Determinants of practices for dengue diagnosis among healthcare professionals working in public hospitals of Abidjan, Cote dIvoire

Abstract

Dengue has become a major public health concern in Cote d'Ivoire since 2010. In malaria endemic countries, such as Cote d'Ivoire, healthcare workers often confuse dengue with other tropical fevers, such as malaria. However, to control dengue fever, healthcare workers must be knowledgeable about this disease. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 healthcare workers' knowledge, attitude, and practices in relation to dengue from 3rd September, 2014 to 20th March, 2015 in Abidjan and its suburbs. Logistic analyses with stepwise selection were performed to explain the relationship between the dependent variable (practices) and the main explicative variable (knowledge). The distribution of participant healthcare workers by health facility showed that 55% worked in reference health facilities. Among the 340 participants, 70 (21%) had a good knowledge of dengue fever, while 71 (21%) had good diagnostic practices. The logistical analysis with stepwise selection showed that practices were explained by knowledge (adjusted OR (aOR)=2.69; p=0.004), gender (aOR=1.88; p=0.036), occupation (aOR=0.37; p=0.003) and epidemic risk perception (aOR=2.59; p=0.001). The study shows that nurses had better practices in term of dengue diagnosis compared with medical doctors. Similarly, healthcare workers who had good knowledge of dengue fever also had good practices. However, there is a great need for healthcare workers to be trained on how to detect dengue disease.