Lack of Optimum Practice Among Health Care Workers Regarding Tuberculosis in Iran: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Study Publisher Pubmed



Doosti Irani A^{1, 2} ; Hashemi Shahraki A^{1, 3} ; Ghaderi E⁴ ; Nasehi M^{5, 6} ; Mostafavi E^{1, 3}
Source: American Journal of Infection Control Published:2015

Abstract

Background Lack of knowledge toward tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCWs) increases the risk of developing TB. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of HCWs in Iran. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in 50 universities of medical sciences throughout Iran. A questionnaire was developed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of participants. The values of Cronbach α coefficients for the knowledge and attitude questions were.76 and.75, respectively. Results The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice among TB laboratory staff regarding TB was 82.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.0-83.7), 87.6 (95% CI, 87.1-88.0), and 57.9 (95% CI, 56.9-58.9), respectively. The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice among non-TB laboratory staff regarding TB was 69.5 (95% CI, 67.9-71.1), 50.7 (95% CI, 50.1-51.4), and 40.82 (95% CI, 38.2-43.4), respectively. Conclusion TB laboratory staff scored relatively well in knowledge and attitude of TB, but they scored lower in practice regarding TB. Non-TB laboratory staff had lower scores than TB laboratory staff in knowledge, attitude, and practice. There is a major gap between knowledge and attitude and practice in both groups. It is therefore essential to plan for the continuing in-service training of HCWs and public training of the general population regarding TB. © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.