title: A knowledge survey of obstetrics and gynecology staff on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This survey was designed to investigate the knowledge awareness of obstetrics and gynaecology staff (Obs/Gyn staff) on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Obs/Gyn staff from 21 of the 31 Chinese mainland provinces, who attended medical meetings or training classes from July to October 2011, were invited to complete a questionnaire regarding PMTCT of HBV. The questionnaire included the clinical implications of HBV serologic markers and PMTCT preventive measures for both pregnant women and infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 828 questionnaires were distributed, 617 (74.5%) Obs/Gyn staff participated in the survey, and 559 (90.6%) questionnaires met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 90% of participants correctly determined the positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as infectious, but up to 27.5% mistakenly considered the presence of anti-HBe and/or anti-HBc with negative HBsAg as infectious. In total, 96.3% respondents knew that pregnant women should be screened for HBV infection, and 95.3% realized that infants of HBsAg-positive mothers should be injected with hepatitis B immunoglobulin and vaccine. On the other hand, with the available immunoprophylaxis, 13.8% participants mistakenly believed caesarean section may prevent HBV mother-to-child transmission, and only 13% correctly answered that newborns of HBsAg positive mothers may be breastfed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obs/Gyn staff in China have mastered the strategies of HBV PMTCT, but there is obvious insufficiency in details of the application. Intensified efforts to train the Obs/Gyn staff are required to improve the current suboptimal medical service in HBV-exposed infants and to control mother-to-infant transmission of HBV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu, China. dtylhu@126.com
authors.forename: Yali
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Xinwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Yi-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Huixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006282:Health Personnel; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009774:Obstetrics; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000821:virology*; D011361:Professional Competence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires