This study showed that 16.8% and 21.6% of junior residents in internal medicine considered nephrology as their first and second choice area to specialize, respectively. Factors that ranked high as determinants of a decision to do nephrology were personal interest (94.3%), opportunities to perform renal procedures (93.3%), and exposure to nephrology training (85.7%). Factors that discouraged a choice of nephrology according to respondents were high mortality of renal patients (67.3%), poor outcomes of renal patients (70.2%), in ability to fund treatment by renal patients (66.1%), unsatisfactory life-work balance among nephrologists (60.7%), and late presentation of renal patients (59.0%). Others were high workload compared to available doctors (59.0%) and poor job satisfaction (55.4%). Factors that could stimulate more interest in nephrology according to respondents included creation of better working environment with adequate equipment for training (96.3%), provision of health insurance with adequate coverage for renal patients (97.4%), and increased government support for renal care services (99.3%). CONCLUSION: There is a need to promote and sustain interest of residents in nephrology by ensuring improved survival of patients through better access to renal care, ensuring an adequate and well motivated work force, provision of adequate facilities and health insurance services.

INTRODUCTION: L'intérêt pour la formation postuniversitaire en néphrologie a diminué au fil des ans. Cette tendance pourrait aggraver la pénurie de néphrologues et l'incapacité de répondre aux besoins de santé des patients atteints de maladies rénales si l'on n'y remédie pas de toute urgence. OBJECTIF: Déterminer l'intérêt et les déterminants du choix de carrière en néphrologie chez les jeunes résidents en médecine interne au Nigeria. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale à laquelle ont participé 273 résidents juniors en médecine interne au Nigeria. Un questionnaire auto-administré, adapté de deux études précédentes, a été utilisé pour la collecte des données. RÉSULTATS: L'âge moyen des répondants était de 33,6±4,4 ans avec un ratio homme/femme de 1,8:1. Cette étude a montré que 16,8 % et 21,6 % des résidents juniors en médecine interne considéraient la néphrologie comme leur premier et deuxième choix de spécialisation, respectivement. Les facteurs les plus déterminants dans la décision de se spécialiser en néphrologie étaient l'intérêt personnel (94,3 %), la possibilité de pratiquer des interventions rénales (93,3 %) et l'exposition à la formation en néphrologie (85,7 %). Les facteurs qui découragent le choix de la néphrologie selon les répondants sont la mortalité élevée (67,3 %), les résultats médiocres (70,2 %), l'incapacité de financer le traitement (66,1 %), l'équilibre vie-travail insatisfaisant (60,7 %) et la présentation tardive des patients rénaux (59,0 %). D'autres facteurs sont la charge de travail élevée par rapport aux médecins disponibles (59,0 %) et la faible satisfaction au travail (55,4 %). Les facteurs qui pourraient susciter un plus grand intérêt pour la néphrologie, selon les répondants, sont la création d'un meilleur environnement de travail avec des équipements adéquats pour la formation (96,3%), la mise en place d'une assurance maladie avec une couverture adéquate pour les patients atteints de maladies rénales (97,4%), et un soutien accru dugouvernement pour les services de soins rénaux (99,3%). CONCLUSION: Il est nécessaire de promouvoir et de soutenir l'intérêt des résidents pour la néphrologie en assurant une meilleure survie des patients grâce à un meilleur accès aux soins rénaux, en assurant une main-d'œuvre adéquate et bien motivée, en fournissant des installations adéquates et des services d'assurance maladie. Mots clés: Néphrologie, Carrière, Intérêt, Résidents, Médecine interne.

Assessment of health-related quality of life of chronic kidney disease patients in aminu kano teaching hospital, Kano.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing globally. Recently, the concept of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) is receiving attention as a measure of treatment outcome in addition to traditional morbidity and mortality rates. OBJECTIVE: To assess the HRQOL of CKD patients stages 1-5 using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life questionnaire (KDQOL). METHODOLOGY: The study was a cross-sectional study of CKD patients at a teaching hospital in north-western Nigeria during the study period. The quality of life, sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory variables were assessed using a pro forma and the KDQOL questionnaire during regular clinic visits/dialysis sessions. Age and sex-matched healthy volunteers without evidence of renal disease were recruited from the hospital environment into a comparison group. RESULTS: A total of 150 subjects with CKD and 150 individuals in the comparison group completed the study with 77 males and 73 females for both groups. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) ages of the CKD and comparison group was 52.83 ± 14.21 and 52.43 ± 14.50 years, respectively. Subjects in the comparison group had higher physical composite summary (PCS) and mental composite summary (MCS) scores than individuals with CKD (P value < 0.05). Subjects with CKD showed a progressive decline in the scores of all HRQOL domains with advancing CKD stages (P value < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that subjects with CKD have worse HRQOL domain scores when compared to the normal population and these scores progressively worsened with advancing CKD stages.

RENAL ARTERIAL DOPPLER VELOCIMETRIC INDICES AMONG HEALTHY SUBJCTS IN NORTH WEST NIGERIA.

BACKGROUND: Doppler sonography is a non-invasive modality for evaluation of renal vascular anatomy and flow dynamics, causes of secondary hypertension and renal diseases. AIM: To determine the normal reference values for the renal arterial Doppler velocimetric indices in healthy adults and correlate them with gender and age. METHODOLOGY: The subjects consist of 36 males and 44 females. They were scanned using 3.5MHz transducer. After parenchymal assessment, the renal arteries were identified using colour mapping, followed by measurement of velocimetric indices on spectral Doppler tracings on each side. RESULTS: The mean peak systolic velocity (PSV) was highest on the left side in males measuring 65.75 ± 28.41cm/sec and 60.7 ± 24.20cm/sec on the right. In females, it measured 61.83 ± 22.50cm/sec and 60.04 ± 24.67cm/sec on the right and left sides. The mean end diastolic velocity (EDV) was higher on the right side, measuring 23.59 ± 11.45cm/sec and 22.50 ± 8.37cm/sec in males and 25.19 ± 10.72cm/sec and 22.33 ± 8.47cm/sec in females. There was age related dependency on the mean resistive index (RI). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that there was a statistical significant correlation between RI and systolic-diastolic ratio (S/D) with age. However, gender did not show significant correlation with these indices.