Knowledge on the Haemophilia Care Among Healthcare Providers in Tanzania: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

Haemophilia is a rare inherited bleeding disorder associated with recurrent bleeding, disability, and mortality when diagnosis and management are delayed. In low- and middle-income countries, limited diagnostic capacity, access to treatment and gaps in Healthcare Providers' (HCPs') knowledge are major contributors to morbidity and mortality. In Tanzania, the recent improvement in haemophilia services highlights the need for systematic evaluation of HCPs' knowledge and clinical practices.

OBJECTIVE

The study assessed the knowledge of haemophilia care among healthcare providers in Tanzania.

METHODS

A multicenter hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among HCPs in tertiary and regional hospitals in Tanzania. A structured self-administered questionnaire assessed knowledge on haemophilia, including the pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and complications. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS statistics version 27.

RESULTS

Among 799 HCPs assessed (50.9%) aged 20-29 and (59.2%) males. Nurses were the majority (31.8%), and 75.2% had ≤5 years' experience. Overall haemophilia knowledge was high (median 83.3%, IQR: 75.9-88.9), strongest performance in general knowledge and weakest in treatment (68.2%, IQR: 54.5-77.3). Most respondents identified haemophilia as inherited (95.6%), non-infectious (93.7%), and recognized prolonged bleeding after injury or circumcision as key-symptoms (>90%). Knowledge varied by cadre, department, and experience (p<0.05); physicians and specialists scored higher than nurses, while health attendants scored lower.

CONCLUSION

Healthcare providers demonstrated fairly adequate general knowledge of haemophilia. However, gaps remain in understanding genetic inheritance, acquired haemophilia, and modern treatment strategies, with knowledge variation by cadre, department, and experience, highlighting the need for targeted education across all HCPs groups.