3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Adherence to prescription writing guidelines for outpatients in Southern Gauteng district hospitals(2018) Nkera-Gutabara, Jacques GihanaBackground: Medical prescription writing is legally regulated in order to prevent errors that can result in patient harm. this study assesses prescriber adherence to such regulations in primary care settings. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version]Item Pain management at the orthopaedoc spine clinic located at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital(2018) Maina, Anne WanjiruThis study examined outpatient disability in chronic low back pain (cLBP), assessed whether patients received treatment, and clinicians’ prescribing habits. Methods and materials: This prospective, single-centre cross-sectional study was conducted from the 1st of July to the 31st of October 2016. An Oswestry Disability questionnaire (ODI) and medical records were surveyed in 279 participants. Results: The median ODI was 48.9%. More than 50% of patients reported ‘fairly severe’ to ‘very severe’ pain that significantly limited walking distance and ability to lift objects. In contrast, standing, sitting, travel and social life were relatively unaffected. Paracetamol was readily available 23% of the time, non-steroidal antiinflammatories 46%, and opioid-like drugs 7%. Discussion: The above average ODI and its discrepant impact on Activities of Daily Living may be due to drug shortages with patients judiciously self-dosing for selected activities. Conclusion: Pain significantly disabled participants. Essentially all drugs underwent shortages despite clinician compliance with evidence-based protocols.Item Diagnosis and prevalence of headache at the Out-Patient Department of Dr. Yusuf Dadoo Hospital(2017) Magethi, MosheIntroduction Headache disorders are prevalent in society and the number of adults suffering with an active headache disorder is increasing. Unfortunately the magnitude of this problem has been underestimated, and this has resulted in many headache sufferers being misdiagnosed or sub-optimally managed. Headache is a very common problem that is seen during primary health care consultations and should thus be given the priority it deserves. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of headaches seen at a district hospital. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted at the Out-Patient Department of Dr Yusuf Dadoo Hospital which is located in the West Rand District, South Africa. Of the 206 participants approached, 203 consented to participate in the study. The ICHD-II criteria were used to guide diagnosis of the participants. Consecutive study sampling was used for a period of just under 6 months. Results were reported as frequencies and means, and Chi-squared tests were carried out. Results The response rate was 98.5%. Primary headache disorders were more prevalent compared to secondary headache disorders (69.95% vs. 30.05%). Fifty four percent of the participants suffered from tension type headache. Infections were the commonest cause of secondary headache disorders (34%). Middle aged black females were most commonly affected by the headache disorders. Tension headache is three times more likely to be seen in an unemployed participant than an employed person (OR-3.2, p-0.01, 95% CI: 1.50-7.08). Non-infectious secondary headache disorders are 14 times more likely to be seen in those who are White than those who are Black (OR- 13.8, p-0.015, CI. 1.67-114.14). Conclusion Headache disorders are a significant cause of morbidity among those who attend the OPD of Dr. Yusuf Dadoo hospital and more needs to be done in addressing this issue. Further studies should be embarked on with the aim of closely looking at the psychosocial impact headache disorders have on patients.