Aina F
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
West Afr J Med. 2001 Apr-Jun;20(2):117-22.
The pattern of private psychiatric practice in Nigeria was examined by carrying out a prospective study in a private hospital. In all, one hundred and thirty-eight (138) consecutive patients of nearly equal sex distribution were seen in a total of about six hundred and forty-four (644) consultation sessions in one year. The young adults (31 - 45 years old) constitute the highest percentage (43.5%) of the patients' age groups. Contrary to the findings of some Nigerian studies in the recent years, neurological disorders mainly epilepsies accounted for the highest number of cases seen (36%). In frequency, this was followed by schizophrenias (22.5%) and affective disorders (18.8%). The peculiarity of these findings could be explained on the ground of referral bias because the hospital is reputed for managing neuropsychiatric disorders; however, despite this factor, the apparent lesson from this study is that psychiatrists in private practice should be equipped with skills to manage neurological disorders. It is concluded that private psychiatric practice in Nigeria is still at an infancy stage but contributing significantly to mental health care services in the country; and the need for further research into private psychiatric practice was highlighted.
通过在一家私立医院开展前瞻性研究，对尼日利亚私立精神病学诊疗模式进行了调查。一年中，在总共约644次会诊中，共接待了138名性别分布大致均衡的连续患者。青年成年人（31 - 45岁）在患者年龄组中占比最高（43.5%）。与尼日利亚近年来一些研究结果相反，神经疾病（主要是癫痫）占所见病例数最多（36%）。其次是精神分裂症（22.5%）和情感障碍（18.8%）。这些发现的特殊性可以基于转诊偏倚来解释，因为该医院以管理神经精神疾病而闻名；然而，尽管有这个因素，这项研究明显的启示是，从事私人执业的精神科医生应具备管理神经疾病的技能。得出的结论是，尼日利亚的私立精神病学诊疗仍处于起步阶段，但对该国的精神卫生保健服务做出了重大贡献；并强调了对私立精神病学诊疗进行进一步研究的必要性。
