Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of prescribers regarding malaria diagnosis: a cross sectional study among Ghanaian prescribers

Prah, James Kojo; Yeboah-Sarpong, Atta; Pinkrah, Richard; Ewudzi-Acquah, Elias

doi:10.11604/pamj.2019.34.207.19940

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Adegun et al [ 39 ] also reported an overall moderate to a high level of knowledge on malaria, malaria-related issues, and malaria preventive practices among migrant farmers. However, a high overall knowledge was reported among primary school children in Bagamoya, Tanzania [ 27 ]; among employees from enterprises in Douala, Cameroon [ 17 ]; among malaria symptomatic patients in a referral hospital in Tanzania [ 37 ]; and prescribers in Ghana [ 22 ]. This suggests that there is still room for improvement on the knowledge of day and night market traders in the Greater Accra Region and other groups of people sampled in the cited studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Others include KAP of insecticide-treated net use in malaria prevention [ 15 , 16 ] and choice of malaria treatment regimens [ 17 , 18 ]. Some researchers also concentrated their studies on KAP of malaria among healthcare workers [ 15 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] and vulnerable groups such as HIV patients [ 23 ]. Elsewhere, there have been reports on malaria KAP among pregnant women in Ethiopia [ 24 ], tertiary students in Nigeria [ 25 , 26 ], primary school children in Tanzania [ 27 ], and people visiting some referral hospitals in Eritrea [ 28 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unravelling the Perspectives of Day and Night Traders in Selected Markets within a Sub-Saharan African City with a Malaria Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey

Tetteh-Quarcoo

Dayie

Adutwum-Ofosu

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Background: Malaria is still endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, with a high disease burden. Misconceptions about malaria contribute to poor attitudes and practices, further increasing the burden in endemic countries. Studies have examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of malaria among different populations. However, there seems to be no available literature reporting on the perspectives of day and night market traders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on malaria KAP with a focus on day and night market traders. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving day and night market traders in 10 selected markets within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana was carried out. Data were collected from consenting respondents using a structured questionnaire. Results: Of the 760 respondents (33.3% (n = 253) night and 66.7% (n = 507) day traders) interviewed, there was no significant difference between the day and night market traders in terms of malaria KAP. Although the market traders had an overall moderate knowledge (54.0% of the day traders and 56.5% of the night traders), misconceptions about malaria (especially that it could be caused by exposure to the sun) still existed among the traders. Moreover, the majority of the traders who demonstrated high knowledge (43.98%, n = 250) did not always take laboratory tests to confirm their suspicion, indicating poor attitude. Furthermore, the market traders’ choice of drug for malaria treatment (p = 0.001) and preferred malaria treatment type (orthodox or herbal) (p = 0.005) were significantly associated with their knowledge level. Conclusions: Despite the observation that no significant difference in KAP exists between day and night market traders, appropriate health education programs and interventions still need to be directed at misconceptions, poor attitudes, and poor practices revealed by this study. This will ultimately help in the prevention and control of malaria in Ghana, and globally.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unravelling the Perspectives of Day and Night Traders in Selected Markets within a Sub-Saharan African City with a Malaria Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey

Tetteh-Quarcoo

Dayie

Adutwum-Ofosu

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Previous studies on malaria infections continue to demonstrate higher trends of malaria morbidity and mortality among Sub-Saharan Africa countries. As an illustration, in 2015, the global estimates of malaria showed that about 90 and 92%, respectively, of malaria occurrences and mortalities were recorded among Sub-Saharan African countries [7,8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Ghana, evidence shows that malaria affects about 3.5 million persons annually with 38% and approximately 50% of malaria cases accounting for all outpatient cases, and under-five hospital admissions, respectively [5,7]. The increase in the transmission rates of malaria has predominately been reported among rural communities, owing to the conducive environments for the breeding of the causative vector [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Pharmacies Treatment Practices of Malaria and Residents’ Pattern of Antimalarial Drug Use in Abura Community, Cape Coast Metropolis-Ghana

Tettey¹,

Dzantor

Akomaning

2021

JAMMR

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Background: Community pharmacies are health care facilities that allows the public access to their medications, counselling, and advice about their health. Community pharmacies play critical role in the health delivery systems of several countries especially in developing countries and serve as the first point of call for the treatment and management of many ailments, including malaria. The study therefore examined community pharmacies treatment practices of malaria and residents’ pattern of antimalarial drug use in Abura Community, in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana. Methods: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey involving 301 study participants from the Abura Community (Cape Coast Metropolis). A structured questionnaire was used to collect information from the study participants using accidental sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS version 23.0 and Microsoft Excel 2010. Results: The age range of our study was between 15 and 60 years. Females were the majority (52.5%). The self-reported use of unprescribed antimalarial drugs was 41%. The source of the drugs were mainly community pharmacies, licenced chemical shops, self-herbal preparations, and left-over antimalarial drugs. Conclusion: A high proportion of our study participants reported self-medication of non-prescribed antimalarial drugs. These antimalarials included both orthodox and herbal medications, which were sourced from outlets like community pharmacies, licenced chemical sellers, and home herbal preparations. There is the need to intensify monitoring, public health education on self-medication and the training of staff of community pharmacies to ensure effective treatment and management of malaria at the community level.

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“…Presence of substandard or degraded drugs at facilities also impacts case management effectiveness. Stock-out of key commodities, or ‘rationing’ in anticipation of future stock-outs also likely contribute to some of these shortcomings, in addition to the beliefs and preferences of health workers, patients, and caregivers [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of uncomplicated malaria among children under five years at public and private sector facilities in Mali

et al. 2020

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Background Prompt and effective malaria diagnosis and treatment is a cornerstone of malaria control. Case management guidelines recommend confirmatory testing of suspected malaria cases, then prescription of specific drugs for uncomplicated malaria and for severe malaria. This study aims to describe case management practices for children aged 1–59 months seeking treatment with current or recent fever from public and private, rural and urban health providers in Mali. Methods Data were collected at sites in Sikasso Region and Bamako. Health workers recorded key information from the consultation including malaria diagnostic testing and result, their final diagnosis, and all drugs prescribed. Children with signs of severe diseases were ineligible. Consultations were not independently observed. Appropriate case management was defined as both 1) tested for malaria using rapid diagnostic test or microscopy, and 2) receiving artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) and no other antimalarials if test-positive, or receiving no antimalarials if test-negative. Results Of 1602 participating children, 23.7% were appropriately managed, ranging from 5.3% at public rural facilities to 48.4% at community health worker sites. The most common reason for ‘inappropriate’ management was lack of malaria diagnostic testing (50.4% of children). Among children with confirmed malaria, 50.8% received a non-ACT antimalarial (commonly artesunate injection or artemether), either alone or in combination with ACT. Of 215 test-negative children, 44.2% received an antimalarial drug, most commonly ACT. Prescription of multiple drugs was common: 21.7% of all children received more than one type of antimalarial, while 51.9% received an antibiotic and antimalarial. Inappropriate case management increased in children with increasing axillary temperatures and those seeking care over weekends. Conclusions Multiple limitations in management of febrile children under five were identified, including inconsistent use of confirmatory testing and apparent use of severe malaria drugs for uncomplicated malaria. While we cannot confirm the reasons for these shortcomings, there is a need to address the high use of non-ACT antimalarials in this context; to minimize potential for drug resistance, reduce unnecessary expense, and preserve life-saving treatment for severe malaria cases. These findings highlight the challenge of managing febrile illness in young children in a high transmission setting.

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Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of prescribers regarding malaria diagnosis: a cross sectional study among Ghanaian prescribers

Cited by 13 publications

References 10 publications

Unravelling the Perspectives of Day and Night Traders in Selected Markets within a Sub-Saharan African City with a Malaria Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey

Unravelling the Perspectives of Day and Night Traders in Selected Markets within a Sub-Saharan African City with a Malaria Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey

Community Pharmacies Treatment Practices of Malaria and Residents’ Pattern of Antimalarial Drug Use in Abura Community, Cape Coast Metropolis-Ghana

Management of uncomplicated malaria among children under five years at public and private sector facilities in Mali

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