HEALTH INSTITUTION

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) poses a significant health challenge in Nigeria, particularly in Edo State, where limited data exist on patient knowledge and treatment adherence. This study assessed the knowledge of CKD, adherence to prescribed treatment regimens, and associated barriers among CKD patients in a tertiary institution in Edo State. A cross- sectional descriptive study was conducted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, involving 158 CKD patients selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS version 26.0, employing descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests (p<0.05). Findings revealed that 53.2% of respondents had fair knowledge of CKD, primarily sourced from nurses (52.9%), while 28.5% had poor knowledge. Adherence to treatment regimens was generally poor, with only dietary compliance showing a mean score above 2.50. Key barriers to adherence included medication costs, side effects, inaccessible healthcare facilities, dietary restrictions, cultural beliefs, and lack of family support. No significant relationship was found between CKD knowledge and adherence (p=0.306), indicating that knowledge alone does not ensure adherence. The study recommends enhanced health educations by nurses and mass media campaigns to improve CKD awareness and address barriers like cost and accessibility. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance CKD management in Edo State

Delayed presentation to emergency services represents a significant challenge in paediatric healthcare, often resulting in adverse outcomes and increased mortality. Understanding parental knowledge and perceptions regarding delayed presentation is crucial for developing effective interventions to improve timely care-seeking behaviour. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of the consequences of delayed presentation among parents attending the children's emergency unit at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional survey utilized purposive sampling technique to recruit 145 parents attending the children's emergency unit at UBTH. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of consequences of delayed presentation, perception of delayed presentation, and factors responsible for delayed presentation. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. The study achieved a 96.5% response rate with 140 valid questionnaires. Most respondents were female (62.9%), married (68.6%), and had tertiary education (37.9%). The findings revealed that 74% of parents demonstrated good knowledge of the consequences of delayed presentation, while 69% exhibited positive perceptions regarding the importance of timely emergency care. Financial constraints (mean=3.2), hope for home recovery (mean=3.2), and transportation difficulties (mean=3.1) were identified as the most influential factors responsible for delayed presentation. Statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between knowledge and perception of delayed presentation among parents (χ²=1.12, p=0.29). Despite good knowledge and positive perceptions among most parents regarding the consequences of delayed presentation, socioeconomic factors continue to significantly influence timely healthcare-seeking behaviours
for paediatric emergencies. Health education programs should be intensified to reach the 26% of parents with poor knowledge. Healthcare policies addressing financial barriers to emergency care access should be implemented.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic condition requiring strict adherence to diet therapy for effective management and prevention of complications. This study aimed to assess the level of compliance to diet therapy among patients with T1DM attending a tertiary health institution. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted. Using a convenience sampling technique, 195 patients attending the Chest Out-Patient Department (COPD) of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) between February and March 2025 were selected. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and 187 properly completed questionnaires were retrieved, yielding a response rate of 95.9%. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0, and findings were presented in frequencies, percentages, and means. The majority of respondents (55.1%) were aged between 32 and 37 years, with a slight female predominance (54.5%). Most participants were of Edo ethnicity (52.4%), had attained tertiary education (42.2%), and were predominantly traders (38.5%). The assessment of knowledge regarding diet therapy revealed a generally good level of awareness, with a grand mean score of 3.1 (cut-off = 2.5). Respondents demonstrated strong knowledge in areas such as the importance of meal timing, portion control, reducing sugar intake, and awareness of healthy food choices for blood sugar management. The findings indicate that patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in this tertiary health institution possess a good level of knowledge regarding diet therapy. However, gaps remain in areas such as practical application and consistent adherence to dietary recommendations. It is recommended that continuous diabetes education programs emphasizing practical dietary management strategies be strengthened. Healthcare providers should offer personalized dietary counseling and regular follow-up to enhance patient compliance and ultimately improve health outcomes among individuals living with type 1 diabetes mellitus

This study investigated nutritional knowledge and dietary habits among diabetic patients in a tertiary health institution, Edo State. The study aims to ascertain level of nutritional knowledge of diabetes among patients with diabetes, dietary habits of pa tients with diabetes and the factors influencing food consumption pattern of patients with diabetes attending a tertiary institution, Benin City. Three research questions were raised and answered in the study and stated hypothesis was tested at <0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a non-experimental descriptive survey design. The study population was 440 Diabetic patients attending treatment at University of Benin teaching hospital, from which a sample size of 230 respondents were selected for the study using convenient sampling method. A well-structured questionnaire instrument was drafted and used for data collection. The instrument was validated by the research supervisor and two other experts in the field. To ensure the reliability of the instrument, a pilot study was conducted and a reliability value greater than (>0.5) was obtained. The data collected were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency count, percentages, means, Anova and graphical representation of results.The result shows that majority of the respondents have fair nutritional knowledge of diabetes. Also, majority of the respondents have poor dietary habits. Furthermore, taste preferences, emotional state, food prices, availability of healthy option are factors influencing food consumption pattern. Based on the findings, it was concluded and recommended that there should be health education by nurses to enlighten people on the importance of good dietary changes to health and mass media outlets such as television, radio, road jingles and posters etc. should be used to disseminate useful information on the importance of nutritional knowledge of diabetes

This study was aimed to determine the perceived effects of night shift on nurses' physical, psycho-social health and work performance in selected health institutions Edo State. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional research design and convenience sampling method was used to select one hundred and sixty-nine nurses in Central Hospital and Faith Mediplex Hospital, Benin City, Edo State. A well- structured questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Simple frequency and percentage were used to describe the data, while chi-square was used to test the hypotheses. The level of significance was set at p<0.05. The analysis was performed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0 for windows. The result showed that majority of the respondents perceived night shift to have effect on their physical, psycho-social health and work performance in Central Hospital and Faith Mediplex Hospital, Benin City, Edo State. According to the results, It shows that 135(79.0%%)nurses agreed that night shift had negative on their physical health while 34(20.1%)nurses agreed that night shift had positive effect on their physical health. It shows that 124(73.4%%) nurses agreed that night shift had negative on their psychological health, while 45(26.6%)nurses agreed that night shift had positive effect on their psychological health. It shows that 117(69.2%%)nurses agreed that night shift had negative on their social health, while 52(30.8%)nurses agreed that night shift had positive effect on their social health and lastly, It shows that 135(79.9%%)nurses agreed that night shift had negative on their work performance., while 34(20.1%)nurses agreed that night shift had positive effect on their work performance. Also, sociodemographic characteristics namely sex, marital Status, educational qualification, years of experience, and religion were significantly associated with nurses’ physical health and psychological health; years of experience, cadre, ethnic group and religion was significantly associated with nurses social health. All sociodemographic variables except religion were significantly associated with nurses work performance. This study therefore, recommended that there is need for Institutions to make concerted efforts to ensure that the effect of night shift on nurses' physical, psycho-social health and work performance is assessed and taken care of as their health is important in delivery of quality care to patients.