Abstract
Background:Morbidity and mortality of women and children associated with pre-eclampsia present major global health problems in low and middle income countries. The prevalence of pre-eclampsia in Nigeria ranges from 2% to 16.7%, with approximately 37,000 women dying from preeclampsia annually. This study examines knowledge, perception and management of preeclampsia among healthcare providers in a major maternity hospital in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.Methods:In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 110 health care providers comprising of 75 Nurses, 9 Consultant Physicians, and 26 General Medical Practitioners with varying years of service were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-administered 36-item semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences to generate descriptive and inferential statistics with level of significance set at 0.05.Results:Health care providers in the study had an average knowledge of pre-eclampsia with a mean score of 16.69±3.53. There was generally a good perception of pre-eclampsia with a mean sore of 28.31±3.71. The most-prevalent clinical management practices were emergency cesarean section (16%), magnesium sulphate infusion (29%), and fluid/electrolyte management (9%). Knowledge of pre-eclampsia and years of practice were significantly associated (F=3.31; p= 0.023).Conclusion and Global Health Implications:Gaps in the knowledge of causes, diagnoses, and treatment of pre-eclampsia may be attributable to lack of refresher trainings and absence of written practice guidelines on pre-eclampsia management. Health care providers at this hospital may benefit from training courses that include current nationally and internationally-approved management of pre-eclampsia.
Highlights
Morbidity and mortality of women and children associated with pre-eclampsia present major global health problems in low and middle income countries.The prevalence of pre-eclampsia in Nigeria ranges from 2% to 16.7%, with approximately 37,000 women dying from preeclampsia annually.This study examines knowledge, perception and management of preeclampsia among healthcare providers in a major maternity hospital in Lagos, southwest Nigeria
The higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in developing countries is due to missed opportunities in preventing hypertension-related disorders due to substandard quality of care delivered in those countries, such as Nigeria,Tanzania, and Ethiopia.[6]
This study shows that the health care providers had average level of knowledge of the etiology of preeclampsia
Summary
Morbidity and mortality of women and children associated with pre-eclampsia present major global health problems in low and middle income countries.The prevalence of pre-eclampsia in Nigeria ranges from 2% to 16.7%, with approximately 37,000 women dying from preeclampsia annually.This study examines knowledge, perception and management of preeclampsia among healthcare providers in a major maternity hospital in Lagos, southwest Nigeria. The morbidity and mortality of women and children associated with pre-eclampsia are major public health problems especially in low and middle income countries.[1] Forty percent of pregnant women experience delivery complications during labor and/ or during preconception.[2] Worldwide, 2-10% of women are affected by pre-eclampsia and between 0.03 to 0.05% are affected by eclampsia.[3] Globally, the incidence of preeclampsia ranges between 2% and 10% of pregnancies and the incidence of preeclampsia, the precursor to eclampsia, varies greatly. The higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in developing countries is due to missed opportunities in preventing hypertension-related disorders due to substandard quality of care delivered in those countries, such as Nigeria,Tanzania, and Ethiopia.[6]
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