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Knowledge on Handling of HIV and HBV Patients and Occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis against HIV and HBV: Effectiveness of Training Programme for Nurses

Abstract

Abha Sharma, Bibhabati Mishra, Vinita Dogra, Archana Thakur and Poonam Sood Loomba

Background: During the course of health care of patients, thousands of health care workers suffer occupational exposures among which nurses have high chances of exposure to blood-borne pathogens as they are the primary health care providers to patients in hospitals. Post-exposure prophylaxis has become routine following the occupational exposure of HCWs to HIV and HBV. So it is important that nurses keep their knowledge updated regarding handling of HIV and HBV patients and how to manage occupational exposure.
Method: A training programme for nurses was conducted by a tertiary care hospital and their knowledge regarding occupational exposure management and handling of HIV and HBV patients was assessed through pre-test and post-test questionnaire.
Result: Total 36 clinically registered nurses participated. The mean score of pre-test was 8.7 which increased to 10.1 in post-test. The knowledge related to PEP and handling of HIV and HBV patients improved significantly after the training class (p=0.0001 and 0.002 respectively).
Conclusion: The nurses are quite prone for occupational exposure to HIV and HBV and the findings of this study highlight the importance of continuous training of nurses so that they have a comprehensive understanding of PEP and standard precautions. Thorough orientation to the PEP procedure will help them access appropriate medical advice in a timely manner.