Anatomical Knowledge and Safe Injection Practice Among Community Health Extension Workers in Kogi State

Community Health Extension Workers constitute the front line of primary health delivery in rural Nigeria, providing vaccinations, wound care, and intramuscular injections across communities with limited access to qualified nurses or physicians. Inadequate anatomical knowledge of injection sites can lead to complications including sciatic nerve injury from misplaced gluteal injections, haematoma formation, and abscess development. This study aims to evaluate the level of anatomical knowledge underpinning safe injection practices among Community Health Extension Workers deployed across Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. A structured knowledge assessment tool covering the anatomy of preferred injection sites, namely the vastus lateralis, deltoid, and ventrogluteal regions, will be administered alongside an observational checklist during supervised injection practice. Findings will be correlated with duration of service and formal training history. The study anticipates identifying deficiencies in anatomical knowledge related to injection technique and proposing a contextually appropriate anatomy-based refresher programme for Community Health Extension Workers. This will support the broader goal of reducing injection-associated complications at the primary healthcare level in North Central Nigeria.

Keywords: injection practice, community health, anatomy knowledge, Kogi State, primary healthcare