‘Let him die in peace’: understanding caregiver’s refusal of medical oxygen treatment for children in Nigeria

Autor: Hamish R Graham, Adegoke G Falade, Tim Colbourn, Eric D McCollum, Rochelle Burgess, Ayobami Adebayo Bakare, Carina King, James Beard, Christine Cassar, Helle Mölsted-Alvesson, Omotayo E Olojede, Agnese Iuliano, Adamu Isah, Adams Osebi, Tahlil Ahmed, Rochelle Ann Burgess, Samy Ahmar, Paula Valentine, Ibrahim Haruna, Abdullahi Magama, Ibrahim Seriki, Temitayo Folorunso Olowookere, Obioma Uchendu, Julius Salako, Funmilayo Shittu, Damola Bakare, Omotayo Olojede, Matt McCalla, Olabisi Olasupo, Abiodun Sogbesan
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMJ Global Health, Vol 9, Iss 5 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2059-7908
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014902
Popis: Introduction Efforts to improve oxygen access have focused mainly on the supply side, but it is important to understand demand barriers, such as oxygen refusal among caregivers. We therefore aimed to understand caregiver, community and healthcare provider (HCP) perspectives and experiences of medical oxygen treatments and how these shape oxygen acceptance among caregivers of sick children in Lagos and Jigawa states, which are two contrasting settings in Nigeria.Methods Between April 2022 and January 2023, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis, involving semistructured interviews with caregivers (Jigawa=18 and Lagos=7), HCPs (Jigawa=7 and Lagos=6) and community group discussions (Jigawa=4 and Lagos=5). We used an inductive-deductive approach to identify codes and themes through an iterative process using the theoretical framework of acceptability and the normalisation process theory as the analytic lens.Results Medical oxygen prescription was associated with tension, characterised by fear of death, hopelessness about a child’s survival and financial distress. These were driven by community narratives around oxygen, past negative experiences and contextual differences between both settings. Caregiver acceptance of medical oxygen was a sense-making process from apprehension and scepticism about their child’s survival chances to positioning prescribed oxygen as an ‘appropriate’ or ‘needed’ intervention. Achieving this transition occurred through various means, such as trust in HCPs, a perceived sense of urgency for care, previous positive experience of oxygen use and a symbolic perception of oxygen as a technology. Misconceptions and pervasive negative narratives were acknowledged in Jigawa, while in Lagos, the cost was a major reason for oxygen refusal.Conclusion Non-acceptance of medical oxygen treatment for sick children is modifiable in the Nigerian context, with the root causes of refusal being contextually specific. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all policy is unlikely to work. Financial constraints and community attitudes should be addressed in addition to improving client–provider interactions.
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