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Das SK, Bhattarai A, KC S, Shah S, Paudel K, Timsina S, Tharu S, Rawal L, Leon-Figueroa DA, Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Barboza JJ, Sah R. Socio-demographic determinants of the knowledge and attitude of Nepalese healthcare workers toward human monkeypox: a cross-sectional study. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1161234. [PMID: 37293610 PMCID: PMC10244767 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1161234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Human monkeypox is an infectious zoonotic disease and since May 2022, there has been a spike in cases worldwide. In this regard, a global health emergency has been declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 23rd, 2022. Although there have been no confirmed human monkeypox cases in Nepal yet, the nation is undeniably at risk of an outbreak. Despite all preventive efforts and preparedness for monkeypox, there still remain several challenges including the literacy and knowledge of our healthcare workers regarding monkeypox. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and attitude of Nepalese healthcare workers regarding monkeypox. A cross-sectional study was performed on different healthcare workers at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on the month of October 2022 using a set of validated questionnaires used previously in a Saudi Arabian study. An in-person survey was conducted where a total of 220 questionnaires were distributed. The response rate was 93%. Knowledge was categorized into high or low based on the mean knowledge score. The attitude was assessed using a 3-point Likert scale. The association of the knowledge and attitude of the respondents in accordance with their socio-demographics was statistically evaluated using Pearson's Chi-square test. The mean knowledge score was 13. A larger proportion of the respondents (60.4%) demonstrated a high knowledge and 51.1% demonstrated a positive attitude. Studying monkeypox during medical education possessed a significant difference in the attitude (p = 0.025). Knowledge did not vary based on socio-demographic characteristics. Despite almost half a year into the monkeypox outbreak, Nepalese healthcare workers still have an unsatisfying degree of knowledge and a negative attitude regarding its control which shows the need for education and awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santa Kumar Das
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Abhinav Bhattarai
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Simran KC
- Central Department of Public Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Sangam Shah
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Kiran Paudel
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
- Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas - Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
| | - Sakchhyam Timsina
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Sunraj Tharu
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | - Laba Rawal
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
| | | | - Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales
- Facultad de Medicina Humana, Universidad San Martín de Porres, Chiclayo, Peru
- Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas - Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
- Master's Program in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Ranjit Sah
- Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Tribhuvan, Nepal
- Grupo de Investigación Biomedicina, Faculty of Medicine, Fundación Universitaria Autónoma de las Américas - Institución Universitaria Visión de las Américas, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia
- Master's Program in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Universidad Cientifica del Sur, Lima, Peru
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