KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS HEPATITIS B PREVENTION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS

Аннотация

Background: Hepatitis B is a global public health problem. HBV infection is an occupational health hazard to health-care workers. The World Health Organization has estimated that around 66 thousand HBV infection cases are caused by needle stick injuries annually. Healthcare students should be aware of HBV transmission routes and preventive measures to decrease spread of disease. The complete knowledge of hepatitis B 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 B among Tbilisi State Medical University students. Materials and Methods: Quantitate cross-sectional study was conducted from March to December 2023. A predesigned self-administered pretested questionnaire concerning hepatitis B knowledge and awareness was distributed to all the participants. The questionnaire was composed of four sections (22 questions): participants’ sociodemographic, knowledge, attitudes, and practices about HBV. 136 participants were enrolled. The data were collected, tabulated and analyzed by Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 25. The results were expressed in numbers and percentages. Results: 96 (70,6%) out of 136 participants were females and 40 (29,4%) males commonly 21-22 years old. 36,7% were already work for different clinics. Majority of the students were aware of HBV infection and knew that invasive procedures contain high risk to spread disease. 66% were aware of HBV vaccination and only 33% knew about IgHBV. 68,5% did not know their vaccination status, only 20% of the students were immunized. 34,5% indicated conducting invasive procedures and 26,5% needle stick injuries in their clinical practice. Conclusion: This study revealed lack of complete knowledge regarding hepatitis B among preclinical year medical students. They are at high risk of acquiring HBV infection during their clinical practice. Hence, implementation of well-structured education program is needed to create complete awareness among medical students about hepatitis B. Therefore, public health efforts should modify the knowledge and attitude gaps to reinforce awareness and minimize the risk of infection.