Cancer Burden in Nigeria; Possibility of a New Hope in a New Political Dispensation

Nigeria looks forward to the emergence of another political dispensation. National elections are soon to take place with resultant political changes in ministerial leadership positions across the nation at federal, state, and local government levels’ including the ministry of health; however, in this article, the concern was with the general health care in Nigeria and with a focus on the prevailing situation of Cancer health care in Nigeria. Statistics showed that there is a rising global cancer epidemic in Nigeria. The level of Cancer incidence and mortality counts in Nigeria as of 2012 and still counting’ was severely high amongst women– 64709 (63%) and 40647(57%) compared to men 37370(36.6%) and 30924(43%), respectively. The emergence of a new political dispensation in 2023 ushers in a possibility and awakening of new hope in general health care. Therefore, this article highlighted the observed challenges and proffered solutions for the purpose of informed decisions. Based on staff and patient perspective interviews and discussion, the following major aspects, including a critical review of health governing boards, administration, technology, specialty expansion via partnership, quality assurance, health funding, were identified, addressed and solutions proffered.

Partnership in Recruitment Process Outsourcing Projects: The Outsourcing Firm Perspective

This research provides insights into how to enhance recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) project outcomes by improving partnerships with the RPO provider. We posit that knowledge sharing and top management support enhance partnership quality by increasing both parties’ mutual dependence and commitment to the relationship. We conducted a survey of 150 RPO projects. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of knowledge sharing and top management support for enhancing partnership, leading to enhanced RPO project outcomes (i.e., recommended candidates’ person-job fit). Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

SMEs innovating in collaborative networks: how does absorptive capacity matter for innovation performance in times of good partnership quality?

PurposeWe investigate the impact of Absorptive Capacity (ACAP) for SMEs embedded in Collaborative Networks (CNs) on innovation performance, considering the network stages and the influence of partnership quality.Design/methodology/approachWe use a mixed methodology consisting of a qualitative than a quantitative phase. The first stage relies on an in-depth literature review and 22 interviews with 17 manufacturing SMEs having operated in collaborative innovation projects to characterize the potential and realized ACAP of such SMEs in the creation and operation stages of a CN. The second phase aims at testing four hypotheses through a hierarchical regression based on 74 responses to a survey involving SMEs with prior CN experience.FindingsOur results explain how an SME’s ACAP in the creation stage affects its ACAP in the operation stage. We also demonstrate that this latter capability contributes positively to innovation performance in the CN. Furthermore, partnership quality was found to have counterproductive effects regarding potential ACAP.Practical implicationsWe provide manufacturing SMEs with guidance to deploy ACAP throughout their collaborative experience and overcome the potential pitfalls of good partnership quality.Originality/valueWe operationalize ACAP of manufacturing SMEs to contribute to mutual innovation goals in CNs and uncover its properties. We explain how this dynamic capability accumulates over the CN stages to result in higher innovation performance and show how it helps in striking a balance between the “dark” and “virtuous” sides of partnership quality.

Associations of Partnership Quality and Father-to-Child Attachment During the Peripartum Period. A Prospective-Longitudinal Study in Expectant Fathers

Background: During the transition to parenthood, a complex network of relationships unfolds between father, mother and the child. Expectant parents begin bonding with their unborn child, with this antenatal process supposedly being predictive for later postnatal attachment and child mental health. At the same time, couples may experience a change in partnership quality. While the majority of previous studies focused on associations between psychopathology, partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of mothers, the changes in partnership quality and attachment from the perspective of fathers has gained far less attention.Methods: Data were derived from the Maternal Anxiety and it's Relation to Infants' Development (MARI) study. N = 109 expectant fathers were recruited during mid-pregnancy (22 to 26 week of gestation). Lifetime anxiety and depressive disorders (DSM-IV) were assessed with a standardized diagnostic interview (CIDI). Paternal partnership characteristics and father-to-child attachments were assessed using standardized questionnaires at the second trimester, 10 days after delivery and 4 months after delivery in N = 76 fathers. Analyses were based on bivariate, robust and multivariate regression analyses.Results: Fathers did not report an overall decrease in partnership quality during the peripartum period. However, fathers with comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders reported lower partnership satisfaction at postpartum, as compared to unaffected fathers. Fathers with pure depressive disorders reported lower intensity of antenatal attachment. Paternal antenatal partnership quality was positively associated with antenatal father-to-child attachment. Furthermore, antenatal father-to-child attachment, as well as ante- and postnatal partnership quality in fathers, were positively related to postnatal father-to-child attachment.Conclusions: Antenatal father-to-child-attachment and paternal partnership quality appear to be promising targets for the prevention of postnatal attachment problems in fathers. The associations between partnership quality and attachment to the child further support an interpersonal approach in perinatal research, treatment and intervention, and may also feed into awareness programs that encourage expectant fathers to actively engage in relationships as early as during pregnancy—both with the mother and the unborn child.

Sexual function in Chinese women from pregnancy to postpartum: a multicenter longitudinal prospective study

Background The aims of our research were as follows: First, to estimate the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in early, middle, late stages of pregnancy, and postpartum 6 months after delivery. Second, to discuss relevant factors associated with female sexual dysfunction among women in 6 months after delivery in Nanjing, Yangzhou and Huaian Main, China. Methods Our multicenter longitudinal study was carried out from September 2017 to March 2019, with participants recruited from Southeast China: Nanjing, Yangzhou and Huaian. Participants were recruited when they built their Record of Prenatal Care in community hospitals. The online questionnaires included a set of validated tools, sociodemographic information as wells as medical history data. In the meantime, qualitative interviews were conducted during different periods of pregnancy (from the first trimester to the third trimester of pregnancy and following up to six-month postpartum) respectively. All participants have obtained written informed consent. Results By qualitative interview, the vast majority of the participants were inactive in having sex from pregnancy to postpartum. There were negative aspects of sexual experiences, emotional responses closely related to self-attitudes toward sexual behavior during this period. Through quantitative analysis, pre pregnancy BMI (OR = 1.15, P = 0.012), postpartum weight gain (OR = 1.057, P = 0.033) and partnership quality (OR = 1.181, P = 0.04) were associated with postpartum sexual dysfunction 6 months after delivery. Conclusions Women are at the risk of significantly different FSD with regard to pre-pregnancy BMI, postpartum weight gain and partnership quality. The impaired sexual function from pregnancy to postpartum period indicated the requirement for further survey as well as extensive investigation.

Effects of Partnership Quality and Information Sharing on Express Delivery Service Performance in the E-commerce Industry

This study applies the partnership quality theory to investigate how the perceived information sharing quality from express delivery service providers can affect logistics service performance for online shoppers in terms of partnership quality (including trust and commitment) and willingness to share information from E-commerce enterprises. Based on 421 samples of E-commerce enterprises in China, the results of structural equation modelling revealed that perceived information sharing quality affects partnership trust, which in turn affects the partnership commitment and willingness to share information. Partnership quality and willingness to share information affect the perceived performance of the express delivery services. Surprisingly, information sharing quality does not play a role in commitment. This study provides a theoretical contribution to E-commerce supply chain research in constructing a cognition, affective, behavior, and conative performance model for further research.

Bouncing Back from the Burden of Dementia

Background: Although there is mounting evidence of dyadic interdependencies between patients with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers, predictors of resilience among PWD and their caregivers are generally regarded in isolation. We therefore investigated how dyadic interdependencies regarding common resilience factors predict subjective notions of individual resilience. Methods: A total of 29 dyads (caregivers: 23 female, 73 ± 7 years; PWD: 6 female, 76 ± 6 years, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score: 18 ± 6) drawn from two studies answered questions about resilience (Brief Resilience Scale; BRS), partnership quality (Marital Quality Questionnaire; PFB), and depression (Geriatric Depression Scale; GDS-15). Using linear regression models, we predicted BRS scores by linearly combining individual characteristics (intraindividual level), characteristics of the partner (interindividual level), and their dyadic similarity (dyadic level). Results: Intraindividually, higher resilience in caregivers was associated with female sex; interindividually, it was associated with lower MMSE scores and higher PFB scores in PWD. On a dyadic level, the more different the GDS-15 scores were, the higher the resilience of caregivers. For PWD, higher resilience was significantly related to individual lower GDS-15 scores and higher PFB scores, while the characteristics of caregivers did not explain any variance. However, similarity in GDS-15 scores predicted higher resilience in PWD. Discussion: Resilience is affected differently in PWD and caregivers, potentially pointing to different strategies in coping with disease-related changes. Future studies are necessary to examine the mechanisms underlying resilience in PWD and their respective caregiver in order to tailor interventions that address the needs of both parties, from the individual, interindividual, and dyadic perspectives.

National Competencies for Registered Nurses in Primary Care: A Delphi Study

A Delphi (consensus) process was used to obtain national agreement on competencies for registered nurses (RNs) in primary care. A draft of competencies was developed by key informants. Following this, nurses with primary care experience/expertise completed a Delphi survey to rate the importance of competency statements on a six-point Likert scale. Statements not reaching consensus (agreement ≥80%) were modified and included in a second (final) round. The first survey was completed by 63% ( n = 86/137) of participants and 84% ( n = 72/86) of these participants completed the second survey. Most statements ( n = 45) achieved agreement after the first survey; one statement was dropped and two were combined following the second round. The final list of competencies consists of 47 statements across six domains (professionalism; clinical practice; communication; collaboration and partnership; quality assurance, evaluation, and research; leadership). National competencies will help strengthen the RN workforce within primary care, improve team functioning, and support role integration/optimization.