Missed Opportunities in Comprehensive Response to Sexual Assaults in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Sexual assault referral centres were designed to provide comprehensive services to survivors to mitigate the physical and psychological consequences of rape. However, some of the survivors who reported at these centres did not benefit fully from these, thereby presenting as missed opportunities. We assessed the missed opportunities among the survivors who reported at Ekiti Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria from June 2020 to June 2022. Data were extracted from the records of the Ekiti Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Ado-Ekiti and the Department of Public Prosecution of Ekiti State Ministry of Justice, Ado-Ekiti. The missed opportunities for post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, emergency contraception, economic empowerment and relocation/shelter services were 62.2%, 35.9%, 42.3% and 4.3% respectively. There were 18 convictions out of the 21 concluded cases. Delayed reporting and poor compliance with follow-up schedules appear to be common denominators in these missed opportunities. To improve on the effectiveness of these services, there is a need to understand the cascade of events leading to delayed reporting and poor compliance with follow-up schedules by the survivors. Mobilisation of adequate financial resources is also expedient for the effective delivery of these services

Knowledge, practice and technique of facemask usage among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Introduction: Infection prevention and control remains very key to safety in healthcare settings and community. The use of personal protective equipment is now more relevant especially with the advent of COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and technique of wearing facemask among healthcare workers at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study explored knowledge, attitude and reported practice on the use of facemask. Also, a checklist was used to directly observe how participants put on and remove facemasks. Results: Of the 450 respondents, 316 (70.2%) had good knowledge score. Only 255 (56.7%) had good attitude and barely half of the respondents 229 (50.9%) had good practice. However, the majority of those who were observed had good technique of wearing facemask 387 (86.4%). Also, 188 (41.8%) of the healthcare workers believed that face shield alone offers adequate protection against transmission of COVID-19. Conclusions: Our finding suggests that knowledge does not translate to good practice. Furthermore, the fact that two out of every five healthcare workers held erroneous belief about face shield, and another one-third had poor knowledge points to the need for training and retraining of healthcare workers with the aim of reinforcing the need for consistent and correct use of facemasks. This should have a salubrious effect on the community knowledge of COVID-19 prevention as healthcare workers are believed to be the most common sources of health information to the lay publi

Assessment of depression in a primary care setting in Nigeria using the PHQ-9

Context: Mental disorders are major contributors to the burden of diseases all over the world. In general practice, which provides essentially primary care, depression is the most common mental disorder seen and often goes unrecognized. Aims: The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of depression, the variables associated with depression, and the degree of recognition by the Physician in family medicine unit. Setting and Design: A cross-sectional descriptive survey of consecutive patients who presented at the general medical out-patient unit of the State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria was done. Materials and Methods: Data were collected using a questionnaire incorporating sociodemographic variables and primary diagnosis made by attending Physician. Depression was assessed with the PHQ-9. Results: Two hundred and seventy two patients were interviewed during the period of the study. Participants were mostly of 45 years or older (51.2%), female (59.9%), married (68.4%), and educated (85.7%). One hundred and thirty (47.8%) of the respondents had significant depressive symptoms with majority (49.2%) being classified as mild. Statistical analysis revealed significant association between depression and age, gender, marital status, and clinical diagnoses (P < 0.05). Over a quarter (28.7%) were presented with infectious diseases, other diagnoses made included cardiovascular disorders (15.8%), endocrine disorders (8.8%), psychiatric disorders other than depression (2.9%) and none had depression as primary diagnosis. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression among patients attending the general medical out-patient clinics is high and highly under-recognised