Determinants of Obstetricians’ Pattern of Care for Sickle Cell Disease in Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy in sickle cell disease (SCD) is high risk. With improved comprehensive obstetric care, pregnant females with SCD can achieve successful pregnancy outcomes, especially in resource-poor settings. OBJECTIVES: To determine the predictors of Obstetricians’ pattern of care for SCD in pregnancy in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Self-administered, pre-tested, pre-validated questionnaires containing 18 questions on demographic details of obstetricians, and their pattern of practice towards antenatal care for pregnant SCD patients were distributed to attendees of the 2018 conference of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Nigeria (SOGON). Regression analysis was done to determine the possible predictors, and a significant level was <0.05. RESULT: Almost all the respondents (98.4%) considered pregnancy in SCD as high risk, and 96.2% proposed for preconception care in a tertiary hospital. The majority, (62%) agreed that antenatal visits in the first and second trimesters should be more frequent. The majority (96.2%) reported they would routinely order urine tests among other investigations. Majority of respondents,74.9% and 98.4% knew that foetal medicine specialists and haematologists should be part of preconception care team, respectively. Respondents’ practice centre and designation, significantly contributed to their “willingness to consult a haematologist” (P = 0.004),” and willingness to consult a foetal specialist” (P = 0.047), while practice centre and practice population significantly contributed to their response to “ideal centre for management of SCD pregnancy”: (P = 0.049), (P = 0.024) respectively. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians’ level of training, practice centre, and practice population of pregnant women with SCD are significant contributors to their pattern of care towards antenatal care for pregnancy in SCD.