First-line health care provider performance in the management of common skin diseases using an algorithmic approach as a diagnostic tool in Kano State, Nigeria

Skin diseases are common and cause considerable morbidity worldwide. Lack of awareness of symptoms among the majority of lay people^1,2 and lack of knowledge about skin diseases among first- and second-line health care providers have contributed to underestimations.³ Household surveys (including people not seeking treatment) before 2000 report point prevalence rates of 27%–53%,^2,4,5 while it was 62%–87%^6,7 after 2000. This increase may be due to the rising industrialization in developing countries, or different definitions of skin diseases as suggested by Abdel-Hafez et al.⁶ In Sub-Saharan Africa, population-based studies in primary schools report point prevalence rates of 27% and 74%.^8–11 Community-based studies by Mahé et al¹² and Odueko et al¹³ report that respectively 11.7% and 9.8% of the patients consulted primary health centers with skin-related symptoms.