Physician burnout in Nigeria: a multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Background: Healthcare workers are a burnout-prone occupational group and the prevalence is particularly high among physicians. With the prevailing low physician-patient ratio in Nigeria which has worsened with the recent wave of physician emigration, among other socio-economic constraints; a setting for high physician burnout may have been nurtured. Our survey set out to determine the prevalence of burnout among physicians practicing in Nigeria, ascertain the factors that were associated with the development of burnout and evaluate the respondents' perceived impact of physician burnout on patient safety.

Pattern and determinants of self-reported enacted stigma among rural dwellers living with epilepsy attending a tertiary health facility in Enugu State Nigeria.

Purpose: Epilepsy related stigma is a barrier to recovery and has been linked to a broad range of psychosocial consequences and has the potential to influence the provision of care to people with epilepsy. Understanding the determinants of enacted stigma in epilepsy is relevant in the understanding of the burden of epilepsy in Nigeria.

Method: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among rural dwellers receiving treatment for epilepsy in a tertiary referral specialist hospital in Enugu, south east Nigeria.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of epilepsy among community residents in Enugu, South East Nigeria.

Purpose: The understanding of the opinions of the Nigerian public about epilepsy and its treatment is relevant to the reduction of the large treatment gap that exists in management of the condition. The major aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of urban dwellers to epilepsy and its treatment and to identify the gaps in knowledge that could pose as barriers in the treatment and care of epilepsy patients within the community.

Method: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out in one of the districts of Enugu metropolis, Nigeria.

Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism among paediatric and psychiatric nurses in Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Background: There is increasing public and professional awareness of autism spectrum disorders with early recognition, diagnosis and interventions that are known to improve prognosis. Poor knowledge about childhood autism among paediatric and psychiatric nurses who are members of multidisciplinary teams that care for such children may be a major barrier to early interventions that could improve quality of life and prognosis in childhood autism. Factors that influence knowledge about childhood autism among these nurses are not known.

Psychosocial and cultural aspects of pseudocyesis.

Though considered rare in the developed countries, pseudocyesis is fairly common in gynecological practices in Africa. Using a case report and an overview of the literature, this paper posits that the elucidation of the psychosocial and cultural contexts within which a given patient lives can provide a basis for the empathic understanding of the reasons for the development of pseudocyesis. The case underscores the contributions of extreme poverty, relationship instability, and recurrent partner abuse in the enactment of pseudocyesis within a culture that treasures children for economic survival and generational continuity.