My name is Mobolanle Balogun. I am an associate professor of public health working at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. My research interests are in maternal, newborn and child health, epidemiology of infectious diseases and implementation science.
I am excited about my PhD research entitled: Adoption and routinization of intravenous iron for the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia during pregnancy and the postpartum period in Nigeria, which aims to improve the uptake and implementation of routine intravenous iron administration for the treatment anaemia during pregnancy and the postpartum period in Lagos, Nigeria through a continuous quality improvement model.
Maternal anaemia is a global public health problem with a higher burden in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria and has adverse consequences for mothers and the newborn. The most common cause is iron deficiency anaemia, which is commonly treated with oral iron. However, adherence to oral iron is reportedly low in Nigeria because of reasons such as side effects and forgetfulness. Intravenous iron such as ferric carboxymaltose, which can be given as a single dose, has proven efficacy and might help overcome some issues relating to adherence but the possibility of implementing its use in the Nigeria setting needs to be evaluated.
My PhD will focus on understanding the barriers and facilitators to using intravenous iron routinely across different levels of the health system; assessing its acceptability, feasibility, uptake and implementation fidelity within the health system; as well as patients’ satisfaction with care. Quality improvement will be used as an implementation strategy to continuously evaluate and improve the use of intravenous iron, through participatory approaches with healthcare providers of antenatal and postnatal care. The study will be conducted in a cluster of six health facilities (one primary health centre, two secondary hospitals, one tertiary hospital and two private hospitals) in Lagos, Nigeria and the study population will include healthcare providers and antenatal and postnatal patients who receive intravenous iron treatment.
I hope that the findings from this study will contribute to the adoption of intravenous iron in the Nigerian health system and thus reduce the burden of maternal anaemia in the country.
Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation