title: Knowledge, attitudes and practices of nurses and doctors about the vertical transmission of hepatitis B.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify knowledge, attitudes and practices of physicians and nurses of the Family Health Strategy and a maternity hospital unit about vertical transmission of hepatitis B.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire applied to professionals. The data were analyzed according to professional category and site of action, whose differences were tested by χ2 and significance <5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Professionals recognize viral hepatitis as a disease of compulsory notification; however, not everyone knows its mechanisms of transmission. A large portion of professionals requested serological tests, specifying the marker, especially physicians. The majority of family health nurses did not indicate hepatitis B vaccine for pregnant women, although they knew the immunization schedule. The majority of physicians on the maternity unit had proper knowledge about prevention of vertical transmission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The differences in the knowledge, attitudes and practices about vertical transmission of hepatitis B revealed that the population is at risk, since not all the professionals involved know or properly perform control strategies for vertical transmission of hepatitis B. Nurses dominated vaccination aspects and physicians dominated aspects related to the management of cases with positive serology.
authors.affiliation: Universidade do Estado do Amazonas, ManausAM, Brazil.
authors.forename: Isabela Cristina de Miranda
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Maria Jacirema Ferreira
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires