Knowledge of diabetes and hypertension care among health care workers in southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There has been a progressive increase in diabetes among Nigerians. A major problem with diabetes care in the sub-Saharan African region is the inadequate training of health care workers, leading to insufficient knowledge of diabetes and other chronic diseases. AIM: To assess health care workers' knowledge on various aspects of diabetes and hypertension management based on recommended guidelines.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire assessing knowledge of diabetes and hypertension care was administered among health care workers at the beginning of a workshop on diabetes education. The responses were analyzed using SPSS statistical software version 10.0.
RESULTS: A total of 184 subjects responded. One hundred four (56.5%) were male and 80 (43.5%) were female. Medical practitioners constituted 76 (41.8%) while nurses and other categories of health care workers constituted 46 (25.2%) and 60 (33%), respectively. Twenty-eight (26.9%) of these worked in primary health institutions, 46 (44.2%) in secondary health institutions, while 30 (28.9%) worked in tertiary health institutions. One hundred eighteen (64.1%) respondents gave a correct response of 5 to 6 mmol/L (90 - 108 mg/L) as the blood glucose target level for diabetic patients. Similarly, 118 (64.1%) respondents gave a correct response of < or = 130/85 mm Hg as the recommended target blood pressure for diabetic patients. The ideal serum cholesterol of 5.0 mmol/L and glycated hemoglobin were correctly indicated by 42 (22.8%) and 56 (30.4%) of the respondents, respectively. The majority of the subjects (89.1%) were aware of the fact that tight blood glucose control reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications. The variables that correlated with increased knowledge include treating more than 50 patients per month (X2 4.124, P = 0.042) and working in a tertiary center (X2 5.714, P = 0.047). Most of the health care facilities (61.7%) where the respondents work do not deliver protocol-driven care for diabetics.
CONCLUSION: A large number of health care workers in southwest Nigeria do not seem to be familiar with the current practice guidelines for the management of diabetes. There is a need to introduce protocol-driven diabetes care in our health care facilities and improve the knowledge base of practitioners.