Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Hepatitis among Medical and Para-medical Workers in Tertiary Institute

Abstract

Introduction :  Hepatitis B is a serious infection caused by Hepatitis B virus that affects the liver.  Hepatitis B is a global health problem and health care workers are at risk mostly. It is contagoius and transmitted from one individual to another through  blood to blood, mother to child, sexual contact, sharing of eating utensils, barbar shop and beauty salon equipment. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of medical and para-medical workers towards Hepatitis B. Methods : this cross sectional prospective study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, SMGS Hospital, GMC Jammu .  Information  about  socio-demographic variables, knowledge towards transmission and prevention method of Hepatitis B was taken from 100 medical and para-medical workers. Results : This study was conducted in the month of July 2019. A questionairre was structured to collect the information from  100 health care workers which include 42 medical workers and 58 para-medical workers.  Knowledge regarding transmission was fairly good among medical workers. 52% of medical workers were fully vaccinated while only 32% para-medical workers were fully vaccinated. The most common reason for not getting vaccinated was ignorance. Conclusion : Our study recommended regular health education highlighting occupational risk of Hepatitis B, need for complete vaccination and giving training on infection prevention for health care workers. It is also advisable to make sure vaccine availability and accessibility.