ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Genomic medicine integrates genomic data into clinical care, enhancing disease detection and personalized treatment, and is a key component of precision medicine. In Nigeria, initiatives like the H3Africa project and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease have driven research on diseases such as sickle cell anemia and HIV/AIDS. Despite progress, healthcare professionals' awareness and adoption of genomic medicine in clinical practice remain limited. This study assessed the knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals in University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) towards the incorporation of genomic medicine into clinical practice. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 healthcare professionals in UBTH selected using stratified sampling technique. Data were collected via structured self-administered questionnaires and IBM SPSS version 27.0 was used for data analysis. Associations between socio-demographic data and overall knowledge of genomic medicine, attitude towards incorporation of genomic medicine into clinical practice and perception of the benefits of genomic medicine were analyzed using Chi-square test. Descriptive data were expressed as frequencies, percentages, means + standard deviation. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results were presented in prose, tables and bar charts. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 32.6 ± 7.0 years. There were 393 (65.5%) females, 311 (51.8%) nurses and 566 (94.3%) professionals whose highest qualification was a first degree. The mean duration of practice of respondents was 6.67 ± 6.0 years. Overall, 386 (64.3%) were aware of genomic medicine, among whom 168 (43.5%), 372 (96.4%) and 384 (99.5%) had good knowledge of genomic medicine, positive attitude towards incorporation of genomic medicine into clinical practice and good perception of the benefits of genomic medicine respectively. Good knowledge of genomic medicine was significantly associated with older age (p<0.001), being male (p<0.001), a doctor (p<0.001) and longer duration of practice (p<0.001). Being a doctor was the only significant predictor of good knowledge (O.R = 3.705; 95% C.I. = 2.254 – 6.090; p < 0.001). Respondents mentioned lack of funding, 100 (35.3%) and insufficient knowledge, 98 (34.6%) among the most significant barriers to effectively integrating genomic medicine into clinical practice. Major infrastructure noted by respondents to be lacking included equipped laboratories, 95 (38.0%), expertise/training 70 (28.0%) and manpower 21 (8.4%). CONCLUSION: Less than half of the respondents had good knowledge of genomic medicine; however, the overall attitude toward genomic medicine was positive. Most respondents recognized the benefits of genomic medicine but cited challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, funding, and limited resources for genetic counseling. Government should increase funding, and develop infrastructure and ethical framework for genomic medicine. For healthcare workers, continuous education, cross-professional collaboration, and advocacy for resources are essential to the successful adoption of genomic medicine in Nigeria. KEYWORDS: Knowledge; Attitude; Perceived benefits; Challenges; Genomic medicine; Healthcare professionals; University of Benin Teaching Hospital.
