Hypertension is one of the treatable causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Management... more Hypertension is one of the treatable causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Management and evaluation of hypertension helps to streamline treatment protocols in hospitals that conform to global practice standards. Critical to hypertension management is adherence and lack of knowledge to adhering to prescribed medications may constitute treatment failure. To determine the patterns and adherence level of antihypertensives and impacting factors to non-adherence.The case files of adult hypertensive patients of the Central hospital Warri that were surveyed for a period of six months was 400 for drug use pattern. Reasons for non-adherence was also gathered. The 8-item Morisky questionnaire was used to gather information on adherence. Females affected was 69.8% with mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 153.3mmHg±16.7 and males 30.2% with mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 155.3mmHg±17.3% and mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for females (91.8mmHg±10.7) and males (92.0mmHg±...
Background: Expansion of pharmaceutical industries and improved availability of pharmaceuticals a... more Background: Expansion of pharmaceutical industries and improved availability of pharmaceuticals across the world have contributed to an increase in drug usage and accumulation in homes. In Liberia, there are currently no guidelines that govern the disposal of expired and unused prescriptions among community residents. The objective of the study was to assess the level of awareness, and knowledge on disposal as well as disposal practices of unused and expired household medicines in the Parker Corner Road Community in Brewerville, Liberia. Methods: In a descriptive, cross-sectional survey conducted among residents of Parker Corner Road Community, face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire. Outcomes measured were knowledge and awareness of disposal as well as disposal practices of unused and expired household medicines. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Majority of respondents (55.6%) were female and 23.5% had universit...
BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral management of HIV infection particularly in developing countries prese... more BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral management of HIV infection particularly in developing countries presents multiple challenges, including problems of adherence to therapy and access to care. This is compounded by the rising number of infected people in the world's most populous nations including Nigeria. Therefore, we evaluated the efficiency of a commercial herbal preparation, Jobelyn, in enhancing cellular immunity in HIV infected patients. METHOD: Forty eight patients (27 males and 21 females) who regularly attended clinic at Military Hospital, Lagos between May and September, 2003 were used for this study. They were confirmed to be HIV 1 positive using western blot technique. Their CD4 counts were determined using the Coulter counting method at 0,6 and 12 weeks. All subjects had initial basal packed cell volume, creatinine, billirubin, alkaline phosphatase, allanine transferase and aspartic acid transferase estimations. Each patient was placed on one Jobelyn capsule twice daily fo...
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, 2011
Inappropriate use of antibiotics often leads to bacterial resistance and therapeutic failures. Th... more Inappropriate use of antibiotics often leads to bacterial resistance and therapeutic failures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prescription pattern of antibiotics in the pediatric ward of a tertiary health-care facility in Nigeria. In this retrospective descriptive study, the medical records of 800 patients were evaluated in Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa from 1st of January to 31st of December, 2008. A data collection form was used for the study. Drug Utilization 90% (DU 90%) and the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) were determined from the data collected. The average numbers of antibiotics and medicines prescribed per patient were 1.38±0.66 and 4.54±1.71 respectively. The proportion of encounters with injection prescribed was 43.14% and the percentage of generic drugs was 39.06%. Gentamicin, amoxicillin + clavulanate, cefuroxime, amoxicillin and cefotaxime were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. A total of 49 bacteriological tests were carried out, of which 34 were p...
Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the primary mode of treatment for Human Immunodeficien... more Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the primary mode of treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It slows disease progression and reduces the spread of infection. HIV treatment is also known to require a high level of adherence of over 90% to achieve good treatment outcomes and viral load suppression. In Sierra Leone, about 70% of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are non-adherent in their first year of treatment. Understanding the reasons behind this high rate of non-adherence from the perspectives of both PLHIV and health workers is critical for developing strategies to improve adherence. This qualitative study is rooted in the field of public health services. It identifies the barriers and facilitators influencing adherence to antiretroviral treatment in Sierra Leone. Methods A qualitative study design using in-depth interviews of four healthcare workers and 16 PLHIV in two districts in Sierra Leone– Freetown and Bo. The interviews were analyzed using a grounded the...
Nigerian quarterly journal of hospital medicine, 2018
Background: In the outpatient pharmacy setting, waiting time is the main indicator for assessing ... more Background: In the outpatient pharmacy setting, waiting time is the main indicator for assessing quality of service delivery. Long waiting times affect the efficiency of the pharmacy and cause patients' dissatisfaction.Method: The study employed a combination of work flow analysis and a survey involving administration of questionnaires to 123  ambulatory patients in Family Medicine/General Outpatient department of LUTH.Results: The workflow analysis revealed a total patient waiting time of 79.24min with the process component accounting for 7.9 min (9.97%) and delay component responsible for 71.34 min (90.03%). The results of the survey indicated that more than half of therespondents felt that the queue in the pharmacy was long. In spite of this excessive delay, 80% of the respondents still felt satisfied with the services received.Conclusion: Significant reduction in waiting time can be made by facilitating service delivery at the prescription validation and  assessment point. The excessive patient waiting time underscored the need to employ more pharmacists to improve on the  performance. It was recommended that payment point be sited within the vicinity of the pharmacy unit and that patient waiting time be effectively managed by using the waiting area as an avenue to disseminate drug information and provide educational materials to the patients. Keywords - Ambulatory Pharmacy, Waiting time, Service Delivery, Patient Satisfactio
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, 2017
Despite the call for timely diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus ... more Despite the call for timely diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM), recent developments in outcomes of their medication management in concerned patients remain largely unimpressive. This study is aimed at assessing the impact of pharmacist-led health educational intervention on outcomes of medication management as well as drug utilization among hypertensive and/or diabetic patients attending clinics at the Federal Medical Center and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Following ethical approval, 430 hypertensive and/or diabetic patients were recruited and studied prospectively. Their blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and drug utilization pattern (DUP) were first assessed after which patient- and healthcare professional- (comprising Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses) focused health-educational intervention was done. Subsequently, they were followed up for a period of 10 months. The parameters (inclu...
Hypertension is one of the treatable causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Management... more Hypertension is one of the treatable causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Management and evaluation of hypertension helps to streamline treatment protocols in hospitals that conform to global practice standards. Critical to hypertension management is adherence and lack of knowledge to adhering to prescribed medications may constitute treatment failure. To determine the patterns and adherence level of antihypertensives and impacting factors to non-adherence.The case files of adult hypertensive patients of the Central hospital Warri that were surveyed for a period of six months was 400 for drug use pattern. Reasons for non-adherence was also gathered. The 8-item Morisky questionnaire was used to gather information on adherence. Females affected was 69.8% with mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 153.3mmHg±16.7 and males 30.2% with mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 155.3mmHg±17.3% and mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) for females (91.8mmHg±10.7) and males (92.0mmHg±...
Background: Expansion of pharmaceutical industries and improved availability of pharmaceuticals a... more Background: Expansion of pharmaceutical industries and improved availability of pharmaceuticals across the world have contributed to an increase in drug usage and accumulation in homes. In Liberia, there are currently no guidelines that govern the disposal of expired and unused prescriptions among community residents. The objective of the study was to assess the level of awareness, and knowledge on disposal as well as disposal practices of unused and expired household medicines in the Parker Corner Road Community in Brewerville, Liberia. Methods: In a descriptive, cross-sectional survey conducted among residents of Parker Corner Road Community, face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire. Outcomes measured were knowledge and awareness of disposal as well as disposal practices of unused and expired household medicines. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Majority of respondents (55.6%) were female and 23.5% had universit...
BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral management of HIV infection particularly in developing countries prese... more BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral management of HIV infection particularly in developing countries presents multiple challenges, including problems of adherence to therapy and access to care. This is compounded by the rising number of infected people in the world's most populous nations including Nigeria. Therefore, we evaluated the efficiency of a commercial herbal preparation, Jobelyn, in enhancing cellular immunity in HIV infected patients. METHOD: Forty eight patients (27 males and 21 females) who regularly attended clinic at Military Hospital, Lagos between May and September, 2003 were used for this study. They were confirmed to be HIV 1 positive using western blot technique. Their CD4 counts were determined using the Coulter counting method at 0,6 and 12 weeks. All subjects had initial basal packed cell volume, creatinine, billirubin, alkaline phosphatase, allanine transferase and aspartic acid transferase estimations. Each patient was placed on one Jobelyn capsule twice daily fo...
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, 2011
Inappropriate use of antibiotics often leads to bacterial resistance and therapeutic failures. Th... more Inappropriate use of antibiotics often leads to bacterial resistance and therapeutic failures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prescription pattern of antibiotics in the pediatric ward of a tertiary health-care facility in Nigeria. In this retrospective descriptive study, the medical records of 800 patients were evaluated in Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa from 1st of January to 31st of December, 2008. A data collection form was used for the study. Drug Utilization 90% (DU 90%) and the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) were determined from the data collected. The average numbers of antibiotics and medicines prescribed per patient were 1.38±0.66 and 4.54±1.71 respectively. The proportion of encounters with injection prescribed was 43.14% and the percentage of generic drugs was 39.06%. Gentamicin, amoxicillin + clavulanate, cefuroxime, amoxicillin and cefotaxime were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. A total of 49 bacteriological tests were carried out, of which 34 were p...
Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the primary mode of treatment for Human Immunodeficien... more Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is the primary mode of treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It slows disease progression and reduces the spread of infection. HIV treatment is also known to require a high level of adherence of over 90% to achieve good treatment outcomes and viral load suppression. In Sierra Leone, about 70% of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are non-adherent in their first year of treatment. Understanding the reasons behind this high rate of non-adherence from the perspectives of both PLHIV and health workers is critical for developing strategies to improve adherence. This qualitative study is rooted in the field of public health services. It identifies the barriers and facilitators influencing adherence to antiretroviral treatment in Sierra Leone. Methods A qualitative study design using in-depth interviews of four healthcare workers and 16 PLHIV in two districts in Sierra Leone– Freetown and Bo. The interviews were analyzed using a grounded the...
Nigerian quarterly journal of hospital medicine, 2018
Background: In the outpatient pharmacy setting, waiting time is the main indicator for assessing ... more Background: In the outpatient pharmacy setting, waiting time is the main indicator for assessing quality of service delivery. Long waiting times affect the efficiency of the pharmacy and cause patients' dissatisfaction.Method: The study employed a combination of work flow analysis and a survey involving administration of questionnaires to 123  ambulatory patients in Family Medicine/General Outpatient department of LUTH.Results: The workflow analysis revealed a total patient waiting time of 79.24min with the process component accounting for 7.9 min (9.97%) and delay component responsible for 71.34 min (90.03%). The results of the survey indicated that more than half of therespondents felt that the queue in the pharmacy was long. In spite of this excessive delay, 80% of the respondents still felt satisfied with the services received.Conclusion: Significant reduction in waiting time can be made by facilitating service delivery at the prescription validation and  assessment point. The excessive patient waiting time underscored the need to employ more pharmacists to improve on the  performance. It was recommended that payment point be sited within the vicinity of the pharmacy unit and that patient waiting time be effectively managed by using the waiting area as an avenue to disseminate drug information and provide educational materials to the patients. Keywords - Ambulatory Pharmacy, Waiting time, Service Delivery, Patient Satisfactio
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Allied Sciences, 2017
Despite the call for timely diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus ... more Despite the call for timely diagnosis and management of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus (DM), recent developments in outcomes of their medication management in concerned patients remain largely unimpressive. This study is aimed at assessing the impact of pharmacist-led health educational intervention on outcomes of medication management as well as drug utilization among hypertensive and/or diabetic patients attending clinics at the Federal Medical Center and Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Following ethical approval, 430 hypertensive and/or diabetic patients were recruited and studied prospectively. Their blood pressure (BP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and drug utilization pattern (DUP) were first assessed after which patient- and healthcare professional- (comprising Physicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses) focused health-educational intervention was done. Subsequently, they were followed up for a period of 10 months. The parameters (inclu...
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