Knowledge and attitude of healthcare providers towards prenatal screening and diagnosis in a lower-middle income country
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v22i3.582Keywords:
prenatal, screening, diagnosis, congenital anomalies, providers, knowledgeAbstract
Background: Prenatal screening and diagnosis ensures antenatal care is targeted at the fetus specific need(s).
Objective: This study aims to assess healthcare providers’ knowledge and attitude towards prenatal screening and diagnosis at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Methods: A prospective cross-sectional survey of 350 healthcare providers’ (HCPs) in a tertiary hospital. Data was collected using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 with level of significance set at p<0.05.
Results: The mean age of the HCPs was 31.5±1.6 years. Nearly all (99.1%) were aware of prenatal screening and diagnosis while medical education (58.6%) was the main source of information. A little over one-third (39.7%) were aware of its complications and ultrasound was the main method identified. All the HCPs strongly agreed that prenatal screening and diagnosis should be offered to all pregnant women, however 91.4% of them indicated their willingness to undergo it.
Conclusion: There is inadequate knowledge about prenatal screening and diagnosis despite their high level of awareness and positive attitude towards it. This indicates the need for training and re-training of HCPs about prenatal screening and diagnosis. Investment in equipment and information dissemination cannot be overemphasized in a lower-middle income country like Nigeria.
Downloads
References
Corsello G, Giuffrè M. Congenital malformations. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2012;25:25–29
World Health Organisation. Congenital anomalies. 2015. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs370/en/ Accessed September 4, 2019
Ajah LO, Nwali SA, Amah CC, Nwankwo TO, Lawani LO, Ozumba BC. Attitude of Reproductive Healthcare Providers to Prenatal Diagnosis in a Low Resource Nigerian Setting. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2017;11(2):QC04-QC074.
Marino T, Ramus RM. Prenatal diagnosis for congenital malformations and genetic disorder. [online 2012] Available at: emedicine.medscape.com/article/1200683. Assessed September 4, 2019.
Ruwan C, Wima L. Antenatal Screening. In: Edmonds DK (ed.). Dewhurst’s [5] Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 8th Edition. Wiley-Blackwell Ltd. 2012; 185-199.
Hall A, Bostanci A, Wright CF. Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis using cell-free fetal DNA technology: Applications and implications. Pub Health Genomics. 2010;13:246–55.
Palomaki GE, Kloza EM, Lambert-Messerlian GM, Haddow JE, Neveux LM, Ehrich M, et al. DNA sequencing of maternal plasma to detect Down syndrome: an international clinical validation study. Genet Med. 2011;13(11):913-20.
Adekanbi AO, Olayemi OO, Fawole AO. The Knowledge Base and Acceptability of Prenatal Diagnosis by Pregnant Women in Ibadan. Afr J Reprod Health 2014;18(1): 127-32.
Abudu OO, Uguru V, Olude O. Contribution of congenital malformation to perinatal mortality in Lagos. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1988;27(1): 63-67.
Akinmoladun JA, Ogbole GI, Lawal TA, Adesina OA. Routine prenatal ultrasound anomaly screening program in a Nigerian University Hospital: Redefining obstetrics practice in a developing African country. Niger Med J 2015;56:263-7.
Obu HA, Chinawa JM, Uleanya ND, Adimora GN, Obi IE. Congenital malformations among newborns admitted in the neonatal unit of a tertiary hospital in Enugu, South-East Nigeria – A retrospective study. BMC Res Notes 2012;5:177.
Singh S, Chukwunyere DN, Omembelede J, Onankpa B. Foetal congenital anomalies: An experience from a tertiary health institution in North-West Nigeria (2011-2013). Niger Postgrad Med J 2015;22:174-8.
Onankpa BO, Adamu A. Pattern and outcome of gross congenital malformations at birth amongst newborns admitted to a tertiary hospital in Northern Nigeria. Niger J Paediatr 2014;41:337-40
Oloyede O, Lamina M, Adefuye PO. Profile of Prenatally Diagnosed Major Congenital Malformations in a Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2020;15(1):65-72
Fawole AO, Shah A,Tongo O, Dara K, El-Ladan AM, Umuzulike A.C. et al. Determinants of perinatal mortality in Nigeria. Int. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2011;114(1):37-42.
Jakobsen LB, Moum T, Heiberg A. Need of better knowledge of genetic tests among Norwegian physicians. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2000;120(20):2419-22.
Eurenius K, Axelsson O, Cnattingius S, Eriksson L, Norsted T. Second trimester ultrasound screening performed by midwives; sensitivity for detection of fetal anomalies. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 1999;78:98-104.
Zohreh S, Hoda A, Azam S, Zeinab H. Factors Affecting Improved Prenatal Screening: A Narrative Review. Glob J Health Sci. 2016;8(5):160–5.
Fransen MP, Hajo W, Vogel I, Mackenbach J, Steegers E, Essink-Bot ML. Information about prenatal screening for Down syndrome: Ethnic differences in knowledge. Patient Education and Counseling. 2009;77(2):279–88.
Fadda GM, Capobianco G, Balata A, Litta P, Ambrosini G, D'Antona D, et al. Routine second trimester ultrasound screening for prenatal detection of fetal malformations in Sassari University Hospital, Italy: 23 years of experience in 42,256 pregnancies. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2009;144:110-4.
Mishori DA, Carmi R, Shoham VI Attitudes toward the acceptability of reasons for pregnancy termination due to fetal abnormalities among prenatal care providers and consumers in Israel. Prenat Diagn. 2008;28(6):518–24
Imo CK. Infuence of women’s decision-making autonomy on antenatal care utilisation and institutional delivery services in Nigeria: evidence from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2022;22:141
Abubakar R, Yohanna S, Zubairu H. Influence of health decision making on maternal complications among women delivered at a general hospital, North-Western Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract 2020;23(5):675-9
Adebimpe RJ. Liberalisation of Nigeria's abortion laws with a focus on pregnancies resulting from rape: An empirical analysis. African Human Rights Law Journal. 2021;21(1):469-93.
Somsri Pitukkijronnakorn, Jittima Manonai and A Pichart Chittacharoen. Doctors’ attitudes towards invasive prenatal diagnosis J. Obstet. Gynaecol. Res. 2009;35(1):73–7
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 The Nigerian Health Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The Journal is owned, published and copyrighted by the Nigerian Medical Association, River state Branch. The copyright of papers published are vested in the journal and the publisher. In line with our open access policy and the Creative Commons Attribution License policy authors are allowed to share their work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
This is an open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.
The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, and so forth in this publication, even if not specifically identified, does not imply that these names are not protected by the relevant laws and regulations. While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate on the date of its going to press, neither the authors, the editors, nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein.
TNHJ also supports open access archiving of articles published in the journal after three months of publication. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g, in institutional repositories or on their website) within the stated period, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access). All requests for permission for open access archiving outside this period should be sent to the editor via email to editor@tnhjph.com.
