American Health

Background: The notion of preoperative visiting has been in existence since the 1960s and its value and worth in relation to healthcare delivery has been debated consistently since the term preoperative-visit is often confusing. However, little is known about knowledge, attitude and practice of preoperative visits among perioperative nurses in Nigeria. Objectives: The study sought to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of Nigerian perioperative nurses towards the practice of preoperative visits and to identify barriers militating against the practice. Design: This is a countrywide cross-sectional descriptive survey. Results: One hundred and forty six Nigerian perioperative nurses among the conferenceattendees gave consent to participate in this study. Half of the participants- 70(50%) of the participants worked with tertiary health facilitiesand 71(52.2%) were from the conference host region (Southwest, Nigeria).The majority (97.3%) of the participants possess good knowledge ...

Published evidence on the effects of computerized physician order entry (CPOE), automated dispensing machines (ADMs), bar coding, and computerized medication administration records (CMARs) on medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) were reviewed. Emerging technologies have been recommended as potential mechanisms for reducing medication errors. Critical evaluations of the impact of these new technologies on medication errors and other adverse outcomes are lacking. PubMed was searched to identify all peer-reviewed publications linking four technologies (CPOE, ADMs, bar coding, and CMARs) with reductions in medication errors and ADEs and secondary endpoints. All controlled studies that assessed the impact of the technologies were evaluated. The appropriateness of the use of these technologies was also examined. Few studies were identified that evaluated the technologies' impact on these endpoints. Of the evaluated technologies, CPOE was the most studied; however, investig...

Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common and can be prevented. Complications of this condition cause higher rates of morbidity and mortality. A review of literature was carried out on MEDLINE, with focus on controlled clinical trials. Pathophysiology is complex, with many afferent and efferent pathways, and its comprehension facilitate the choice of medication. Risk factors are presented, with a stratified score of chance to develop postoperative nausea and vomiting. An algorithm for identification of higher risk patients was elaborated and classified the level of prevention/treatment recommended to avoid excessive use of drugs and their side effects. Postoperative nausea and vomiting must be prevented, because of the involved complications and discomfort for patients. A systematic approach with analysis of preoperative risk factors and prescription of medication can be effective for prevention.

Background: Healthcare system in Nigeria is moving towards digitalization especially in the management of patients’ health information, with a view to harmonizing medical care practice for improved healthcare quality. Information and communication technology (ICT) has transformed the way people collaborate, identify potential collaborators or friends, communicate with each other, and identify information that is relevant to their practice. Rationale: Thus, ICT has been identified as one measure to ensure these emerging trends in the Nation’s healthcare systems. Design/objectives: This study deployed a cross-sectional structured questionnaire to determine ICT knowledge and utilization among healthcare providers at National Hospital Abuja (n=271). Methods: We devised stratified random sampling in the recruitment of participants. Result: It was found that profession, possession of a laptop computer, age and sex were associated with knowledge, utilization and perception of ICT. Most par...