Awareness and risk perception of hepatitis B infection among auxiliary healthcare workers.
BACKGROUND
Auxiliary healthcare workers (AHCWs) have a higher risk of occupational exposure to hepatitis B virus infection than the general population. Daily handling and exposure to biomedical wastes, blood, and its products make the AHCWs vulnerable to blood borne diseases among which Hepatitis B is one of the world's most common and serious infectious diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the HBV infection related awareness and occupational risk perception among AHCWs.


METHODS
Survey.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was carried out in M. S. Ramaiah Medical and Dental Hospitals among 300 auxiliary health workers which comprised of laboratory technicians, hygienists, laundry workers, and the housekeeping staff. After acquiring ethical clearance and informed written consent, they were explained about the objective of the study and were requested to fill a standard questionnaire. The data was compiled and subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software.


METHODS
SPSS Software Version 19.


RESULTS
Our survey revealed that 90.03% of the respondents were aware of hepatitis B infection (HBI) and 67.2% answered questions correctly on risk perception. Only 37% of the respondents correctly answered questions on biomedical waste management.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall, an adequate awareness and a moderate occupational risk perception about HBI were found among the study group. However, knowledge regarding hospital waste disposal was found to be insufficient. Our vision aims at a nation committed to combat silent epidemic of viral hepatitis infection.
Department of Oral Pathology, M S Ramaiah Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Shankargouda
S
Patil
Department of Oral Pathology, M S Ramaiah Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Roopa S
RS
Rao
Department of Oral Pathology, M S Ramaiah Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
Anveeta
A
Agarwal
Auxiliary healthcare workers; biomedical waste management; blood borne diseases; hepatitis B infection; infection control; needle stick injury; occupational exposure