Assessment of Haemophilia Care Practices among Physicians in South Western Nigeria

Introduction: Haemophilia is a rare inherited bleeding disorder that affects predominantly males because it is an X chromosome-linked disorder. The prevalence of Haemophilia varies significantly among countries, from 10 per 100,000 males in developing countries to 18 per 100,000 males in developed countries. The severity of the disease is determined by the percentage of Factors VIII and IX activity in the individuals with Haemophilia.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the extent of haemophilia care in the southwestern part of Nigeria. This forms part of a nationwide survey in 2016, focusing especially on whether or not physicians in specific hospitals in the states in southwest had ever managed a haemophiliac.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire titled “Survey on Haemophilia Care in Nigeria” was developed for physicians in order to assess their experience with Haemophilia care in Nigeria. The responses from the Doctors were entered into SPSS (version 23) using the Data Dictionary (on survey of haemophilia) coded table prepared along with the questionnaire.

Results: The self-administered questionnaires were retrieved from 215 physicians in southwest, Nigeria. Most of the respondents are from Oyo state, and no respondents are from both Osun and Ondo states. Also, about two-thirds of the respondents work in a teaching hospital, with the majority having a Bachelor of Medicine, or Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) as the highest qualification. Most of the respondents indicated that Fresh Frozen Plasma and Fresh whole blood can be used to manage patients with both Haemophila A and B.

Conclusion: The care of haemophiliacs in the southwestern part of Nigeria needs to be standardized as the study showed that most physicians have no contact with Haemophiliacs. An area of future research needs to focus on involving more representative samples and quantification of the knowledge of the physicians about Haemophilia care.