Knowledge Of Health Care Workers Research Articles

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.

Knowledge and perception of healthcare workers towards the adoption of artificial intelligence in healthcare service delivery in Nigeria

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is seen as the machine that replaces human labour to work for men with a more effective and speedier result. There is a paucity of data on the knowledge and perception of healthcare workers regarding AI technology. This study aims to assess the knowledge and perception of healthcare workers towards the application of AI in healthcare services in Nigeria. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey designed was used to achieve the aim of this study. Both electronic (Google form) and hardcopy version of the questionnaire were distributed to healthcare workers in Nigeria and their responses were retrieved and statistically analyzed. Results: Out of 263 respondents, most 51.3% (n=135) were females. Greater percentage 25.5% (n=67) of the respondents were radiographers, followed by medical consultants 14.8% (n=39) and the least 1.5 %(n=4) were pharmacists. Greater proportion 61 %(n=160) of the respondents has the opinion that AI can be incorporated into all medical specialties. Out of 263 respondents, 51.7% (n=136) had good knowledge of AI and the least 6.4% (n=16) had very poor knowledge of AI. Greater proportion 78.7% (n=207) of the respondents, agreed that AI can help to reduce the number of medical errors. Majority 29.3% (n=77) of the respondents agreed that human specialists will be replaced by AI in the near future. A large proportion 40.3% (n=106) of the respondents agreed that some employers may prefer AI to human specialists because AI has no emotional exhaustion or physical limitation. Conclusion: The respondents in this study showed good knowledge of both the medical areas of applications of AI as well as the benefits of AI application in healthcare services. However, most of the respondents were afraid that their jobs would be taken over by AI in the near future

Assessing the Knowledge, Practice, and Attitudes of Healthcare Workers on E-Health Systems in Oshakati District, Namibia

The study aimed to assess healthcare workers’ knowledge, practice, and attitudes on e-Health systems in Oshakati district. There were 56 healthcare workers from different health facilities (Ekamba clinic, Ongwediva Health Center, Eluwa clinic, Oshakati state hospital - PHC) Oshakati district. The educational backgrounds of many healthcare workers regarding electronic health are little in many developing countries. Many healthcare professionals in the health industry find it difficult to use and it takes time for them to adapt to the e-health systems and thus contributing to ignorance behaviors, which leads to digitized data discrepancy. e-Health in developing countries are challenging, as there are no sufficient funds to keep such developments (e-Health systems) running and active all the time. Conclusively Limited power and internet connectivity is accessible in developing countries’ rural areas. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, practice, and attitudes of healthcare workers on e-Health systems. The study design for this study was a cross-sectional study design that falls under descriptive studies. The sample size consisted of 56 respondents from 5 different health facilities in Oshakati district. A simple random sampling method was used, and quantitative method which is a self-administered questionnaire was used as a data collection tool.

Global knowledge and attitudes towards mpox (monkeypox) among healthcare workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The recent increase in human mpox (monkeypox) cases emphasizes the importance of early detection, prompt response and preventive management to control the spread of the disease. Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a crucial role in this process. This study aimed to determine the global knowledge and attitudes towards mpox among HCWs. This study searched multiple databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, Science Direct, Web of Science, Embase, Springer and ProQuest, to locate various publications. The search was limited to English-language articles published between May 2022 (when the increase in mpox incidence was reported) and August 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) quality checklist was utilized to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Data were obtained using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and subsequently scrutinized through STATA software, version 14. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the inverse variance and Cochran Q statistics based on the I2 test statistics. The Dersimonian and Liard random effects models were used where heterogeneity existed. Subgroup analysis and univariate and multivariable metaregression techniques were used to examine the causes of heterogeneity. A total of 22 studies, including 22 studies for knowledge (27731 HCWs) and 6 studies for attitudes (14388 HCWs), were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimates for good knowledge and positive attitudes among HCWs were 26.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 17.8 to 34.2) and 34.6% (95% CI 19.0 to 50.2), respectively. Moreover, the knowledge was 34.8% (95% CI 24.1 to 45.6) among HCWs with <5y of work experience and 41.6% (95% CI 33.1 to 50) among individuals possessing >5y of professional background. Good knowledge of HCWs is at a low level. It is suggested that training sessions should be tailored towards younger HCWs with less healthcare experience. Additionally, it is essential to identify strategies on how to improve the knowledge and attitudes for better practice about the disease in HCWs worldwide.

Comparative Studies on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Health Workers towards Medical Waste Management in Two Developed Regions of the World

Background: Worldwide, healthcare waste still remains a challenge to public health and potential source of hazard to biosphere. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of healthcare workers towards healthcare waste management was carried out in Sweden and Hungary for comparative analysis.&#x0D; Methods: Data was collected using a pretested questionnaire and analyzed using spss version 20.0. Total Sample size of 210 was used for the study; comprising of 105 from each area.&#x0D; Results: In Hungary, 11(10.5%) were male while 94(89.5%) were female. While Sweden comprised of 28(26.7%) male and 77(73.3%) female. In Sweden frequencies of 5.7%, 56.2%, 22.9%, 3.8%, 6.7% and 4.8% were recorded for age groups of &lt;20 years, 20-30years, 31-40years, 41-50years,51-60years and ≥61years respectively. While amongst the Hungarian respondents, the respective age groups yielded frequencies of 1.0%, 18.1%, 21.0%, 36.2%, 17.1% and 6.7% respectively(p&lt;0.05).More Doctors(63.8%) and Nurses(63.8%) in Hungary participated in the study than in Sweden(Doctors=15.2%;.Nurses=15.2%). The proportion of medical students was highest (32.4%) in Sweden than in Hungary (7.6%). According to educational qualifications, respondents with Bachelors degree occurred most in equal proportion (50.5%) in the two study areas. While those with doctorate degree recorded highest frequency of 11.4% in Sweden and least (1.0)% in Hungary. Respondents with masters degree occurred with frequencies of 27.6% and 21.0% in Hungary Sweden respectively. Result of respondents’ knowledge on healthcare waste shows that in Hungary, 81% of the respondents affirmed they are aware of waste management guidelines used in their hospital while in Sweden the proportion was 51.4%. Conversely, 19.0% of respondents from Hungary said they are not aware while in Sweden it was 26.7% and the remaining proportion (21.9%) said they don’t have idea. Where waste disposal guidelines exist, only 43.8% of Swedish respondents said they are aware of the contents while in Hungary, the proportion is high (81.0%). Those that responded “no” to the question;-meaning they are not aware of such guidelines occurred most (37.1%) in Sweden than in hungary(11.4%), though the proportion that said they don’t have idea is low in Hungary(7.6%) than in Sweden(19.0%) (P&lt;0.05).Also from the result, few proportion (19.0% in Hungary; 24.8% in Sweden) of the respondents believed that disposal of hazardous waste is extra burden to them. While most of the respondents (76.2% in Hungary; 48.6% in Sweden) said “no” to the question;- meaning that disposal of hazardous waste is not extra burden to them. More (68.6%) of the respondents from Hungary said they have been educated/trained on waste handling than the Swedish respondents where 54.3% had education/training on waste handling. The proportion that was not trained was high in Sweden (41.9%) than Hungary (31.4%). However, knowledge and attitude on healthcare waste management yielded high percentage rating scores for Hungarian respondents than those of Sweden. On the contrary, Swedish respondents demonstrated more practice than Hungarian counterparts in the area of HBV vaccination (Sweden=90.5%; Hungary=6.7%), use of personal protective equipment (Sweden=93.3%; Hungary=91.4%), change of personal protective equipment (Sweden=52.4%; Hungary=19.0%).&#x0D; Conclusion: Good knowledge and attitude was noted in the two areas but more in Hungary while Practice was mostly demonstrated in Sweden. This stands as a useful tool to relevant stakeholders in health sectors in the two areas.

Knowledge and Perception of Healthcare Workers about Safe Water Supplies and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria at Primary Health Care Facilities in Gaza, Palestine

Background: While concerns about the spread of Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in HCF have long been identified, the links with environmental issues - such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) - are much less well understood. Indeed, misperceptions of links between WASH and AMR are identified as one of the hindrances of infection control programs. This study assessed the gap in knowledge in healthcare facilities (HCFs), by analyzing the perceptions of healthcare workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in governmental primary healthcare facilities in Gaza, Palestine between April and August 2022. Out of 1802 workers, 322 were randomly recruited to fill out a self-administer questionnaire. The workers were representing both genders (50.3% females) and aged between (19- 60 years). Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 23. Results: About half of the respondents (52.5%) did not know what the “WASH” term stands for, and nearly a quarter (22.7%) were unable to define AMR bacteria correctly. The perception of water safety was higher for domestic (66.1%) than for drinking water (54.7%) with a lower perception among females (p value=0.005) and medical staff (p value=0.000). At HCFs, only 40.7% of respondents had the perception that regular water safety monitoring occurs and 30.4% declared that water pollution was reported at their facilities. Only 20.0% of health workers think that they play a role in monitoring water safety and 24.8% think that they play a role in preventing and controlling AMR bacteria. Conclusion: Hybrid educational and awareness programs about water safety and prevention of AMR bacteria need to be implemented within the context of the One Health approach. The investment in WASH infrastructure at HCFs requires parallel investment in capacity building and raising awareness of workers.

Implementation determinants and strategies in integration of PrEP into maternal and child health and family planning services: experiences of frontline healthcare workers in Kenya.

Delivery of PrEP to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and to pregnant women through maternal and child health (MCH) and family planning (FP) clinics is scaling up in Kenya. Evaluation of implementation challenges and strategies is critical to optimize delivery. We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with healthcare workers (HCWs) in MCH and FP clinics offering PrEP in a large implementation project in Kisumu, Kenya. Discussion guides were based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). FGDs were audio recorded and transcribed. Directed content analysis was used to identify implementation challenges and strategies to overcome them. Fifty HCWs from 26 facilities participated in 8 FGDs. HCWs believed PrEP integration was appropriate because it met the needs of AGYW and pregnant women by providing a female-controlled prevention strategy and aligned with policy priorities of elimination of vertical HIV transmission. They were universally accepting of PrEP provision, especially through MCH clinics, noting the relative advantage of this approach because it: (1) enabled high coverage, (2) harmonized PrEP and MCH visits, and (3) minimized stigma compared to PrEP offered through HIV care clinics. However, HCWs noted implementation challenges affecting feasibility and adoption including: (1) increased workload and documentation burden amid workforce shortages, (2) insufficient health care worker knowledge (3) multiple implementing partners with competing priorities (4) drug and documentation form stockouts. HCWs employed various implementation strategies to overcome challenges, including task shifting from nurses to HIV testing providers, patient flow modifications (e.g., fast-tracking PrEP clients to reduce wait times), PrEP demand generation and myth clarification during health talks, provider education, dedicated PrEP delivery rooms, and coordination with adolescent-friendly services. Additional suggested strategies to improve PrEP integration included community education to increase broader PrEP awareness and enable shorter counseling sessions, and task-shifting data entry and client risk assessments. HCWs were enthusiastic about the appropriateness and acceptability of integrating PrEP services into MCH and FP clinics but noted challenges to adoption and feasibility. Strategies to address challenges focused on improving provider time and space constraints, and increasing provider and client knowledge.

47 The knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers towards sexuality and sexual relationships in older persons

Abstract Background Sexuality is one of the activities of living, and a person’s sexual desire and actions can continue into old age. Even though it is a basic need for a person, organisations can often ignore this activity. Staff in the healthcare sector showed a lack of knowledge and negative attitudes towards sexuality in older persons. Older persons usually keep silent about it due to embarrassment, lack of knowledge and lack of communication. The negative attitude and lack of knowledge regarding sexuality reflects that the staff require education and other interventions to improve their knowledge and attitude towards aged sexuality. The purpose of this literature review is to identify staff knowledge and attitudes towards sexuality in older persons. Methods A literature search was conducted in the CINAHL, PubMed, Embase, Science Direct and MEDLINE databases, published from 2007. The number of articles was reduced to 10,123 when the search topic included knowledge and attitudes of staff about sexuality and sexual relationships in older persons. After screening of period, age limited, English language, title and abstract, the result was reduced to 22. Results The literature review found very insufficient studies about staff knowledge and attitudes about sexuality in older persons within the last 11 years and could not find any studies conducted in Ireland. The review appears to demonstrate that the knowledge of staff regarding sexuality and sexual relationships in older persons are inadequate. Most of the studies showed that the staff attitude towards aged sexuality remains negative. Conclusion It is evident that staff’s positive attitude will resolve one of the leading barriers to expressing sexuality. The studies show that education and training programmes for staff, supported by policies and procedures, are the important interventions that are required. The findings of this review suggest that more research and interventions are needed for health workers towards sexual relations in older persons.

Factors affecting knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers towards basic life support in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan: a cross-sectional analysis

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to assess the knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers towards basic life support (BLS) in Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, and to investigate the factors affecting them.DesignCross-sectional...

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.

Nurses’ knowledge on nosocomial infections preventive measures and its associated factors in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundNosocomial infections (NCIs) have been associated with several adverse outcomes including extended hospitalization, persistent disability, heightened antimicrobial resistance, amplified socio-economic disruption, and elevated mortality rates. The adoption of infection prevention strategies has the greatest tendency to significantly reduce the risk and occurrence of NCIs among the population, particularly in resource constrained health systems. This study assessed nurses’ knowledge on NCI preventive measures and its associated factors in Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from July to August 2021. A sample of 237 healthcare workers in the Hohoe Municipality was selected to participate in the study. Data was collected with a questionnaire designed in Google Forms and analyzed using Stata version 16.0.ResultsOverall, most of the participants (69.2%) were not knowledgeable about the preventive measures of NCIs. Nurses who were within the age group of 20–40 years [aOR = 0.25 (95% CI = 0.09–0.69), p = 0.007] and 41–60 years [aOR = 0.05 (95% CI = 0.01–0.29), p = 0.001] were significantly less likely to be knowledgeable about the preventive measures of NCIs compared to those who those aged less than 20 years. Nurses who attended in-service training or workshop were approximately 10 times more likely to be knowledgeable about preventive measures of nosocomial infection compared to those who had never attended in-service training or workshop [aOR = 9.55 (95% CI = 1.23–74.36), p = 0.031].ConclusionThe study concludes that age and participation in-service training or workshop are significant factors that influence the knowledge of healthcare workers in preventive measures for nosocomial infections. These results highlight the importance of providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities to nurses to enhance their knowledge and improve their ability to prevent and control nosocomial infections. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for targeted training programs that consider the age of nurses, to ensure that training is tailored to their specific needs.

Niveau de connaissance sur l’asthme professionnel et les agents asthmogènes : évaluation auprès du personnel de santé par un questionnaire validé

The health system is one of the professional sectors perhaps most at risk of occupational asthma. The aims of this study were to evaluate the level of knowledge of health care workers (HCWs) on occupational asthma and asthmogenic agents and to pave the way to effective educational action on the subject. A multicenter transversal study including 180 HCWs was carried out between July and December 2020. A validated questionnaire addressed four dimensions: knowledge of asthmatic disease, knowledge of occupational asthma, knowledge of prognosis of occupational asthma and knowledge on the prevention of occupational asthma. The average total score was 13.71/18 (76.17%). There was no correlation between average total score and age, educational level, seniority or status of paramedical staff. Mean total scores were significantly higher for participants with no fixed work schedule and those practicing in non-university structures. The difficulty indexes for the four aforementioned dimensions were 82.22%, 77.56%, 53.52% and 66.67% respectively. Knowledge gaps affect all professional categories but to different degrees. A review of the level of knowledge of persons in each category would be the first step on the road to planned educational action.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare workers regarding human immunodeficiency virus index testing in 2021, Burkina Faso.

Although knowing one's HIV status is a necessary step in initiating antiretroviral treatment, more than a quarter of Burkinabe who are HIV-positive do not know their status. To reach the target of screening at least 95% of people living with HIV (PLHIV), the country has opted for HIV index testing (screening of sexual partners, children and partners of intravenous drug users). This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health workers on HIV index testing. A cross-sectional study was conducted among health workers on index testing pilot sites in Burkina Faso. We constructed scores of health workers' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding HIV index testing. A total of 132 health workers were surveyed, 62.8% of whom were female. Regarding profiles, 44.7% of the participants were nurses and 5.3% were midwives; physicians and psychosocial counselors accounted for 16.7 and 33.3%, respectively. Most of the participants worked in public health centers (60.6%). Overall, the majority of the participants had poor or average knowledge (85.6%) of the index testing strategy and harmful or inadequate practices (87.1%). Less than half (40.9%) had favorable attitudes toward the strategy. Our study showed that the knowledge of health workers was generally average, their attitudes were not very favorable and their practices were mostly inadequate with regard to HIV index testing. In order to increase the chances of reaching the first 95% of UNAIDS, trainings on the topic must be designed for health workers.

Knowledge, perception and safety practices of monkeypox infection among healthcare workers in a tertiary health facility in southwest Nigeria

Background: Monkeypox is a self-limiting disease first reported in 1970 in Zaire. It is characterised with small pox like eruptions and presently there is no approved anti–viral drug yet, clinical management of human monkey pox cases is mainly by supportive treatment and symptomatic treatment. This study assessed the knowledge, perception and safety practices of monkey pox disease among healthcare workers in a tertiary facility in Southwest state, Nigeria. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study, web-based conducted among 402 healthcare workers in a tertiary health centre in Southwestern Nigeria. The 38-item survey instrument for the quantitative study was adapted from a similar study on COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 20.0. Level of significance was pre-determined at p value &lt;0.05 at a confidence level of 95%. Results: Female respondents constituted 241 (60%) while 161 (40%) were males. Mean age was 35.4±6.5 years with age group 26-35 years (49.0%) being the majority. Majority, 311 (77.4%) had poor knowledge of monkeypox while 69.9% had good perception. There was statistically significant association between age (α- 0.001), work experience (α- 0.001), tribe (α- 0.001), and average monthly income (α- 0.001) with perception about monkey pox infection among the respondents. Conclusions: Monkeypox is endemic in Nigeria and the knowledge and perceptions of healthcare workers towards the disease is a critical epidemiological determinant of its transmission rate, it is therefore imperative that intensive training be targeted among all cadres of healthcare professional including non-medical workers in healthcare setting.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Palestinian Healthcare Workers in the Gaza Strip Towards Hepatitis B: Cross-sectional survey.

Healthcare workers are at high risk of contracting hepatitis B virus (HBV). This survey aimed to identify the gaps and strengths in the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare workers towards HBV to drive appropriate health interventions. This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2022. A convenience sample of three at-risk healthcare professions from the major health facilities in Gaza was surveyed. A 40-item self-administered questionnaire was used. Statistical data analysis was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics via various nonparametric, correlation and regression tests (with P <0.05). A total of 447 healthcare workers participated in the study. Overall, 105 of the participants (23.5%) demonstrated poor knowledge (below 14/20 points) of HBV, 284 (63.5%) had moderate knowledge (14-17 points) and 58 (13%) showed good knowledge. The majority (n = 367, 82.1%) expressed an excellent attitude. Finally, 287 (64.2%) demonstrated a good level of practice regarding HBV infection. A history of needlestick injury was reported by 233 (52.1%) participants, 170 (73.3%) of whom reported taking appropriate preventive actions after exposure. The majority of the participants demonstrated overall good knowledge regarding HBV infection. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain in the different aspects of the knowledge, attitude and practice construct that require appropriate awareness campaigns to further limit the spread of this preventable viral infection.

A Study to Assess Knowledge and Practices regarding Fire Safety among Health care workers in selected Hospitals of Pune City

Background: Every year, in India, about 25,000 persons die due to fires and related causes. According to India Risk Surveys 2018, outbreak of fire poses risks to business continuity and operations and ranks India at 3rd position in fire incidents, especially in Northern and Western regions of India. Past incidents show that most fire accidents take place due to three major reasons: electrical short circuit and gas cylinder/stove bursts, human negligence, and ill-formed habits. As per the ADSI-2019 report, there were 11,037 fire accidents reported across the country in 2019. The number of such reported fire accidents fell by around 16% compared to 2018. The decline was more steeped compared to the year earlier, which was around 2%. The number of persons injured in fire accidents also more than halved with 441 injured persons in 2019 compared to 1193 in 2015. Fire can happen in very severe condition and so many people and animals dying due to this. It is one of the disasters faced by India. So fire safety and fire measures are one of the important aspects. Most of the fire seen in the hospital areas is due to the gaseous and chemical substances. So, for the prevention of fire or further complications fire safety measures are must. Health care worker know about the fire safety measures and preventions. Subjects and Methods: Setting: The study was conducted at selected Hospitals of the Pune city. subject the study sample comprised 100 health care workers, three tools were used for data collection, namely: Sociodemographic data, structured knowledge questionnaire, structured practice checklist. Results: Statistically significant difference was noticed between sociodemographic variables like age, gender, profession, educational qualification, work experience with Knowledge and practices of health care workers. Conclusion: There was an appreciably good practice about fire safety but they are having poor knowledge regarding fire safety. Recommendation: The study recommended continuous observation of practices can done to evaluate practices of fire safety and interventional study can be conducted to improve knowledge of health care worker.

Knowledge and practices of toxoplasmosis among healthcare workers at two large referral hospitals in Zambia: Implications on the One Health Approach.

Assessing the knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding Toxoplasma gondii infection, diagnosis, treatment, and control is crucial for developing an effective management strategy. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 175 healthcare workers at Ndola Teaching Hospital and Namwala District Hospital in Zambia from September 2021 to April 2022. More than half (57.1%) of the respondents were males. Overall, 46(26.3%) and 68 (38.9%) respondents reported good knowledge and practices, respectively. Respondents with a higher number of years of experience (AOR = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.97), who were nurses than clinicians (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.007-0.41) and working at Ndola teaching hospital than Namwala hospital (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI:0.13-0.89) were less likely to have good knowledge. Respondents with a degree qualification than a diploma (AOR = 3.04, 95% CI: 1.09-8.47) were more likely to have good knowledge. Respondents from Ndola teaching hospital than Namwala hospital (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.17-0.92) were less likely to have good practices. Our study revealed that healthcare workers had low levels of knowledge and poor practices, which could have negative implications for the management of toxoplasmosis. To improve their knowledge and practices, continuous medical education in Toxoplasma related aspects is recommended for in-service healthcare workers.

A Quality Improvement Study to Improve Oxygen Prescription in the PICU of a Tertiary Care Centre in Delhi, India.

Introduction Oxygen has been gravely misused since its inception as a therapeutic agent. There is a deficit of audits and baseline data for the Indianpopulation, especially in the pediatric age group, which doesn't allow for standardization of protocols and guidelines. Objective Our study aimed at increasing valid prescription rates to 90% by implementation of quality improvement interventions, and assessing knowledge and perception of healthcare workers towards oxygen therapy. Methodology It followed a before-and-after prospective observational study model where baseline audit data was compared with data observed after the implementation of quality improvement strategies. The data was collected through an audit of the medical records of all pediatric patients receiving oxygen therapy in the PICU. Knowledge and perception of healthcare workers about oxygen therapy were assessed via a self-designed questionnaire. The study was undertaken in three phases, including Quality Improvement (QI) team formation and data collection, root cause analysis, and implementation of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Observations and results In the baseline audit, 1.4% of the prescriptions were complete and valid. Subsequently, over the course of four PDSA cycles, valid prescription rates increased; 62.07% in the first, 79.51% in the second, 81.81% in the third, and 91.42% in the fourth cycle respectively. After applying the chi-square test to compare PDSA4 and baseline data, the p-values for written prescriptions and target saturation were found to be statistically significant. In the healthcare worker survey, we found that 100% of them were aware of indications of oxygen prescription, FiO2, and side effects of excessive usage of oxygen therapy, 95% were aware of conditions affecting pulse-oximetry in the pediatric age group, and 75% knew about target saturation and its significance and the procedure to change alarm settings on the monitor. Conclusion Currently, there exists a lack of effective oxygen prescription audits, especially in India, which can be attributed to a lack of awareness and partly, a lack of initiative. Quality improvement initiatives are effective in improving the valid oxygen prescription rate. However, sustained goals can be achieved through regular audits only.

Design and psychometric properties of a tool to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of health care workers for infodemic management (KAPIM-Tool)

BackgroundInfodemics, defined as the rapid spread of misinformation during an epidemic or pandemic, can have serious public health consequences. Healthcare workers(HCWs) play a critical role in managing infodemics, but their knowledge, attitudes, and practices(KAP) related to infodemic management are not well understood. This study aimed to design and validate a tool to assess healthcare workers’ KAP related to infodemic management.MethodsThe knowledge, attitude, and practice of HCWs for the infodemic management assessment tool were designed through exploratory factor analysis. At first, primary items were extracted through two separate studies (face-to-face interviews with 17 participants and a systematic review). Then Face validity, Content validity, and Construct validity were done with the 15 participants of healthcare workers who had sufficient knowledge and experience. The content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) was checked for each item. The construct validity of the tool was also calculated through exploratory factor analysis with the participation of 250 healthcare workers (6.25 participants per item). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Cronbach’s alpha was calculated to evaluate the reliability of the findings using IBM SPSS Statistics V21.0.ResultsThe primary KAPIM (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice) of healthcare workers in (the Infodemics Management) tool has 53 items, in content, face, and construct validity 13 items were removed. Factor analysis revealed three factors: knowledge (24 items), attitudes (8 items), and practice (8 items). The overall reliability of the tool was reported as adequate with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.905. The ICC of the entire tool was calculated as 0.827.ConclusionThe KAPIM tool is a valid and reliable tool for assessing healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to infodemic management with 40 items. The tool can inform targeted interventions to improve healthcare workers’ preparedness and response to infodemics.

Knowledge of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases among Healthcare Workers: Nigerian COPD Research Project (NICORP)

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable and treatable chronic inflammatory lung disease that often causes obstruction to airflow in the lungs. The main risk factor in Nigeria is long term exposure to indoor pollution from cooking with firewood and fossil fuel in poorly ventilated spaces. Aims/ objectives: The aim was to evaluate the level of COPD knowledge among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the southwestern state of Nigeria.Materials/ methods: Self-administered online BCKQ which is made up of 65 stem questions was used to evaluate the level of knowledge of HCWs. The overall score of individual participants was represented in percentages and frequencies. Tests of statistical significance like the Chi-square test are applied to find out the statistical significance of the difference in percentages. Univariate analysis was done using respondent knowledge about COPD as the dependent variable and the socio-demographic were identified as independent variables. A p-value of &lt;0.05 was taken as statistically significant in the calculations of variables. Results: Four hundred and five healthcare workers were involved in this study, 53.3% of whom were females. The mean age of the study cohort was 48.7±0.55 years, significant majority (75.6%) of whom were &lt;40 years. (p&lt; 0.001). Majority of cohorts (39.3%) were doctors, while 32.0% were nurses. Only 11.7% had PhD or Fellowship as their highest educational qualification. The overall mean total score of cohorts on the Bristol COPD questionnaire was 51.9±21.9 %, with 40.4% having good scores and only 11.3% had excellent score. Mean knowledge scores were high among doctors (69.9±02.4), HCWs with medical fellowships /PhD (69.9±02.4) and had worked for &lt;10 years. A positive correlation was demonstrated between age, level of education and knowledge score (p&lt;0.05). Conclusion: This study examined knowledge of COPD among healthcare workers in the southwestern part of Nigeria and confirmed that the knowledge of COPD among healthcare workers was essentially good but there were serious gaps in knowledge observed in areas of vaccination, inhalational therapy, and use of inhaled and oral steroid.