Assessing Health Workers’ Adherence to the National Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Malaria in Children (0-5 Years) - A Cross-Sectional Study of Hospitals in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Adherence to treatment guidelines for severe malaria (SM) is a vital component of malaria control strategies. Non-compliance with treatment guidelines has implications on effective SM case management, particularly in children. The study aimed to assess Health workers’ adherence to the National Treatment Guideline for Diagnosis and Treatment of SM in children. A retrospective audit of patients’ records treated for SM from 1st January 2018 to 30th December 2019 was carried out through data abstraction in 5 General hospitals in Kebbi state. Also, questionnaires were distributed to health workers to assess their knowledge of the treatment guideline. Data from the hospitals were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 and evaluated for HW’s adherence to treatment guidelines in the management of SM cases. A total of 377 cases of severe malaria (SM) were identified. All the cases (100%) were tested for malaria, with RDT being the commonest (60.2%) technique used, while 71 (18.83%) cases received intra-artesunate, 24 (6.36%) received intravenous quinine, and 41 (19.80%) received a follow-up dose of ACT. From the 50 health workers sampled, 38 (76%) of the responders established laboratory confirmation for SM, and all (100%) the responders had received one or more pieces of training on malaria treatment, with 28 (56%) respondents confirming the availability of National Treatment Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of malaria. Findings suggest good compliance with the National Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of severe malaria. However, there is a need to ensure the availability of a copy of the Guidelines in hospitals to sustain the present adherence observed.