PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A E Isenalumhe

Publications and source records attributed to A E Isenalumhe.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Polypharmacy: its cost burden and barrier to medical care in a drug-oriented health care system.

In order to determine the economic and therapeutic implications of the prescriber habit in a drug-oriented health care system, data were collected on the provisional diagnosis, prescribed drugs, and their cost and procurement pattern among 1450 pediatric outpatients in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital. It was found that on average, about five drugs were prescribed for each patient, and there was a tendency to prescribe more expensive and sometimes unnecessary drugs. The more the number or higher the cost of drugs prescribed, the less patients procured them. It is therefore recommended that health care authorities and physicians in similar settings should review their drug policies and prescribing habits in order to discourage polypharmacy and the high cost of chemotherapy, with their attendant barrier to medical care.

Child↗

The changing pattern of post-partum sexual abstinence in a Nigerian rural community.

With a structured interview schedule, this study surveyed the pattern of post-partum sexual abstinence in a Nigerian rural community where facilities for active contraception were absent. It was found that the younger generation observed significantly shorter abstinence period (P less than 0.01). Without contraception, the resultant increased period of sexual contact among couples may considerably raise the fertility of the population. The need for family planning services is therefore indicated, preferably integrated into primary health care programmes designed to reach rural communities.

Adolescent↗

Circumcision: its nature and practice among some ethnic groups in southern Nigeria.

A questionnaire survey carried out in five rural communities in mid-southern Nigeria documents the degree and range of male and female circumcision practices among Bini, Esan, Etsako, Ijaw and Ukwuani ethnic groups. Two hundred and eighty adults (154 males and 126 females) reported on themselves and their 1417 children (757 sons and 660 daughters). Circumcision of both sexes remains widely practised, though the timing of the event and extent of surgery show wide variations among, and sometimes, within ethnic groups. The commonest reason for the practice is a strong desire to continue ethnic traditions. Altered sexual urge for women, increased sexual performance for men, protection of baby's health, as well as general reproductive and aesthetic consideration are also important reasons. Traditional surgeons usually perform the operation and few complications were reported to be associated with the procedure in either sex. Female circumcision in this area is not as destructive or mutilating as in some Arabic and East African cultures. Because of the relatively low rate of complications a major campaign against circumcision in these areas does not at present seem warranted.

Adolescent↗