Psychological Issues among Women Undergoing Fertility Treatment in a Specialist Fertility Hospital, South East Nigeria

Introduction: In Nigeria, a major reason for marriage is procreation and married couples look forward to having children within a year or two of marriage. The inability to achieve conception and subsequently have a child among couples may lead to psychological complications. Objective: This study assessed the psychological impact of infertility and its management on women receiving treatment at a Fertility Specialist Hospital in a poor resource setting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 376 consenting married women who sought and received fertility treatment at a private Fertility Specialist Hospital, located at Abakaliki, South-East Nigeria between May 1, 2017 and May 31, 2022. Socio-demographic and Structured questionnaires were administered to the participants over a 5-year period. Results: The mean age of the women at presentation was 36.9 (±7.2 SD) years. The majority of the women (227) presented with secondary infertility accounting for 60.4%, while the rest had primary infertility (χ2 = 16.18, P = 0.001). Male-only factor infertility accounted for 22.9% of all the infertility cases, female-only factor 21.3% while both (male and female factors co-existing) accounted for 52.7% of all the cases. The commonest cause of infertility in the study was poor sperm parameters (176) accounting for 46.8% of cases, tubal factor 19.1% and anovulatory factor 22.3% (χ2 = 214.21, P = 0.001). Three hundred and thirty four (88.8%) felt depressed, 266 (70.7%) felt guilty about the past, and 222 (59.0%) had suicidal tendencies because of the infertility ordeal. Two hundred and fifty one (66.8%) felt inferior, 237 (63.0%) cried often and 174 (46.3%) were socially withdrawn. However, 10.4% of the women felt satisfied and well. These negative psychological feelings were statistically significant. Concerning the effect on marriage, the closeness of couples was reduced significantly in 57.7%, 62.8% had reduced coital intimacy, 79.3% had frequent quarrel and misunderstanding, 27.9% had threats of divorce while 4.5% had actually divorced and 11.% separated. However, there was no negative effect of infertility in 8.8% of couples. Conclusion: Psychological issues associated with infertility and its management in women include feelings of depression, guilt feelings, suicidal ideation, weeping episodes, social withdrawal, feelings of inferiority, reduced libido, and poverty of intimacy with frequent quarrels and misunderstanding. Women appear to bear more of the psychological issues associated with infertility. Early marriage on the part of the women, preservation of their reproductive youthful ages, and a better understanding of the concept of infertility by the couple will not only reduce the prevalence of infertility but will also reduce the dangerous psychological issues associated with infertility.

Multi-disciplinary treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in primary hospitals in China during the COVID-19 epidemic

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a common malignant tumor in the Chinese population.Due to its high degree of malignancy,rapid progression,and poor prognosis,it mainly requires multi-disciplinary treatment(MDT)in the clinic.In December 2019,COVID-19,a novel coronavirus pneumonia,broke out in Wuhan,China.It has rapidly spread across the country,with various places launching a level I response to major public health emergencies and traffic being restricted.Most patients with HCC were only able to attend primary hospitals,while the MDT model for HCC in provincial hospitals was restricted.Therefore,it was a huge task for clinicians in primary hospitals to ensure MDT was given to patients with HCC during the level I response to major public health emergencies.How to formulate a reasonable MDT mode for patients with HCC according to local conditions was worthy of consideration by hepatobiliary surgeons in primary hospitals.

Surgical treatment of liver cancer and pancreatic cancer under the China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups payment system

BACKGROUND Data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reported that China had the highest prevalence of cancer and cancer deaths in 2022.Liver and pancreatic cancers accounted for the highest number of new cases.Real-world data(RWD)is now widely preferred to traditional clinical trials in various fields of medicine and healthcare,as the traditional research approach often involves highly selected populations and interventions and controls that are strictly regulated.Additionally,research results from the RWD match global reality better than those from traditional clinical trials.AIM To analyze the cost disparity between surgical treatments for liver and pancreatic cancer under various factors.METHODS This study analyzed RWD 1137 cases within the HB1 group(patients who underwent pancreatectomy,hepatectomy,and/or shunt surgery)in 2023.It distinguished different expenditure categories,including medical,nursing,technical,management,drug,and consumable costs.Additionally,it assessed the contribution of each expenditure category to total hospital costs and performed cross-group comparisons using the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test.This study used the Steel–Dwass test for post-hoc multiple comparisons and the Spearman correlation coefficient to examine the relationships between variables.RESULTS The study found that in HB11 and HB13,the total hospitalization costs were significantly higher for pancreaticoduodenectomy than for pancreatectomy and hepatectomy.Although no significant difference was observed in the length of hospital stay between patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and pancreatectomy,both were significantly longer than those who underwent liver resection.In HB15,no significant difference was observed in the total cost of hospitalization between pancreaticoduodenectomy and pancreatectomy;however,both were significantly higher than those in hepatectomy.Additionally,the length of hospital stay was significantly longer for patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy than for those who underwent pancreatectomy or liver resection.CONCLUSION China Healthcare Security Diagnosis Related Groups payment system positively impacts liver and pancreatic cancer surgeries by improving medical quality and controlling costs.Further research could refine this grouping system and ensure continuous effectiveness and sustainability.

Evolution of Viral Load in Patients Infected with HIV-1 at Point G University Hospital

Introduction: HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The aim of this study was to assess the evolution of the viral load in patients under treatment. Methodology: This was a study carried out from July 2017 to June 2022 at the Point G University Hospital laboratory. The determination of the viral load of patients was carried out by PCR on the ABOTT M2000sp/rt platform. Results: A total of 129 patients infected with HIV-1, aged 19 to 72 years with a mean age of 40.05 years ± 10.71;all on antiretroviral chemotherapy. The female gender predominated among our patients. The most common treatment regimen was 2INTI + 1INNTI with 72.9% followed by 2INTI + 1INI with 13.2%. As for the combinations of molecules, the combination TDF + 3TC + EFV and TDF + 3TC + DTG predominated, respectively 65.1% and 13.2%. 89.9% of our patients had undetectable viremia after 12 months of treatment (p < 0.005) with an average viral load which had evolved from 681315.65 copies/ml ± 1616908.484 to M0 at 5742.36 copies /ml ± 35756.883 at M12 (p Conclusion: Generally speaking, antiretroviral treatment had contributed to controlling viral loads, however the therapeutic combination TDF + 3TC + DTG had made it possible to obtain more patients with undetectable viremia instead.

Utilization of the current national antimalarial treatment guidelines among doctors in army hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria

Introduction: Human malaria infection remains a problem of public health importance in many regions of the world. The infection continues to spread particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, malaria and its treatment have been affected by factors like wrong diagnosis, wrong attitude of the people, unavailability of drugs, fake and substandard drugs, attitude and practices of medical and paramedical personnel. Nigeria’s national standard for malaria treatment was recently changed to artemisinin combination therapy. Methods: A descriptive study using a structured questionnaire was administered to all doctors (123) practicing in the three Army hospitals in Lagos. The study was done between March, 2009 and April, 2009. The findings were precoded;data entry and analysis was done using EPI INFO version 3.5.1 statistical software. Results: Presumptive/clinical diagnosis was still a common practice for diagnosing malaria among doctors, as well as the use of microscopy. None of the doctors had the facility for diagnosing malaria with rapid diagnostic test in their hospitals. Fifty one percent of the doctors stated that they utilized the current National antimalarial treatment guidelines. Significant proportion of the doctors used Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACTs) as first line treatment of uncomplicated malaria in adults and children. Chloroquine was the commonest drug for first line treatment of uncomplicated malaria in pregnancy. Only 45.5% of the doctors had correct knowledge of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp), while 33.3% knew the stage of pregnancy in which a pregnant woman should receive IPTp with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. Awareness and the content of knowledge of the current National antimalarial treatment guideline were not affected by the category or current position of the doctors. Thirteen percent of the respondents had attended training/update workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) Roll Back Malaria programme on the current National antimalarial treatment guideline. Conclusion: The study showed that there is need to improve use of recommended antimalarial medicines for all categories of patients by doctors in Army Hospitals in Lagos. More effort should be made by the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to organize training and refresher courses on the current National antimalarial treatment guidelines for all categories of health care providers.

Analysis on the Construction and Operation Mode of Internet Hospitals

Internet + medical health have become anational key strategy, and the industries of medicalinformation have ushered in new development.Internet hospitals have broken through the limitationsof diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis, doctor’seducation, family doctors, and post-hospital trackinghave been introduced to the Internet hospital system,the whole process of medical management serviceincluding ‘health management, diagnosis, in-hospital,rehabilitation’ has been gradually established,and coordinating to the medical resources, familydoctors and channels of medicine, to realize the realcirculation of medical resources. The authors screenedsix Internet hospitals and comprehensively analyzedtheir construction and operation modes, with a viewto providing reference for the construction of Internethospitals.

Doctor-reported hospital management of acute coronary syndrome in China: A nationwide survey of 1029 hospitals in 30 provinces

Background: Despite recent improvements in the hospital treatment of ACS, little is known about current cardiological practice in China or use of evidence-based approach in Chinese hospitals. Methods: A questionnaire about doctor-reported hospital management of ACS was posted to the head of the cardiology department of 1397 hospitals across 30 provinces of China. Reported use of various clinical procedures and treatments were analysed and compared between different types of hospital. Results: Of the 1029 (74%) hospitals that responded, 43% were tier III (tertiary) hospitals. For STEMI, primary PCI was used as the main reperfusion therapy by 50.2% of tier III and 9.3% of tier II/I (secondary) hospitals. Most of hospitals also used various proven therapy routinely for STEMI and NSTEMI/UA, including anti-platelet therapy (98% and 93%), anticoagulant (96% and 90%), statin (97% and 94%), oral β-blockers (87% and 86%) and ACE-I (88% and 83%). However, certain therapies with little or no proven value (eg, G.I.K., magnesium and Chinese tradition medicine) remained used routinely by 25% - 40% of tier II/I hospitals. After discharge, statin, antiplatelet, β-blockers and ACE-I were reportedly used routinely by 85% - 95% of the responders for secondary prevention. Conclusions: With a few exceptions, doctor-reported hospital management of ACS in China is largely consistent with that recommended by current guidelines. Large nationwide registries are needed to assess long-term adherence to treatments after hospital discharge.

Characterization of Defaulters from Tuberculosis Treatment in a Tertiary Hospital in South Eastern Nigeria

Background: Tuberculosis is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide, due to a single infectious agent. Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS) is presently the WHO recommended programme to fight tuberculosis worldwide. There is a need to understand the characteristics of patients who default from treatment for tuberculosis. This will help modify the strategies to reduce such default to the barest minimum and achieve higher levels of adherence. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of patients that defaulted from treatment for TB at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi DOTS clinic for the period 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2012. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted at the DOTS clinic at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. The records of patients who received treatment from the clinic from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2012 (2 years) were reviewed. The data collected include patients’ demographic characteristics, treatment category, patient type, baseline sputum smear result, and retroviral status. From the data, default rate was calculated and its relationship with other variables noted. Associations between patients’ characteristics were determined using chi square test of independence. The significance level was set at p = 0.05. Results: A total of 765 patients enrolled for TB treatment in the DOTS clinic of the study area within the study period of 1st January 2011 and December 31st 2012. The mean age at commencement of the treatment was 33.14 years (±18.09). The outcome of treatment showed that 260 (34%) had treatment completed, 230 (30.1%) cured, 120 (15.7%) defaulted, 103 (13.5%) died, 40 (5.2%) were transferred-out, and 12 (1.6%) failed in the treatment, giving a treatment success rate of 64.1%. Among the 120 (15.7%) patients that defaulted from treatment, majority 80 (66.7%) were males, and most 30 (25.0%) were in the 30 - 39 years age group. Conclusion: Defaulting starts with treatment interruption hence prompt management of interruption of treatment and default will largely help in preventing drug-resistant TB.

Molnupiravir for Oral Treatment of Covid-19 in Nonhospitalized Patients

Background:New treatments are needed to reduce the risk of progression of coronavirus disease 2019(Covid-19).Molnupiravir is an oral,small-molecule antiviral prodrug that is active against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Methods:We conducted a phase 3,double-blind,randomized,placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment with molnupiravir started within 5 days after the onset of signs or symptoms in nonhospitalized,unvaccinated adults with mild-to-moderate,laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 and at least one risk factor for severe Covid-19 illness.Participants in the trial were randomly assigned to receive 800 mg of molnupiravir or placebo twice daily for 5 days.The primary efficacy end point was the incidence hospitalization or death at day 29;the incidence of adverse events was the primary safety end point.A planned interim analysis was performed when 50%of 1550 participants(target enrollment)had been followed through day 29.

Epidemiology and Management of Heart Failure in the Medicine Department of Tombouctou Hospital

Introduction: Heart failure is a complex syndrome and very frequently observed and secondary to the outcome of many advanced heart diseases. It is made up of a set of symptoms that reflect the tissue and visceral consequences of heart failure. The objective was to determine the hospital prevalence and to describe the management of heart failure in the medical department of Tombouctou hospital in Mali. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection, carried out over 24 months and involving the analysis of 266 records of patients hospitalized for heart failure. Results: The frequency of heart failure was 17.6% with a female predominance. The average age was 48 years with extremes of 16 and 90 years. Cardiovascular risk factors were dominated by high blood pressure with 38%. Global heart failure was the mode of discovery in 72.2% of cases. The etiologies were dominated by hypertensive dilated cardiomyopathy in 36.8% and peripartum cardiomyopathy in 32% of cases. The majority of our patients benefited from diuretic treatment, i.e. 95.9% frequency;with a favorable evolution in 96.2% of cases. We recorded 10 deaths, i.e. a lethality of 3.7%. We report some difficulties encountered during our security study because Tombouctou is a war zone and the lack of a technical platform for biology such as (BNP or NT-proBNP). Conclusion: Heart failure is a real public health problem. Its prevalence is increasing due to the aging of the population and especially the poor management of arterial hypertension in our context.

Opinion on double strategy to fight against COVID-19:Vaccination and home treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

The goals of global vaccination are to control,eliminate,or eradicate infectious diseases in a sustainable way that strengthens public health systems.Although the use of vaccines is essential for the control of epidemics,the vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)proved to be inadequate to end the pandemic and thus are considered incomplete.These vaccines failed to prevent infection,so their primary purpose has been shifted to prevent severe disease and reduce hospitalizations and deaths.Therefore,we believe that all the strategies available to reduce transmission,hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 will be put in place.It is reported that uncontrolled inflammation and thrombosis are the principal mechanisms for aggravation and death in patients with COVID-19.Unlike corticosteroids that should not be administered at the beginning of the symptoms for their immunosuppressive action,which could worsen the evolution of the disease,the usefulness of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the early at-home treatment of the disease is becoming evident.

职能部门多学科联合诊疗提升医疗质量的实践路径——以浙江大学医学院附属儿童医院为例

医疗质量安全是公立医院高质量发展的基础和前提,多学科联合诊疗(multi-disciplinary treatment,MDT)理念对于医院职能部门协同开展医疗质量管理实践具有重要价值。浙江大学医学院附属儿童医院创新探索符合儿童医院自身特色的质量管理模式,构建职能部门医疗质量MDT实践路径,形成临床科室主动发起会诊,各职能部门多方协同双向互动,精准发现并解决问题,持续追踪并反馈改进的闭环管理流程。该模式实施后,全院医疗质量安全水平全面提升,主要表现为科室一级质控能力增强,绩效考核核心指标优化,患者满意度显著提升,对促进医院高质量发展具有深远意义。

某三甲儿童医院门诊多学科协作诊疗特点与服务模式探索

目的:总结儿童专科医院门诊多学科协作诊疗(MDT)的特点,探索适合儿童医院的门诊MDT服务模式。方法:组建门诊多学科会诊专家团队,制定门诊多学科会诊制度与流程图,会诊流程标准化,门诊部设专人负责组织专家开展门诊MDT,建立门诊多学科会诊病例资料库,登记患者姓名、年龄、会诊原因、申请会诊途径、疾病转归等内容。结果:2021年6月至2023年3月共开展门诊MDT会诊220例。年龄段分布特点,大于5岁患儿107例(48.6%),占比最高;从申请门诊MDT原因统计,需要明确诊断150例(68.2%)是门诊MDT申请的首要原因;网络预约205例(93.2%)是最重要途径,现场分诊和首诊科室申请是次要途径;实施多学科会诊前,专科门诊就诊一次病例数123例(55.9%),就诊3次及以上60例(27.3%);患者转归结果显示,120例(54.5%)患儿痊愈,46例(20.90%)患儿治疗后好转;门诊满意度比较,2020-2022年门诊满意度逐年增高(P<0.01);患儿疾病涉及多系统133例(60.5%),疾病涉及一个系统的患儿87例(39.5%)。结论:儿童专科医院门诊MDT能充分发挥各科专业优势,实现跨学科专业互补及优势学科的强强联合,有利于疾病早期发现、精准诊断;“一站式”诊疗服务模式,优化了就诊流程,提高了就诊效率,改善了就医体验,提升了门诊患者满意度。

线上诊疗预住院模式在日间化疗中心的探索与实践

目的:分析线上诊疗预住院模式在日间化疗中心收治患者中的应用效果,以期解决肿瘤患者因床位紧张导致治疗不及时的问题。方法:借助信息技术实施线上诊疗预住院模式干预,实现患者居家上传检查检验报告、医生在线评估结果、医院代办预住院、医生预开医嘱制度,比较实施前后的相关指标。结果:线上诊疗预住院模式实施后,患者在院等待输液时间由实施前的(113.78±1.77)min缩短至(85.58±0.87)min(P<0.05);每月治疗人次由409人次增加至1116人次,增幅达172.9%,床位使用率由66.0%上升至180.0%,增幅达172.7%;患者对日间化疗出入院手续办理满意度由84.4%上升至91.8%,总体满意度由90.6%上升至93.8%。结论:线上诊疗预住院模式安全可行,将其运用于日间化疗中心可缩短肿瘤患者在院等待输液时间,提高床位利用率和患者满意度,有效缓解因床位缺乏导致患者化疗推迟的困境。

基于互联网医院平台的区域医联体建设研究

甘肃省自2015年起探索医联体建设,但效果甚微,未能从根本上改变医疗资源分配不均的现状。互联网医院的发展为城乡医疗资源整合提供了全新技术路径。甘肃省某医联体牵头医院利用信息化手段,以互联网医院平台为基础,构建了覆盖医联体各级医院的“互联网+”运营体系,较好地实现了医疗资源的整合,在促进医联体高效可持续发展的同时,极大程度上满足了基层患者的诊疗需求。

基于医院信息系统重塑药物临床试验院内结算流程的实践

目的:基于医院信息系统(HIS)改造,实现药物临床试验项目费用院内自动结算。方法:在梳理HIS现有医嘱闭环管理的基础上,分析临床试验结算关键节点并改造优化,连通财务系统和HIS,实现临床试验医嘱执行时自动校验专项经费并即时结算。结果:该方案充分利用现有系统和流程,优化了临床试验组套维护工作,实现了临床试验医嘱权限精细化管理和药物临床试验数据全流程追溯,提高了临床试验经费管理效率。结论:基于HIS的药物临床试验院内结算流程改造,达到了受试者、研究者、管理者三方满意,具有良好的推广和应用价值。

急性缺血性卒中绿色通道构建与运行的教学方法探讨

急性缺血性卒中(acute ischemic stroke,AIS)是一种严重危害我国国民健康的疾病,占全部脑卒中患者约70%。由于“时间就是大脑”的理念,AIS的救治效果与开始救治的时间高度相关,同时也与医院救治水平、影像学评估方法、救治策略等几种因素相关。这需要一个完整的快速救治流程,包括院前救治和院内救治,作为支撑。在我国,这种流程被称为AIS的绿色通道。如何为医护人员提供关于AIS绿色通道构建和运行的培训,对于提高社会和医疗机构的AIS救治水平具有重要意义。文章对于AIS绿色通道构建和运行中六个重要节点的教学方法进行具体介绍,有利于医护人员了解如何整合社会、医院、脑卒中救治团队的力量救治AIS患者,最终提高AIS的救治水平,降低AIS的病死率和病残率。

针灸治疗质量安全管理标准的应用实践

中国医院协会颁布的《中国医院质量安全管理》团体标准“第2-27部分:患者服务中医药治疗”规范了针灸治疗质量与安全管理,科室人员基于此搭建针灸治疗质量安全管理标准框架,确立人员管理、治疗管理、不良事件处理3个环节、10个节点、14个要素的框架体系。标准实施后,针灸不良事件减少,门诊投诉率降低,院感防控落实度提高。

某大型公立医院人才培养与能力提升的建设实践

随着医改的逐渐深入,各级公立医院都在推进高质量发展,对医院来说既是机遇也是挑战。在公立医院高质量发展过程中,人才因素最为重要,是医院发展的基石,只有不断提升人才的综合能力和素质,才能推动医院良性可持续发展,提升医院的医疗服务水平。近年来,南京医科大学附属淮安第一医院在组建专病诊疗组、多学科诊疗、外聘学科带头人、专科联盟、新技术开展、基础医疗质量评价体系、急危重症管理体系建设、手术医师能力提升等方面做了许多探索,取得了显著成效,这些创新性举措的实施推动了医院人才培养与能力提升,为国内医院高质量发展提供借鉴。

互联网医院在慢性病诊疗服务中的作用探讨

目的从患者诊疗服务需求角度,探讨互联网医院在慢性病诊疗服务中的作用。方法采集某三甲医院自主建立的互联网医院内分泌科就诊数据,利用卡方检验分析不同慢性疾病患者在线诊疗服务需求差异。结果互联网医院为不同患者群体提供了多样化的医疗服务。患者性别(χ^(2)=953.491,P<0.001)、年龄(χ^(2)=76.290,P<0.001)和诊疗服务需求(χ^(2)=401.862,P<0.001)均有显著差异。结论互联网医院能够有效满足内分泌科慢性病患者诊疗服务需求,其诊疗服务模式为慢性病在线诊疗提供了模板。三甲医院应利用互联网医院信息化枢纽,加强与社区卫生服务中心联动,纳入更多慢性病病种,全力构建在互联网医院模式下的慢性病分级诊疗体系。