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

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. 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. 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. 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.