Malawi Medical Journal最新文献

Background: Use of performance enhancing substances (PES) is common among athletes with a worldwide prevalence ranging from 5% to 31%. There has been little knowledge of PES use in African athletes with no available data for Malawian football players. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PESs use among elite football players in two super league teams in Blantyre, Malawi.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in two super league football teams in Blantyre, Malawi. A modified standard questionnaire obtained from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Social science research package was administered to collect data from a convenient sample of 43 elite football players on the characteristics of participants, prevalence of PESs use and reasons for using PES. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test.

Results: Out of 86 eligible football players, 43 with a mean age of 24 ± 4 years participated in the study. Many players (60%) had secondary education as their highest level of education and most players (86%) had played football for more than five years. Out of 43 participants, 39 (91%) had been using PESs while four (9%) had never used PESs. Out of 13 substances, caffeine (77%), herbal products (40%), and energy bars (40%) were the commonly used PESs while cocaine (2%) was the least used substance among the players. Improving performance was the most common reason (81%) why participants were using PESs followed by increase in lean body mass (35%).

Conclusion: The prevalence of PESs use among elite football players in two super league teams in Blantyre, Malawi is high. The most used PES are caffeine, herbal products and energy bars. Participants mainly use PESs for improved performance in football. Therefore, awareness among elite football athletes and stakeholders on adverse health effects of PES use should be promoted.

Introduction: In Malawi, Primary Caregivers (PCGs) of children living with Cerebral Palsy report challenges such as physical strain and lack of resources that affect care giving. Although such experiences affect the PCGs' Quality of Life (QoL), there is paucity of data for Malawi. Understanding their QoL would inform establishment of holistic intervention(s) tailored to meet their needs. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to determine QoL of PCGs of the children who were receiving rehabilitation at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) and Feed the Children (FtC), to identify PCG's and children's socio-demographic factors that may attribute to the perceived QoL, and to compare the PCGs' QoL between the sites.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2019 on 142 PCGs of children aged between 2 and 18 years of age. All PCGs who were employed for the child-care, or had a chronic sickness were excluded. QoL was assessed using the World Health Organization Brief questionnaire, with a cut-off point of <60% for poor QoL. The severity of children's impairments was assessed using Gross Motor Function Classification System. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to analyze the data. The PCGs' age, sex, marital status and level of education, and child's severity of impairment were compared with QoL.

Results: The majority of PCGs (61.30%) had poor QoL, and there was no significant difference in overall QoL of the PCGs between the sites (p<0.31). The PCGs at QECH had significantly higher physical domain mean scores than at FtC (U=1906, p<0.01). The overall QoL differed significantly across the marital statuses of the PCGs (p<0.03).

Conclusion: The study has established that most PCGs at both sites possess poor QoL. However, there is need to investigate how the rehabilitation institutions and workers influence the QoL of the PCGs within and between the facilities.

Background: Isoniazid preventive therapy is recommended as part of a comprehensive HIV and AIDS care strategy. IPT is used as prophylaxis to reduce the incidence of TB in HIV-infected persons. However, its implementation has been very slow and has been influenced by several factors. This study assessed health workers' knowledge and adherence to Isoniazid Preventive Therapy guidelines.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in six health facilities providing HIV care in Ebonyi State using a semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected from 85 health workers working in the HIV clinics. Data were also extracted from 200 patient treatment cards. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20 software. Chi-square statistics and logistic regression were carried out to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge as well as self-reported practice of the guideline.

Result: Slightly over half of the respondents (58.8%) had good knowledge of the guideline, and the majority (75.3%) self-reported that they practiced the guideline. Only 17% of the treatment cards had isoniazid prescribed and only 11% of these had patient adherence assessed. The most common challenges to implementation of the guideline cited by health workers were unavailability of isoniazid, poor awareness, patient non-adherence, poor resources, high pill burden, and lack of training. Being a doctor and more than 3 years duration of work in the clinic were predictors of good knowledge. There was no predictor of practice.

Conclusion: There was good knowledge and practice of the guideline from health worker self-reports, however, review of treatment card showed prescription was low. Further studies to explore and understand why there is such low prescription of INH/IPT to HIV patients despite good knowledge of healthcare professionals are recommended.

Introduction: Learner-centred teaching implies a paradigmatic shift in roles of a teacher from being a source of knowledge to that of a facilitator in the process of knowledge construction. Literature shows that perceptions which teachers hold about barriers to utilisation of learner-centred teaching methods influence how the teachers teach. Anecdotal records as well as observation of classroom teaching demonstrate that tutors at Holy Family College of Nursing and Midwifery dominantly use traditional teacher-centred teaching methods.

Research design and methods: This was a qualitative study based on the philosophical principle of constructivism.

Study population and sample: All tutors at Holy Family College of Nursing and Midwifery were the study population. Purposive sampling technique was used to select participants. In-depth interviews with 12 tutors were held using a semi-structured interview guide.

Data analysis: Data were analysed using the 6-step thematic method.

Findings: The participants suggested that effective utilization of learner-centred teaching methods is negatively affected by teacher-related as well as technical barriers.

Conclusion: Teachers clinging to power and need for more resources negatively affect utilisation of learner-centred teaching methods.

A challenge for the health system in Malawi is that funding allocation is heavily influenced by donor priorities. As a result, mandated routine elements of service delivery may not be fully offered owing to lack of resources or programmatic priority. Integration of currently active 'vertical' programmes (those focused on a specific priority disease entity) into existing 'horizontal' services (meaning provision across the range of clinical and public health need) has potential to improve access and quality of service delivery for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) in Malawi. We identified and tabulated the main vertical funding streams currently available in Malawi and identified where these could intersect with existing horizontal health sector programmes in order to strengthen RMNCAH. We have indicated how each of the main vertical programmatic components can be adapted and integrated to support broader system strengthening within RMNCAH focusing especially on drug and commodity procurement, supply chain logistics, health facility and equipment maintenance/upgrading, health service activity data systems, human resources for 'front line' RMNCAH provision, as well as community engagement and mobilization. By circumventing the various limitations of vertical programmes in the delivery of health services in the country, they would complement existing funding streams rather than operating in a vacuum as independent activities. We therefore recommend the integration of horizontal and existing vertical programmes in order to improve RMNCAH in Malawi.

Angina bullosa haemorrhgica is a relatively uncommon condition characterized by blood-filled subepithelial lesions in the oral mucosa that is idiopathic and not caused by a systemic disease or a hemostatic abnormality. Middle-aged and elderly patients are usually affected and lesions heal spontaneously without scarring. A rapidly expanding hemorrhagic blister in the oropharynx can induce upper airway obstruction, so recognizing the lesion as soon as possible is essential. Because of its rarity, we wanted to highlight a 42-year-old male patient who presented with hemorrhagic bullae associated with insignificant local trauma in the oral mucosa and to emphasize that Angina bullosa haemorrhagica is a rare but recognizable lesion that clinicians should be aware of.

Background: Tracheostomy alone, without mechanical ventilation, has been advocated to maintain a free airway in patients with traumatic brain injury in low-income settings with minimal critical care capacity. However, no reports exist on the outcomes of this strategy. We examine the results of this practice at a central hospital in Malawi.

Methods: This is a retrospective review of medical records and prospectively gathered trauma surveillance data of patients admitted to Kamuzu Central Hospital, with traumatic brain injury from January 2010 to December 2015. In-hospital mortality rates were examined according to registered traumatic brain injury severity and airway management.

Results: In our analysis, 1875 of 2051 registered traumatic brain injury patients were included; 83.3% were male, mean age 32.6 (SD 12.9) years. 14.2% (n=267) of the patients had invasive airway management (endotracheal tube or tracheostomy) with or without mechanical ventilation. Mortality in severe traumatic brain injury treated with tracheostomy without mechanical ventilation was 42% (10/24) compared to 21% (14/68) in patients treated without intubation or tracheostomy (p= 0.043). Tracheostomies had an overall complication rate of 11%.

Conclusion: Tracheostomy without mechanical ventilation in severe traumatic brain injury did not improve survival outcomes in our setting. Tracheostomy for severe traumatic brain injury cannot be recommended when mechanical ventilation is not available unless there are sufficient specialized human resources for follow up in the ward. Efforts to improve critical care facilities and human resource capacity to allow proper use of mechanical ventilation in severe traumatic brain injury should be a high priority in low-income countries where the burden of trauma is high.

Background: Children with clefts lips often present with cardiac abnormalities, among them the tetralogy of Fallot. Anaesthesia for patients with unrepaired Tetralogy of Fallot coming for a non-cardiac surgery represents an additional risk of increased perioperative morbidity and mortality.

Case presentation: We present a case of a 8 years old boy with unrepaired Tetralogy of Fallot scheduled for cleft lip repair. The Child was referred to Mercy James Centre for Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care from an Operation Smile Mission campaign. Anaesthesia consisted of a balanced general anaesthesia combined with regional anaesthesia by an infraorbital nerve block. The child developed hypercyanotic spells postoperatively which were successfully managed with noradrenaline, morphine, fluid, and oxygen therapy.

Conclusion: Children with unrepair Tetralogy of Fallot coming for non-cardiac surgery have increased risk of complications during anaesthesia. The anaesthesia provider should be aware and ready to manage them promptly.

Background: Pragmatic clinical trials generally rely on real world data and have the potential to generate real world evidence. This approach arose from concerns that many trial results did not adequately inform real world practice. However, maintaining the real world setting during the conduct of a trial and ensuring adequate protection for research participants can be challenging. Best practices in research oversight for pragmatic clinical trials are nascent and underdeveloped, especially in developing countries.

Methods: We use the PRECIS-2 tool to present a case study from Lilongwe in Malawi to describe ethical and regulatory challenges encountered during the conduct of a pragmatic trial and suggest possible solutions.

Results: In this article, we highlight the following six issues: (1) one public facility hosting several pragmatic trials within the same period; (2) research participants refusing financial incentives; (3) inadequate infrastructure and high workload to conduct research; (4) silos among partner organisations involved in delivery of health care; (5) individuals influencing the implementation of revised national guidelines; (6) difficulties with access to electronic medical records.

Conclusion: Multiple stakeholder engagement is critical to the conduct of pragmatic trials, and even with careful stakeholder engagement, continuous monitoring by gatekeepers is essential. In the Malawian context, active engagement of the district research committees can complement the work of the research ethics committees (RECs).