“There are Doctors and there are ‘Doctors’” : Creating a dichotomy between physicians’ roles

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Interprofessional Education (IPE) Activity amongst Health Sciences Students at Sultan Qaboos University : The time is now!

Historically, health professionals have been educated in profession-specific institutions which provide limited opportunities for learning interprofessional (IP) skills. Many qualified practitioners are therefore poorly prepared for the challenges of IP practice (IPP). Patients today have complex needs and typically require more than one professional to address their medical issues and effective IP care relies upon health care professionals’ abilities to communicate with one another. Competent communication improves the quality of care, thus enhancing patient outcomes. The objective of IP education (IPE) is to prepare students to deliver IP care in the future. Sultan Qaboos University’s medical and nursing colleges train the future health workforce for Oman. However, students have no opportunities for collaborative learning. It is imperative that opportunities be created where students learn with, about, and from each other with the aim of improving the quality of care they are likely to deliver in the future

Perceptions and Attitudes of First-Year Medical Students on a Modified Team-Based Learning (TBL) Strategy in Anatomy

Objectives: Although team-based learning (TBL) is widely used in medical education, its evaluation from the perspectives of the students exposed to it has been limited. This paper reports on a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of perceptions of first year medical students towards TBL. Methods: Lectures in an anatomy course were transformed into a series of TBL sessions for two cohorts of first-year medical students. Each session consisted of pre-class reading, in-class readiness assurance tests, and problem-solving of clinical cases by student teams. At the end of each course, students were surveyed using qualitative and quantitative instruments to assess their perceptions of the strategy. Internal consistency of questionnaire items was determined by a reliability analysis (Cronbach’s alpha). Principal component factor analysis and correspondence analysis were conducted on the quantitative data. Open-ended questions were explored by thematic analysis. Results: Students’ evaluations indicated that TBL is a welcome alternative to lecture-based teaching; as implemented in this study, it encouraged clinical problem solving and fruitful in-class discussion. Principal component factor analysis identified five factors (Cronbach’s alpha 0.602–0.875). However, the majority of students disapproved of mixed gender TBL teams. Most students agreed that the strategy facilitated consistency in their study, generated an increased awareness about selfdirected learning, and had a positive impact on their learning attitudes. Conclusion: TBL is a welcome instructional strategy as reported by our first-year medical students. It was perceived to be a better approach compared to content-based lectures. The effect on actual student performance is currently being investigated

Empirical Investigation of the Determinants of Poverty in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

This paper provides some explanations of the causes of poverty in Kano metropolis by investigating poverty determinants that are too often neglected in the literature and in policy debates. The study comprises of six local governments in the state which include Dala, Fagge, Gwale, Municipal, Nasarawa and Tarauni. Primary data was collected using questionnaire and interview from one hundred and twenty (120) residents selected in the study area. The data was analyzed using a probit regression analysis and the result showed that all coefficients of the explanatory variables have a positive relationship with poverty except that of education which has a negative relationship. Therefore, the paper recommended that government should improve its program on economic growth and empowerment. It should also double its support to educating youth so as to make them self reliant in the future. Keywords: Poverty, Probit model, Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

Strategies for Communicating Health and Safety Information on Construction Sites in Nigeria

The construction industry (CI) has earned the notoriety of being a risky or profoundly unsafe industry. Studies have credited the majority of the mishap on construction sites to poor communication of health and safety (H&S) information among all the parties engaged in construction activities. The study assessed strategies for communicating H&S information on construction sites and evaluates factors influencing the choice of communication strategies for H&S information on construction sites. The data for the investigation were gotten using multiple-choice questionnaire administered on 20 construction sites domicile in Abuja, Nigeria. A sum of one hundred (100) questionnaire were administered to respondents; out of which eighty-five (85) were returned speaking to 85% reaction rate. Data received were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 95% degree of certainty. The study revealed that safety signs and training are most important medium of communicating H&S information on construction sites and shown that cost implication of the strategy significantly influences the choice of communication strategies for H&S information on Nigerian construction sites. The study therefore, recommends that contracting firms be duty-bound to engage signs and symbols in communicating H&S information, as communication that involves images is clearer and can be directly understood. Quantity surveyors should ensure that adequate provision is made in the bill of quantities for implementing H&S procedures on construction sites. Safety awareness ought to be incorporated in the overall procurement procedure, and workers should be consistently train and re-train on H&S procedures

Design of a Data Warehouse Model for a University Decision Support System

Data Warehouse (DW) can be a valuable asset in providing a stress-free access to data for reporting and analysis. Regrettably, building and preserving an active DW is usually associated with numerous hitches ranging from design to maintenance.  Research in the field of data warehousing has led to the emergence of vital contemporary technologies to aid design, management, and use of information systems that is capable of conveying a Decision Support System (DSS) to organizations. Nevertheless, in the face of persistent achievement and evolution of the field, abundant research is still left unturned across many diverse areas of the data warehousing. The objective of the paper therefore, is to design a DW database model for a University DSS using a dimensional modeling and techniques. A proposed DW database model with specific focus on modeling and design has been realized in this study.  The researchers have demonstrated on how a DW database model can be realized using the dimensional modeling and technique. Keywords: Data Warehouse, Modeling, Decision Support System, Decision Making

Traditional and Information Technology Anti-Corruption Strategies for Curbing the Public Sector Corruption in Developing Economies of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Literature Review

The pervasiveness of public sector corruption has been a major concern by successive governments and their citizenry. In order to curb such corruption, previous studies have focused on the anti-corruption strategies adopted by governments in isolation, but little or no study has focused on the interactions of the anti-corruption strategies. Using the concept-centric approach, we reviewed 91 studies systematically to understand the trends of government anti-corruption strategies. From the synthesized studies, we identified three dominant themes of anti-corruption strategies and their associated concepts. In addition, we also identified one dimension that captures information technology (IT) as a vehicle that enhances corrupt practices in the public sector. The identified themes include traditional, technological, transparency, and accountability anti-corruption strategies. We leveraged the identified themes and their associated concepts to develop a conceptual model that could explain the trends of anti-corruption strategies for curbing the public sector corruption. Our findings suggest that there are things we still need to know, particularly in the case of IT anti-corruption strategies that have been misused for corrupt purposes, especially in the context of e-government systems’ adoption in the public sectors as a new stream of IS research

Modelling and Simulation of a Decision Support System Prototype Built on an Improved Data Warehousing Architecture for the School of Postgraduate, MAUTECH, Yola – Nigeria

A Data Warehouse (DW) is constructed with the goal of storing and providing all the relevant information that is generated along the heterogeneous databases of an organization. The development and management of precise and up-to-date information concerning academic staff, department, faculty, student’s academic record etc. is critically important in the management of a university. This study has become necessary because, data warehousing is a new field, a small number of investigations has been done regarding the features of academic data analysis and report. At present, data warehousing is among the best solution for gathering and maintaining data for decision making.  Therefore, the aim of this paper is to develop a DW prototype model for the School of Postgraduate Studies’ (SPGS) programmes of Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTEC), Yola. The objective of the study is to model and simulate a decision support system that is capable of querying the prototype DW database model to generate reports as output in order to help administrative decision making of the SPGS MAUTEC, Yola. The study has provided relevant literatures in relation to the subject matter. In the methodology, a secondary, field and case study research were conducted. The software engineering development methodology considered was the “Realistic Waterfall Model”. The findings of this paper provide a DW prototype database model using a dimensional modeling technique and the graphic user interface tool for reports and analysis. The researchers have demonstrated their understanding on the subject matter and as a matter of fact, possible future work has been suggested from where we stopped. Keywords - Data Warehouse, Modeling, Simulation, Prototype and Decision Support Syste

Impact of Malaria Parasitemia on Some Liver Enzymes among Adults Patients Attending University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State-Nigeria

Nearly half of the world's population is susceptible to malaria, a potentially fatal disease. When the parasite infection is left untreated or treated incorrectly, it can lead to catastrophic side effects such as chronic renal disease, liver illness, and even death. The goal of this study was to examine the blood and liver enzymes of UMTH, Maiduguri's malaria patients. The ALP, AST, and ALT of the malaria parasite were measured using conventional techniques. In this study, 125 malaria patients at the UMTH were divided into groups according to their sex, age, gender, and malaria density. Their ALP, AST, and ALT blood liver enzyme levels were examined and compared to those of 125 control patients. The research found that the majority of malaria patients Thirty-eight (30.4%) of the malaria patients, or (58.4 percent) of the total population, were males and were between the ages of 25 and 31. They predominantly have low malaria densities (+). The mean ALP, AST, and ALT values for malaria patients were 5.801, 12.760, and 20.470, respectively. This difference was extremely significant (P 0.05). Our research revealed 2.995, 2.056, and 3.594 as very significant differences in liver enzymes. The average levels of ALP, AST, and ALT in malaria patients with (+) were 7.178, 1.854, and 7.345, respectively. indicated a significant statistical difference when compared to patients with malaria who had (++) (p 0.05/0.01). In comparison to age groups 18-24 years, 25-31 years, 32-38 years, and 39-45 years, the value of liver enzymes in malaria patients showed no significant changes at 0.621U/L, 0.120U/L, and 0.496U/L, respectively. However, as previously mentioned writers have noted, that more work must be done to implement control strategies and eradicate malaria infection in this area

Islamic Leadership Accountability Of Umar Bin Abdulaziz: A Lessons Towards A Good Governance In Nigeria

 There is no doubt leadership has been given a tremendous place and a key positioning in Islam, Qur’an, Sunnah and the consensus of Ulama’u (Muslim scholars) have made it apparent about the necessity of leadership among the Muslim community. Most recently, the issue of leadership in Nigeria has become a major concern to the Nigerians. Whilst some research has been conducted to examine the solutions to Nigerian leadership, little attention has been paid to Islamic approaches of accountability which is the vital pillar of governance as the key towards sustainable leadership in Nigeria. This study therefore seeks to explore the lessons from leadership and accountability during the caliphate of Umar bin Abdulaziz (R.A) as a panacea to Nigerian Leaders.The methodology of the study relies on critical and comprehensive analysis of the existing published literature related to the topic. Hence, data collection is effected through the qualitative method. The findings of this study revealed that there are lots of lessons and wisdoms that Nigerian government could acquire from the history of caliphate Umar such as his reformations and innovations in governing the state as reflected in siyasah shar’iyyah which can be solution for practicing good governance in Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended that fear of Allah and believing in accountability is the best option for leaders.Key words: Leadership, Islam, Model, Accountability, Good Governance