KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS HEPATITIS C PREVENTION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52340/jecm.2025.05.09Keywords:
Hepatitis C, prevention, knowledge, attitude, practicesAbstract
Background: Hepatitis C is a global public health problem. HCV infection is an occupational health hazard to health-care workers. The World Health Organization has estimated thousands of HCV cases caused by needle stick injuries annually. Healthcare students should be aware of HCV transmission routes and preventive measures to decrease the risks of disease. The complete knowledge of hepatitis C virus transmission and prevention is indispensable for medical students as an effective measure for controlling Hepatitis infection.
Goal: This study was aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of hepatitis C among Tbilisi State Medical University students.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March to November 2024. A predesigned self-administered pretested questionnaire concerning hepatitis C knowledge and awareness was distributed to all the participants. The questionnaire was composed of four sections (21 questions): participants’ sociodemographic, knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards HCV. 136 participants were enrolled. The data were collected, tabulated and analyzed by Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 21.
Results: Out of 136 participants 96 (70,6%) were females and 40 (29,4%) males commonly 21-22 years old. 36,7% were already work for different clinics. The majority of the students were aware of HCV infection and knew that invasive procedures contain high risk to spread disease. Out of 50 employed respondents 47 (94%) indicated conducting invasive procedures and 36 (72% of them) needle stick injuries in their clinical practice.
Conclusion: This study revealed lack of complete knowledge regarding hepatitis C among preclinical year medical students. They are at high risk of acquiring HCV infection during their clinical practice. Hence, implementation of well-structured education program is needed to create complete awareness among medical students about hepatitis C. Therefore, public health efforts should modify the knowledge and attitude gaps to reinforce awareness and minimize the risk of infection.
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