Awareness and vaccination status of Hepatitis B among health care workers in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Central India

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study aimed to assess awareness about HBV and its vaccination status among HCWs working in our hospital. Randomly selectedHCWs, with equal representation from 5 different groups, viz. consultants, resident doctors, nurses, technicians and house-keeping staff were included. Pre-validated questionnaires, focused on testing elementary knowledge about the virus and its vaccine, were used. HBV vaccination coverage was assessed through personal interview and review of records, if available, and reasons for incomplete vaccination or no vaccination were recorded. Among the 150 HCWs recruited, significant difference in knowledge of HBV and its vaccination was observed among the different strata of HCWs. While consultants were best informed about the virus and the vaccine, awareness was generally poor among the housekeeping staff. Though majority of HCWs (62.67%) reported receiving all 3 doses of HBV vaccine, documentation of the same was maintained by only 30.67% of the participants. The main reason for incomplete vaccination was the long time gap between the doses (40%), while the main reason for not getting vaccinated was lack of awareness about its need (28%). Our study identifies the gap areas in achieving the goal of 100% coverage of HBV vaccination among HCWs. We find that attitudinal changes and sustained awareness campaigns are input to achieving this goal even when employer-mandated supplies are available in the hospital. Maintenance of documentation of vaccination and estimation of anti-HBs titers are other deficient practices that need to be implemented in hospitals.