ABSTRACT
Background:Tuberculosis remainsa major global health problem. It causes ill-health among millions of people each year and ranks alongside the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a leading cause of death worldwide. The objective of the study was to evaluate the clinical and humanistic outcomes of tuberculosis treatment at the directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS)centre in Jos University Teaching Hospital.Methods:Data for clinical outcomes was collected retrospectively at the directly observed treatment shortcousecentre of Jos University Teaching Hospital from a cross-section of patients’ folders who had been treated for tuberculosis at the study site for at least 12months as at 1stApril to 30thSeptember 2018 while a validated questionnaire was administered prospectively to a census population of tuberculosis patients still undergoing treatment between 1stOctober 2018 and 31stMarch 2019 to determine the humanistic outcomes. A descriptive data analysis was done using SPSS version 23 and proportions were tested using chi squared statistics with significance level set at P<0.05.Results:The study revealed that tuberculosis treatment success in the centre was 76.33% which falls short of WHO standard of minimum of 85%. Patients taking tuberculosis treatment in the centre are satisfied with the services rendered to them and the improvement in their health conditions. Unfriendly attitude of some health care providers in the facility is an area for intervention. Conclusion: Clinical and humanistic outcomes of tuberculosis treatment was found to be satisfactory in the facility owing to the level of treatment success and patient reported satisfaction with facility services and improvement in their health conditions
ABSTRACT
Background. Undergoing mandatory HIV testing as a criterion for a surgical or invasive procedure is illegal in Nigeria, and unethical. This includes requesting an HIV test without the consent of the client, and the disclosure of the test results.Objectives. To assess the practice of mandatory HIV testing among health practitioners, andtoexamine HIV testing without consent, and the disclosure of test results to the patient.Methods. This was a cross-sectional survey of both medical doctors and nurses with surgical skills. We used convenience sampling to selectrespondents from Jos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria and Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Nigeria. A total of 99 respondents filled and returned a questionnaire. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20 was used to manage the data, and the results were presented using descriptive statistics.Results. Over one-third (34.3%) of the respondents reported that they would insist on seeing an HIV test result before performing a surgical or invasive procedure; meanwhile, 4 (4%) of the respondents had refused to render surgical or invasive intervention to HIV clients, while (3%) admitted having refused surgical procedures to patients who refused to take an HIV test. The majority of the respondents (79; 79.8%)reported that the basic equipment and consumables needed for universal precautions were either not available or grossly inadequate.Conclusion. Requests for patients to take an HIV test before surgical procedures are frequent; however, only a few respondents had ever refused to provide a surgical intervention on the basis of a patient's HIV-positive status. Equipment and consumables necessary for universal precautions were either not available or grossly inadequate in the surveyed hospitals