Knowledge towards Zika among medical students, interns and general practitioners in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study in Aceh

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge towards Zika among medical students, medical interns and general practitioners (GPs) in Indonesia. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Aceh province of Indonesia in 2016. A set of validated questionnaire, consisting 24 questions, was used to assess the knowledge. Logistic regression was used to estimate the differences in knowledge between groups. ResultsA total of 1031 participants were included in the final analysis in which most of them were medical student (39.7%), followed by GPs (37.7%) and medical intern (22.6%). Approximately 17%, 19%, and 64% of the medical students, interns and GPs had good knowledge, respectively. The knowledge level of medical student and medical interns was roughly equivalent. Medical students and medical interns had significantly lower odds of having a good knowledge compared to GPs, OR: 0.12 (95%CI: 0.08–0.16) and OR: 0.13 (95%CI: 0.09–0.20), respectively. ConclusionGeneral practitioners have greater knowledge of Zika than medical students or interns, possibly as a result of clinical experiences or exposure to learning. Inclusion of Zika learning materials in the national medical curriculum could improve knowledge of Zika and the ability of the health care workforce to respond to future outbreaks.