Current Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Medical Students Regarding the Risk of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and Control Measures at Qassim University

Medical students' knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding hepatitis B and C virus infections in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

We aimed to assess the levels of hepatitis B and C knowledge, attitudes, and practices among medical students in Jordan. A survey included participation from medical students across all faculties in Jordan, from 2022 to 2023.

Methods

The data were analyzed with The R Statistical Software (v4.1.2; R Core Team 2022) using descriptive statistics, and multivariate regression analyses. A p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

In this study of 2602 participants, the average age was 21.4, with 52.6% females. Most were fourth-year medical students (19.1%), and 52.3% were in clinical years. The mean knowledge score was 14 (SD ± 2.5) out of 20, categorized as high at 58.84%, and low at 41.16%. The mean practice score was 4.89 (SD ± 1.1) out of 7, with good practice in 65%, and low in 35%. The mean attitude score was 1.6 (SD ± 3.1), categorized as low in 81.7%, and high in 18.3%,. High levels of KAP were associated with gender, year of study, and university. Male respondents had lower knowledge (OR: 0.73; p: 0.001; 95% CI: -0.50 to -0.13), and students in the first to fifth years scored lower than sixth-year students. There were moderate positive associations between knowledge and attitude (r: 0.33, p < 0.001), and weak positive associations between knowledge and practice (r: 0.17, p < 0.001), and attitude and practice (r: 0.133, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the participants revealed high adherence to some practices and intermediate knowledge levels. Gender, academic year, and university affiliation emerged as significant factors, highlighting the necessity for tailored interventions.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward the Prevention of Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among Medical Students in Medina City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

INTRODUCTION

This study focuses on assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevention among medical students in Medina, Saudi Arabia. HBV is a significant global health concern, with a high prevalence in Saudi Arabia. Medical students due to their field, are at higher risk of exposure. Prior studies in Saudi Arabia show varied levels of awareness. This research aims to provide insights that can inform educational initiatives for this specific population.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June 2023 to September 2023 by using a pre-designed online questionnaire that was distributed among medical students in Medina. Data was analyzed using IBM Corp. Released 2020. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.

RESULTS

This study included 307 participants. 67.8% of the participants correctly identified the link between HBV and liver cancer, and 77.5% recognized the transmission risk from carriers. 91.9% acknowledged the transmission via contaminated blood and fluids, and 88.9% recognized the risk from unsterilized instruments. Positive attitudes were observed, with 92.2% agreeing that following infection control guidelines would protect them at work. Practice scores were generally positive, including high rates of screening (57.3%) and adherence to infection control measures (90.2%). Knowledge scores correlated positively with attitude (rho = 0.204) and practice scores (rho = 0.390).

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of participants had a strong understanding of HBV transmission and the importance of infection control measures. Positive attitudes towards infection control were prevalent, although some reluctance to provide care to HBV-infected individuals was noted.

Impact of Virtual Seminars on Hepatitis B Knowledge and Attitudes Among Preclinical-Year Medical Students

Background A limited understanding of hepatitis B virus (HBV) disease transmission contributes to fear of routine contact and can stigmatize affected individuals. To reduce potential HBV-related discrimination, there is a need to increase awareness among medical students on HBV knowledge and transmission. We aimed to assess the impact of virtual education seminars on first- and second-year medical students' understanding of HBV and their attitudes toward HBV infection. Methods Pre- and post-seminar surveys were designed and administered to first- and second-year medical students in the February and August 2021 virtual HBV seminars to assess basic knowledge and attitudes toward HBV infection. The seminars consisted of a lecture on HBV followed by case study discussions. Paired samples t-test and McNemar's test for paired proportional differences were used for analysis. Results This study included 24 first-year and 16 second-year medical students who completed both pre- and post-seminar surveys. After attending the seminar, participants demonstrated an increase in correct responses to transmission modes including vertical transmission (p≤0.001) and sharing razors or toothbrushes (p=0.031) rather than sharing utensils or shaking hands (p<0.01). Using 5-point Likert means, improved attitudes were observed in concerns of shaking hands or hugging (pre=2.4, post=1.3, p<0.001) and caring for someone with infection (pre=1.55, post=1.18, p=0.009), and acceptance of an HBV-infected coworker in the same workplace (pre = 4.13, post= 4.78, p<0.001). Conclusion The virtual education seminars clarify misconceptions about transmission and bias towards individuals with HBV infection. Implementation of educational seminars in medical students' training is important to improve overall knowledge of HBV infection.

Occupational risk perception of nursing students, affecting factors and their association with occupational accidents: A crosssectional, multicenter study

Aim: Occupational risks by leading to accidents and diseases can adversely affect the health of nursing students and can cause serious injuries. Therefore, students are expected to be aware of these risks in order to be aware of occupational accidents or diseases and take precautions. This study was aimed to evaluate the occupational risk perception of nursing students and the factors affecting it and their association with occupational accidents. Material and Methods: Study was carried out with 728 nursing students in six universities. The data were collected using “Data Gathering Form” prepared by researchers and “Occupational Risk Perception Scale (ORPS)”. Results: The mean age was 20.8±1.65 (min.18-max.35) years and the majority (82.0%) of the participants were females. Clinical practice areas were defined as high risk areas by the 65.1% of the students. Number of the students encountered any health threatening occupational accidents in clinical practice was 223 (30.6%). ORPS score was significantly higher in women, health vocational high school graduates, students with previos occupational health and safety training and students those who encountered occupational accidents before (p

Knowledge, awareness, and vaccination compliance of hepatitis B among medical students in Riyadh's governmental universities

Background:

Hepatitis B is a blood-borne infectious liver disease caused by the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) and it is best prevented by immunization. Due to occupational exposure, medical students have an increased risk of contracting HBV. Therefore, it is essential for all medical students to have good knowledge about HBV and to complete their HBV vaccinations.

Aims:

The aim of this study was to assess and compare HBV knowledge, awareness, and vaccination compliance among pre-clinical medical students in four universities.

Settings and Design:

A cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2018 at the College of Medicine of four governmental universities: King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Saud University, Princess Noura university, and Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods and Materials:

Two-hundred-sixty-three pre-clinical medical students completed a questionnaire with sections about demographics, HBV awareness, knowledge, and vaccination compliance.

Statistical analysis used:

The data was transferred to Excel and SPSS version 22 was used for statistical analysis. A significance level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

The overall knowledge about HBV and vaccination compliance were poor. KSU students had the highest vaccination compliance (n = 52, 54.2%) and KSAU-HS the lowest (n = 19, 23,8%). The most-cited reasons for noncompliance were “forgetting about the vaccine” and “busy schedule“.

Conclusion:

Overall, most of the participants had poor HBV knowledge and vaccine compliance. Therefore, we recommend the implementation of pre-clinical vaccine checking and the addition of an infectious disease awareness and prevention program.