The level of knowledge of, attitude toward and emphasis given to HBV and HCV infections among healthcare professionals: Data from a tertiary hospital in Turkey

Abstract

Objectives:To evaluate the level of knowledge of, to investigate the attitudes toward, and to determine the emphasis given to the national prevalence of HBV/HCV infections among healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: A total of 206 healthcare professionals (mean (SD) age: 37.0 (6.3) years; 86.9% -females) including medical laboratory technicians (N = 54) and nurses (N = 152) employed in the Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey. Laboratory (N = 53), operating room (N = 41) and in-patient clinic (N = 112) staff were included in this descriptive study. A 33-item questionnaire composed of questions related to their level of knowledge and attitudes toward HBV/HCV infections, the sources of their knowledge of HBV/HCV infections and the emphasis given to the national and global importance of the diseases was administered via a face-to-face interview method with each subject; participation was volunteer based. Results: The participants working in the in-patient clinic (18.0 (3.2)) had the highest mean (SD) knowledge level compared to the laboratory (16.4 (3.1), p < 0.05) and operating room (17.0 (2.8), p < 0.05) staff. The participants from the in-patient clinic (44.6%) had a more advanced level of knowledge compared to the participants working in the laboratory (27.8%, p < 0.05) and the operating room (30.0%, p < 0.05). Most of the subjects (60.7%) had education concerning HBV/HCV infections in the past. There was no significant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward HBV/HCV infections and the level of education concerning them. Conclusions: Our findings revealed a moderate level of knowledge in most HCWs, regardless of their exposure to risk. While the highest knowledge scores and vaccination rates were noted among the in-patient clinic staff, there was no significant difference between the hospital units in terms of the attitudes of HCWs towards a patient or a colleague with an HBV/HCV infection. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the level of knowledge of the attitude toward and the emphasis given to HBV and HCV infections among healthcare professionals from a tertiary hospital in Turkey. METHODS Study populationOut of 240 healthcare professionals employed in the Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey, 206 healthcare professionals (85.8%; mean (SD) age: 37.0 (6.3) years; 86.9% females) working in the laboratory (N = 53), operating room (N = 41), and in-patient clinic (N = 112) were included in this descriptive study upon their voluntary participation. A written informed consent was obtained from each subject following a detailed explanation of the objectives and the protocol of the study that was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles stated in the "Declaration of Helsinki" and approved by the institutional ethics committee. Data collectionA 33-item questionnaire (see Appendix) composed of questions related to the level of knowledge of HBV/HCV infections (N = 25), attitud...

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