Contents and readability of currently used surgical/ procedure informed consent forms in Nigerian tertiary health institutions

Background: Surgical informed consent forms should have evidence that their use will enhance a shared decision-making which is the fundamental objective of informed consent in clinical practice. In the absence of any guideline in Nigeria on the content and language of informed consent forms, we sort to examine the surgical and procedure consent forms used by Federal tertiary health institutions in Nigeria, to know whether they fulfill the basic elements of informed consent.Materials and Methods: The surgical and procedure informed consent forms of 33 tertiary health institutions in Nigeria were assessed for their readability and contents. Adequacy of their content was evaluated based on provision for 28 content items identified as necessary information to be provided in a good consent form. The potential of the forms to be comprehended were assessed with Flesch readability formula.Results: The contents of majority of the forms were scant. None of the forms made provision for documentation of the patient’s permission for blood transfusion, tissue disposal, awareness of the risks of not undergoing the prescribed treatment, and the risk of anesthesia. Risk disclosures were only mentioned in specific terms in 11.4% of the forms. Less than 10% of the forms made provisions for an interpreter, signature of anesthetists, alternative to the procedure to be mentioned, and answering of the patient’s questions. The Flesch reading ease scores of the forms ranged from 34.1 (Difficult) to 67.5 (Standard), with a mean score of 55.2 (Fairly difficult level). Field evaluation of the forms show that they shall be partly understood by 13- to 15-year-old patients with basic education but are best understood by literate adult patients.Conclusion: The content of majority of the informed consent forms used in Nigerian tertiary health institutions are poor and their readability scores are not better than those used in developed parts of the world. Health Institutions in Nigeria should revise their informed consent forms to improve their contents and do a usability trial on the sample forms before deployment in order to ensure that they are comprehensible for their patient population

Challenges in the repair of large abdominal wall hernias in Nigeria: Review of available options in resource limited environments

No Abstract

Factors contributing to delays in diagnosis of breast cancers in Ghana, West Africa

BACKGROUND: Late diagnoses and poor prognoses of breast cancer are common throughout Africa. METHODS: To identify responsible factors, we utilized data from a population-based case-control study involving 1,184 women with breast malignancies conducted in three hospitals in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. Interviews focused on potential breast cancer risk factors as well as factors that might contribute to presentation delays. We calculated odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing malignances with biopsy masses larger than 5 cm. (62.4% of the 1,027 cases with measurable lesions) to smaller lesions. RESULTS: In multivariate analyses, strong predictors of larger masses were limited education (OR=1.96, 95% CI 1.32–2.90 <primary vs. ≥senior secondary school), being separated/divorced or widowed (1.75, 1.18–2.60 and 2.25, 1.43–3.55, respectively, vs. currently married), delay in care seeking after onset of symptoms (2.64, 1.77–3.95 for ≥12 vs. ≤2 months), care having initially been sought from someone other than a doctor/nurse (1.86, 0.85–4.09), and frequent use of herbal medications/treatment (1.51, 0.95–2.43 for ≥3x/day usage vs. none),. Particularly high risks associated with these factors were found among less educated women; for example, women with less than junior secondary schooling who delayed seeking care for breast symptoms for 6 months or longer were at nearly 4-times the risk of more educated women who promptly sought assistance. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that additional communication, particularly among less educated women, could promote earlier breast cancer diagnoses. Involvement of individuals other than medical practitioners, including traditional healers, may be helpful in this process

Perceptions of consent, permission structures and approaches to the community: a rapid ethical assessment performed in North West Cameroon

BACKGROUND Understanding local contextual factors is important when conducting international collaborative studies in low-income country settings. Rapid ethical assessment (a brief qualitative intervention designed to map the ethical terrain of a research setting prior to recruitment of participants), has been used in a range of research-naïve settings. We used rapid ethical assessment to explore ethical issues and challenges associated with approaching communities and gaining informed consent in North West Cameroon. METHODS This qualitative study was carried out in two health districts in the North West Region of Cameroon between February and April 2012. Eleven focus group discussions (with a total of 107 participants) were carried out among adult community members, while 72 in-depth interviews included health workers, non-government organisation staff and local community leaders. Data were collected in English and pidgin, translated where necessary into English, transcribed and coded following themes. RESULTS Many community members had some understanding of informed consent, probably through exposure to agricultural research in the past. Participants described a centralised permission-giving structure in their communities, though there was evidence of some subversion of these structures by the educated young and by women. Several acceptable routes for approaching the communities were outlined, all including the health centre and the Fon (traditional leader). The importance of time spent in sensitizing the community and explaining information was stressed. CONCLUSIONS Respondents held relatively sophisticated understanding of consent and were able to outline the structures of permission-giving in the community. Although the structures are unique to these communities, the role of certain trusted groups is common to several other communities in Kenya and Ethiopia explored using similar techniques. The information gained through Rapid Ethical Assessment will form an important guide for future studies in North West Cameroon

Closed suction drainage versus closed simple drainage in the management of modified radical mastectomy wounds

Objective: To compare the outcome of modified radical mastectomy wounds managed by closed wound drainage with suction and without suction. Methods: A prospective randomized trial was conducted at the University College Hospital Ibadan and University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. Fifty women who required modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer were randomized to have closed suction wound drainage (26 patients) and closed wound drainage without suction ( 24 patients). Results: There was no significant difference in the intra operative and post operative variables. Suction drainage drained less volume of fluid and stayed shorter in the wound but the differences were not significant. There was no difference in the length of hospital stay, time to stitch removal and number of dressing changes. More haematoma and wound infection occurred in the simple drain group while more seroma occurred in the suction drain group but these were not significant. The suction drain was more difficult to manage and the cost was fifteen times higher than the simple drainage system. Conclusion: Closed simple drains are not inferior to suction drains in mastectomy wounds and when cost and simplicity of post op care are considered, they should be preferred over suction drains. South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (9) 2008: pp. 712-71

Bilateral benign phyllodes tumour in a nulliparous woman: A case report and review of literature

Cystosarcoma Phyllodes is an uncommon disease of the breast with variable clinical behaviour. Its incidence is reported as 1% of all breast tumours. The occurrence of bilateral disease is very rare. In this communication, we present a case of metachronous bilateral benign cystosarcoma phyllodes presenting in a 24year old nulliparous lady. She had right breast mastectomy after two recurrences following local excision. The left breast lesion developed one year after the treatment of the right lesion, again she had to be treated with mastectomy after 2 recurrences. This case unlike most reported cases of bilateral Phyllodes tumour occurred in a nulliparous lady. The problems of diagnosis, clinical behaviour and management are discussed. Keywords: Breast sarcoma; Cystosarcoma phyllodes; Bilateral; Benign Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol. 10 (1) 2007: pp.66-6