Knowledge and Practice of Nurses in a Teaching Hospital towards Causes, Treatment Options and Prevention of Kidney Diseases in South-East Nigeria

Abstract

Background : The prevalence of kidney diseases is on the rise in Nigeria, and cost of treatment is not affordable. Preventive strategies for kidney diseases are cheaper than cure, yet disease awareness is low, even among paramedical personnel. Nurses spend more time with patients than doctors, and therefore, this can greatly impact the quality of health information accessible to patients. Assessing the level of knowledge of kidney diseases, their causes and therapeutic options and creating the correct awareness among nurses will help disease prevention. Objectives : To assess the knowledge, and practice of nurses towards causes, treatment options and prevention of kidney diseases. To compare their level of awareness of childhood kidney diseases with that of adult kidney diseases. Methods : This study took place at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba, South-East Nigeria. A pre-tested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire comprising sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge-based questions was deployed. Total knowledge scores were categorized as poor knowledge, if <50%, and good knowledge if ≥50%. One hundred and thirty-two consenting nurses were consecutively recruited. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Results: There were 132 respondents with a mean age of 40.30 ± 8.11 years. One hundred and twenty-six (95.5%) of the 132 respondents were females, 121 (91.7%) were married, and 122 (92.4%) of the respondents had children. Many, 62.1% and 75.8% of the respondents had poor knowledge concerning causes of kidney diseases both adults and children respectively. Less than 20% of the respondents could mention at least one drug that causes kidney injury in adults and children. None of these 20% named analgesics as a cause of kidney injury. More than 60% of the respondents did not know that bleaching creams and soaps can damage the kidneys. Of the respondents, 54.5% had good knowledge concerning the availability of treatment for kidney diseases, kidney transplant and haemodialysis in adults, whereas 84.8% demonstrated very poor knowledge on the same parameters concerning children with kidney diseases. More than 80% had poor knowledge about peritoneal dialysis in both children and adults with kidney diseases. Although >90% of the respondents had good knowledge that kidney diseases could be prevented and that drinking a good quantity of water daily can prevent kidney diseases in adults, they had very poor knowledge on how to prevent kidney diseases. More than 69% of respondents had poor knowledge of prevention of childhood kidney diseases. Less than 30% of respondents could correctly estimate the number of glasses of water needed by adults daily to maintain a healthy kidney. None of the respondents could attempt the daily quantity of water needed by children. Conclusion: The average knowledge of the respondents on kidney disease is poor. The knowledge domain scores were worse for childhood kidney diseases compared to adult kidney diseases. More education on kidney diseases among paramedical personnel is another strategy for reducing the prevalence of renal diseases.