Barber–Scotia College

BackgroundTo improve healthcare access and mitigate healthcare costs for its population, Nigeria established a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 1999. The NHIS remains Nigeria’s leading vehicle for achieving universal health coverage; nonetheless, questions remain regarding its quality and effectiveness. Studies on patient satisfaction have served as a useful strategy to further understand the patient experience and the efficacy of health systems.AimTo synthesise current knowledge on patient satisfaction with the NHIS.MethodsThe authors performed a systematic review of primary literature from 1999 to 2020 reporting on NHIS patient satisfaction in eight databases (including PubMed, Embase, and Africa-wide Information).ResultsThis search returned 764 unique records of which 21 met criteria for full data extraction. The 21 qualifying studies representing 11 of the 36 Nigerian states, were published from 2011 to 2020, and found moderate overall satisfaction with the NHIS (64%). Further, when disaggregated into specific domains, NHIS enrolees were most satisfied with provider attitudes (77%) and healthcare environments (70%), but less satisfied with laboratories (62%), billings (62%), pharmaceutical services (56%), wait times (55%), and referrals (51%). Importantly, time trends indicate satisfaction with the NHIS is increasing – although to differing degrees depending on the domain.ConclusionThe beneficiaries of the NHIS are moderately satisfied with the scheme. They consider it an improvement from being uninsured, but believe that the scheme can be considerably improved. The authors present two main recommendations: (1) shorter wait times may increase patient satisfaction and can be a central focus in improving the overall scheme, and (2) more research is needed across all 36 states to comprehensively understand patient satisfaction towards NHIS in anticipation of potential scheme expansion.

Interferometric systems consisting of two tandem interferometers with white light have been used as the basis of remote-sensing systems. Generally, no regard has been given to the change in the state of polarization of light in the fiber linking two interferometers. It is shown theoretically that both the phase and the amplitude of the output signal are significantly affected by externally induced birefringence in the fiber link, and in some cases this may cause total fading of the interference signal. This effect is also investigated experimentally.

The propagation of ultrasonic waves in iron-in-mercury magnetic fluids has been studied by a continuous wave (CW) method. The CW method proved to be adequate for studying the velocity change (ΔV) due to an external magnetic field. The magnitude of ΔV was about 0.3% for field of 100 G. ΔV was also measured at two field angles, when the direction of ultrasonic propagation is either perpendicular or parallel to the magnetic field directions. The characteristic time was found to be about 60 sec, which is of the same order as found from other magnetic measurements in the same sample. This fact indicated that there are aggregates of the size 104 Å in the fluid.

The volume of lubrication literature continued to expand, reflecting increased experimental and theoretical attention being focused upon this discipline. The following eleven categories of lubrication technology are summarized by authorities in each particular field: Developments in Lubrication (including synthetics and greases); Metal-working Lubricants; Plain Bearings; Frictional Behavior of Materials; Wear; Solid Lubrication; Rolling Bearings; Incompressible and Compressible Fluid Film Lubrication and Bearings; Static and Dynamic Seals; Gears and Splines. Over 600 reference publications are included in the review.