Aim: To examine the pattern of antenatal care services (ANC) utilization in Baptist Medical Centre, Ogbomoso, a mission hospital with a focus on individual, family, religious and socio-economic factors affecting ANC utilisation. Study Design: The study was a cross-sectional prospective study. Place and duration of the study: The study was conducted among antenatal care seekers who attended antenatal care at the Baptist Medical Centre, Ogbomoso (now Bowen University Teaching Hospital) between August 1, 2002 and May 31, 2003. Methodology: The pretested questionnaire was used to obtain the following information: sociodemographic characteristics, family type, parity and booking gestational age in weeks. Analysis was done using SPSS 16. Proportions were determined and statistics presented in tables. Chi-square test was done to determine the association between variables. Results: A total of 442 pregnant women were recruited for the study. The age range of attendees was 13 – 48 years with a mean age of 29.2±5.3. Maternity service use was associated significantly with ANC attendance. Other factors associated with antenatal care attendance included: University educational status (p < .001), civil servant (p < .001) christianity (p = 0.006), residing in Ogbomoso (p < .001), class 1 social status (p < .001) and being told by doctor (p = 0.033). Conclusion: The study unveiled educational status, occupation, social status, place of domicile, religion and need for maternity service use as factors positively associated with ANC utilization in the Baptist Medical Centre Ogbomoso.

Purpose Early closed reduction and locked intramedullary (IM) nailing has become the standard treatment for diaphyseal long bone fractures in high income countries. The low and middle income countries (LMICs) are still lagging behind in transiting from open surgical reduction and non-operative modalities to closed reduction due to lack of requisite equipment. However, some surgeons in LMICs are beginning to achieve closed reduction even without the equipment. Methods A prospective descriptive study was done on a total of 251 fresh diaphyseal fractures of the humerus, femur and tibia fixed with a locked nail over a 5½-year period. The fractures were grouped into those that had open reduction, closed reduction or reduction with a finger. Results Closed reduction was done for 135 (53.8%) fractures belonging to 123 patients. The mean and range of the patients' ages were 41.33 and 13-81 years, respectively. Males constituted 69.9% and mostly (48%) sustained fractures in motorcycle accident. There was a significant negative association between closed reduction and fracture-to-surgery interval (p < 0.001). Closed reduction also had positive associations with: (i) humerus and tibia fractures (p < 0.001), (ii) middle, distal and segmental fractures (p = 0.025), (iii) retrograde approach to femur fracture nailing (p < 0.001), and (iv) wedge or multifragmentary type femur fractures (p = 0.005). Conclusion With constant practice, it is possible to achieve closed reduction of many fresh diaphyseal long bone fractures in spite of the limitations imposed on surgeons in LMICs by poor health systems and grossly inadequate fracture care facilities.

No abstract