Healthcare providers’ knowledge and challenges they face regarding growth charts’ utilization in primary healthcare practice

Abstract

Background: Growth charts have been used worldwide for about 40 years, but their use has always been fraught with problems. Objectives: Assessment the knowledge and challenges among healthcare providers regarding the utilization of growth charts in primary healthcare practice. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was aimed to assess healthcare providers’ knowledge toward growth chart in Al-Hilla city—Babylon Governorate—Iraq, during the period from the beginning of first January till April/2022. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire filled by physicians and nurses enrolled in this study after obtaining their verbal consents. Results: Seventy percent health workers were studied to determine their knowledge toward growth chart utilization, 51.4 were physicians, male-to-female ratio was 1:7. Results of this study revealed that 41.4% of participants had poor knowledge. Only 54.3% of the participants were exposed to previous training courses. There were significant associations between good knowledge and age group 30–39 years and exposure to combined training (theoretical and practical). Conclusions: More than half of the studied healthcare workers had good knowledge; the levels of knowledge are significantly associated with age, number, and duration of previous training.

Keywords

• challenges
• growth charts
• healthcare providers
• knowledge