Worried by the prevalence of clinical data dearth in Nigeria, a situation which has been described as inexcusable by many, Mrs Olayinka Owolabi, Head, School of Nursing, Igando, Lagos, has suggested ways out of the healthcare delivery system quagmire.
The nurse leader who spoke with Pharmanewsonline.com in an exclusive chat frown at the lack of clinical data in the country, stating that it should be a concern for every member of the healthcare team. Noting the need for officers to be particularly designated with that responsibility, she said such efforts will go a long way in bailing the country out of such dearth
Her words:” I ‘m aware that some institutions now have Education and Research units, responsible for data collation. We need some officers to be designated in nursing units to handle such, though everybody in the unit will participate in the exercise”.
She further identified reorientation of clinical nurses as key, regarding the issue of data keeping. It is pertinent to challenge our nurses to take a step further from routine work to carrying out researches. “We have more than ten research topics you can generate from your units, which can validly stand as evidence on whichever topic you are speaking on”.
Owolabi, who will not condone laziness from nurses, however condemned the nursing care practice in the country, which falls below WHO recommended standard of one nurse to four patients, thus argued that since nurses are not angels, they cannot perform magic, even though they are expected to put in their best at all time.
“Although nurses are besieged with several limitations, which they must not allow to overcome them. One of such limitations is manpower, time, and low resources. For instance only one nurse could be manning a 28 beds ward, and you want the nurse to be efficient, but this is absolutely a far cry from WHO standard. This explains why some nurses flair up at the slightest provocation”, she explained.
