Evaluation of postgraduate educational environment in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND: Congenial educational environment (EE) is paramount to effective impartation of knowledge as required in residency training. In this study EE for residency training is evaluated using Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM). OBJECTIVES: To assess the postgraduate educational environment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), South-East Nigeria, using PHEEM and to determine if there are significant differences in PHEEM scores amongst various sub-groups of resident doctors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, employing a census survey, involving the administration of validated PHEEM questionnaires to residents in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynaecology, Pediatrics and Surgery in the year 2018. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS. ANOVA assessed significance of total scores and sub-scale scores. Cronbach's alpha was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 114 Males and 46 females; 93 registrars and 67 senior registrars responded giving 71% response rate. Overall PHEEM score was 85.82; Role autonomy (29.27), Perception of teaching (34.80), Perception of social support (21.55). Males scored more than females in total PHEEM score (p = 0.000, F = 148.235), perception of teaching (P = 0.000, F = 420), and perception of social support (p = 0.000, F = 162.95), but not in role autonomy (p = 0.748, F = 0.104). Registrars scored more than senior registrars in total PHEEM (p = 0.000, F = 67.159), role autonomy (p = 0.000, F = 25.123), Perception of teaching (p = 0.000, F = 18.042) but not in perception of social support (p = 0.31, F = 1.045). There were significant differences in total and subscale scores amongst the specialties. Cronbach's alpha was 0.915. CONCLUSIONS: Postgraduate educational environment in UNTH has more positives than negatives but with room for improvement. There are significant differences in PHEEM scores among various groups of resident doctors.

Recall of consent information by day care prostate biopsy patients: An assessment of the role of a third-party check.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the extent of recall of consent information by daycare prostate biopsy patients in our low-literacy setting. And to evaluate the role of a 3rd party check on patient's recall of consent information. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: As part of our standard of care, a formal informed consent session for day care prostate biopsy takes place 3 days prior to the procedure. For this study, before leaving the outpatient clinic the same day, the patient acknowledged before a third-party that his concerns were or were not satisfactorily addressed. The extent of recall of consent information was assessed on the morning of the procedure using a researcher-administered questionnaire. Consecutive patients participated in this cross-sectional study for day care prostate biopsy at a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria from February to November 2015 after obtaining due consent. RESULTS: The recall of the risks associated with the planned procedure was poorer than the recall of the nature of the disease condition or the nature of the planned procedure. However, it was observed that aggregate recall was significantly poorer among patients who negatively attested to a satisfying consent session (OR 0.125; P < 0.0005). CONCLUSION: The use of a third-party in determining patient satisfaction after a consent session may be a better indicator of patient comprehension and subsequent recall of consent information, especially in low-literacy settings. Using a third-party, in this manner, may assist in checking paternalism inherent in the patient-doctor relationship.

Learning transurethral resection of the prostate: A comparison of the weight of resected specimen to the weight of enucleated specimen in open prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive procedures in the surgical management of benign prostate enlargement (BPE) are of limited use in the resource-poor settings due to nonavailability of the requisite facilities and skills. It has been observed that teaching uroendoscopy inclusive of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) can be challenging in the resource-poor settings where the traditional master-apprentice (Halstedian) approach has remained the prevalent training technique. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We aimed in this retrospective study to assess completeness of resection in TURP by comparing the proportion of prostate tissue resected to the proportion enucleated in open retropubic prostatectomy (ORP). We included all BPE patients on urethral catheter managed in the first 18 months after Halstedian training in TURP. The analysis was done using SPSS® 20 and VassarStats® online software. RESULTS: Twenty patients' files for TURP and twenty-eight patients' files for ORP met the inclusion criteria. Patients in the 2 treatment arms were similar in age (P = 0.22), body mass index (P = 0.45), proportion of prostate tissue extirpated (P = 0.38), and International Prostate Symptom Score 12-month postprocedure (P = 0.06). However, larger prostates were treated with ORP (P < 0.0005). The correlation of the weight of resected specimen to preoperative prostate volume (PV) (r = 0.78; P < 0.001) was similar to that of enucleated specimen to preoperative PV (r = 0.89; P < 0.001). Similarly, the proportion of extirpated specimen correlated positively with the preoperative PVs for both TURP (r = 0.23; P = 0.33) and ORP (r = 0.292; P = 0.13), with no evidence of any difference between the 2 correlation values (P = 0.84). CONCLUSION: With appropriate patient selection, especially as a newly trained Surgeon, resections in TURP are as complete as enucleations in ORP.

The Utility of Digital Rectal Examination in Estimating Prostate Volume in a Rural Hospital Setting.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the correlation between prostate volume estimated by digital rectal examination (DRE) and that estimated by abdominal ultrasound in the same patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Men who presented to our urology outpatient clinic with lower urinary tract symptoms were recruited in this study. We estimated the prostate size by digital rectal examination using the sliding scale as a guide and subsequently measured the prostate volume by transabdominal ultrasound. RESULTS: A total of 100 patients completed this study. The mean age was 65.6 ± 9.84 years. The Kappa's reliability test comparing the prostate size estimated by DRE and the prostate size measured by transabdominal ultrasound was 0.579832, the Kappa's standard error was 0.097768 and Kappa's t value was 5.93. The Kappa's reliability test fell into good agreement range (0.4-0.75). This is further validated by the Pearson's correlation test ascertaining correlation between Ultrasound and DRE and generated a correlation coefficient(®) of 0.59 (P = 0.00). This implies a high positive correlation between ultrasound estimated prostate volume and that estimated by DRE that is statistically significant (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Estimation of prostate volume by digital rectal examination is reliable. This is very important in an environment where esoteric laboratory facilities are not readily available, and the clinician has to depend mainly on his clinical acumen.

Transperineal versus transrectal prostate biopsy: our findings in a tertiary health institution.

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Prostate cancer is a major public health issue. Its incidence is rising, especially in Nigeria. Prompt diagnosis is necessary by histology. Transperineal and transrectal approaches to prostate biopsy are well-documented. Both methods are fraught with complications though, most times minor. Studies carried out to compare both methods were carried out mainly on Caucasians, generating conflicting results. This study aims to compare the complication rates and tissue yield of these two methods in Nigerian men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-five patients completed the study. Forty-five patients had transperineal prostate biopsy (TPbx), while 30 patients had transrectal prostate biopsy. Pain perception for all patients was determined by visual analog scale; whereas the complications were ascertained by a validated purpose designed questionnaire administered on the 7 th and 30 th day post operatively. RESULTS: The risk of rectal bleeding was higher for transrectal prostate biopsy compared to transperineal (Odds ratio: 0.03; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.001-0.450; P = 0.012). TPbx was more painful than transrectal (P < 0.0001; df: 75; t: 4.98; 95%CI of difference in mean: -2.98-[-1.28]). There was no statistical difference between transperineal and transrectal prostate biopsy in hemospermia, fever, prostatic abscess, urethral bleeding, acute retention and tissue yield. CONCLUSION: TPbx is more painful than transrectal prostate biopsy though with a significantly reduced risk of rectal bleeding. There appears to be no significant difference with respect to risk of fever, urethral bleeding, hematospermia, prostatic abscess and acute retention. Both routes provided sufficient prostate tissue for histology.

Angiosarcoma of the cervix: a case and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Generally, sarcomas of the female genital tract are rare and angiosarcomas are extremely rare. They usually have poor prognosis and pose serious diagnostic challenges requiring special techniques namely special stains and immunohistochemistry for proper elucidation. METHOD: A case report of a 65 old para 8 (4 alive) widow, 17 years postmenopusal, who presented with history of foul smelling brownish vaginal discharge, progressive weight loss and cervical lesion. She had examination under anaesthesia and biopsy. RESULT: Histopathological result showed features in keeping with angiosarcoma of the uterine cervix. CONCLUSION: Although angiosarcoma of the cervix is very rare, it is occasionally seen in black women in Nigeria.

The value of international prostate symptom scoring system in the management of BPH in Jos, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of international prostate symptom scoring (IPSS) system in management of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Jos, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study of 104 newly diagnosed patients with BPH from June 2006 to July 2007. Patients' symptoms were initially evaluated by administering a pretreatment IPSS/Quality of Life Score (QOLS). This categorized patients into mild, moderate, and severe symptom groups. The mild symptom group had watchful waiting as mode of management. The moderate symptom group received doxazosin, an alpha blocker, while the severe symptom group had prostatectomy. A post-treatment IPSS/QOLS was administered 3 months after. Mean changes in IPSS/QOLS was calculated and subjected to paired student's t- test for significance in changes. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to test significance between correlations. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 64.3 years. 3 patients (2.9%), 53 patients (51.0%), and 48 patients (46.1%) fell into the minor, moderate, and severe symptom categories, respectively. The QOLS correlated with IPSS. There was a mean change in symptom scores of +2.3 for the minor symptom category, -8.1 (P < 0.001) for IPSS and -1.7 (P < 0.001) for QOLS in the moderate symptom category, and -24.6 (P < 0.001) for IPSS and -4.0 (P < 0.05) for QOLS in the severe symptom category. CONCLUSION: The study has shown that IPSS is a valuable tool in management of patients with BPH.

The relationship between prostate volume and international prostate symptom score in Africans with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between prostate volume and international prostate symptom score (IPSS) in Africans with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). PATIENTS AND METHOD: This was a prospective study of 120 men aged between 45 to 85 years, who were referred to the urology outpatient facility for treatment of clinical BPH between July 2007 and October 2008 in Jos University Teaching Hospital. These patients were properly evaluated; a digital rectal examination was done to estimate the prostate size. The pre-treatment IPSS of the patient was also obtained. The prostate volume of each patient was then estimated by transabdominal ultrasound. RESULTS: The mean prostate volume was 72.79 +/- 44.38cm3. The mean values for the different diameters of the prostate were 5.63 +/- 1.17cm (longitudinal diameter), 4.48 +/- 0.95cm (anterior posterior diameter), 4.97 +/- 1.06cm (transverse diameter). The Pearson's correlation between pre-treatment International prostate symptom score and prostate volume was -0.0035 (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that there is no significant relationship between international prostate symptom score and prostate volume in Africans. This is e with similar studies done in other parts of the world.

The management of prostatic haematuria.

BACKGROUND: Prostatic haematuria is a common clinical problem. In this report, we have reviewed the incidence, precipitating/co morbid factors, treatment and outcome of haematuria in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer METHODS: A two year prospective review of 37 patients who presented with haematuria associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer Each patient had full clinical assessment, including any associated precipitating or co morbid factors. All patients had urethral catheterization; and cystoscopy to exclude bladder tumours or bladder stones. Subsequent management depended on severity of bleeding; and consisted of one of the following: observation only, irrigation only, irrigation and blood transfusion and emergency prostatectomy. Upon stabilization, the definitive treatment in each patient was based on primary pathology. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients who had either benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostate cancer were treated. Thirty seven (27.6%) patients presented with haematuria. The incidences of haematuria in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer were 26.7% and 29.2% respectively. Haematuria was precipitated in 17 (45.9%) patients; while nine (24.3%) patients had 12 associated co morbidities. Seventeen (45.9%) patients had blood transfusion. A total of 34 (91.8%) patients were managed conservatively. There were four (10.8%) deaths. CONCLUSION: Prostatic haematuria is a common urologic challenge. In most cases conservative management is the key In the absence of modern facilities, emergency open prostatectomy may be needed to control bleeding, in those in whom conservative approach has failed; or when specifically indicated based on the individual patient or as dictated by other local factors.

Once-daily aminoglycoside dosing: impact on requests and costs for therapeutic drug monitoring.

Recently, much interest has focused on the use of once-daily aminoglycosides (ODA) in the medical literature. In late 1992, we implemented a hospital-wide ODA program for adult patients at our 850-bed community-teaching hospital. In the first phase of implementation, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) was accomplished with the use of a random serum concentration and a nomogram that had been developed at our institution. In the second phase, serum drug concentrations were eliminated on patients with normal renal function. The fully implemented program resulted in a 40% decrease in the request for gentamicin and tobramycin serum concentrations as compared with historic ordering patterns for conventional aminoglycoside dosing regimens. In addition, the incidence of nephrotoxicity was also reduced from 3 to 5% with conventional aminoglycoside dosing, to 1.2 and 1.3% for phases 1 and 2, respectively. Furthermore, the elimination of TDM requests totaling 300 for gentamicin and 50 for tobramycin per month is expected to result in an annual institutional savings of > $100,000.

The use of intravenous immune globulin in organ transplantation.

There are no comparative clinical data to differentiate the available IVIG products. Cost, pharmaceutical considerations, and CMV titers are criteria for selecting these products. CMV-IGIV has higher titers of CMV antibodies but is more costly. The potential for CMV infection in transplant patients is great, but the clinical significance may vary. Likewise CMV morbidity and mortality is variable and dependent on the type of transplant, the donor, and immunosuppressive regimens used. IVIG has a role in decreasing CMV infections in transplant patients, but further study and cost-benefit analysis is necessary to determine optimal regimens.