Appraisal of Budgeting and Economic Growth in Nigeria

Federal government of Nigeria budgeted huge sum of money for transport infrastructures and health sector every year. Despite the fund earmarked for transport infrastructures and health sector, Nigerian roads are in bad positions while some roads are death traps and inadequate health facilities bedevil our hospitals.  Therefore, this study examines effect of federal government budget on transport infrastructures and health sector on economic growth of Nigeria. The study used ex-post facto design and collected data through secondary source. The study covers Federal Government of Nigeria budgets for the period of 1999 to 2017. The study observed that government spending on transportation infrastructure does not significantly affect economic growth while spending on health has significant effect on economic growth. The study recommends among others that all health agencies within health sectors and other stakeholders should be involved in budget implementation to ensure efficient use of money meant for the sector

Effects of Interest Rate on the Profitability of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

Nigerian banks remain dominant in the banking system in terms of their shares of total assets and deposit liabilities. Their total loans and advances, a major component of total credits to both public and private sectors are still on the increase in spite of the major constraints posted by the government regulations, institutional constraints and other macro economic factors. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the effect of interest rate on profitability of deposit money banks in Nigeria. Samples of 21 deposit money banks in Nigeria for the period of 2005- 2014 were used. For the purpose of this study, regression analysis was employed to determine the relationship between interest rate and profitability of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The results of the findings showed that there was a positive significant relationship between lending rate and banks profitability. There was a significant positive relationship between inter-banks rate and banks profitability. There was a positive significant relationship between treasury bills rate and banks profitability and finally, monetary policy rate showed positive significant relationship with banks profitability. It is therefore recommended that, government should adopt policies that will help Nigerian banks to improve on their profitability and also there is need to strengthen bank lending rate, inter-bank rate policy, treasury bill rate and monetary policy rate through effective and efficient regulation and supervisory framework. Keywords: Interest Rate, Profitability, Deposit Money Banks, Nigeri

The Effect of Electronic Banking on Bank Performance in Nigeria

This study ascertains the effect of electronic banking on bank performance in Nigeria. The study utilized secondary data derived from the audited annual financial statement of the deposit money banks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange from 2008–2017. The study also made use of journals, textbooks, Nigerian Stock Exchange fact books, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Bullions and other published materials. Using the multiple regression analysis techniques, the findings revealed that e-banking measured by return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), and earnings per share (EPS) has no significant impact on the performance of banks in Nigeria. With the findings, we can conclude that investment in electronic banking has not improved the performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study recommends that for effectiveness in electronic banking, there should be rigorous campaign and awareness for clients to patronise the facilities. Keywords: Electronic Banking, Bank Performance, Deposit Money Bank, Nigerian Stock Exchange, CBN, ICT DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-26-09 Publication date:September 30th 202

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways