New PhD project will explore adherence to pediatric pneumonia treatment guidelines in inpatient care in Nigeria
On June 24th, Julius Salako had his ISP seminar, during which he presented his research plans for the upcoming years. In this interview, he describes his PhD project and shares his ambitious research goals.
Congratulations on your successful ISP seminar! Could you share a bit about yourself and your background?
I am a highly driven public health expert with an extensive professional background in health initiatives, health services analysis, and health system enhancement. I hold a master’s degree in public health (MPH), and my focus lies in research and developing interventions at both the facility and community levels to enhance human health. In the past couple of years, I have served in the public health field in different capacities and in different health projects: as a data collector administering questionnaires in an HIV/AIDs project, as a field supervisor providing support for data collectors on the field in a malaria project, and as a State Project Manager managing the day-to-day operations of research endeavours in a Pneumonia project. In all, I have ensured strict adherence to project research protocols.
What will be the focus of your PhD project?
My PhD will focus on understanding adherence to paediatric pneumonia treatment guidelines more broadly in inpatient care – i.e. antibiotics, supportive therapies (e.g., fluids), and oxygen.
"The overall aim will be to reduce morbidity and mortality as a result of pneumonia"
What do you hope to achieve with your research?
This research will help us to determine how closely healthcare providers follow national or international pneumonia treatment guidelines (e.g., WHO or local guidelines) in real-world hospital settings and we will be able to pinpoint the specific areas where treatment practices deviate from the guidelines. i.e incorrect antibiotic choice, dosage, timing, or supportive care. In addition, we will also have an idea on how caregivers influence treatment choices made by healthcare workers and other reasons behind non-adherence, such as health worker knowledge, availability of drugs, diagnostic limitations, or systemic issues like workload or supervision.
We will then evaluate whether adherence is linked to better clinical outcomes such as limited hospital stay, reduced complications, and lower mortality. The finding of the research will then provide evidence that can inform policy updates, health worker training, and hospital protocols to improve quality of paediatric pneumonia care. The overall aim will be to reduce morbidity and mortality as a result of pneumonia.
Julius Salako will conduct his PhD studies with Docent Carina King as main supervisor.
Co-supervisors are Professor Adegoke G Falade and Postdoc Ayobami A Bakare, both from Oxygen for Life Initiative, Nigeria, and Docent Helle Mölsted Alvesson at GPH.