Suleiman Mayaki

PURPOSE: Modern healthcare is delivered by teams of multidisciplinary professionals. Conflicts have been widely reported between these professionals in Nigeria. Furthermore, the health system is frequently crippled by industrial actions by trade unions representing these professionals. This study aimed to shed light on the complexities of factors perceived to cause workplace conflicts, including the extent to which these are thought to link to industrial action. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with nurses, doctors, and medical laboratory scientists who work in multiprofessional settings giving a total of 41 participants. Results were analyzed within the framework of the social identity theory. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The dominant themes that emerged as barriers to teamwork include professional hierarchy, role ambiguity, and poor communication. At the same time, the health sector leadership and remuneration were the main themes concerning industrial actions. The salience of professional identities was also demonstrated, providing a link between interprofessional conflict in the workplace and competitive industrial actions by trade unions representing health professionals. The implications for educational and clinical practice and the need for interprofessional education are discussed.

Necrotising pneumonia (NP) is a rare complication of bacterial pneumonia which is associated with severe morbidity and mortality. Pneumonia of polymicrobial aetiology predicts worse pathology with fulminating clinical course. Reports of necrotising pneumonia from multiple bacterial infections are scanty in published literature. We report a case of a toddler with NP in whom Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus, two pathogens which are well documented in its aetiopathogenesis, were isolated concurrently from his sputum and blood. Severe pneumonia, which shows slow response to recommended antibiotics treatment, should raise the suspicion of NP and possibly one of the polymicrobial origins. Even in resource-constrained settings, prompt institution of antibiotics and supportive care can result in resolution of pulmonary lesions.