Interprofessional Collaboration amongst Healthcare Workers of a Tertiary Hospital in North-Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare is important to optimise healthcare delivery. However, relatively few studies have been conducted on the topic in Nigeria, especially in the North. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the levels of interprofessional collaboration, enablers and barriers amongst healthcare workers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected using a five-domain modified Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale questionnaire, with a Likert scale of 1-5. The ideal mean score was ≤2 for the barriers domain and ≥4 for the other domains. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-six participants responded to the questionnaire. Male and female respondents were 131 (49.2%) each. Half of the respondents were 31 to 40 years old. One hundred and thirty-six (51.1%) of the respondents were nurses, and 48 (18.0%) were doctors. The modal working experience was 6-11 years (41.4%), and 117 (44.0%) respondents had at least a bachelor's degree. The mean scores for the domains were 4.1032 for partnership, 3.2383 for cooperation, 3.6309 for coordination, 4.2844 for enablers and 3.7902 for barriers. CONCLUSION: There was adequate level of partnership and enablers amongst the healthcare workers but insufficient cooperation and coordination and high level of barriers. Staff training on cooperation, coordination and identified barriers is necessary to improve interprofessional collaboration in the hospital.

Look Beyond the Cataract: A Case Report on Alport Syndrome.

Alport syndrome is an inherited disease with a trio of hearing loss, ocular abnormalities, and progressive renal failure. The most severe form is commonest in males due to the X-linked mutations. We present a 25-year-old male who presented with deterioration of vision over 5 years, further questioning revealed use of hearing aid. Although he had no renal-related complaints, investigation revealed proteinuria. There is a need for proper examination of developmental cataract to avoid missing out on Alport syndrome.

Sonographic evaluation of the portal vein diameter in patients with chronic liver disease in northeastern Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic liver disease is a public health burden worldwide. Portal hypertension is a major portosystemic abnormality in chronic liver disease. This study aimed to determine the main, right, and the left portal vein diameter in patients with chronic liver disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, northeastern Nigeria from December 2018 to September 2019. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional review board. A total of 200 subjects were recruited comprising 100 patients with chronic liver disease and 100 age-matched controls, aged 18 years and above. A transabdominal ultrasound scan was carried out measuring the main, right, and left portal vein diameter while lying supine and/or in the right anterior oblique position after overnight fasting, or 6 hours before the scan. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 22.0. Descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation) and Pearson's correlation were used. RESULTS: There were 106(53%) males and 94(47%) females, aged between 18 and 73 years with a mean age of 46.79 ± 15.43. The main, right, and left portal vein diameter in patients with chronic liver disease was 14.51 ± 0.78 mm, 6.83 ± 0.81 mm, and 6.26 ± 0.74 mm, which were higher than those of their control. The portal vein diameter positively correlated (weak) with age and respiratory phases among participants (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study found the main, right, and left portal vein diameter among patients with chronic liver disease to be larger than those of the controls. Ultrasonography is a reliable diagnostic tool in evaluating portosystemic pathologies.

Relationship between Sinonasal Anatomical Variations and Symptom Severity in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

Background: Anatomical variations are subtle structural abnormalities around the osteomeatal complex that might obstruct paranasal sinus drainage and ventilation. The role of these anatomical variants in chronic rhinosinusitis is still controversial and unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anatomical variations and their relationship with the severity of symptoms in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among randomly selected patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Sinonasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20) was used to assess the patient's severity of symptoms. Computed tomographic scan was used to determine the presence of anatomical variations. The relationship between anatomical variations and symptom severity was determined using the Statistical Products and Service Solution (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: There were 70(58.3%) males and 50(41.7%) females within the age range of 17-60 years. SNOT-20 scoring showed 6(5.0%) of the patients with mild symptoms, 69(57.5%) with moderate, 37(30.8%) with severe, and 8(6.7%) with profound symptoms. The prevalence of sinonasal anatomical variants was 26.7%, which comprised of septal deviation (10.8%), agger nasi (6.7%), concha bullosa (4.2%), Haller cells (3.3%), and Onodi cells (1.7%). There was a statistically significant relationship between the anatomical variations and symptom severity (P = 0.000). Conclusion: This study found a significant relationship between anatomical variations and severity of chronic rhinosinusitis. The prevalence of anatomical variants was found to be 26.7%.

Contexte: Les variations anatomiques sont des anomalies structurelles subtiles autour du complexe ostéoméatal qui peuvent obstruer le drainage et la ventilation des sinus paranasaux. Le rôle de ces variantes anatomiques dans la rhinosinusite chronique est encore controversé et peu clair. Le but de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence des variations anatomiques et leur relation avec la sévérité des symptômes chez les patients atteints de rhinosinusite chronique. Méthodologie: Il s'agissait d'une étude transversale menée auprès de patients sélectionnés au hasard et atteints de rhinosinusite chronique. Sinonasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20) a été utilisé pour évaluer la gravité des symptômes du patient. La tomodensitométrie a été utilisée pour déterminer la présence de variations anatomiques. La relation entre les variations anatomiques et la gravité des symptômes a été déterminée à l'aide de la version 20 de la solution SPSS. Résultats: Il y avait 70 (58,3%) hommes et 50 (41,7%) femmes dans la tranche d'âge de 17 à 60 ans. Le score SNOT-20 a montré que 6 (5,0%) des patients présentaient des symptômes légers, 69 (57,5%) des symptômes modérés, 37 (30,8%) des symptômes graves et 8 (6,7%) des symptômes profonds. La prévalence des variantes anatomiques naso-sinusiennes était de 26,7%, comprenant la déviation septale (10,8%), l'agger nasi (6,7%), la concha bullosa (4,2%), les cellules de Haller (3,3%) et les cellules d'Onodi (1,7%). Il y avait une relation statistiquement significative entre les variations anatomiques et la sévérité des symptômes (P = 0,000). Conclusion: Cette étude a trouvé une relation significative entre les variations anatomiques et la sévérité de la rhinosinusite chronique. La prévalence des variantes anatomiques était de 26,7%.