Search

Background: Medication use in pregnancy is a major public health concern requiring regular and ongoing awareness among healthcare providers and the pregnant populace.Objectives: To evaluate opinion of pregnant women on medication use and associated risks in pregnancy with a view to identify areas of focus to improve counseling and outcome.Method: A cross-sectional questionnaire-guided interview among 150 pregnant women in Adeoyo Maternity Teaching Hospital, Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and opinion on medicine use during pregnancy was obtained. Total sampling of consented pregnant women was done. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize data. Ranked variables were evaluated using Kruskal-Wallis test at p

Objectives: To evaluate available and desired sources and types of social-support among hypertensive and type-2- diabetes (T2D) patients. Associations of medication adherence and clinical outcome with access to most available social-support and medicine affordability were subsequently investigated.Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire-guided interview among 250-hypertensive and 200-T2D patients, and review of medical records to retrieve disease-specific clinical parameters.Settings: University College Hospital and Ring-Road State Hospital, Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria.Participants: Adults out-patients with hypertension, T2D, and T2D comorbid with hypertension were enrolled, while in-patients were excluded.Results: Family source of support was the most available [hypertensive (225; 90.0%); T2D (174; 87.0%)], but government and non-governmental organisation support were largely desired, with financial support preferred, 233(93.2%) hypertensive and 190(95.0%) T2D, respectively. Adherent hypertensive patients with or without access to family support were (127; 56.4%) versus (18; 72.0%), p=0.135; while for T2D were (103; 59.2%) versus (21;80.8%), p=0.035. Mean systolic blood pressure of hypertensive and fasting plasma glucose of T2D with access to family and financial support were better than their counterparts without access (p>0.05). Hypertensive (110; 76.4%) and T2D (87; 87.0%) participants who consistently afford medicine expenses had significantly better adherence and outcome (p

Objective: To determine the influence of number and type of antidiabetes medications on adherence and glycemia of ambulatory type 2 diabetes patients in southwestern Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study using pre-tested structured questionnaire among 176 consented patients recruited from the endocrinology clinics of two teaching hospitals between November, 2010 and January, 2011; and a retrospective review of case notes of the cohort for details of prescribed medications and blood glucose values. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Tests of proportions were evaluated using Chi-square or Fisher´s exact test as appropriate. The differences in mean fasting blood glucose (FBG) between and among categorical variables were compared using student t-test and ANOVA respectively, with p4 medications. Adherence was better among patients on >4 medications compared to those on ≤4 medications (p=0.05). However, patients on >4 medications were mostly older adults (>60 years of age), and they were in the majority (66.7%) who had tertiary education compared to 33.3% of those on ≤4 medications who had tertiary education (p=0.02). Adherence rates to antidiabetes medications were in the ranking of oral antidiabetes medications (OAM) alone (50.0%) > insulin plus OAM (44.0%) > insulin alone (41.7%) with no significant difference (p=0.77). There was a significant difference in mean FBG among patients on >4 medications (172.1 ±61.1mg/dL) versus (198.8 ±83.8mg/dL) among those on ≤4 medications (p=0.02). Conclusion: Prescribing more than four medications is linked to improved adherence and glycemic outcome. However, age and educational background of patients are important factors that need to be considered when prescribing multiple medications for type 2 diabetes. Objetivo: Determinarla influencia del número y tipo de medicamentos antidiabéticos en la adherencia y la glucemia de pacientes con diabetes tipo 2 en el suroeste de Nigeria. Métodos: Estudio transversal utilizando un cuestionario pre-estructurado en 176 pacientes que aceptaron, reclutados en la clínica de endocrinología de dos hospitales Universitarios entre noviembre 2010 y enero 2011; y revisión retrospectiva de las notas clínicas de la cohorte para recopilar los detalles de medicamentos prescritos y valores de glucemia. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva para presentar los datos. Las proporciones se analizaron usando test chi-cuadrado o pruebas exactas de Fischer cuando fue apropiado. La diferencia entre las medias de glucemia en ayuno (FBG) se compararon usando t-test y ANOVA, considerando significativos p4 medicamentos. La adherencia era mejor entre los pacientes con >4 medicamentos comparados con los de ≤4 medicamentos (p=0,05). Sin embargo, los pacientes con >4 medicamentos eran mayoritariamente adultos mayores (>60 años) y en su mayoría (66,7%) tenían educación terciaria, comparado con el 33,3% de los de ≤4 medicamentos con educación terciaria (p=0,02). Las tasas de adherencia a medicamentos antidiabéticos estaban en el margen de los antidiabéticos orales solos (AOS) (50,0%) > insulina más AOS (44,0%) > insulina sola (41,7%) sin diferencias significativas p=0,77). Hubo diferencia significativa en la FBG entre los pacientes con >4 medicamentos contra los de ≤4 (172.1±61.1mg/dL vs. 198.8±83.8mg/dL, respectivamente. p=0,02). Conclusión: Prescribir más de cuatro medicamentos está asociado con una mejoría de la adherencia y de resultados de la glucemia. Sin embargo, la edad y la escolaridad son factores importantes que deben considerarse cuando se prescriben medicamentos para la diabetes tipo 2.

Objective: To assess adherence to medication among ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes, ascertain the level of glycemic control, and evaluate patients´ opinions on probable reasons for non-adherence with a view to identify areas of intervention to improve adherence. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out at a 900-bed tertiary teaching hospital in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria between June and August, 2009. Out of 140 consented patients, 114 (81.4%) properly responded to the validated and pre-tested data collection tool and these were subsequently considered for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Means and proportions were compared using student t-test and chi-square or Kruskal-Wallis test as appropriate, with p

Practice of self-medication has not been evaluated in hospitalized patients especially in Nigerian hospitals. Objectives: To evaluate the practice of self-medication among hospitalized patients with an aim to unearth some of the reasons for, and perceptions of benefits of this type of behaviour in secondary health care facilities. Methods: This study was carried out among 197 in-patients admitted in three secondary health facilities in southwestern Nigeria using structured questionnaire. Effects of variables such as age, gender and marital status on the practice of self medication were also evaluated using the Fisher´s Exact test at p

The use of herbal medicines among Nigerian patients and the tendency to combine this class of medicines with allopathic drugs while on hospital admission have been on the increase. Earlier studies show that community pharmacists from Nigeria believe that they need more training to counsel patients on their use of herbal medications. Objective: To evaluate knowledge base, use, acceptability, attitudes and beliefs of hospital pharmacists and physicians in South-western Nigeria on herbal products / phytopharmaceuticals /dietary supplements (HP/PP/DS). Methods: A 20-odd questionnaire including an 8-item herbal medicine question was used to assess the knowledge of the physicians and pharmacists in the area of pharmacology of HP/PP/DS. Effects of demographic information such as age, sex, year post graduation, years of experience and area of specialization on the scores obtained were evaluated using Fisher’s exact tests. Level of significance was set at p