Early detection of kidney disease in Ghana - A situational survey of secondary hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

Abstract

Patients:  with kidney disease are mostly referred late to tertiary institutions with increased morbidity and mortality. The accurate diagnoses and management of kidney disease by healthcare staff is dependent on the requisite knowledge and availability of adequate laboratory services. We set out to describe the capacity of secondary hospitals in detecting kidney disease.
Methods: We conducted a situational cross-sectional descriptive survey of secondary hospitals within the Ashanti region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was designed via google survey and the links sent to medical superintendents and/or administrators for completion. Data was exported to and analyzed with Stata SE 13.
Results: We surveyed 26 secondary hospitals in the Ashanti region of Ghana. This included 23(88.5%) public facilities. Most 25(96.2%) of hospitals had a dedicated diabetes mellitus clinic and 24(92.3%) had dedicated hypertension clinic. Only 5(19.2%) hospitals routinely requested urinalysis for patients with diabetes and hypertension during visits. Almost all 25(96.2%) hospitals could carry out routine urinalysis in their laboratory but only 16 (61.5%) of the hospitals could run serum urea and creatinine test to assess renal functions. Most 25(96.2%) of respondents suggested the training of health staff for the early diagnosis and management of kidney disease as key to improving care.
Conclusion:Primary healthcare staff in secondary hospitals have impaired capacity in detecting kidney disease and needcapacity building to screen and detect kidney disease appropriately.