ORIGINAL: Factors that Influence the Acceptance of Needle Biopsy of the Liver at a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

West African Journal of Medicine 2023 December; 40(12): 1317-1324 PMID: 38261433

Abstract

Background: Liver biopsy is a procedure that is carried out for making the diagnosis of abnormal liver conditions.

Objectives: This study assessed the factors that influence patients' acceptance of liver biopsy.

Methods: A hospital based prospective study among patients scheduled for outpatient liver biopsy. They completed an interviewer administered questionnaire that captured their expectations, the degree of pain, areas they think need improvement during the biopsy process and whether they would consent to a second liver biopsy. A qualitative aspect involved an in-depth interview of participants purposively selected for their experience of liver biopsy. Data from the quantitative group were entered into SPSS version 20 and analyzed using simple and inferential statistics while content analysis was done for the qualitative aspect.

Results: There were 100 participants in the quantitative group, 61 males and 39 females, and 16 in the qualitative group. Participants in the quantitative group expected a painful procedure (92%) that was likely to restrict their movement (64%). After biopsy, 44%, 40%, 28%, 26%, 18% and 17% of participants were unhappy with the long monitoring hours, biopsy needle pain, number of biopsy passes, lying on the biopsy site, shoulder tip pain and pain of local anaesthetic injection respectively. The qualitative aspect identified five thematic areas and showed that liver biopsy pain was influenced by preoperative anxiety occasioned by ill-advice and was exaggerated among females.

Conclusion: Consenting for liver biopsy may be influenced by advice from others, while factors relating to the procedure and long monitoring period remain as deterrent factors.