Nurses\' perspectives on the challenges of sickle cell disease management and associated factors in a teaching hospital in south-western Nigeria

Background: Since the discovery of sickle cell disease (SCD) in the early 1990s, enormous strides have been made to reduce its global spread. More studies have focused on the management of SCD complications, with little or no information on how nurses cope with the care of hospitalized patients. This study aimed to assess the challenges nurses face in managing SCD and associated factors at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted to elicit responses from 215 nurses selected through a simple random sampling technique between August and October 2022. A structured, validated questionnaire consisting of 31 items served as an instrument for data collection. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Inferential statistical analyses, including Chi-square test, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA with post hoc multiple comparison tests, were conducted. Results: Among the participants, 167 (77.7%) were female, with a mean age of 24.3 ± 0.94 years. The majority, 81 (37.7%), of the participants were aged between 31 and 40 years. The most significant challenge to SCD management was addiction to opioids and other analgesics, 174 (80.9%), while the least experienced challenge was patient signing out against medical advice 180 (83.7%). The majority of the participants, 194 (90.2%), stated that lack of financial resources to initiate treatment was the most significant factor associated with the challenges experienced in managing these patients. Significant associations were found between challenges of SCD management and the age of the nurses (P = 0.038), years of work experience (P = 0.011), and the level of professional education of the nurses (P = 0.002). Conclusion: The administration of care for patients with SCD is hindered by multiple factors, which necessitates further investigation into the long-term impacts of educational background and job experience of nurses in the delivery of care to patients with SCD.