Congenital heart disease in Papu New Guinean children.
Papua New Guinea medical journal.1974;17(3):278-281.
Papua New Guinea medical journal
1955 to Present ISSN: 0031-1480
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Papua New Guinea medical journal.1993;36(4):316-319.
Community-based rehabilitation for those people with a physical disability is a policy promoted by the World Health Organization. In order to assess whether such a program might be useful to the disabled people of the highlands of Papua New Guinea a survey was conducted which first identified those people with a severe physical disability and then investigated the degree that they were handicapped in terms of their social and physical environment. The survey was performed in the Tari area of the Southern Highlands Province in conjunction with the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR). By using the PNGIMR demographic surveillance system it was possible to calculate a prevalence level of physical disability (including walking disability, deafness and blindness) of 46 per 10,000 (0.46%). A significant physical disability was identified in 114 people, of whom 54 were given personal interviews to establish their quality of life. The survey found the social and economic situation of disabled people to be generally good although there is a lack of basic material aids for handicapped people. The disabled people and their families do not need extra knowledge about how to care for their disabilities and a formal community-based rehabilitation program would be inappropriate, but they would find mobility aids such as wheelchairs and artificial limbs of enormous help. The regular health care services are widely used although both people with a disability and health service staff are not always aware of the types of treatment which can usefully be provided.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Altitude ; Attitude to Health ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Community Health Services ; organization & administration ; utilization ; Disabled Persons ; rehabilitation ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Health Priorities ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Health Services Research ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Papua New Guinea ; epidemiology ; Residence Characteristics ; Self-Help Devices ; supply & distribution ; Socioeconomic Factors
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Altitude ; Attitude to Health ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Community Health Services ; organization & administration ; utilization ; Disabled Persons ; rehabilitation ; statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Health Priorities ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Health Services Research ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Papua New Guinea ; epidemiology ; Residence Characteristics ; Self-Help Devices ; supply & distribution ; Socioeconomic Factors
Drug-induced neuro-psychiatric disorders in medical practice--an overview.
Papua New Guinea medical journal.1989;32(3):219-224.
Whenever an unexpected neuropsychiatric disorder arises suddenly in a person of good previous mental health after a new drug of any kind has been taken it is reasonable to suspect a drug-induced reaction. The suspected medication should then be stopped. Adverse reactions to drugs are known to account for a considerable amount of neuro-psychiatric disorder, which is likely to increase as new and more potent drugs are introduced into clinical practice.
Humans ; Psychoses, Substance-Induced ; classification
Humans ; Psychoses, Substance-Induced ; classification
Management of childhood haematogenous osteomyelitis in a rural Papua New Guinean hospital.
Papua New Guinea medical journal.1989;32(2):117-122.
Haematogenous osteomyelitis, especially in its more common chronic stage, is an important cause of morbidity in children in the Southern Highlands Province. Hospital stays are lengthy and the incidence of fractures is high. While awaiting, or in the absence of, culture and sensitivity results, cloxacillin 200 mg/kg/day plus probenecid 40 mg/kg/day is an appropriate first choice antibiotic when it is available. Antibiotic therapy in chronic disease should be limited to the specific settings of associated soft tissue infection; pre- and post-sequestrectomy; and radiological signs of ongoing bone necrosis and systemic signs of active infection. Surgical drainage of subperiosteal pus and possibly the medullary canal is required in all but the very early (less than 48 hours) cases of acute osteomyelitis that sometimes respond to antibiotics alone. Sequestrectomy should be reserved for cases where a sequestrum and adequate involucrum can be seen on X-ray. Effective management of this disease is possible only if ongoing communication exists between hospital-based medical staff and the staff of health centres or subcentres, including the network of aid post orderlies and their supervisors. Since the majority of patients present to facilities other than hospitals, any campaign directed at improving management must involve co-workers in rural areas, namely the health extension officer, nurse and aid post orderly. Only in this way can we hope to achieve earlier appropriate treatment and more systematic long-term follow-up.
Adolescent ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Hospitals, Rural ; Humans ; Osteomyelitis ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; surgery ; Papua New Guinea ; Rural Health
Adolescent ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Hospitals, Rural ; Humans ; Osteomyelitis ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; surgery ; Papua New Guinea ; Rural Health
Assessment of zinc status of women resident in the National Capital District, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):11-21.
This cross-sectional study assessed the zinc status of non-pregnant and pregnant women resident in the National Capital District (NCD), Papua New Guinea (PNG). Non-fasting morning blood samples were collected by venipuncture from consented women. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to measure the serum zinc concentration in 27 non-pregnant and 100 pregnant women. C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum was measured by enzyme immunoassay and used to interpret the serum Zn data. For all the non-pregnant women, the median serum zinc concentration was 42.7 mug/dl with an interquartile range (IQR) of 27.6 to 91.2 mug/dl. Zinc deficiency was prevalent among 59% in this group of women. For those with normal CRP the median and IQR serum zinc concentrations were 48.9 mug/dl and 30.2 to 98.7 mug/dl, respectively. The median and IQR for all the pregnant women were 63.8 mug/dl and 40.9 to 93.2 mug/dl, respectively. Prevalence of zinc deficiency was 42% using the cut-off point of 56.0 mug/dl. Of the 100 pregnant women, 16 (16%) were in the first trimester, 51 (51%) in the second trimester and 33 (33%) in the third trimester. The median serum zinc concentrations of pregnant women in the first, second and third trimesters were 87.0 mug/dl, 61.6 mug/dl and 60.8 mug/dl, respectively. Using gestational period-specific cut-off points, zinc deficiency was prevalent among 31%, 39% and 36% of the pregnant women in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. Our results clearly indicate suboptimal zinc status among non-pregnant and pregnant women in the NCD. According to the International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG) criteria, this should be considered as a public health problem among these groups of women in the NCD. To effectively address the issue, social mobilization, intensive education and awareness campaigns, with all relevant target groups and policy makers, are urgently required.
Zinc - deficiency, Pregnant Women
Zinc - deficiency, Pregnant Women
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):22-27.
breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life as the proven safest feeding practice, recent
studies from Papua New Guinea (PNG) showed that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding was
well below the world average. There is a paucity of recent studies on breastfeeding in rural
PNG, and this study aimed to identify the knowledge of, attitudes towards and practice
of breastfeeding by rural mothers. Methods: A mixed method study using face-to-face
interviews based on semi-structured questionnaires was conducted among rural mothers
(n = 40) in 2014. Purposive homogeneous sampling was used to select participants. We
included mothers in the child-bearing age of 18-40 years who had a child under the age
of three years, and who could speak Tok Pisin. Content analysis for qualitative data and
descriptive statistics for quantitative data were applied. Results: Despite the fact that most
mothers regarded breastfeeding to be a better way of infant feeding than bottle feeding,
they did not understand the reasons why. With regard to exclusive breastfeeding for the
first 6 months of life our study showed a striking gap between global recommendation and
practice. 78% of mothers (n = 31) in our study did not practise exclusive breastfeeding for
the first 6 months of their baby’s life. Given that the majority of mothers had not completed
grade 8, during which formal education on infant feeding practices is supposed to take
place, most of the mothers had missed school education on infant feeding. Conclusion:
Knowledge about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life and
its practice was very poor. Because promotion of breastfeeding practices in developing
countries has been shown to be one of the most cost-effective health interventions, we
suggest the introduction of infant feeding teaching in grade 4 in school curricula and the
development of community-based educational programs on infant feeding.
Breast feeding, women,
Breast feeding, women,
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):28-35.
To reduce the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI), perioperative antimicrobial
prophylaxis has long been advocated for joint replacement and open reduction with
internal fixation of long bones. Increasing health care costs have focused hospital interest
on more cost-effective procedures. Although current literature indicates that single-dose
antibiotic prophylaxis is comparable to a 3-dose regimen, there are no reports from lowincome
countries. The primary aim of this study was to compare the infection rate following
open reduction and internal fixation of long-bone fractures in groups with a single dose
and 3 doses of prophylactic antibiotic. The secondary aim was to compare the costeffectiveness
of both antibiotic regimens. This is a prospective randomized clinical trial
(RCT) to compare the incidence of surgical site infection between the patients allocated
randomly into two groups with different antibiotic prophylactic regimens: single dose or
3 doses 8 hourly of 1g ceftriaxone administered intravenously. 200 consecutive patients
who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for closed long-bone fractures
were enrolled in this study. The rate of postoperative SSI was 4.1% in the single-dose
group and 2.2% in the 3-dose group; the overall SSI rate was 3.2%. The primary endpoint
of this study, which is the incidence of SSI, showed no significant difference between
the single-dose and 3-dose prophylactic antibiotic groups. Furthermore, there was no
difference between groups regarding the length of hospital stay. Our randomized clinical
trial affirmed that single-dose antibiotic prophylaxis in orthopaedic clean operations is
not only a cost-saving practice but also is effective for SSI prevention, and should be
incorporated in the development of clinical practice guidelines in tropical hospitals.
Clinical Trials as Topic- statistics & ; numerical data,
Clinical Trials as Topic- statistics & ; numerical data,
History of surgery at Tari Hospital
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):36-45.
The Southern Highlands were first discovered and explored by Europeans in the 1930s.
The first patrols led by Lloyd Yelland, a medical assistant, assessed the health of the
population in the early 1950s. Thereafter, Tari Hospital was built in 1954 and first staffed
by medical assistants. The first medical officer, Roger Rodrigue, was not stationed there
until 1959. He performed minor operations with local or general anaesthetic using ether.
The first surgeon to operate there – Bill Ramsey (1967-1968) – did so under the auspices
of the Leprosy Mission. The first nurse was Judith Wilson posted in 1970. By 1972, the
hospital had 100 inpatients, saw 50 outpatients a day and had a staff complement of
9 trained nurses and a matron. A research station was set up in the Tari Basin, which
eventually came under the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (PNGIMR)
in Goroka. In the 1970s Ian Riley (later a Professor of Public Health) and his wife, an
anaesthetist, were based in Tari, studying pneumonia and pneumococcal vaccines, and
managed emergency cases including trauma and caesarean sections. Stephen Flew,
now a general practitioner in Northern Victoria, was superintendent of the hospital
from 1989 to 1993, whilst Tim Dyke FRCS Edin was based at the PNGIMR in Tari. They
offered a significant surgical service, again largely based on emergency presentations.
Their tenure resulted in a number of publications and conference presentations on
surgical topics, largely related to trauma. After Dyke, the hospital had no surgeon until
2007, largely due to political reasons. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were invited to
provide surgical services in 2009, and even in 2013 there was still no government-funded
surgeon at Tari Hospital. The MSF surgical audit data in 2010-2011 showed that more than
90% of surgical cases seen at Tari Hospital required emergency surgery, most of which
resulted from trauma. More than half of the trauma procedures were classified as major.
Trichinella papuae: a zoonotic nematode present in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):46-54.
The zoonotic nematode, Trichinella papuae, was first discovered in wild and domestic
pigs in the Bensbach area, Morehead District, Western Province of Papua New Guinea
(PNG) in 1988. 15 years later, T. papuae was found in wild pigs and captive crocodiles
(Crocodylus porosus) in the Kikori area, Gulf Province of PNG. An overall prevalence of
anti-Trichinella IgG was detected in 10% (0.0%-36.7%) of 1536 villagers living in Morehead
District by using an ELISA as screening test and a Western blot as confirmatory test. No
anti-Trichinella IgG antibodies were detected in 313 villagers living in the Kikori District in
spite of the fact that T. papuae was circulating in wild pigs in the district. These results may
reflect the different methods of cooking in the two districts. Specific symptoms typical
of trichinellosis were not reported by serologically positive persons living in Morehead
District, although some non-pathognomonic symptoms, common to trichinellosis and
other ailments, were noted. In Thailand, trichinellosis caused by T. papuae was attributed
to the custom of eating large quantities of raw pig meat, a food behaviour not found in
people living in Morehead and Kikori Districts. This fact probably accounts for the lack of
pathognomonic symptoms of trichinellosis in serologically positive people of Morehead
District, although they, as well as the Kikori people, occasionally eat tidbits of raw pork
sufficient, in the case of the Morehead people, to develop an immune response. The
importance of consumer education to eat only thoroughly cooked meat in the localities
where T. papuae is circulating is emphasized.
Papua New Guinea medical journal.2015;58(1-4):55-60.
It is not clear to what extent the health care professionals in Papua New Guinean
hospitals are aware of the physiotherapy and rehabilitation services available to them.
A study was conducted aimed at assessing the level of knowledge and perception of
physiotherapy by hospital-based health professionals using a simple self-administered
closed and open-ended questionnaire. 200 questionnaires were sent to each of five major
hospitals but only 145 responses (15%) were received from different cadres of health
professionals. Responses from nursing officers accounted for 46% (n = 67) while those
from medical officers accounted for only 10% (n = 14). The respondents generally showed
a lack of knowledge about physiotherapy services. It is suggested that inter-professional
training and communication should be given greater attention during medical and health
professional training to ensure that all health professionals are aware of the role and
importance of physiotherapy services.
Country
Papua New Guinea
Publisher
The Medical Society of Papua New Guinea
ElectronicLinks
http://www.pngimr.org.pgEditor-in-chief
pngmedj@pngimr.org.pg
Abbreviation
P N G Med J.
Vernacular Journal Title
ISSN
0031-1480
EISSN
Year Approved
2008
Current Indexing Status
Currently Indexed
Start Year
1955
Description
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