West Afr J Med. 2025 Aug 29;42(8):677-686.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of Nigerian paediatricians regarding paediatric sleep disorders and their management. It also assessed the state of their current practice with screening, evaluating and treating sleep disorders in children and the perceived barriers and facilitators to the provision of quality care for sleep disorders for Nigerian children.
METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 153 Paediatricians who practice in Nigeria and attended the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Paediatrics Association of Nigeria (PAN) held in January 2023 at Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. We utilized a pilot-tested, semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the Paediatrics sleep survey questionnaire. Data was analysed with the IBM SPSS software, version 20.
RESULTS: The 153 respondents were from the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. More than two-thirds (66.7%) had a poor knowledge score (<6). The majority of the respondents rated their confidence in diagnosing sleep disorders as fair (63.4%), while 22.2% rated it as poor. Almost all (98.7%) reported the lack of sleep laboratory in their centre of practice. Also, about two-thirds (68.0%) had no paediatric sleep clinic. The main barriers to the management of paediatric sleep disorders were lack of training (119; 77.3%) and lack of sleep laboratory (102; 66.7%). Having a sleep laboratory in the centre of practice was significantly associated with the knowledge of the paediatricians (p = 0.044).
CONCLUSION: There is a need for interventions to improve the knowledge of Nigerian paediatricians on sleep medicine and the provision of Paediatric sleep laboratory facilities in Nigeria.
PMID:41801239
