Knowledge and self-care practice of leprosy patients at ALERT Hospital, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease of public health importance and one of the leading causes of permanent physical disability. The integration of leprosy service to the general health system in Ethiopia made leprosy patients to be seen by non-leprosy specialists which could lead to misdiagnosis and delay in treatment. In addition to the multi-drug treatment, patient self - care practice is crucial for the successful treatment of the disease. This study was aimed to assess the knowledge and self-care practices of leprosy patients and associated factors at ALERT leprosy referral Hospital in Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted ALERT leprosy referral Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 424 leprosy patients were interviewed using pre-tested structured questionnaires. The questionnaires included core points such as socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of leprosy and self-care practices. Bloom’s cut off point was used to describe the knowledge and self-care practice of the respondents and statistical significance was assessed at 95% confidence interval with 5% of level of significance. Result The knowledge score of the respondents was poor for 276 (65.1%) and good for 148 (34.9%). The level of knowledge was significantly varied within age groups (P= 000), sex (P=000), marital status (p=0.003), educational status (p=000) and income (p-000). More than three-fourth (77.4%) of interviewed patients had poor self-care practice and only less than a quarter (22.6%) of patients had good self-care practice score (P=000). Age (p=0.002), Previous disability due to leprosy (P=000), Knowledge of leprosy (p=0.038) and income (P=0.028) significantly associated with poor self-care practice. On the other hand, educational status, sex, marital status and health education did not associated with leprosy self-care practice. Conclusion Although, leprosy treatment, disability prevention and rehabilitation program run in the country under general public health care service for decades, poor leprosy self-care practice and poor leprosy knowledge had been confirmed in this study. Therefore, the leprosy service program should re-visit its strategy and mode of delivery to improve the leprosy knowledge and leprosy self-care practices of patients. Author summary Leprosy is an infectious bacterial disease. It is a curable disease if treated early before disability occurs with the correct regimen. However, treatment cannot reverse disability once occurred. in addition to chemotherapeutic treatment, lack of social and psychological treatment may expose patients to disability as they may not adhere to treatment. To prevent disability it is vital to empower leprosy patients through promoting self-confidence, providing knowledge and self-care skills. In the present study, we investigated the knowledge and self-care practice of 424 leprosy patients at ALERT hospital through face-to face guided interview. It was found that majority of patients had poor knowledge about leprosy. Some factors such as sex, income status, age and educational status of the patient significantly affected the level of leprosy knowledge. Similarly, it was found that 77% of patients had poor self-care practice which significantly varied with income status, knowledge of leprosy, age and having previous disability. Therefore, it is very important to improve the leprosy knowledge and self-care skills of patients. This can be achieved through dealing with issues such as the physical, emotional, intellectual and social aspects of the patients in addition to the chemotherapeutic treatment.

Self-Care Program for Patients with Leprosy Grade 2 in Abu Zaabal Leprosy Colony

“…Also, there was a significant relation between knowledge and educational level of them with p-value = < 0.05. These findings are consistent with those made by Girma et al (36) who claimed that inadequate understanding and perception of the condition can affect the efficacy of self-care practices. In this study, the researchers discovered a correlation between poor self-care behavior and older age, female sex, marital status, lower educational attainment, lower income, and fewer media access.…”

Experiences of living with leprosy: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis

“…[31] Self-care is important for leprosy-affected individuals to encourage them to change their behaviour to adapt to the irreversible damage caused by the disease. [32] Self-care practice in leprosy is a daily activity that requires the individuals' active engagement to care for themselves, reduce the number of ulcers, prevent further deterioration, improve their physical wellbeing and increase self-confidence and self-esteem. Moreover, improved knowledge about leprosy will empower them to take appropriate and meaningful actions to help themselves and is key to a positive outcome.…”

“…Moreover, improved knowledge about leprosy will empower them to take appropriate and meaningful actions to help themselves and is key to a positive outcome. [ 32 ] Healthcare professionals can guide and support people with leprosy to self-care, improve their lives and access good healthcare and rehabilitation by employing effective communication strategies and providing psychological support and education-oriented counselling. [ 29 , 33 ] Most self-help centres run skills training workshops and microfinance schemes to help these people become independent.…”

Functional activity limitation of leprosy cases in an endemic area in Indonesia and recommendations for integrated participation program in society

“…Age is an important factor of functional disability and self-care. In leprosy, self-care is the most important type of self-management where leprosy patients need to change their behavior to adapt to the irreversible impairment due to the disease [ 19 ]. This is especially significant among leprosy-affected people that has the potential to acquire physical disability grade progression years after being released from treatment [ 20 ].…”