Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Prevention of Tuberculosis amongst Healthcare Workers in Dr. Lawrence Henshaw’s Memorial Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State

Abstract

Despite the availability of tuberculosis (TB) infection control guidelines, research evidence suggests that its implementation seems to be inadequate in many settings including healthcare facilities. This is particularly due to inadequate knowledge and inappropriate attitude of healthcare workers towards TB prevention and control. This study was conducted as an attempt to investigate knowledge, attitude and practice towards prevention of TB among healthcare workers in Dr. Lawrence Henshaw’s Memorial Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State. Three (3) research questions were raised and two (2) hypotheses formulated to direct the course of this study. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was used to study a total of 87 healthcare workers selected from the Healthcare Facility using stratified random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was validated and reliable questionnaire constructed in consonance with the objectives of the study. Data collected were described using frequency counts, simple percentage, mean, and standard deviation, while the study hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient significant at p<0.05. Results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents had adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and fairly good practice towards prevention of TB infection. There is a statistically significant and positive relationship between knowledge of TB, attitude towards prevention of TB; and practice towards prevention of TB among healthcare workers in Dr. Lawrence Henshaw’s Memorial Hospital, Calabar (p<0.05). It was therefore recommended that healthcare workers should be trained and re-trained through prompt participation in seminars, workshops, and conferences on TB infection prevention and control as an avenue to improve their knowledge and promote practice towards prevention and control of TB in the Hospital.