Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice towards occupational health hazards and safety measures among health care personnel working in public health facilities of Bhubaneswar Block, India

Abstract

Background: Healthcare personnel (HCP) are working in an environment that is known to be one of the most hazardous settings to work in. Occupational diseases are often under-reported; there are many reasons for the gross under notification, one of the main reasons being they are usually less obvious than other occupational accidents and injuries. Aims: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of HCP regarding different aspects of occupational health hazard and to find out various correlates for their knowledge, attitude and practice regarding occupational hazards and safety measures. Methods and Material: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was undertaken in public health facilities of Bhubaneswar Block, Odisha. The study was conducted for a period of one year. One hundred seventy two health care providers (both medical and paramedical with a minimum experience of six months) were included. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics were used and Pearson chi-square test as the test of significance; taking a p value of< 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Mean age of the respondents is 38.44 years with a standard deviation of 12.8.