Assessing informal healthcare providers' knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of malaria and diarrhea: evidence from urban informal settlements in Southeast Nigeria

Background: Despite the availability of effective interventions, malaria and diarrhea continue to be leading causes of disease burden in Nigeria. Informal healthcare providers (IHPs) account for a significant proportion of health service providers in urban slums and may pose a challenge to service quality if they are untrained and unregulated. This study assessed IHPs' knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of malaria and diarrhea.

Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in eight urban informal settlements (slums) in southeast Nigeria. Data were collected from 235 informal health providers using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.

Results: The mean overall knowledge scores for malaria and diarrhea were 5.2 (95% CI: 4.3–6.1) and 5.4 (95% CI: 4.1–6.7), respectively, among the different IHPs. However, private medicine vendors (PMVs) and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) showed higher knowledge of treating malaria and diarrhea. Having more than 8 years of formal education and receiving on-the-job training had a statistically significant effect on adequate knowledge of malaria and diarrhea treatment.

Conclusion: Institutionalizing and strengthening service delivery through appropriate training and support for IHPs can improve the quality of health service delivery in urban slums.