Awareness Of Health Care Workers Research Articles

AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE OF VIRAL HEPATITIS PREVENTION AND TRANSMISSION IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of healthcare workers about the prevention and transmission of hepatitis B virus. The study was conducted in Nishtar Medical Hospital, Multan, from January 2023 to September 2023 and included 300 healthcare workers, such as doctors and nurses. The participants were asked to fill out a 50-question questionnaire designed to test their knowledge about hepatitis B. The questionnaire was in English, but assistance was provided if needed. The questions were related to the virus, behaviors, and medical practices when treating infected patients, and it took an average of 30 minutes to complete. The results showed that 74% of the healthcare workers knew the consequences and possible complications of acquiring HBV infection. Between 69% and 80% of the respondents answered correctly about the transmission routes. However, only 24% of the HCWs knew the age distribution of the infections and that neonates were at the highest risk of developing it through mother-to-child transmission. Respondents answered wrongly about transmission through food and cutlery with the infected (69%), through sneezing and coughing (81%), prevention of infection by thorough cleaning (50%), and not sharing food and cutlery with the infected (55%). Only half of the workers knew about disposing of needles and syringes correctly. The average knowledge score was 24 ± 5 with a median score of 24 (10-33). Respondents performed the worst when answering questions about CHB monitoring and treatment. In conclusion, this study found that the awareness and knowledge about hepatitis B prevention and transmission among healthcare workers in Pakistan is poor. Therefore, it is recommended to make training programs mandatory for professionals to improve disease management.

Awareness of health care workers with appropriate infection control practices related to multi-patient use of Close Loop Medication Administration device

Portable computerized devices represent a potential source of healthcare infections. The objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers (HCWs) toward infection control practices used with Close Loop Medication Administration (CLMA) devices. Additionally, to quantify the impact of education and training on the bacterial burden on CLMA devices. The study design consisted of two steps: a cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A 32-item questionnaire was used to assess KAP information. The second step was environmental samples collected from the surfaces of CLMA devices before and after implementing a multifaceted intervention. A total of 325 HCWs were included in the study. The mean age was 32.6±7.4 years. The majority were females (92%) and nurses (91.3%). The overall KAP score was 74.8%, 74.2% adequate knowledge, 79.3% positive attitude, and 71.3% appropriate practices. KAP score was better (≥ median KAP score) among HCWs working in laboratory and organ transplant units (P<0.001). It was also better among those with a longer duration of work experience (P<0.001) and those who received related training (P<0.001). Approximately 75% of HCWs expressed their need for more information about CLMA. Post-interventional samples had much lower bacterial burden, with the positive rate reduced from 51.4% before intervention to 16.8% after intervention (P<0.001). Awareness and behavior of HCWs about appropriate infection control practices related to portable devices is still inadequate. A multifaceted intervention including education and training significantly reduces the bioburden on portable devices.

Evaluating Gamification of Antimicrobial Resistance as an Educational Tool: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to global healthcare, and inadequate education has been identified as a major challenge by the World Health Organization. Gamification has emerged as an innovative tool to improve knowledge and change behaviours at the grassroots level. This scoping review provides an overview of existing games in prescribers’ education across the One Health sectors, with a particular focus on the impact of gamification in learning. Methods Using the PRISMA guidelines, we searched Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for articles related to gamification for future prescribers’ of AMR until March 28, 2023. Retrieval and screening of articles was done using a structured search protocol with strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results A total of 120 articles were retrieved, of which 6 articles met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. Brazil, UK and France were the sites of almost all the gamification trials, with an additional global study incorporating low-middle income countries. All studies were tested in the human healthcare sector only. Board and card games were the most common types of games, with scoring and point systems as the most common game elements. All games focused on improving knowledge and prescribing behaviours of undergraduate students, with bacteria or antibiotics being the only content. Many studies highlight the significant role gamification can play in mitigating AMR, promoting antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), and improving retention of information compared to conventional lectures. Conclusions Our review highlights a lack of standardised content and gameplay across games addressing AMR for future prescribers of antibiotics, and a gap in assessing gamification of AMR as a tool to promote AMS across all three sectors. Our findings will guide the development of a game in the next phase of the project, as a longitudinal study across Norway and Zambia, focused on the One Health approach. Key messages • Tackling AMR requires improved education and awareness of healthcare workers, veterinarians, and agriculture workers around AMR stewardship issues. • The One Health approach is necessary to mitigate AMR, and the foundation of future prescribers’ is vital. Innovative learning tools like gamification can play a pivotal role in this fight.

Evaluation of Awareness and Attitude of Telemedicine among Primary Healthcare Workers in Deprived Area Health Centers.

Telemedicine has the potential to make healthcare more efficient, organized, and available and is a more beneficial technology that can ease preventive treatment and improve long-term health management. This is especially essential for those who face financial or regional reasons to get quality treatment. Telemedicine in Iran is a new medical field and a noble way to access medical facilities for populations living in deprived areas, and the primary healthcare workers in these deprived medical centers are the implementers of telemedicine in those areas; we aimed to investigate the awareness and attitude towards telemedicine among all the healthcare workers in these centers. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study at the Health Centers of Raz County in North Khorasan Province, Iran, and 149 healthcare workers were included. For collecting information, we used a questionnaire that consisted of two parts. The first part contains the demographic data of health care workers, and the second part includes the 5-point Likert scale questionnaire (questions on telemedicine awareness, attitude, and self-report readiness). Most participants (51%) were male, and 69.8% were married. The most frequent sources of information about telemedicine are colleagues (40.3%), continuing education (24.7%), and social media and the internet (10.1%). Awareness did not significantly relate to gender, age, marital status, or work experience, but awareness of physicians and midwives is higher than other groups (p < 0.05). The awareness of healthcare workers using continuing education, articles, workshops, or conferences was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The attitude scores for most questions are above 3.4 and reflect a positive attitude about telemedicine. Attitudes did not show a significant relation to gender, age, marital status, or work experience. Using telemedicine in developing countries, rural or urban areas have a high potential to improve epidemiological investigations, disease control, and clinical case management. Providing healthcare professionals with more information about new technologies in healthcare, such as telemedicine, can help get a more realistic picture of their perceptions.

Evaluating the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare workers regarding high-risk nosocomial infections: A global cross-sectional study.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a vital role in delivering care and are frequently exposed to the risk of acquiring infections within the hospital setting. Around 15% of hospitalized patients suffer from these infections globally. However, the role and awareness of HCWs in the transmission of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) toward high-risk microbial infections among HCWs on a global scale to identify measures to address this problem. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between 2022 and 2023, with HCWs selected as the study population. Data concerning KAP were collected through a self-administered online survey questionnaire, using a nonprobability convenience sampling method. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. A total of 743 HCWs from various countries participated in the study, with the majority of respondents being doctors (64.9%). Data were mainly obtained from Saudi Arabia (26.78%), Iraq (25.84%), India (15.7%), the United States of America (15.2%), and Africa (Sudan, Nigeria) (13.98%). The frequency of good KAP scores among physicians (KAP: 82.5, 80.66, and 70.5), nurses (KAP: 74.1, 73.07, and 88.7), medical practitioners (KAP: 87.2, 77.58, and 75.1), and technicians (KAP: 76.1, 74.38, and 89.6) were obtained as mentioned. With respect to experience, HCWs showed good KAP scores in 1-5 years (KAP: 82.4, 83.3, and 74.1), 5-10 years (KAP: 80.6, 74.54, 83), 10-20 years (KAP: 74.7, 79.1, and 82.7), and >20 years (KAP: 84.6, 78.8, and 82.8) categories. This study suggests that HCWs have good KAP regarding infection prevention, but there is still room for improvement. Educational seminars and awareness programs can provide better adherence to barrier protection measures such as hand washing, use of gloves, and hand disinfection.

Commitment of health workers and various population groups to vaccination

Introduction. The relatively stable incidence of most controlled infections shifts the focus of public attention from the need for vaccination to the likelihood of post-vaccination complications.&#x0D; Aim. To examine the adherence of various population groups and health workers to vaccine prophylaxis and analyze the reasons for anti-vaccination scepticism.&#x0D; Materials and methods. A survey was conducted on the attitudes towards vaccination among one thousand nine hundred thirty nine respondents including 485 doctors of various specialties (163 pediatricians, 86 surgeons, 85 obstetricians-gynecologists, 76 neurologists, 75 neonatologists), 117 nurses, 295 parents, 1042 students. The significance of differences was assessed using Student’s t-test.&#x0D; Results. An insufficient level of adherence to vaccine prophylaxis has been established: 43.1% of parents vaccinate their children selectively, 35.4% according to the national calendar, 17.1% refuse categorically, and 4.4% have a medical refusal. The main reason for refusal is fear of complications (30%). Less than half receive information from health workers (45.6%), the main source being the media (49.1%). Among health workers, adherence to vaccine prophylaxis is highest among pediatricians (86.1%), significantly lower among neurologists (35.6%), surgeons (43.7%), obstetricians-gynecologists (62.6%), nurses (79.5%). The main reason for distrust of vaccination is fear of post-vaccination complications, narrow specialists more often choose the answer “better to get sick”. Among medical university students there is a significantly higher adherence among senior students in paediatrics (63.6%) compared to students in undergraduate (40.8%) and medical school (48.8%). However, 5% of those surveyed do not plan to vaccinate their children in the future. Polytechnic students have a more negative attitude towards vaccination accounted for only 36.4% vaccinated according to the National Calendar and 30% do not plan to vaccinate their children in the future.&#x0D; Conclusion. There is a clear need for additional training programs on vaccination to raise the awareness of health care workers on this issue, which will provide a strong rationale for the importance of immunization to patients and their parents.

An Examination of Health Care Workers’ Education and Training on Their Basic Knowledge, Clinical Preparedness, and Attitudinal Awareness About LGBT Patients

ABSTRACT LGBT individuals experience discrimination in health care settings and report difficulty accessing clinically competent healthcare. This study examined the self-assessed knowledge, clinical preparedness, LGBT health focused education received and attitudinal awareness of health care workers (HCW) (n = 215) toward LGBT patients at an urban hospital in New York City. HCW completed a one-time survey, that included the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Development of Clinical Skills Scale. Forty percent of HCW treated LGB patients and 30% treated transgender patients, 11% and 18% reported they were unaware if their patients were LGB or transgender. Seventy-four percent of HCW received less than two hours of formal education in LGBT health. A slight majority of HCW (51%) reported not receiving adequate clinical training to work with transgender clients. Forty-six percent of HCW reported not receiving adequate clinical training to work with LGB clients. A significant difference in LGBT health knowledge, clinical preparedness, and attitudinal awareness was found by LGBT health education received. HCW that reported more LGBT focused health education reported higher basic LGBT health knowledge, felt more clinically prepared, and reported affirming attitudes regarding LGBT patients. This research suggests that more LGBT health focused education of HCW is needed.

Effect of Polypharmacy on Adverse Drug Reaction Among Geriatric Patients at Tertiary Care Hospital

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy and Drug -related problems (DRPs) have been shown to prevail in hospitalized patients. We evaluated the prevalence of polypharmacy and investigated relationship between polypharmacy and adverse drug reaction occur with it. The present study was designed to identify the adverse drug reactions occur due to polypharmacy. METHODOLOGY: This observational study was conducted for 6 months in the various department of a tertiary care Super speciality Hospital at Malabar region of Kerala. The patients were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: A total of 60 geriatric inpatients were selected, of which approximately 60% were male. About 38% of population had co-morbidities (1-4) lead to more number of prescribed medications. More number of patients were admitted in general medicine department (43%) and secondly in neurological department (26%) followed by gastroenterology (15%) and general surgeon (5%). From the selected population, 30%of people occurred with adverse drug reactions. Among them 94.4% were assessed as possible cases by Naranjo’s algorithm scale CONCLUSION: Polypharmacy among geriatric patients is mainly due to the co-morbidities. This study concluded that polypharmacy among geriatric patients were high and a part of them (30%) were occurred with adverse drug reactions. Efforts should be made to improve appropriate medication and quality of life of geriatrics. Educational programmes need to be implemented and can improve the awareness of health care workers. Pharmacists also have a key role in improving appropriate use of medications. Keywords: Polypharmacy, geriatric, concomitant, drug interaction, Naranjo’s algorithm

SG-APSIC1201: Knowledge and awareness of healthcare workers in a residential care home regarding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study

Background: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of April 9, 2022, there had been 494,587,638 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6,170,283 deaths reported worldwide. In Hong Kong, in recent outbreak, ~55% of confirmed cases were residential care home (RCH) residents and &gt;800 staff were infected. In 2016, ~15% of people aged ≥80 years were living in residential care homes. Objectives: To assess healthcare worker (HCW) knowledge level and attitudes about PPE use in residential care homes. Methods: This cross-sectional study, included participants who worked in the residential care homes, registered as healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs who were part-time staff or worked &lt;3 months in the residential care home were excluded. Ethical review approval from the faculty research committee of the university was obtained in January 2022. The Knowledge, Attitude, Practical (KAP) questionnaire was adapted. The questionnaire has 33 items pertaining to knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PPE. Results: In total, 50 questionnaires were received; 32 respondents (64%) were female and 18 (36%) were male. Nearly half of the participants had completed a high diploma course, and 32% had graduated from secondary school. Using ANOVA, there were no significant differences of education level of participants or participant knowledge level of PPE [F(2,47) = .181; P = .835], attitudes [F(2,47) = 1.995; P = .147] and practice [F(2,47) = .459; P = .635]. The Pearson correlation was used to measure the relationship between knowledge level and PPE practices. Our results indicated a significant difference and moderate correlation between knowledge level and PPE practice among HCWs. Conclusions: Knowledge level does not directly affect HCW practice regarding PPE. PPE practice skills have been influenced by various factors during the pandemic situation, such as availability of PPE, manpower, workload, and communication.

Increasing influenza vaccination rates among healthcare workers by focusing on workplace and patient safety

Context: In 2014, the influenza vaccine uptake in Europe was below 35% among healthcare workers (HCWs). Due to a lack of confidence in vaccination as a result of safety concerns, HCWs increasingly do not take the influenza vaccine. Consequently, there is a rising influenza burden which results in increasing mortality of vulnerable patients and absenteeism in hospitals. This policy brief aims to increase the awareness of HCWs regarding the importance of influenza vaccination uptake, which may result in improved patient and workplace safety. Policy Options: To increase vaccination coverage and reduce vaccine hesitancy among HCWs, a change in attitude towards and knowledge about the influenza vaccine is needed. Two potential approaches are presented in this paper. Firstly, a mandatory vaccination policy is discussed. Practical and ethical challenges of implementing a mandatory vaccination policy are considered. Secondly, information campaigns are described, consisting of three pillars: safety, information, and knowledge. Recommendations: It is recommended to initiate information campaigns focussing on patient safety. Furthermore, a structural approach to increase access to vaccination at the workplace must be taken. Higher vaccination rates of HCWs lead to an improved workplace safety. The recommended information campaign can also be used for other vaccine preventable diseases or in other situations, such as HCWs vaccine hesitancy regarding COVID-19 vaccines. Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic regarding acceptance of vaccines should be considered for the improvement of future influenza vaccine uptake. Acknowledgments: We would like to thank Kasia Czabanowska for the opportunity to develop this policy brief and Timo Clemens for his guidance and extensive feedback during the writing process

Awareness of Health care workers regarding Mucormycosis /Black fungus associated with global COVID - 19 pandemic in Rajasthan population – A Cross – sectional survey

IntroductionTogether with the ongoing serious Covid-19 second wave in India, a serious fungal infection,mucormycosis has been increasingly found in Covid-19 recovered patients. Current trendsindicate that the surge is higher in patient with co-morbidities. Health care facilities need tostrengthen their infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes to prevent healthcare-associated outbreaks.Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of health-care workers in Rajasthan toassess their awareness of Mucormycosis as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, aswell as to learn about the possible link between invasive fungal sinusitis (mucormycosis) andcoronavirus disease, as well as how to prevent and manage it.MethodologyA web based cross–sectional study was conducted using convenience sampling. A self-administered anonymous questionnaire was designed in English and sent to the studyparticipants via link of Google form through social media platforms and email. Total of 378HCPs responded to survey.ResultsOut of 378 HCPs, majority of them were female (68.8%) with age &amp;lt;30 years (73.3%) and ofthese respondents most were dentists (82.2%).In assessing awareness of mucormycosis, 66.7%of HCPs believed the cause of the highprevalence of mucormycosis during COVID-19 was due to the higher prevalence of diabetes,indiscriminate use of steroids, immunocompromised patients with co-morbidities, usage ofunhygienic humidifiers &amp;amp; o2 lines and tubes. 57.9% of HCPs surveyed agreed that carefuland supervised use of systemic steroids should be consistent with current practice and 62.2%of HCPs agree that we need dynamic surveillance and control of diabetes mellitus or pre-diabetes in our population.&#x0D; ConclusionFirst case of Covid-19-related Mucormycosis has now been found in Chile. Thus, it isimportant to recognise this infection at an early stage, so as to potentially reduce soft andhard tissue necrosis and severe complications and alert colleagues of this life-threateninginfection.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Health Care Workers in Management of Bio-Medical Waste – A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Management of Bio-Medical Waste involves a great concern. Therefore, awareness of Health-Care Workers (HCWs) becomes very important as improper management leads to injuries and the spread of infection to the staff, patients, and environment. The objective is to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) among Health Care Professionals regarding Bio-Medical Waste Management (BMWM). Method: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs at GMC Jammu, India. Study participants were divided into III groups (Group I- 32 Doctors, group II- 48 Paramedical staff including nurses &amp; laboratory technicians, and group III- 20 sanitary workers). Data was collected using a pre-designed questionnaire regarding BMWM and scored as good, average, and poor. Results: In our study, knowledge regarding symbols of BMWM and awareness regarding categories and segregation of BMW was good in I and II groups but averaged in group III. None in group III has attended CME regarding BMWM in the past. In contrast, this percentage was 61% in group II and 31% in group I. Regarding the capping and destroying of needles, 88% of Paramedics were doing it correctly. None of the class IV employees received the booster dose of HBV vaccination. Conclusion: Knowledge regarding BMWM was average in Group I and Group II, whereas Group III had the slightest knowledge. Attitude regarding the BMW was good in the case of groups I and II, Whereas Group III scored average. Practices were scored average in Group I, good in Group II, and poor in group III.

Healthcare workers awareness and perception to COVID-19 measures and their attitude toward the vaccine rollout: A Saudi Arabian experience

Healthcare workers awareness and perception to COVID-19 measures and their attitude toward the vaccine rollout: A Saudi Arabian experience

It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway: a worldwide cross-sectional survey

BackgroundThe objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants’ perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness.MethodsA cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team. The survey was open from May 22, 2021, and June 22, 2021. Three reminders were sent, after 7, 14, and 21 days.ResultsThree hundred four respondents from 72 countries returned a questionnaire, with an overall response rate of 21.2%. Respectively, 90.4% and 68.8% of participants stated their hospital had a multidisciplinary IPC team or a multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship team. Local protocols for antimicrobial therapy of surgical infections and protocols for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis were present in 76.6% and 90.8% of hospitals, respectively. In 23.4% and 24.0% of hospitals no surveillance systems for surgical site infections and no monitoring systems of used antimicrobials were implemented. Patient and family involvement in IPC management was considered to be slightly or not important in their hospital by the majority of respondents (65.1%). Awareness of the global burden of AMR among HCWs was considered very important or important by 54.6% of participants. The COVID-19 pandemic was considered by 80.3% of respondents as a very important or important factor in raising HCWs awareness of the IPC programs in their hospital. Based on the survey results, the authors developed 15 statements for several questions regarding the prevention and management of infections in surgery. The statements may be the starting point for designing future evidence-based recommendations.ConclusionAdequacy of prevention and management of infections in acute care facilities depends on HCWs behaviours and on the organizational characteristics of acute health care facilities to support best practices and promote behavioural change. Patient involvement in the implementation of IPC is still little considered. A debate on how operationalising a fundamental change to IPC, from being solely the HCWs responsibility to one that involves a collaborative relationship between HCWs and patients, should be opened.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices on childhood TB among healthcare workers.

SUMMARYBACKGROUND :Increasing childhood TB case detection requires the deployment of diagnostic services at peripheral healthcare level. Capacity and readiness of healthcare workers (HCWs) are key to the delivery of innovative approaches.METHODS :In 2019, HCWs from five district hospitals (DHs) and 20 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Uganda completed a self-administered knowledge-attitudes-practices (KAP) questionnaire on childhood TB. We computed knowledge and attitudes as scores and identified HCW characteristics associated with knowledge scores using linear regression.RESULT:Of 636 eligible HCWs, 497 (78%) participated. Median knowledge scores per country ranged between 7.4 and 12.1 (/18). Median attitude scores ranged between 2.8 and 3.3 (/4). Between 13.3% and 34.4% of HCWs reported diagnosing childhood with (presumptive) TB few times a week. Practising at PHC level, being female, being involved in indirect TB care, having a non-permanent position, having no previous research experience and working in Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone as compared to Uganda were associated with a lower knowledge score.CONCLUSION :HCWs had overall limited knowledge, favourable attitudes and little practice of childhood TB diagnosis. Increasing HCW awareness, capacity and skills, and improving access to effective diagnosis are urgently needed.

Pain management policy formulation at a tertiary care teaching institute in India: A prospective observational study.

Access to pain management has been recognized as a fundamental human right. Inadequate pain relief hampers the quality of life and has a physiological and psychosocial impact on the patient and caregivers. Inadequate pain relief remains the leading cause of suffering in hospitalized patients worldwide. The objective of this article is to provide adequate pain relief to hospitalized patients through proper assessment, treatment, and monitoring of pain by the trained health-care workers through a sustainable and effective institutional pain management policy. The formulation of pain management policy at a tertiary care teaching institute was conducted in three phases - Phase 1: need assessment by an open-label, uncontrolled, prospective observational study over 1 month period, Phase 2: teaching, training, and awareness of health-care workers, and Phase 3: constitution of the committee at the institute level with the formation of pain resource teams. An open-label, prospective observational study conducted over 1 month revealed that among 814 hospitalized patients, 108 out of 235 (46%) patients in medical and 385 out of 579 (66.5%) patients in the surgical cohort had NRS score of ≥3, implying an inadequate pain relief even at 24 h following medical or surgical intervention, respectively. The provision of effective and adequate pain relief to hospitalized patients requires trained health-care workers and a uniform and structured pain management policy at the institutional level. Recognition and addressal of the barriers and challenges while framing an institutional pain policy is of utmost importance.

Úroveň vedomostí zdravotníkov o možnostiach poskytovania pomoci obetiam domáceho násilia

Aim: The aim of the study was to find out the awareness of healthcare workers about domestic violence and possibilities of help for domestic violence victims. Material and Methods: The method of data collection was anonymous non-standardized questionnaire of own construction. Its distribution was carried out electronically using snowball method and through the social network, in cooperation with administrators of the groups connecting professional healthcare workers, with emphasis on nurses’ community. The data collection took place in August 2022. The data analysis was carried out through the domain for electronic questionnaires construction survio.com. The study results are presented in contingency charts displaying values of absolute frequency (n) and relative frequency (%). The study involved 83 respondents, with most representation of nurses (86,7 %). Results: The results showed relatively good awareness of available possibilities of assistance to domestic violence victims. The existence of free-of-charge Infoline was known to 73,5 % of the questioned, and 72,3 % of the respondents were aware of the mail and mobile application for assistance to children. About the possibility to address non-governmental organizations were informed 92,8 % of the questioned. They were the least informed about the fact that the obligation to announce the domestic violence is implied by the law. This unawareness was presented by 28,9 % of the respondents. Summary: The contact with healthcare workers when providing nursing care to domestic violence victims is an essential part of solving the problem of a violated victim. Only erudite personnel are able to both inform a victim about the current options of help and provide the particular solutions for handling the difficult situation, with emphasis on the security of all the involved.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Childhood Tuberculosis Screening and Management among Healthcare Providers in Al-Medinah Al-Munawara, Saudi Arabia

Among infectious illnesses, tuberculosis (TB) has the highest fatality rate. The likelihood of infection spreading from patients to healthcare providers is two times higher than in the general population. The primary risk factor for contracting TB is close proximity to an infected individual prior to diagnosis. The research assessed health workers’ knowledge, attitude, and practice of TB infection control in Saudi Arabia. The study used a cross-sectional approach based on an online survey. The research was carried out throughout the months of May to July 2022 in Al Madinah Al-Munawara. The questionnaire included demographic’s and work variables, knowledge regarding pediatric TB etiology, transmission, symptoms, lymph node characteristics, and diagnostic criteria. Also, the participants’ perspectives and practice patterns on contact investigation, TB diagnostic tools, laboratory services, presumptive TB diagnostic referrals, and TB treatment were evaluated. The study included 558 healthcare workers (HCWs) from various specialists. HCWs exhibited sound knowledge, and positive attitudes in comparison to those with minimal experience in diagnosing TB in children TB as 31.2% had excellent knowledge, 22.6% good, 18.5% mediocre, and 27.8% bad. The majority of responders (49.1%) had a positive attitude, while only 33.2% had correct and full practice routines. Immediate action is required to increase HCW awareness, capacity, and skills to ensure an accurate diagnosis. In the identification of TB cases, certain crucial information gaps were discovered. This study also highlights the significance of clinical experience and frequent interactions with tuberculosis patients in clinical practice as a pathway to competency-based learning by practice. Keywords: healthcare workers, knowledge, tuberculosis, diagnosis, practice, KSA.

Are patients with obesity "scapegoats"? The obesity prejudice levels of health care workers in Turkey.

This study assessed obesity prejudice levels, attitudes, and perceptions of health care workers toward individuals with obesity and the relationship between health care workers' perceptions of own and society's weight bias, healthy lifestyle preferences, body mass index, and other factors with obesity prejudice levels. This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted with 700 health care workers in Turkey via an online survey addressing characteristics, perceptions, and attitudes toward obesity including an obesity prejudice scale. Categorical variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. The χ² test was applied to compare categorical variables. The distribution of the data was evaluated by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Normally distributed data were compared by an independent sample t-test, while the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparing non-normally distributed data. Participants' mean age was 40.2±11.3 years and 67.9% were women. Notably, 57.9% worked at tertiary health care centers, 85.9% were physicians, and 64.8% were family physicians; 25% were prejudicial, while 58.1% tended to have prejudice toward individuals with obesity. Obesity prejudice scores were significantly higher among those who were in close contact with and who stated their preference for patients with obesity. Half of the participants tended to have prejudice, and one-fourth were prejudicial toward individuals with obesity. These results highlight the necessity of raising awareness of health care workers to reduce prejudicial attitudes that may negatively impact patients with obesity. Stigmatizing experiences might be detrimental, reducing the quality of life with long-term consequences for emotional and physical health.

To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices in biomedical waste management among health care workers in dedicated COVID hospital in Bangalore

BackgroundIn this pandemic of COVID-19, the highest amount of infective material, biomedical waste is generated in hospitals and it is frequently handled by the healthcare workers irrespective of cadres. Hence the awareness of healthcare workers in regards with biomedical waste (BMW) management is crucial in this pandemic. This study is therefore conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices in BMW management among health care workers in our institution.ResultsA total of 280 subjects consisting of doctors, nursing staff and group D workers were included in the study after obtaining informed consent. The knowledge among healthcare workers was satisfactory, but comparatively group D workers were lagging behind. Overall they all have a good attitude towards BMW management but practices on BMW management needs improvement mostly among group D workers.ConclusionsThere have to be regular training programmes on biomedical waste management and its hazards for all the healthcare workers including group D workers. Along with educational intervention, strict implementation of biomedical waste management guidelines with its monitoring at all levels is also very much essential.