Knowledge, Attitude and Reporting Practices on Adverse Events Following Immunization among Routine Immunization Service Providers in Health Facilities of Sokoto State, Nigeria

Background/Introduction: Health workers at primary health care facilities (PHCs) are primarily involved with routine immunization activities including detection, reporting and management of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). To undertake such responsibilities effectively, they need to have good knowledge on AEFI and its management.

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and reporting practices of Routine Immunization Service Providers in health facilities of Sokoto State, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, a total of 285 routine immunization service providers were recruited from all the PHCs in one selected local government from each of the three health zones of the State. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant information from eligible participants. Data were entered into SPSS version 20.0 and analyzed.

Results: Of the 285 distributed questionnaires, 258 (90.5%) were duly completed and returned. The M: F ratio was 1.4:1, with mean age of 34.24 + 8.06 years. Up to 164 (63.6%) respondents had good knowledge (score >50%), while 37(14.3%) and 57(22.1%) respondents had fair (score 41-49%) and poor (score <40%) knowledge respectively. Reporting practices were appropriate in 224 (86.8%) respondents. The most common method for reporting was by manual filing of AEFI forms. Some respondents would however not report an AEFI to avoid being blamed, feeling guilty or creating unnecessary anxiety to the patient.

Conclusion: Though many respondents had good knowledge and reporting practices on AEFI, knowledge gap still exists; highlighting the need for continuous on-the-job training and retraining of these personnel.