Characteristics and visual outcome of ocular trauma patients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Malawi.
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ABSTRACT: Background
To describe the epidemiology and visual outcome of patients with ocular trauma treated at Queen Elizabeth Central hospital in Malawi.Methods
A prospective, observational study was undertaken from September 2017 to December 2017. Data on socio-demographic features, aetiology of trauma, type of ocular injury pre-referral pathway and treatment of ocular trauma was collected as the exposure variables. The main outcome variable was best corrected visual acuity at 8 weeks following initial visit.Results
A total of 102 patients (103 eyes) with ocular trauma were recruited with loss of follow up of 11 participants at 8 weeks following recruitment. The most affected age group were children under 11 years old (35.3%), followed by young adults of age between 21-30 years (22.5%). The male-to-female ratio for ocular injury was 2.8:1. Most participants had closed globe injuries (n = 72, 70.6%), with over half the population injured by blunt objects (n = 62, 60.8%). Furthermore, among the adult population, majority (n = 19 38%) were injured on the road during assaults (n = 24, 48%), while most paediatric injuries (n = 32, 61.5%) occurred at home during play. The incidence of monocular blindness was 25.3% at eight weeks after the first presentation. Factors that were associated with monocular blindness on multivariate analysis were living in rural areas and open globe injuries.Conclusion
Ocular trauma led to monocular blindness in a quarter of the study population. There is need for preventive education of ocular injuries at both family and community level.
SUBMITTER: Zungu T
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8007040 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundIn less well-resourced settings, where access to radiology services is limited, point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can be used to assess patients and guide clinical management. The aim of this study was to describe ultrasound practice in the assessment of medical inpatients at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, and evaluate uptake and impact of POCUS following the introduction of a training programme at the college of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi.Methods: A weekly prospective record review of sequential adult medical inpatients who had received an ultrasound examination was conducted.ResultsOf 835 patients screened, 250 patients were included; 267 ultrasound examinations were performed, of which 133 (50%) were POCUS (defined as performed by a clinician at the bedside). The time from request to performance of examination was shorter for POCUS examinations than radiology department ultrasound (RDUS) (median 0 [IQR 0-2, range 0-11] vs 2 [IQR 1-4, range 0-15] d, p=0.002); 104/133 (78.2%) POCUS and 90/133 (67.7%) RDUS examinations were deemed to have an impact on management.ConclusionFollowing the introduction of a training programme in POCUS, half of all ultrasound examinations were delivered as POCUS. POCUS was performed rapidly and impacted on patient management. POCUS may relieve the burden on radiology services in less well-resourced settings.
| S-EPMC8326953 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:Nasal fractures present in 39% of patients with facial trauma. These patients are assessed in the emergency department followed by outpatient review in the senior house officer-led emergency ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic. Inadequate treatment of nasal trauma can result in debilitating functional and aesthetic problems. Inexperienced junior doctors may be apprehensive in assessing nasal trauma resulting in time pressured clinics and suboptimal management. Measures:A retrospective review of clinical noting over 3 months was carried out to gauge the extent of the problem. Three baseline measurements for satisfactory quality of assessments included: (1) 3/5 key symptoms elicited by the clinician (epistaxis, rhinorrhoea, nasal airway obstruction, dental malocclusion and diplopia). (2) Presence/absence of 'septal haematoma' (SH) and 'deviated nasal septum' (DNS) documented. (3) Patient follow-up within 2 weeks after the initial injury. Three Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles were conducted with implementation of interventions (proforma, clinic poster, patient information leaflet and training) as visualised in our 'driver diagram'. Results:The quality of nasal trauma assessments improved following each intervention. There was an increase from 86% to 100% patients being seen within 2 weeks of the injury. There was an improvement in quality of assessments following the teaching as two-thirds (PDSA cycle 2) followed by 100% (PDSA cycle 3) of clinical documentation included 'rhinorrhoea' and 83% (PDSA cycle 2) to 100% (PDSA cycle 3) included 'nasal airway obstruction'. Similarly, two thirds (PDSA cycle 2) followed by 100% (PDSA cycle 3) examined and documented the presence/absence of SH and DNS. A 100% improvement in trainee confidence was reported. We are now conducting more comprehensive assessments of nasal trauma patients. Conclusion:The need to provide relevant training and support to ENT junior doctors is crucial in their development, as well as to ensure delivery of high-quality patient-centred care.
| S-EPMC6887497 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn 2015, the drive-through pharmacy was first introduced in Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Malaysia as one of the pharmacy value-added services. Therefore, it is imperative to review the service for further amelioration to fulfil patients' needs and expectations.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the drive-through pharmacy service in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Malaysia.MethodsA cross-sectional observational study was conducted from July to December 2018. The questionnaire was developed and underwent thorough validation process which yielded a Cronbach's alpha reliability score of 0.9130. Satisfaction was calculated by mean percentage score (0% (dissatisfied) to 100% (satisfied). All data were analysed descriptively and thematic analysis was used in analysing open-ended question.ResultsCompliance in obtaining medication was at 96.3% with a given two-week grace collection period. Insufficient quantity of medications (33.3%) was the highest near-missed medication errors occurred at the drive-through pharmacy. The mean satisfaction percentage score for all patients were 76.6% ± 8.1. A total of 69.2% (n = 83) were "very satisfied" while 30.8% (n = 37) were "satisfied" with the service. Among the reasons for satisfaction are convenience in getting medication refills (n = 74, 62%), short waiting time (n = 75, 63%) and knowledgeable dispensers (n = 87, 73%). A handful of patients were "dissatisfied" with the opening hours (n = 14, 11.7%) and the location of the drive-through pharmacy service (n = 19, 15.8%).ConclusionCompliance in medication collection is acceptable within stipulated grace period. Despite low occurrence, identification of near-missed medication errors provides useful insights for future improvement of the service. Generally, our patients are satisfied with the service. However, we need to re-evaluate on the opening hours and location of the service.
| S-EPMC7288545 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Vision loss can occur in eyes with blunt ocular trauma, but the causes have not been elucidated fully. We encountered cases of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) sequelae following blunt ocular trauma associated with permanent vision loss in our cohort of patients with blunt ocular trauma. In this multicentre retrospective cohort study on 129 patients with retinal abnormalities caused by acute blunt ocular trauma, we investigated the incidence of RPE sequelae and evaluated associated factors and visual outcomes. RPE sequelae, which typically presented as hyperpigmentation within well-demarcated hypopigmented lesions, occurred in 29 (22.5%) patients within 1 month of trauma. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed complete photoreceptor loss over the abnormal RPE. Final visual outcomes were significantly different between eyes with and without RPE sequelae. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the presence of subretinal fluid and RPE sequelae. In conclusion, RPE sequelae occurred in approximately 20% of patients with blunt ocular trauma and was associated with permanent photoreceptor defects and visual loss. Clinical evaluation using OCT may help predict RPE sequelae and visual outcomes in eyes with blunt trauma.
| S-EPMC5660211 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Value added services (VAS) are an innovative dispensing system created to provide an alternative means of collecting partial drug supply from our hospital. This in turn was projected to reduce the necessity for patient to visit pharmacy counter and thus reduce the burden of prescription handling.To evaluate the impact of increased VAS uptake following promotional campaign towards patient waiting time and to explore factors that may affect patient waiting time at the Ambulatory Pharmacy, Queen Elizabeth Hospital.A quasi experimental study design was conducted from September 2014 till June 2015 at the Ambulatory Pharmacy. During pre-intervention phase, baseline parameters were collected retrospectively. Then, VAS promotional campaign was carried out for six months and whilst this was done, the primary outcome of patient waiting time was measured by percentage of prescription served less than 30 minutes. A linear regression analysis was used to determine the impact of increased VAS uptake towards patient waiting time.An increased in percentage of VAS registration (20.9% vs 35.7%, p<0.001) was observed after the promotional campaign. The mean percentage of prescription served less than 30 minutes increased from 83.2% SD=15.9 to 90.3% SD=11.5, p=0.001. After controlling for covariates, it was found that patient waiting time was affected by number of pharmacy technicians (b=-0.0349, 95%CI-0.0548 : -0.0150, p=0.001), number of pharmacy counters (b=0.1125, 95%CI 0.0631 : 0.1620, p<0.001), number of prescriptions (b=0.0008, 95%CI 0.0004 : 0.0011, p<0.001), and number of refill prescriptions (b=0.0004, 95%CI 0.0002 : 0.0007, p<0.001). The increased in percentage of VAS registration was associated with reduction in number of refill prescription (b=-2.9838, 95%CI -4.2289 : -1.7388, p<0.001).Patient waiting time at the Ambulatory Pharmacy improved with the increased in VAS registration. The impact of increased VAS uptake on patient waiting time resulted from reduction in refill prescriptions. Patient waiting time is influenced by number of pharmacy technicians, number of pharmacy counters, number of prescriptions and number of refill prescriptions.
| S-EPMC5386619 | biostudies-other
Project description:PurposeTo describe the epidemiology of ocular trauma in a tertiary hospital setting in Muscat, Oman.MethodsMedical records of all cases of ocular trauma which presented to the Emergency Department at Al-Nahdha Hospital and were seen by the ophthalmology service from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 (6 months) were reviewed to collect data on ocular trauma according to the World Eye Injury Registry initial reporting form which uses the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System.ResultsThere were 27,951 patients seen at the Emergency Department and 611 of which were ocular trauma cases (cumulative incidence 2.2% [confidence interval 2.0-2.4]). The mean age of the patients was 23 years and males comprised the majority of the cases (72%). Thirty-two patients had bilateral injury giving a total of 643 eyes injured. More than half of all injuries were caused by either blunt or large sharp objects. The cornea was the most frequently injured tissue (49%), but most injuries were minor in nature. More than three quarters (77%) of all eyes had a visual acuity of 0.3 (LogMAR) or better on presentation. There were 35 eyes (6%) with open globe injuries (OGI) and three-quarters of them occurring in the manual laborers.ConclusionOcular trauma is a common presentation at Al-Nahdha Hospital. Although the majority of trauma cases were minor without any visual disability sequelae, OGI could have been prevented with better ocular protection in the workplace.
| S-EPMC5516465 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, a disease that primarily affects herbivorous animals, is a soil borne endospore-forming microbe. Environmental distribution of viable spores determines risky landscapes for herbivore exposure and subsequent anthrax outbreaks. Spore survival and longevity depends on suitable conditions in its environment. Anthrax is endemic in Queen Elizabeth Protected Area in western Uganda. Periodic historical outbreaks with significant wildlife losses date to 1950s, but B. anthracis ecological niche in the ecosystem is poorly understood. This study used the Maximum Entropy modeling algorithm method to predict suitable niche and environmental conditions that may support anthrax distribution and spore survival. Model inputs comprised 471 presence-only anthrax occurrence data from park management records of 1956-2010, and 11 predictor variables derived from the World Climatic and Africa Soil Grids online resources, selected considering the ecology of anthrax. The findings revealed predicted suitable niche favoring survival and distribution of anthrax spores as a narrow-restricted corridor within the study area, defined by hot-dry climatic conditions with alkaline soils rich in potassium and calcium. A mean test AUC of 0.94 and predicted probability of 0.93 for anthrax presence were registered. The five most important predictor variables that accounted for 93.8% of model variability were annual precipitation (70.1%), exchangeable potassium (12.6%), annual mean temperature (4.3%), soil pH (3.7%) and calcium (3.1%). The predicted suitable soil properties likely originate from existing sedimentary calcareous gypsum rocks. This has implications for long-term presence of B. anthracis spores and might explain the long history of anthrax experienced in the area. However, occurrence of suitable niche as a restricted hot zone offers opportunities for targeted anthrax surveillance, response and establishment of monitoring strategies in QEPA.
| S-EPMC7446795 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Roderigo Lopez, former Physician-in-Chief to Queen Elizabeth I of England, was a controversial figure in his time and continues to be the subject of controversy. Much has been written about his religious practice, politics, and guilt, or lack thereof, with regard to charges of treason to the Crown. However, the fact remains that Lopez was the only physician to the Crown to be sentenced to death. All evidence points to an anti-Semitic mindset that played in the background. Yet Lopez so endeared himself to the Queen that although he was indeed sentenced to death, almost all of his property was restored to his family. This brief paper pays tribute to the Jewish physician, Roderigo Lopez, whose story was indeed a triumph over prejudice, despite his fate.
| S-EPMC5548115 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundAnthrax is a zoonotic disease primarily of herbivores, caused by Bacillus anthracis, a bacterium with diverse geographical and global distribution. Globally, livestock outbreaks have declined but in Africa significant outbreaks continue to occur with most countries still categorized as enzootic, hyper endemic or sporadic. Uganda experiences sporadic human and livestock cases. Severe large-scale outbreaks occur periodically in hippos (Hippopotamus amphibious) at Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, where in 2004/2005 and 2010 anthrax killed 437 hippos. Ecological drivers of these outbreaks and potential of hippos to maintain anthrax in the ecosystem remain unknown. This study aimed to describe spatio-temporal patterns of anthrax among hippos; examine significant trends associated with case distributions; and generate hypotheses for investigation of ecological drivers of anthrax.MethodsSpatio-temporal patterns of 317 hippo cases in 2004/5 and 137 in 2010 were analyzed. QGIS was used to examine case distributions; Spearman's nonparametric tests to determine correlations between cases and at-risk hippo populations; permutation models of the spatial scan statistics to examine spatio-temporal clustering of cases; directional tests to determine directionality in epidemic movements; and standard epidemic curves to determine patterns of epidemic propagation.Key findingsResults showed hippopotamus cases extensively distributed along water shorelines with strong positive correlations (p<0.01) between cases and at-risk populations. Significant (p<0.001) spatio-temporal clustering of cases occurred throughout the epidemics, pointing towards a defined source. Significant directional epidemic spread was detected along water flow gradient (206.6°) in 2004/5 and against flow gradient (20.4°) in 2010. Temporal distributions showed clustered pulsed epidemic waves.ConclusionThese findings suggest mixed point-source propagated pattern of epidemic spread amongst hippos and points to likelihood of indirect spread of anthrax spores between hippos mediated by their social behaviour, forces of water flow, and persistent presence of infectious carcasses amidst schools. This information sheds light on the epidemiology of anthrax in highly social wildlife, can help drive insight into disease control, wildlife conservation, and tourism management, but highlights the need for analytical and longitudinal studies aimed at clarifying the hypotheses.
| S-EPMC6261556 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeTo investigate the trends, prevalence and distribution of ocular trauma in a Zimbabwean Tertiary Teaching Hospital (Parirenyatwa).MethodA hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Sekuru Kaguvi Eye Department in Harare, Zimbabwe, to review medical records of patients with ocular trauma visiting for treatment at the outpatient department between January 2017 and December 2021. Information on patients' demographics, presenting visual acuity, type of ocular trauma, and the number of eyes affected were collected and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsA total of 863 patients (1007 eyes) were identified to have experienced ocular trauma of one kind or another, with the youth (18-35 years) reporting with most cases (331, 38.4%). About 71.2% of patients were classified as having open-globe injuries and of that number, 90% were caused by blunt trauma, while the rest were caused by penetrating, intraocular, and perforating injuries. Patients with open-globe injuries were about 10 times more likely to develop blindness than those with closed-globe injuries after adjusting for age and gender, and this was statistically significant (ARR = 9.65, 95% CI: 5.53-16.84, p < 0.001). The prevalence of distance vision impairment due to ocular trauma was 60.1% (95% CI: 56.8%-63.4%), with majority resulting in blindness (22.0%, 95% CI: 19.4%-24.9%).ConclusionThere is a high prevalence of open-globe injuries in Zimbabwe with blunt trauma being the most significant cause. This suggests the need to promote and intensify public eye health awareness and sensitisation on safety strategies for the prevention of ocular trauma throughout the country.
| S-EPMC10550172 | biostudies-literature