Knowledge and attitude of female health workers towards prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease individuals who get pregnant constitute a high risk group during pregnancy and in the peurperium. Females experience various complications of sickle cell disease in pregnancy, hence female health workers who are thought to be aware of these complications, and who would be involved in information dissemination about prenatal diagnosis were studied to know how their knowledge would affect their attitude to early termination of affected pregnancy detected by prenatal diagnosis.

Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered to all categories of female health workers at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.

Results: One hundred and seventy-six responses were obtained. Fifty-seven (32.4%) were single, while 119 (67.6%) were married. One hundred and fifty-three (86.9%) were Christians, while 23 (13.1%) were Moslems. Ninety-seven (55.1%) of the respondents were nurses, 14 (8.0%) doctors, and other health workers were 65 (36.9%). The mean score of the knowledge of the complications of sickle cell disease in pregnancy for the unmarried respondents was 4.60 +/- 1.6, and for the married 4.03 +/- 2.0. The mean score for the doctors was 5.29 +/- 0.73, for the nurses 4.42 +/- 1.63, and for the other health workers 3.66 +/- 2.18. Three (21.4%) of the doctors would accept early termination of affected pregnancy, while 31 (32.0%) and 21 (32.3%) of the nurses and the other health workers, respectively, would accept termination of affected pregnancy.

Conclusions: Despite the knowledge of the complications of sickle cell disease in pregnancy by the health workers, they are opposed to the early termination of affected pregnancy detected by prenatal diagnosis; therefore, emphasis should be on genetic counseling as a means of controlling sickle cell disease.