Table 1.
Sociodemographic characteristics, practice of early diagnosis, and awareness of the national treatment guidelines for sickle cell disease among physicians
| Characteristics of respondents N = 135 | Frequencies | Percentages (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||
| Designation | ||
| Resident doctors | 67 | 49.6 |
| Medical officers | 48 | 35.6 |
| Consultants | 20 | 14.8 |
| Practice location | ||
| Government hospital | 120 | 88.9 |
| Private hospital | 15 | 11.1 |
| Years of practice | ||
| ≤10 | 73 | 54.1 |
| 11–20 | 41 | 30.4 |
| >20 | 21 | 15.6 |
| SCD genetic counseling and testing practice | ||
| Routinely recommend it to eligible patients | 129 | 95.6 |
| Occasionally recommend it to patients | 6 | 4.4 |
| Awareness about national newborn screening programme | ||
| Aware | 89 | 65.9 |
| Not aware | 46 | 34.1 |
| Willingness to recommend newborn screening to patients | ||
| Willing | 75 | 55.6 |
| Unwilling | 14 | 10.4 |
| Not sure/unknown | 46 | 34.0 |
| Awareness about national guideline for SCD management | ||
| Aware | 96 | 71.1 |
| Not aware | 39 | 28.9 |
| Awareness about prenatal SCD diagnosis | ||
| Aware | 132 | 97.8 |
| Not aware | 3 | 2.2 |
| Willingness to recommend prenatal SCD diagnosis | ||
| Willing | 51 | 37.8 |
| Unwilling | 84 | 62.2 |
Notes: SCD = sickle cell disease.