IMPACT OF HEALTH WORKSHOP ON KNOWLEDGEOF MALARIA AND ANTI-MALARIA DRUG PRESCRIPTION BY PATENT MEDICINE VENDORS IN SOUTHERN CALABAR DISTRICT, NIGERIA

Close-to-client operation of Patent Medicine Vendors can play a significant role in the fight against malaria if their health knowledge of the disease and appropriate interventions are improved upon. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of health workshop on knowledge of malaria, anti-malaria drug prescription and intermittent preventive therapy by Patent Medicine Vendors.Subjects were Patent Medicine Vendors who attended a Malaria Control Campaign Workshop in Women and Children Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria on rd 23 June 2011. The workshop comprised a three-hour training session and two-hour focus group discussion using the national guideline on malaria case-management in Nigeria. Pre-and post-test questionnaires and a focus group discussion were used to obtain data before and after the training session. Results showed that 57 Patent Medicine Vendors (male 41[71.9%] and female 16[28.1%]) completed the pre- and post-workshop pair questionnaire and focus group discussion. Two-third of the respondents had secondary education and duration of practice was 11.7 ± 7.3 years.Knowledge of appropriate drug treatment for uncomplicated malaria was significantly higher after the workshop (pre-workshop test 40[70.2%] and post-workshop test 55[96.4%]) (p = 0.024) and there was improved knowledge on Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy than monotherapy as anti-malaria treatment of choice for uncomplicated malaria (p = 0.0004).Awareness of intermittent preventive treatment using sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine as component of malaria prevention in pregnant women was significantly higher post-workshop 51(89.5%) than observed in pre-workshop analysis 15(26.3%) (p 0.001). There was a significant improvement in knowledge of the respondents on appropriate anti-malaria prescription for adults (p = 0.001), children (p 0.0001) and intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (p = 0.001). Educational status of the respondents was significant predictor of improved performance of the respondents on appropriate prescription for intermittent preventive treatment only. Health workshop significantly improved the general knowledge of Patent Medicine Vendors on anti-malaria drug prescription for uncomplicated malaria in adults and children as well as in intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy.