Abstract
Malaria is a potential medical emergency and should be treated immediately because delays in diagnosis and treatment are the leading causes of death in many countries. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria diagnosis for early detection among healthcare workers in the laboratories of hospitals in Thailand. The design of the study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between January 2016 and March 2017 at 11 hospitals in Thailand. The interviewees included any scientists who were currently working in a medical laboratory. Mean scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice for each healthcare group were calculated and compared between groups. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS version 11.5 software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Among a total of 118 healthcare workers, most of the healthcare workers had fair to good knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria detection. Among the various positions of healthcare workers, medical technologists possessed a greater knowledge on malaria detection than medical technician assistants or laboratory assistants (X2 = 9.822, d.f. = 2, and P value=0.007). This study infers that knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria detection among healthcare workers in laboratories were adequate. However, some points of knowledge and practice must be updated. There is a very urgent need to update knowledge on malaria, especially about the number of Plasmodium species causing relapse in malaria patients. In addition, there is an urgent need to update the practice related to malaria detection, especially about the staining process for early detection of malaria.
Highlights
In the year 2015, there were 212 million new cases of malaria worldwide [1]
The precise diagnosis of malaria is directly related to the level of awareness in regard to knowledge, attitude, and practice related to malaria detection among healthcare workers working in the laboratories of hospitals
This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to malaria detection among healthcare workers, including medical technologists, medical technician assistants, and laboratory assistants
Summary
The WHO reported that the African region accounted for the most global cases of malaria at 90%, followed by the Southeast Asian region at 7% and the Eastern Mediterranean region at 2%. There was an estimate of 429,000 malaria deaths. Most of these deaths occurred in the African region (92%), followed by the Southeast Asian region (6%) and the Eastern Mediterranean region (2%) [1]. In Thailand, the predominant cause of malaria illness is infection with Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax ratio 1:1 [1]. The principle strategy consists of the following: accelerate detection using combinations of interventions tailored to local contexts; improve detection of malaria cases and entomological surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation; and provide equity in accessing medical services [2]. In Thailand, malaria diagnosis services in the public sector are available free of charge
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
