INVOLUNTARY CHILDLESSNESS AND ASSISTED CONCEPTION: PERCEPTION AMONGST NURSES AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN.

Introduction: Involuntary childlessness, a pas de deux is perceived as a stigma in many developing countries and often leads to marital disharmony due to the high premium placed on childbearing emanating from deep rooted socio-cultural beliefs. Nurses play a pivotal role in patient management due to their close contact and association with patients and their relatives. A nexus therefore exists in the uptake of clinical services by patients because of the disposition of nurses towards certain services. Efforts at improving perception about assisted conception services through education and information for both patients and health workers cannot be over-emphasized.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study of consecutive clinical nurses from the general-outpatient, surgical, medical, paediatric, and gynaecology clinics of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. One hundred and ninety-six nurses were recruited into the study using a self-administered questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Descriptive analysis generated was presented with the aid of a pie chart and frequency tables. Chi-square statistic was used in testing for associations between categorical variables and P value was set at 0.05.

Result: The mean age of the respondents was 41.47 ± 9.24 years with a mean duration of clinical nursing service of 15.18 ± 8.70 years. Majority (86.7%) of the nurses were married and were predominantly of the Christian faith. One hundred and sixty nurses (81.6%) were of Yoruba extraction. Majority (94.8%) demonstrated good knowledge about assisted conception services and therefore had a positive attitude towards advanced fertility management (P>0.05). Age, marital status, religion, and years of service were not significantly associated with a positive attitude.

Conclusion: The recent establishment of an in vitro fertilization centre at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, has resulted in a paradigm shift in the management of infertility. Continuous education and enlightenment of clinical nurses will not only enlist their support but promote better patient engagement through constructive and informative interactions, thus eliminating barriers to the uptake of assisted conception services in a country strongly influenced by socio-cultural beliefs and taboos.