Are Primary and Secondary Healthcare Workers in Rural Parts of Ebonyi State of Nigeria Aware of Obstetric Fistula?

Background: Obstetric fistula remains a public health concern in Nigeria. New cases continue to occur despite massive campaigns to end it, so one begins to wonder if the workers in Primary Health Centers in rural parts of the state are aware of this menace. This study aimed to survey the level of awareness of PHC workers in the rural part of Ebonyi State.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Ethical approval was obtained from Ebonyi State Research and Ethic Committee. An interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the Officers-in-Chargeof the facilities. Frequencies and proportions were calculated for categorical variables while means and standard deviations were calculated for numerical variables. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Software for Social Sciences version 21. Tests of significance were done. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Results: A total of 60 health care workers were studied, 44(73.3%) in primary and 16(26.7%) in secondary facilities. Twenty (33.3%) of them were between age group 40-48 years with mean age 39.6±9.8 while 52(86.7%) were females. Majority (86.7%) had tertiary education and 70% of them were qualified Community Health Extension Workers. Almost all (57; 95%) were aware of obstetric fistula. The major source of information was conferences (52.6%) and electronic media (52.6%). Health workers with more years of experience were more aware of obstetric fistula (93.3%) compared with those with less experience. This was statistically significant, (P= 0.05).

Conclusion: Awareness of obstetric fistula is very high among health workers, main sources being conferences/workshops and electronic media. Longer years of work experience improved awareness. Policies for continuous awareness creation, capacity building and retention of health workers in the rural areas are recommended to sustain this awareness level and eradicate obstetric fistula in the state.