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Case Report
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| Rural medicine in a developing economy: Does the presence of orthodox practice guarantee safe patient care? | ||||||
| Ikpeme A Ikpeme1, Anthonia A Ikpeme2, Emmanuel Efa3, Elijah Udoh1 | ||||||
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1Department of Surgery, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, P.M.B 1278, Calabar, Nigeria.
2Department of Radiology, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, P.M.B 1278, Calabar, Nigeria. 3Department of Medicine, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, P.M.B 1278, Calabar, Nigeria. | ||||||
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| How to cite this article: |
| Ikpeme IA, Ikpeme AA, Efa E, Udoh E. Rural medicine in a developing economy: Does the presence of orthodox practice guarantee safe patient care? International Journal of Case Reports and Images 2012;3(12):53–57. |
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Abstract
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Introduction:
Medical practice in the developing world presents challenges which are more marked in the rural communities. A low doctor-patient ratio combined with a firm belief in traditional and unorthodox practices challenges the role of orthodox medicine in these communities. Despite the documented complications of unorthodox practices, injudicious orthodox care plays a significant role in the development of preventable complications and potential poor outcomes in the healthcare of rural dwellers in resource challenged societies. This article presents a case of severe preventable complications following injudicious orthodox care in a rural African region.
Case Report: An 80-year-old rural dweller presented with a three-week history of lower urinary obstructive symptoms complicated by sepsis, hydronephrosis and renal parenchymal damage. He had spent three weeks in an orthodox medical practice in a rural community. Urinary catheterization produced 1700 mL of frank pus. He was managed by warm lavage, broad spectrum antibiotics and a referral to urological care. He made a full recovery from the complications and was offered elective prostatectomy. Conclusion: This case report highlights the potential for preventable complications in orthodox medical care in the rural areas of the developing world. Whereas orthodox practitioners are quick to highlight the complications that attend unorthodox medical practices, there is a need for appropriate audit and continuing medical education of orthodox rural practitioners. | |
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Keywords:
Rural medicine, Developing economy, Safe patient care
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Author Contributions
Ikpeme A Ikpeme – Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published Anthonia A Ikpeme – Substantial contributions to conception and design, analysis and interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published Emmanuel Efa – Substantial contributions to conception and design, Drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published Elijah Udoh – Substantial contributions to conception and design, Drafting the article, revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published |
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Guarantor of submission
The corresponding author is the guarantor of submission. |
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Source of support
None |
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Conflict of interest
Authors declare no conflict of interest. |
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Copyright
© Ikpeme A Ikpeme et al. 2012; This article is distributed the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any means provided the original authors and original publisher are properly credited. (Please see Copyright Policy for more information.) |
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