Knowledge and Practices Regarding Blood Borne Pathogens in Pakistan
Author Information
Author(s): Naveed Z. Janjua, Mahreen Razaq, Subhash Chandir, Shafquat Rozi, Bushra Mahmood
Primary Institution: Aga Khan University
Hypothesis
Poor knowledge about blood borne pathogens predicts nonadherence to universal precautions among healthcare workers.
Conclusion
Increasing knowledge about blood borne pathogens can improve the use of universal precautions among healthcare workers.
Supporting Evidence
- Knowledge about blood borne pathogens was low across all healthcare worker categories.
- Only 35.7% of physicians mentioned needle stick injury as a mode of transmission.
- The practice of universal precautions was very low among healthcare workers.
Takeaway
Healthcare workers in Pakistan don't know much about how to protect themselves from germs that can spread through blood, but learning more can help them stay safe.
Methodology
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with healthcare workers at first level care facilities, using interviews and a questionnaire to assess knowledge and practices.
Potential Biases
Social desirability may have led to overreporting of safe practices.
Limitations
Fewer physicians and housekeepers were recruited than expected, which may introduce selection bias.
Participant Demographics
Participants included 239 healthcare workers from various clinics, with a mean age of 30 years and an average of 9.6 years of work experience.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.003
Confidence Interval
0.06–0.29
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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