ABSTRACT
Background: Malaria remains a disease that poses health challenge to the public. The economic cost and management of malaria remain a challenge to average Nigerian owing to cost of hospitalization, drugs, access to primary health and the overall low per capital income of iindividuals. This study was aimed to assess knowledge, perception, factors affecting and efficiency of cost of malaria management among patients accessing primary healthcare centers in Benin City, Nigeria.
Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional design with multistage sampling technique were employed in this study. A total of two hundred and ninety adult male and female who had a positive malaria diagnosis either clinically or by parasite-based methods, and were given prescription orders for anti-malarial medication and other medication related to malaria associated symptoms in primary healthcare centers in Oredo Local Government Area(LGA) were recruited for this study. The total female respondents constituted about 53.1% in the study.
Data was collected using a pre-tested self administered questionnaire to elicit socio-demographics, knowledge, perception, determinants affecting and efficiency of cost of malaria management. The data was analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software version 26.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, USA) and the results were presented in form of numerical and diagrammatic presentations. Statistical significance test like Chi square test was used to test the association between variables and set at p<0.05.
Results: The study showed most respondents 31-50 years made up about 149(51.4%) of the total population of respondents. There was statistically significant association between employment status and knowledge (p=0.000) of the cost of malaria management in which respondents who were employed in government sector had better knowledge 47 (79.7%) compared to respondents employed in private sector 8 (32.0%). Majority (43.4%) of the respondents perceived that the cost of malaria management in a primary healthcare center is cheap, 39.7% of the respondents were of the contrary opinion on cost of malaria management. Most respondents (219) stated that they would recommend a primary healthcare center to someone with malaria and 83.9% of them justified this with reason being that treatment at the primary healthcare centre is more affordable. Poor healthcare quality was the most cited determinant (40%) limiting patient the most from accessing proper medical care for malaria management. Most of the respondents (83.8%) stated
that the degree of efficiency of healthcare workers was high in the primary health centers in Edo State.
Conclusion: The good knowledge, perception, determinants affecting and high degree of efficiency of healthcare workers in the cost of management of malaria , notwithstanding, malaria prevalence still remains a cause of major morbidity and mortality in our environment, hence the recommendation, for continuous quality improvement of knowledge, perception, determinants affecting and degree of efficiency of healthcare workers in primary healthcare centers in Benin City, Edo State .
Keywords: Knowledge; Perception; Cost Of Malaria Management; Primary Health Care
Centres
Cite this Article
Efegbere, HA. Idris, A. & Ojimba, A. Assessment of Knowledge, Perception, Determinants Affecting
and Efficiency of Cost of Malaria Management amongst Patients accessing Healthcare in Primary
Healthcare Centres, Benin City, Nigeria. Global Health Professionals Multidisciplinary Practices
Journal, 2024, Vol.1, p 60-80
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