Knowledge Attitude and Practice of Testicular Self Examination among Male Undergraduate Students in Ekiti State University (Published)
About half of men never or seldom check their testicles which has led many to late detection of testicular cancer, howbeit the dramatic increase in cancer-related mortality and morbidity is avoidable and curable if detected in its earliest stages. This study assessed the knowledge attitude and practice of testicular self-examination among male undergraduate students in Ekiti State University. A descriptive cross-sectional survey research design was used for the study. The study population consists of Male Undergraduate Students in department of Computer Science, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state. The sample size was determined with the use of Taro Yamane’s method which yielded sample size of 290. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample size. A semi-structured questionnaire administered via online goggle form was used to collect data. The collected data was coded and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The two – null hypothesis in the study was tested using Chi-square, at 0.05 level of significance. The research found out that 59.0 percent of respondents had an unfavourable view of TSE, whereas 41.0 percent had a favourable view. Even though the respondents had a high level of information, that didn’t seem to have any effect on their attitudes, which suggests that people aren’t willing to adopt the desirable steps that may lead to the early identification of testicular cancer. The findings revealed that there is no significant (p = 0.67) association between level of knowledge of TSE and the practice, also no significant (p < 0.001) association between attitude of TSE and the practice. It was recommended among others that TSE has to be a standard part of medical checkups. Health education on TSE should be provided to all young men for any reason when they visit a healthcare facility, along with a patient pamphlet that details the suggested process, instruments, and frequency of practise.
Keywords: Knowledge, Student, attitude, practice, testicular self-examination
Availability of Infection Control Protocol and Facilities, Practice Level and Barrier Perception Among Healthcare Workers in Secondary Healthcare Facilities, Southern Cross River State, Nigeria (Published)
The practice of infection prevention and control is key to prevention of healthcare acquired infections and protection of healthcare workers, patients and public health. There are however several challenges militating against the use of standard precautions among healthcare workers. This study was aimed at assessing availability of infection prevention and control (IPC) protocol and facilities, practice level and barrier perception among healthcare workers in secondary healthcare facilities, Southern Cross River State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive design using quantitative methods to elicit information from 336 healthcare workers. A structured questionnaire was administered to respondents in this study an observational checklist was also used. The data generated was analyzed using SPSS version 25. The study comprised of 87.5% females and 12.5% males. Existence of IPC protocols in the facilities was assessed and over half of the respondents (53%) agreed to the availability of IPC protocols in their healthcare facilities. The study identified lack of: knowledge, time, equipment/materials and resources as factors perceived by healthcare workers as influencing their practice of IPC. Among all the factors, only lack of equipment/materials was found to be a significant perceived barrier to practice of IPC (t= 0.269, 0.012). The level of IPC practice was however found to be higher among those who perceived these factors as barriers. It is concluded that lack of time, knowledge, materials/equipment and resources are probable factors influencing practice of infection prevention and control in the secondary healthcare facilities. Healthcare facility management should make adequate provision of requirements for infection control in addition to training of staff and regular monitoring of compliance among health workers to protect public health.
Keywords: Infection control, barrier perception, practice, secondary healthcare