Assessing the Knowledge of Tuberculosis (TB) among Healthcare Workers and Ancillary Staff in an Underserved Medical Institution
Location
WhiteTop Mountain Room 225
Start Date
4-5-2018 8:00 AM
End Date
4-5-2018 12:00 PM
Poster Number
119
Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor
Muktar Aliyu MD MPH DrPH
Faculty Sponsor's Department
Vanderbilt Public Health Department
Type
Poster: Non-Competitive
Project's Category
Biomedical and Health Sciences
Abstract or Artist's Statement
Healthcare and ancillary workers in hospital settings are at an increased risk of Tuberculosis (TB) due to the nature of their job and exposure to persons with TB. Knowledge of healthcare workers (HCWs), (physicians, residents, nurses, midlevels etc.) who provide direct care and ancillary staff (technicians, aides, administrators, etc.) who provide indirect care in medical institutions play an important role in the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of TB. Research has shown a variation in knowledge based on TB prevalence, facility type, available resources, provider training and clinical experience, education level of staff, etc. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of TB among HCWs and ancillary staff in an underserved medical institution who provide care to low-income populations in the United States. This is a cross sectional observational study. A validated questionnaire that assesses TB knowledge will be used. Participants from a historically black college in Tennessee will be recruited in the study. Participants will include HCWs such as attending physicians and residents from all residency programs as well as nurses, midlevels, etc. within the institution. We will also recruit ancillary staff in the same departments. The survey will be distributed between Jan. 2018-Feb. 2018, and will contain 10 questions. Information on demographics, work history (age, sex, education, job category, duration of employment, training level) and TB knowledge (general information on TB) will be captured. The survey will be distributed via email through RedCap, a secure web application for creating and managing online surveys. Emails of participants will be obtained through the institution’s employee and student directory. A minimum of 200 participants will be surveyed, to obtain a power of 80% and CI of 95%. Survey will be entered into the REDCap electronic research database and entered data from participants will be checked for completeness and accuracy. Knowledge will be assessed as: poor (75%-85% correct); and outstanding (>85% correct). We will compare differences in TB knowledge of HCWs and ancillary staff and between practicing physicians and physicians in training. Data analysis will be performed using R software. The expected results are that healthcare workers have higher knowledge level than ancillary workers and that practicing physicians have higher knowledge level than physicians in training due to years of clinical experience and education. As TB continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, it is important that HCWs exhibit a good level of knowledge. The findings from this study will generate data to guide TB education efforts for providers and healthcare facility ancillary staff. Results will help to clarify misconceptions about TB transmission and enhance the quality of care for patients with TB and reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission of TB.
Assessing the Knowledge of Tuberculosis (TB) among Healthcare Workers and Ancillary Staff in an Underserved Medical Institution
WhiteTop Mountain Room 225
Healthcare and ancillary workers in hospital settings are at an increased risk of Tuberculosis (TB) due to the nature of their job and exposure to persons with TB. Knowledge of healthcare workers (HCWs), (physicians, residents, nurses, midlevels etc.) who provide direct care and ancillary staff (technicians, aides, administrators, etc.) who provide indirect care in medical institutions play an important role in the diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of TB. Research has shown a variation in knowledge based on TB prevalence, facility type, available resources, provider training and clinical experience, education level of staff, etc. The purpose of this study is to assess the knowledge of TB among HCWs and ancillary staff in an underserved medical institution who provide care to low-income populations in the United States. This is a cross sectional observational study. A validated questionnaire that assesses TB knowledge will be used. Participants from a historically black college in Tennessee will be recruited in the study. Participants will include HCWs such as attending physicians and residents from all residency programs as well as nurses, midlevels, etc. within the institution. We will also recruit ancillary staff in the same departments. The survey will be distributed between Jan. 2018-Feb. 2018, and will contain 10 questions. Information on demographics, work history (age, sex, education, job category, duration of employment, training level) and TB knowledge (general information on TB) will be captured. The survey will be distributed via email through RedCap, a secure web application for creating and managing online surveys. Emails of participants will be obtained through the institution’s employee and student directory. A minimum of 200 participants will be surveyed, to obtain a power of 80% and CI of 95%. Survey will be entered into the REDCap electronic research database and entered data from participants will be checked for completeness and accuracy. Knowledge will be assessed as: poor (75%-85% correct); and outstanding (>85% correct). We will compare differences in TB knowledge of HCWs and ancillary staff and between practicing physicians and physicians in training. Data analysis will be performed using R software. The expected results are that healthcare workers have higher knowledge level than ancillary workers and that practicing physicians have higher knowledge level than physicians in training due to years of clinical experience and education. As TB continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, it is important that HCWs exhibit a good level of knowledge. The findings from this study will generate data to guide TB education efforts for providers and healthcare facility ancillary staff. Results will help to clarify misconceptions about TB transmission and enhance the quality of care for patients with TB and reduce the risk of nosocomial transmission of TB.