Work

Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Sickle Cell Disease Among Nurses in Resource-Limited Peri-Urban and Rural Settings in Ghana

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background While cost-effective interventions are available in developed countries, SCD incidence continues to increase in Ghana. To improve SCD care delivery, nurses, who constitute the majority of the healthcare workforce, must possess adequate knowledge and a positive attitude towards SCD. These measures will facilitate the ongoing expansion and progress of Ghana’s newly introduced Free Primary and Healthcare initiative in managing SCD. Aim This study examined the SCD knowledge and attitudes towards SCD among nurses in resource-limited peri-urban and rural settings in Ghana. Methods A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2022 and September 2022 among 212 nurses in all the health facilities in the Hohoe Municipality of Ghana. Pre-tested questionnaires assessing SCD knowledge and attitude were administered to participants. A descriptive analysis was conducted to determine nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards SCD. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify the demographic and health facility predictors of nurses’ knowledge of SCD. A two-tailed p -value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results A total of 56.1% of participants demonstrated good knowledge of SCD. In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, the odds of having good knowledge were 2.42 times higher among nurses at facilities with diagnostic equipment [aOR=2.42, 95% CI: 1.04-5.64]. Regarding the attitude of nurses towards SCD, the majority of participants (90.6%) were willing to undergo pre-marital genetic counselling. In addition, majority of the nurses (57.1%) were willing to carry their pregnancies to term whiles 23.1% opted to abort despite the known risk of SCD. Conclusion The above-average levels of knowledge and attitudes towards SCD have implications for the newly introduced Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, which seems to strengthen the integration of SCD screening and management into primary healthcare services in resource-limited peri-urban and rural communities in Ghana through nurses’ capacity building and improved healthcare equipment.

Source: SAGE Open Nursing

DOI: 10.1177/23779608261489668