Screening and treatment practices for iron deficiency in anaemic pregnant women: A cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers in Nigeria.

Background: Iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy is a significant contributor to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality globally. Despite international and national guidelines for its screening and treatment, knowledge and prescription practices of healthcare providers vary.

Aim: To determine maternal healthcare workers' screening and treatment practices for iron deficiency in anaemic pregnancy women in two states in Nigeria.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study sampled maternal healthcare workers from 84 randomly selected public health facilities in Lagos and Kano States. Data on methods of diagnosis and prescription practices for iron deficiency anaemia were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Means and percentages were reported using probability weights, and a comparison of practices of anaemia treatment between doctors and nurses/midwives was done using Chi-square test or Fishers exact.

Results: Of the 467 maternal healthcare workers surveyed (232 from Lagos, 235 from Kano), 40.0% were doctors, 54.0% nurses or midwives and 6.0% community health extension workers. In the sample, 27.6% always and 58.7% sometimes screened anaemic pregnant women for iron deficiency; among these, 84.7% screened using complete blood count. Oral iron for treatment of iron deficiency anaemia was prescribed by 96.9%. Intravenous iron for treatment was prescribed by 30.2%, but by only by 18.6% as first-line drug (as iron dextran by 69.3% and as iron sucrose by 31.5% of intravenous iron prescribers). Commonest reasons for low usage of intravenous iron were cost and need for venepuncture. Fifty-three percent of maternal healthcare workers' prescribed iron supplements for anaemia during concomitant infection, with the prescription practice similar among doctors versus nurse/midwives (p = 0.074).

Conclusion: We found suboptimal levels of screening for iron deficiency among anaemic pregnant women. Iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy is almost exclusively treated with oral iron by maternal healthcare workers in the two Nigerian states, similarly between doctors and nurses/midwives. Further research into potential reasons for low screening for iron deficiency and low use of intravenous iron are needed.