Adverse drug reactions, adherence, and virologic outcomes in adult patients on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy at a tertiary hospital, southeast Nigeria.

Objective: To assess the adherence, adverse drug reactions (ADR), and virologic outcomes of dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy.

Design: This was a retrospective chart review.

Setting: A tertiary health facility-based study in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

System-wide governance challenges of the Ebonyi State Malaria Elimination Programme and recommendations for malaria health system strengthening: a qualitative study among stakeholders in Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Objectives: The burden of malaria has persistently been high in Ebonyi state and Nigeria despite long-standing collaborations with international partners with huge and increased amounts of financial investments. We explored the system-wide governance challenges of the Ebonyi State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) and the factors responsible in order to make recommendations for malaria health system strengthening.

Design: We did a qualitative study informed by the health system governance framework by Mikkelsen-Lopez and Savedoff's concept of governance.

Readiness, barriers, and attitude of students towards online medical education amidst COVID-19 pandemic: A study among medical students of Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruption to medical education in Nigeria, necessitating the call for online medical education in the country. This study assessed the readiness, barriers, and attitude of medical students of Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria, to online medical education.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed.

Males' perceptions and practices towards maternity care in rural southeast Nigeria: Policy implication of participatory action research for safe motherhood.

Introduction: High maternal death is attributable to developing countries' health systems and sociocultural factors This study assessed the effect of participatory-action research on males' perception and practice towards maternity care and safe motherhood in rural southeast Nigeria.

Methods: A pre-post-intervention study design was employed to study 396 male partners of pregnant women selected through cluster sampling in rural communities in southeast Nigeria. Males' perceptions and practices towards maternity care and safe motherhood were assessed using an interviewer-administered five-point Likert scale questionnaire.

Where, why and who delivers our babies? Examining the perspectives of women on utilization of antenatal and delivery services in a developing country.

Background: The differences in maternal mortality between developed and developing countries is due to differences in use of antenatal and delivery services. The study was designed to determine the views of women on utilization of antenatal and delivery services in urban and rural communities of Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Methods: Community based descriptive exploratory study design was employed.

Health workers' knowledge and practice of Isoniazid preventive treatment guidelines in health facilities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Background: Isoniazid preventive therapy is recommended as part of a comprehensive HIV and AIDS care strategy. IPT is used as prophylaxis to reduce the incidence of TB in HIV-infected persons. However, its implementation has been very slow and has been influenced by several factors.

Can Afro-Communitarianism Be Useful in Combating the Challenge of Human Interaction Posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Can Afro-communitarianism serve as a viable ideology for addressing the human interaction challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic? The ongoing pandemic poses many challenges to the normal functioning of societies around the world. For example, it has caused problems ranging from social, economic, and political disruption to various forms of hardship, including pain, suffering, and millions of deaths. One problem that is not attracting sufficient attention is a disruption to human interaction that leads to isolation, depression, mental health, and emotional crises.

Are rural pregnant women disadvantaged in accessing intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy in Ebonyi State, Nigeria?

Introduction: Adequate intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) uptake (≥3 doses) routinely delivered at antenatal clinics is effective in preventing malaria during pregnancy. Whereas, low IPTp uptake (24.0%) had been reported among pregnant women in Ebonyi State, there is paucity of studies comparing the uptake and its predictors in the urban and rural areas of Ebonyi State.

Assessing the usefulness of policy brief and policy dialogue as knowledge translation tools towards contextualizing the accountability framework for routine immunization at a subnational level in Nigeria.

Background: Evidence suggests that implementing an accountability mechanism such as the accountability framework for routine immunization in Nigeria (AFRIN) will improve routine immunization (RI) performance. The fact that the AFRIN, which was developed in 2012, still had not been operationalized at the subnational level (Ebonyi State) by 2018 may in part account for the poor RI coverage (33%) in 2017. Knowledge translation (KT) is defined as the methods for closing the gaps from knowledge to practice.

Effect of mobile-phone messaging on patient and health-worker knowledge and adherence to the isoniazid preventive therapy guideline in HIV clinics in Southeast, Nigeria.

Background: HIV-infected persons are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis and Isoniazid preventive therapy has been shown to reduce the occurrence of tuberculosis among this group of persons. M-health technology has been reported to increase both knowledge and implementation of various health services including Isoniazid preventive therapy implementation. This study aimed to determine the effect of m-health on health worker knowledge and adherence to isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) guidelines and on patient knowledge and adherence to isoniazid treatment.

Rural-urban differences in utilization of antenatal and delivery services in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Background: The high maternal death burden in developing countries when compared to the developed could be attributed to differences in use of antenatal and skilled delivery care.

Aim: To assess the differences in utilization of antenatal and delivery services in urban and rural communities of Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study design was used.

Exploring providers' perceived barriers to utilization of antenatal and delivery services in urban and rural communities of Ebonyi state, Nigeria: A qualitative study.

Objective: To determine providers' perceived barriers to utilization of antenatal and delivery services in urban and rural communities of Ebonyi state, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive exploratory study design was used. Qualitative data was collected through the use of a pre-tested interview guide.

Practices toward presumptive tuberculosis clients among patent medicine vendors in Ebonyi State Nigeria.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of ill-health and death globally but a serious challenge to its control is low case notification. In low- and middle-income countries, most patients with symptoms of the disease first seek care from patent medicine vendors (PMVs) who are not formerly trained to manage TB. The practices of PMVs toward presumptive TB are pivotal to control of TB.

Knowledge and adherence to isoniazid preventive therapy among people living with HIV in multilevel health facilities in South-East, Nigeria: baseline findings from a quasi-experimental study.

Introduction: isoniazid preventive therapy is a crucial component of TB/HIV collaborative program and patient good knowledge and adherence to this preventive treatment are essential in improving implementation. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and adherence to isoniazid preventive therapy among patients receiving HIV care.

Methods: this is a baseline result of a quasi-experimental study which was carried out among 200 patients receiving HIV care in six high patient load health facilities providing comprehensive HIV care in Ebonyi State.

Retention in care and adherence to HIV and AIDS treatment in Anambra State Nigeria.

Background: Retaining patients on antiretroviral treatment in care is critical to sustaining the 90:90:90 vision. Nigeria has made some progress in placing HIV-positive patients on treatment. In an effort to increase access to treatment, ART decentralization has been implemented in the country.

Patients' satisfaction with HIV and AIDS care in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Introduction: HIV and AIDS care requires frequent visits to the hospital. Patient satisfaction with care services during hospital visits is important in considering quality and outcome of care. Increasing number of patients needing treatment led to the decentralization of care to lower level hospitals without documented patient perception on the quality of services.

The prevalence of osteoporosis among antenatal clinic attendees in a rural mission hospital in South-East Nigeria.

Introduction: Osteoporosis is a global public health problem characterized by reduction of bone mineral density (BMD). This study aimed to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis among antenatal clinic attendees in a rural Southeastern hospital.

Material And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of booking Antenatal Clinic Attendees at Mile 4 Catholic Hospital, Abakaliki, between October 2014 and February 2015.

Plasma cadmium and zinc and their interrelationship in adult Nigerians: potential health implications.

Zinc (an essential trace element) and cadmium (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with acclaimed toxicity) have been found to occur together in nature, with reported antagonism between the two elements. The present study aimed at determination of plasma levels of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) and their interrelationship in adult Nigerians. The series comprised adults (n=443) aged ≥18 yrs (mean ± SD 38.

Anaemia in Relation to Body Mass Index (BMI) and Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Adult Nigerians in Ebonyi State.

Introduction: Anaemia, a multifactorial health challenge has been found to affect every stage of human development with negative health impacts. Providing information on the factors associated with Anaemia will help in formulating mitigating strategies against this important public health problem.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Anaemia and its relationship with body mass index (BMI) and sociodemographic characteristics in adult Nigerians in Ebonyi State, South-eastern Nigeria.

Effects of nutrition counseling and monitoring on the weight and hemoglobin of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Ebonyi State, Southeast Nigeria.

Introduction: The relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and malnutrition is easily explained, and the etiology of malnutrition in HIV disease is believed to be multifactorial. It therefore follows that ongoing assessment of nutritional and medical status is crucial to quality nutrition care for every person living with HIV. The aim of this study was to find out the effect of nutritional counseling and monitoring, using personalized dietary prescriptions, on the body mass index (BMI) and hemoglobin of patients who are HIV-infected and also receiving highly active antiretroviral drugs.

"Double reflection": a practical approach to teach patient-doctor communication in oncology.

An individual-focused approach is proposed to teach effective patient-doctor communication in oncology as a factor relevant to treatment decision making for advanced cancer. The “double reflection” method unveils the importance of empathetic elements and will help students improve their communication skills.

Containing a Lassa fever epidemic in a resource-limited setting: outbreak description and lessons learned from Abakaliki, Nigeria (January-March 2012).

Objectives: Despite the epidemic nature of Lassa fever (LF), details of outbreaks and response strategies have not been well documented in resource-poor settings. We describe the course of a LF outbreak in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, during January to March 2012.

Methods: We analyzed clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory data from surveillance records and hospital statistics during the outbreak.

Pulmonary problems among quarry workers of stone crushing industrial site at Umuoghara, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Background: Respiratory problem is one of the major health hazards in dust-exposed workers; it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of respiratory problems and lung function impairment among quarry workers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Methods: Respiratory problems and lung function were studied in 403 quarry workers aged 10-60 years.

HIV voluntary counseling and testing practices among military personnel and civilian residents in a military cantonment in southeastern Nigeria.

Background: Voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services are expected to lower rates of HIV transmission through a reduction in high-risk sexual behavior and through improved access to medical treatment, care, and support. However, increasing access to and uptake of VCT, especially among groups at high risk for HIV infection, has remained a major challenge in Africa.

Purpose: The study was undertaken to determine the uptake of VCT (measured by whether study participants had ever received an HIV test) and the factors influencing this practice among military and civilian residents of a military cantonment in Abakaliki, southeastern Nigeria.