An assessment of the index of rational drug prescribing for severe acute respiratory infections among hospitalised children in Northern Nigeria: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated drug use pattern among hospitalized children with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) in Nigeria. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A retrospective assessment of prescribed medicines for children aged 13 years and below who were admitted and treated for SARI from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018 was conducted. The WHO prescribing indicators and the Index of Rational Drug Prescribing were used to evaluate prescriptions. RESULTS: A total of 259 patients were included, mostly diagnosed with bronchopneumonia (56%). A summary of WHO-core prescribing indicators showed the average number of drugs per encounter was 3.9, medicines prescribed by generic name was 82.1%, and an encounter with at least an antibiotic was 99.7%. The percentage of drugs prescribed from the Essential Medicine List for children was 79%. The most frequently prescribed pharmacological class of medicines was antibiotics (41.4%). Cephalosporins (40.0%), aminoglycosides (34.1%), and penicillins (21.5%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes. Gentamicin (34.1%) and cefuroxime (21.5%) were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Drug prescribing for hospitalized children with SARI was suboptimal, especially with regard to polypharmacy, antibiotics, and injection use. Interventions to promote rational use of medicines including antimicrobial stewardship interventions are recommended.

Practices and perception of healthcare workers towards infection control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional online survey from Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the practices and perceptions of Health care workers (HCWs) in Nigeria towards infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs in Nigeria healthcare facilities using a 25-item validated online questionnaire. The hyperlink of the questionnaire was shared with the various professional associations/societies and hospitals in June 2020. RESULTS: A total of 426 HCWs completed the questionnaire with pharmacists (28.8%), nurses/midwives (22.7%) and medical doctors (20.1%) being the highest respondents. Less than 50% of the HCWs had previous training on COVID-19 and how to use personal protective equipment (PPE). Only one in five HCWs had access to adequate PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the HCWs had good infection control practices with better practices observed among those who attended training on COVID-19 infection and those trained on how to use PPE. Lack of funds to purchase PPEs (55.3%), lack of access to PPE (52.5%) and lack of training on how to use PPE (44.0%) were the most common barriers to adherence to infection control guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: HCWs in Nigeria have limited access to adequate PPE and lack adequate support from health authorities. Attendance of training on the use of PPE and COVID-19 infection were associated with access to adequate PPE and better infection control practices. Training of HCWs, provision of adequate PPE, and support are recommended to improve compliance with infection control guidelines.

Anaemogenic, Obesogenic and Thermogenic Potentials of Graded Doses of Monosodium Glutamate Sub-acutely Fed to Experimental Wistar Rats.

BACKGROUND: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is one of the most commonly used food additives for the enhancement of food taste and flavour. There are several conflicting reports of toxicity or otherwise safety of the compound, which raises a growing concern regarding the safety of monosodium glutamate as a food additive. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we sought to investigate the effect of monosodium glutamate on body weight, feed consumption, body temperature and some haematological parameters. METHODOLOGY: Twenty adult Wistar rats divided into four groups of five rats each were used for the study. Rats in groups 1, 2 and 3 were given feed thoroughly mixed with 3, 6 and 9 g of monosodium glutamate respectively for 14 days, while rats in group 4 (Control) were given only the feed for the same period of time. Body weight, temperature, feed consumption, and some haematological parameters were measured before the addition of the compound to the feed and thereafter for every 2 days for a period of 14 days. RESULTS: Our findings indicated significant changes (P < 0.05) in the red blood cells (RBC) count, packed cell volume (PCV), as well as body temperature in all the treated groups compared to the control group. The result also revealed a significant dose-dependent increase in body weight in the groups treated with 6 and 9 g of monosodium glutamate compared to the control, the body weight correlated positively with the duration of monosodium glutamate consumption. CONCLUSION: The current data suggest that consumption of high doses/quantity of monosodium glutamate for a long duration of time could lead to anaemia due to a decrease in red blood cell count and packed cell volume and obesity resulting from an increase in body weight gain.