Conference abstract
Determinants of health workers management of patients with negative malaria rapid test result, Oyo state, Nigeria, 2016
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2018:8(22).22
Mar 2018.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2018.8.22.604
Archived on: 22 Mar 2018
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Rapid diagnostic test, antimalarial, prescriptions, health workers, Nigeria
Opening ceremony
Determinants of health workers management of patients with negative malaria rapid test result, Oyo state, Nigeria, 2016
Akinfemi Oyewumi Akinyode1,2,&, Ikeoluwapo Ajayi1,2, Muhammed Ibrahim3, Joshua Akinyemi1,2, Olufemi Ajumobi4,5
1Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Programme, Abuja, Nigeria, 2Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, 3Department of Community Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, 4National Malaria Elimination Programme, Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja, Nigeria, 5Africa Field Epidemiology Network, Nigeria
&Corresponding author
Akinfemi Oyewumi Akinyode, Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, Asokoro, Abuja, Nigeria
Introduction: as part of efforts to prevent resistance to the currently effective antimalarial medicines, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommends that they should be offered only to patients with positive malaria parasitological test result. Health workers however continue to prescribe antimalarial medicines to patients with negative malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) result. The reasons why they do so is not clearly understood. This study was carried out to identify the practices of health workers in managing patients with negative RDT results and the factors associated with such practices.
Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in Oyo State, Nigeria, in June 2016. Questionnaires were administered by trained interviewers to 423 health workers who were selected by multistage sampling technique. Data were collected on their training and supervision experience, fever management practices and access to laboratory support. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi square and logistic regression model at 5% level of significance.
Results: two hundred and forty-eight (58.7%) of the respondents were Community Health Workers. When a patient’s RDT result is negative, 362/423 (85.6%) refer the patient for further laboratory investigations, 195/423 (46.1%) prescribe antibiotics, while 110/423 (24.1%) prescribe antimalarial medicine to them. Prescription of antimalarial medicine was higher among health workers who were not trained on the use of RDT (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI [1.58 - 6.50]) and among those that were not trained on case management of malaria (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI [1.10 - 4.48]) compared with those who were trained.
Conclusion: lack of training influenced health workers to prescribe antimalarial medicine to RDT negative patients. Training of untrained health workers therefore helps to improve their compliance with the WHO recommendations.
