JIBRIL MOHAMMED

Background: Residency training is a supervised postgraduate medical program in Nigeria designed to prepare doctors for specialization. Resident doctors play a critical role in patient management and interdisciplinary collaboration, including aiding referral to rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy. However, evidence suggests that the utilization of physiotherapy services largely depends on physicians’ awareness and perception of its role. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of physiotherapy among resident doctors in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Edo State. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 169 resident doctors in UBTH, selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated instruments. The questionnaire assessed sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of physiotherapy, perception of the profession, and factors influencing both. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS v26). Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were used to summarize responses. Results: Of the 169 participants, 62.1% were male and 49.1% were aged 31–45 years. Most respondents (89.9%) identified a degree as the qualification required to practice physiotherapy, and 59.8% reported five years of training. However, 74.0% believed that a doctor’s referral was mandatory before patients could access physiotherapy. While 96.4% recognized physiotherapy as essential in rehabilitation and 60.9% considered it first-line management for musculoskeletal disorders, only 41.4% had personally consulted physiotherapists. Overall, 62.1% demonstrated satisfactory perception of physiotherapy, while 32.0% exhibited good perception. Key factors influencing knowledge and perception included clinical case outcomes (55.0%), interprofessional communication (55.0%), and research findings (46.2%).
Conclusion: Resident doctors in UBTH demonstrated good knowledge and largely positive perception of physiotherapy, although misconceptions about physiotherapy autonomy and limited awareness of practice settings persist. Strengthening undergraduate exposure, interprofessional education, and clinical collaboration may improve referral practices and enhance integration of physiotherapy in patient care.

Background: Work-related stress is a major occupational health challenge in healthcare settings, particularly among healthcare professionals who are interns transitioning from academic training to clinical practice. Moreover, prolonged exposure to stress can negatively affect job performance, mental well-being, and quality of patient care. This study investigated the prevalence, sources, consequences of work-related stress among interns of the University of Benin Teaching hospital (UBTH) Benin City, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 188 interns selected through stratified random sampling from seven clinical departments in UBTH. Data were collected using Demographic and Work profile Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS— 10) tools. Descriptive statistics summarized prevalence and stressors, while inferential statistics examined relationships between stress and demographic variables using SPSS version 27.0 Results: The results of the study indicated that most respondents (81.9%) experienced moderate stress, 6.9% high stress, and 11.2% Low stress. Major stressors included excessive workload, poor communication with Supervisors, and Lack of appreciation. Stress negatively affected concentration (40.4%), quality of patient care (40.4%), and motivation (36.7%). Physical and psychological symptoms reported included fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depressive feelings. No significant association was found between stress Levels and age, gender, department, duration of internship, number of patients attended daily, or weekly working hours (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Work-related stress is highly prevalent among interns at UBTH and impacts their performance and well-being. Institutional interventions, including stress management programs, supportive supervision, and moderated workload, core recommended to improve intern welfare and patient safety

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) defined Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) as a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. CVDs include coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and other conditions. And are the leading cause of death globally, causing, -an estimated 17.9 million deaths in 2019 alone, which represents 32% of all global deaths. Heart attacks and strokes account for more than four out of five deaths from CVDs, about of which one-third of these deaths happen prematurely among adults under the age of 70 years (World Health Organization, 2021). In Africa, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), particularly CVDs, are highly prevalent (Minja et al., 2022). In addition to contributing to 22.9 million Disability- Adjusted Life Years (DALY) and 38.3% of fatalities associated with NCDs, CVDs have the highest burden among those under 30 years. Currently, the burden of CVDs has increased by about 50% in Africa (Ka et al., 2024). Similarly, NCDs remains a leading cause of death, with an age-standardized rate of 567 deaths per 100,000 people in Nigeria. This figure has surpassed deaths from infectious diseases, maternal issues, new-born conditions, and malnutrition (Bollyky et al., 2017).