E.O OGBOGHODO

Background: Patient safety is a fundamental pillar of healthcare quality, yet preventable adverse events contribute significantly to global morbidity and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Clinical students actively participate in patient care, making their understanding and practice of safety principles critical to preventing institutional errors. Objective: This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes regarding patient safety and evaluated the patient safety culture (PSC) practices among clinical students at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted between April 2025 and April 2026 among 637 clinical students across five disciplines (Medicine, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Physiotherapy, and Paramedics) selected via stratified random sampling. Quantitative data were collected using a modified questionnaire adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), while qualitative data were gathered via Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Quantitative data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27.0, employing descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and binary logistic regression. Qualitative transcripts underwent thematic analysis. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 23.41 \pm 2.08 years, with a slight female predominance (52.1%). A significant majority (75.0%) possessed good overall knowledge of patient safety principles, with the highest domain scores in the systems view of errors (84.3%). Moving to the senior 600 level (AOR: 2.370, p = 0.045) and receiving prior formal x safety training (AOR: 1.850, p = 0.004) were independent predictors of good knowledge. Conversely, spending >12 hours a day in the hospital nearly halved the odds of maintaining good knowledge (AOR: 0.534, p = 0.031). Attitudes were overwhelmingly favorable, with 91.2% demonstrating a positive mindset, which strongly associated with higher cognitive scores (p = 0.004). However, actual patient safety culture practice fell dramatically short, with 73.8% of participants exhibiting poor overall practice. Only 19.5% had ever filed a formal incident report. Among the 513 students who never filed a report, the primary barriers identified were fear of victimization or blame (58.0%), strict institutional hierarchies (44.3%), and high workloads (42.0%). Key curricular and experiential gaps identified included an absolute lack of formal instruction in root cause analysis (59.0%) and incident reporting protocols (49.3%). Conclusion: Clinical students at UBTH display robust theoretical knowledge and highly positive attitudes toward patient safety responsibilities, but institutional, systemic, and cultural barriers significantly impede the translation of these attributes into safe clinical practices. Addressing this disconnect requires aggressive educational reforms, such as integrating simulation-based learning into clinical rotations, and structural interventions by hospital management to establish a accessible, transparent, and non-punitive incident reporting environment.

Background: Respectful maternity care (RMC) is defined by the World Health Organization as care organized and provided to all women in a manner that maintains their dignity, privacy, and confidentiality, ensures freedom from harm and mistreatment, and enables informed choice and continuous support during labour and childbirth. Despite global recognition of its importance, violations of RMC remain widespread in low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria, where disrespect and abuse during childbirth have been linked to reduced facility utilization, poor maternal satisfaction, and adverse psychological outcomes. Nigeria accounts for nearly 20% of global maternal deaths, with a maternal mortality ratio of 512 per 100,000 live births. In Benin City, Edo State, there is limited comprehensive data on postnatal mothers’ experiences, knowledge, and attitudes toward RMC, creating a significant gap in evidence needed to inform policy and clinical interventions. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the extent, determinants, and implications of respectful maternity care experiences among postnatal mothers in Benin City, Edo State. Specific objectives included assessing knowledge and attitudes toward RMC, documenting experiences of respectful and disrespectful maternity care during childbirth, identifying provider- and facility-level determinants of RMC violations, determining predictors of respectful care experiences, and advocating for institutional policy changes promoting RMC. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2025 and April 2026 among postnatal women in Ugbowo community, Egor Local Government Area, Benin City. A sample size of 418 respondents was determined using Cochran’s formula, with a 10% non-response adjustment. A multistage sampling technique was employed: Egor LGA and Ugbowo ward were selected by simple random sampling (balloting), and five communities within the ward served as clusters from which all eligible postnatal women were recruited. Inclusion criteria were women aged 18 years and above who had delivered a live birth within the preceding year and were resident in Edo State. Data were collected using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire comprising six sections covering sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of RMC, attitudes toward RMC, childbirth experiences, facility- and provider-level factors, and overall satisfaction. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS; univariate analysis described sociodemographic characteristics, chi-square tests assessed bivariate associations, and binary logistic regression identified independent predictors of respectful care experience. Results: The majority of respondents were married women in their late twenties to midthirties with tertiary education, predominantly Christian, and most had attended antenatal care during their last pregnancy. Most delivered in public health facilities and settled bills out of pocket. Formal awareness of RMC as a concept was poor, with only 19.6% of respondents having heard of it; among these, fewer than four in ten demonstrated good overall knowledge, with particular weaknesses in domains relating to supportive care, informed consent, autonomy, and non-discriminatory treatment. Despite low conceptual awareness, the overwhelming majority of respondents held strongly positive attitudes toward the underlying principles of respectful care, with formal education being the only statistically significant predictor of positive attitude. Reported childbirth experiences were broadly positive for dignity, empathetic communication, and non-discriminatory treatment; however, serious violations persisted: more than one in five women reported being shouted at during labour, more than one in ten reported being physically struck, and the near-universal suppression of cultural practices during labour was documented. Perceived provider overwork, overcrowding, and intimidation by birth attendants were identified as facility- and provider level factors compromising care quality, with nurses and midwives disproportionately identified as responsible for mistreatment. In multivariate analysis, positive attitude toward RMC (adjusted OR approximately 3.0) and delivery in a private facility were the only statistically significant independent predictors of a respectful childbirth experience; women who delivered in public facilities had significantly lower odds of respectful care. Conclusion: Formal awareness and comprehensive knowledge of RMC remain critically low among postnatal mothers in Benin City, despite largely positive attitudes toward its principles. Serious violations, including verbal and physical abuse, financial gatekeeping, and suppression of cultural practices, persist alongside generally favourable overall experience ratings, pointing to a system-level underestimation of mistreatment. A significant public- private quality gap was confirmed, with public facility delivery associated with lower odds of respectful care. These findings underscore the urgent need for rights-based maternal health education integrated into routine antenatal care, mandatory RMC training for maternity staff, improved accountability mechanisms within public health facilities, and the development of a national RMC standard with enforceable facility-level indicators. Keywords: Respectful maternity care, postnatal mothers, disrespect and abuse, childbirth experience, Benin City, Nigeria, maternal health.

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related morbidity and mortality among men worldwide. Early detection through screening plays a crucial role in reducing complications and improving survival outcomes. However, awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward prostate cancer screening remain limited in many populations, particularly among occupational groups with demanding work schedules such as transport drivers. This study assesses the knowledge and attitudes toward prostate cancer and the utilization of screening services among intercity and interstate public transport drivers in Benin City, Edo State.

A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for this research. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered to intercity and interstate public transport drivers operating within major motor parks in Benin City. The questionnaire assessed respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of prostate cancer, attitudes toward the disease and its screening, and their utilization of available screening services. Data obtained were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods to determine levels of awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and screening practices.

The findings of the study are expected to reveal the level of knowledge and misconceptions about prostate cancer among transport drivers, their attitudes toward preventive health practices, and the extent to which they utilize screening services. The results will also help identify barriers that may prevent drivers from accessing screening services.

The study concludes that improving awareness and promoting positive attitudes toward prostate cancer screening among transport drivers is essential for early detection and prevention. It is recommended that targeted health education campaigns, workplace health programs, and improved access to screening services be implemented to encourage regular prostate cancer screening among this population group.

Hand hygiene is a key component of infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies, proven to significantly reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and improve patient safety. Despite this, compliance with hand hygiene protocols among healthcare workers
(HCWs) in many healthcare facilities remains suboptimal. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, compliance, and determinants influencing hand hygiene practice among healthcare workers in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed in this study. The sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula for descriptive studies. A stratified random sampling technique was utilized for the study. Data were collected using a structured self- administered questionnaire adapted from WHO hand hygiene tools, the Hand Hygiene Belief Scale (HHBS), and WHO ward infrastructure checklist. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27.0. Descriptive statistics were presented as frequencies, means, and percentages, while inferential statistics including Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to determine associations, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 460 respondents participated in the study, with a mean age of 31.9 ± 7.7 years; 247 (53.7%) were females and 213 (46.3%) males. Almost all participants (457 [99.3%]) were aware of hand hygiene, and 359 (78.0%) had received formal training within the previous three years. However, only 170 (37.0%) demonstrated good knowledge, while 290 (63.0%) had poor knowledge. A positive attitude toward hand hygiene was observed in 349 (75.9%) respondents, yet only 210 (45.7%) demonstrated satisfactory compliance with the WHO’s Five Moments for Hand Hygiene. Nurses (185 [40.2%]) recorded the highest compliance rates compared with other cadres. Marital status (p = 0.033), profession (p = 0.027), and monthly income (p = 0.024) were significantly associated with knowledge. Logistic regression showed that being unmarried (AOR = 2.32; 95% CI: 1.36-3.94; p = 0.002), female (AOR = 1.62; 95% CI: 1.05-2.51; p = 0.031), and of the nursing profession (AOR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.17-5.53; p = 0.019) independently predicted good knowledge. Facility assessment revealed inadequate availability of alcohol-based hand rubs (62 [13.5%]), inconsistent running-water supply, and incomplete handwashing infrastructure in several
wards. CONCLUSION: About a third of the health workers demonstrated good knowledge of hand hygiene, with marital status and profession identified as significant predictors. Half exhibited a positive attitude, which was associated with female gender, single marital status, paramedical profession, and longer years of practice. Approximately two-thirds were compliant with hand
hygiene practices, with nurses showing the highest compliance rates. Awareness of guidelines, understanding the importance of hand hygiene, and belief in its role in preventing infections were key facilitators, while only a third of the wards had adequate infrastructure to support and sustain proper hand hygiene practices.