Conference Abstract | Volume 8, Abstract ELIC2025180 (Oral 036) | Published: 19 Aug 2025
Audu Onyemocho1,&, Anefu Okpotu Gabriel2, Genesis Terna Kwaghgande3, Msuega Asema4, Benita Kanshio4, Stephen Obekpa Abah1
1Department of Community Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria, 2Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, 3Nursing Department, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria, 4Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, Benue State Ministry of Health and Human Services, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Audu Onyemocho, Department of Community Medicine, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria, Email: audu.onyemocho@fuhso.edu.ngs
Received: 13 May 2025, Accepted: 09 Jul 2025, Published: 19 Aug 2025
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Challenges, Lassa fever, communicating delayed results, healthcare providers, Benue, Nigeria
©Audu Onyemocho et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Audu Onyemocho et al. Assessment of challenges healthcare providers face when communicating delayed laboratory results to patients managed for Lassa fever in Benue State, Nigeria. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2025;8(ConfProc5):00036. https://doi.org/10.37432/jieph-confpro5-00036
Providing results to individuals diagnosed with Lassa fever is an ethical obligation that enhances patients’ confidence and commitment to their treatment. It also fosters trust in the community regarding management practices, improves treatment outcomes, and strengthens responses to outbreaks. However, fulfilling this obligation can be complex, particularly when some patients and their families perceive the results negatively. This study examined healthcare providers’ experiences with the challenges they encounter when communicating delayed positive results to suspected Lassa fever patients admitted to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) in Makurdi, Nigeria.
A cross-sectional descriptive study and Key informant interviews were conducted to gather insights from 15 healthcare providers at a Lassa fever treatment center, BSUTH Makurdi, between January and December 2024. This period was marked by active surveillance of the disease and a significant increase in the number of patients treated. The healthcare providers shared their experiences and stories, which were organized and presented in narrative form.
The patient’s duration of admission ranges from 1 to 25 days, with an average of 8 (±3.5) days. The average turnaround time from blood sample collection to testing and result release was 6 (±2) days. The challenges faced by the healthcare providers included a lack of trust in the results, patients’ denial of diagnoses, failure to provide detailed information about contacts, emotional blackmail, mistrust, ethical dilemmas, physical assaults, and emotional abuses, which are obstacles to maintaining ongoing surveillance.
The increased time to process specimens and the delayed communication of results for Lassa fever diagnosis have a significant negative impact on healthcare providers. These further create notable gaps in the surveillance and referral pathways for managing clinical cases. Therefore, it is essential to establish molecular laboratories at all treatment centers to ensure a quick turnaround for results.
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