Pharmacists and Nurses Perception of Medication Errors in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital

Purpose: To investigate the type and frequency of all medication dispensing and administration errors as perceived by pharmacists and nurses respectively; and the factors associated with such errors in a Nigerian university teaching hospital. Methods: The study was conducted at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals; Ile-Ife and Ilesa; Nigeria. Data was collected by the use of pre-tested questionnaire administered to 35 pharmacists and a stratified sample of 130 nurses over a period of 2 weeks. The questionnaires were sorted and analysed. Results: The pharmacists that responded (80) cited incorrect drug; incorrect strength of drug (70) and wrong dose of drug (60) as the most common dispensing errors. Fifty percent of pharmacists put the estimated frequency of occurrence of these dispensing errors at 1 per 100 prescriptions dispensed. Most of the nurses (65) identified administration of wrong drug; administration of wrong dose (63) and wrong time of drug administration (57) as the most frequently occurring medication administration errors in the teaching hospital. All the pharmacists and 78of nurses identified excess workload as the most important factor contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration respectively. Conclusion: The fundamental factor perceived to be contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration was excess workload resulting from insufficient members of staff

Pharmacists and Nurses Perception of Medication Errors in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital

Purpose: To investigate the type and frequency of all medication dispensing and administration errors as perceived by pharmacists and nurses respectively; and the factors associated with such errors in a Nigerian university teaching hospital. Methods: The study was conducted at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals; Ile-Ife and Ilesa; Nigeria. Data was collected by the use of pre-tested questionnaire administered to 35 pharmacists and a stratified sample of 130 nurses over a period of 2 weeks. The questionnaires were sorted and analysed. Results: The pharmacists that responded (80) cited incorrect drug; incorrect strength of drug (70) and wrong dose of drug (60) as the most common dispensing errors. Fifty percent of pharmacists put the estimated frequency of occurrence of these dispensing errors at 1 per 100 prescriptions dispensed. Most of the nurses (65) identified administration of wrong drug; administration of wrong dose (63) and wrong time of drug administration (57) as the most frequently occurring medication administration errors in the teaching hospital. All the pharmacists and 78of nurses identified excess workload as the most important factor contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration respectively. Conclusion: The fundamental factor perceived to be contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration was excess workload resulting from insufficient members of staff.) cited incorrect drug; incorrect strength of drug (70) and wrong dose of drug (60) as the most common dispensing errors. Fifty percent of pharmacists put the estimated frequency of occurrence of these dispensing errors at 1 per 100 prescriptions dispensed. Most of the nurses (65) identified administration of wrong drug; administration of wrong dose (63) and wrong time of drug administration (57) as the most frequently occurring medication administration errors in the teaching hospital. All the pharmacists and 78of nurses identified excess workload as the most important factor contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration respectively. Conclusion: The fundamen- tal factor perceived to be contributing to errors in medication dispensing and administration was excess workload resulting from insufficient members of staff

Oxidative stress and hemorheological changes induced by acute treadmill exercise.

The present investigation was designed to evaluate the acute effect of aerobic exercise on oxidative stress and the flow properties of the blood. Fourteen clinically healthy subjects (7 men and 7 women aged 56+/-19 yr) underwent maximal treadmill exercise with blood samples drawn prior to and immediately after exercise. Post-exercise significant increases were observed in plasma lipid hydroperoxides from 6.5+/-2.0 microM to 7.9+/-1.9 microM (p<0.0001) and the relative concentration of plasma fluorescent products associated with red cell peroxidation from 138+/-28 RF to 220+/-92 RF (p<0.005). After exercise there was a rise in the hematocrit from 41.4+/-3.7% to 44.4+/-4.1% (p<0.0001), increases in whole blood viscosity at shear rates of 22.5/sec to 450/sec (p<0.0005), an increase in plasma viscosity from 1.27+/-0.12 cP to 1.36+/-0.11 cP (p<0.01), an increase in red cell rigidity from 2.44+/-0.48 cP to 2.62+/-0.42 cP (p<0.001) and a decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate from 26.9+/-18.6 mm/h to 22.5+/-15.9 mm/h (p<0.01). The findings suggest that acute aerobic exercise induces oxidative damage to red blood cells and adversely affects rheological properties of the peripheral blood.

The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium by red blood cells: a measure of Red Cell membrane antioxidant capacity and hemoglobin-membrane binding sites.

The reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) with intact Red Blood Cells (RBCs) is biphasic with an initial rapid reduction followed by a slower second phase. This biphasic kinetics has been explained with the initial rapid phase attributed to antioxidants in the red cell which reduce membrane bound NBT and the slower phase associated with the reaction of NBT with membrane bound hemoglobin. This model has been confirmed by a utilization of a number of red cell modifications which either increase the red cell antioxidants (vitamin C and vitamin E) or damage the red cell membrane (cumene hydroperoxide and N-ethylmaleimide). The utilization of this assay for human blood samples was investigated by studying a series of 20 human subjects ranging between 34 and 87 years of age. It was possible to fit all of these samples with two adjustable parameters which reflect the red cell membrane antioxidant capacity (x) and the hemoglobin membrane interactions (m). The antioxidant capacity shows a significant (p < .002; R = -.67) decrease with age. This finding is consistent with a decrease in the level of antioxidants in aged subjects. In addition, the number of hemoglobin membrane sites are negatively correlated with the antioxidant capacity (p < .02; R = -.52) suggesting that the oxidative stress associated with reduced antioxidants results in increased hemoglobin-membrane interactions.

[In Nigeria: sexual permissiveness and sex education]. / Au Nigéria: laxisme et education sexuelle.

Considering the population explosion in Nigeria which is due both to medical advances and traditional beliefs in large families as well as the recent trend of sexual permissiveness which involves the teenagers population, the author of the article considers that sex education is imperative in Nigeria. However, he sees many obstacles standing in the way of general acceptance of sex education. The husband-wife relationship does not encourage free communication on the subject and colonization has removed the traditional forms of sex education through initiation rites and pre-marital counseling by the elders so that young people nowadays rely mostly on peer information or erotic movies and publications. It seems to the author that the only avenue left open is to teach sex education through the school systems. A systematic review of the provisions for sex education in primary and secondary schools as well as teacher's training colleges bring the author to the conclusion that although the sex education curriculum seems comprehensive on paper, they are mere copies of similar American or Canadian programmes with very little attempt at indigenizing them. Furthermore, the syllabus seem to be concentrated on one year instead of being spread out over the school career. The author expresses his conviction that the topic could easily be made acceptable with the right approach and he advocates grounding sex education teaching in the traditional roots of the students.