Predictors of HIV Infection Risk among Health-Care Workers in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

The study set out to investigate the determinants of HIV infection risk among healthcare workers in SSA through a systematic review. The aim of the study was to identify, collect and systematically review and synthesize existing literature articles on the determinants of HIV infection risk among healthcare workers in SSA. The objectives of the study were to: determine the prevalence of health care workers' exposure to HIV risky conditions in health care settings in SSA; identify selected determinants of HIV infection risk among Health care workers in SSA (major focus in Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania) and apply effective strategies to prevent issues associated with HIV infection risk among Health care workers. The study conceptualizes that HCWs in the SSA region are at risk of HIV infection due to factors related to lack of healthcare resources, their knowledge, attitude and practice, and barriers to reporting. The combined effect of these factors is that hoped to determine the propensity of HCWs to be infected by HIV/AIDS. The key themes guiding the systematic review were: risk to exposure to HIV among HCWs; lack of health care resources and facilities. The findings of the study confirmed all the three alternative study hypotheses that: there is a significant relationship between lack of health care resources and facilities and the risk of HIV infection among HCWs in SSA; there is a significant relationship between HCWs’ knowledge, attitude, and practice on HIV and their risk of HIV infection in SSA and; there is a significant relationship between barriers to reporting and the risk of HIV infection among HCWs in SSA. In this regard, the study found out that HCWs in SSA are at high risk of HIV exposure whilst working. In this regard, this is a result of lack of enough equipment, poor practices at work and barriers to reporting, including stigmatization and lack of well-stipulated reporting guidelines. As such, the following recommendations were made:: there is a need to increase funding in the health care sector to enhance access to the right equipment, microbicides, vaccination, and PEP for HCWs; there is a need for psychosocial support systems to make it easy for HCWs to report infection with ease and that; the government should adopt recommended global best standards to enhance protection of HCWs while at work in SSA. Two areas for further study were also recommended. As such, there is a need for studies on each of the study objectives, and; there is a need for a descriptive study on the topic under investigation in this study for correlation purposes.

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HIV INFECTION RISK TO HEALTH-CARE WORKERS

AIHAJ ◽

10.1080/15298669091370329 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 51 (12) ◽

pp. A-802-A-806 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Robyn M. Gershon ◽

David Vlahov

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Infection Risk ◽

Care Workers ◽

Hiv Infection Risk

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Effectiveness of health care workers and peer engagement in promoting access to health services among population at higher risk for HIV in Tanzania (KPHEALTH): study protocol for a quasi experimental trial

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-019-4675-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Elia John Mmbaga ◽

Germana Henry Leyna ◽

Melkizedeck Thomas Leshabari ◽

Britt Tersbøl ◽

Theis Lange ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

General Population ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Infection Rates ◽

Care Workers ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Peer Engagement ◽

Improve Access

Abstract Background While there are indications of declining HIV infection rates in the general population globally, Tanzania included, men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW) and people who inject drugs (PWID), now called Key Populations (KP) for HIV epidemic have 2–20 times higher infections rates and contributes up to 30% of new HIV infection. Tanzania have developed a Comprehensive Guideline for HIV prevention among key population (CHIP) to address the epidemic among KPs. However, these populations are stigmatized and discriminated calling for innovative approaches to improve access to CHIP. This project seeks to test the effectiveness of healthcare workers and peer-to-peer engagement in promoting access to CHIP among HIV at risk populations in Tanzania. Methods A quasi-experimental design involving Dar es Salaam City as an intervention region and Tanga as a control region will be done. Using respondent driven sampling, 1800 at risk population (900 from Intervention site and 900 from control site) will be recruited at baseline to identify pull and push factors for health services access. Stakeholder’s consultation will be done to improve training contents for CHIP among health care workers and peers. Effectiveness of healthcare workers training and peer engagement will be tested using a quasi-experimental design. Discussion The results are expected to co-create service provision and improve access to services among KPs as a human right, reverse HIV infection rates among KPs and the general population, and improve social and economic wellbeing of Tanzanian. Trial registration Retrospectively registered on 28th August, 2019 with International Standard Randomized Clinical Trial Number (ISRCTN11126469).

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Knowledge, attitude, practice and clinical recommendations of health care workers towards COVID-19: a systematic review

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2020-0099 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Mehran Hesaraki ◽

Majidreza Akbarizadeh ◽

Sudabeh Ahmadidarrehsima ◽

Mahdieh Poodineh Moghadam ◽

Fatemeh Izadpanah

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Good Practice ◽

Good Knowledge ◽

Clinical Recommendations ◽

Attitude And Practice ◽

Care Workers ◽

Clinical Recommendation ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

AbstractObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, practice, and clinical recommendations of health care workers (HCWs) towards COVID-19.MethodsIn this systematic review study, international databases (Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched for the relevant studies published in English from the inception of databases until July 30, 2020. Hoy et al.’s tool was used to evaluate the quality of studies. All search steps, screening, selection of studies, quality assessment, and data extraction were performed separately by two researchers.ResultsOut of 3460 articles searched, 28 articles conducted on 16,427 HCWs were included in the study. Most of the HCWs had good knowledge (72.2%), a positive attitude (70.9%), and good practice (78.8%) towards COVID-19. The most important clinical recommendation to improve knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) was to provide HCWs with a periodic training program regarding COVID-19. The most important source of information for HCWs on COVID-19 was social networks.ConclusionsDespite HCWs’ good knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP), it is recommended to periodically review KAP and carry out further studies in different countries as well. It is also recommended to use social media to improve KAP.

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Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Postexposure Prophylaxis against HIV Infection among Healthcare Workers in Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital, Eastern Ethiopia

AIDS Research and Treatment ◽

10.1155/2019/7947086 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Endalkachew Mekonnen Eticha ◽

Ashenafi Beru Gemeda

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Hiv Infection ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

University Hospital ◽

Postexposure Prophylaxis ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Adequate Knowledge ◽

Care Workers

Background. Postexposure chemoprophylaxis can prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in risk health care workers; however routine adoption of these practices by the workers has been limited. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 311 health care workers of Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital between February and March 2016. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and analysed using STATA 12. Results. In all, 83% of the participants had adequate knowledge of postexposure prophylaxis for HIV. All the respondents had heard about postexposure prophylaxis for HIV; however, only 37 (22.4%) workers know the definition of the postexposure prophylaxis. Among study participants, the majority of them, 272 (87.5%), knew the preferable time to initiate postexposure chemoprophylaxis. A significant number of the workers (43.4%) had an unfavorable attitude towards postexposure prophylaxis. Among 53 workers with a potential exposure to HIV, 38 (71.7%) took postexposure chemoprophylaxis and only 26 (44.8%) completed taking postexposure prophylaxis correctly. Conclusion. In all, most of the health care workers had adequate knowledge about postexposure prophylaxis against HIV/AIDS. The result shows that a significant number of individuals had a negative attitude and poor practice with regard to postexposure prophylaxis. Therefore, formal training that aims to improve attitudes and support to improve postexposure prophylaxis implementation and completion are needed. We would recommend the establishment of appropriate guidelines and the supply chain to ensure the availability of postexposure prophylaxis drugs for the protection of healthcare workers with potential high risk exposure to HIV.

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Radiation protection among health care workers: knowledge, attitude, practice, and clinical recommendations: a systematic review

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2020-0063 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Razieh Behzadmehr ◽

Mahboobe Doostkami ◽

Zohreh Sarchahi ◽

Leila Dinparast Saleh ◽

Rezvaneh Behzadmehr

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Care ◽

Radiation Protection ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

English Language ◽

Attitude And Practice ◽

Care Workers ◽

Review Study ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

AbstractObjectivesThis study was performed to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of health care workers (HCWs) towards radiation protection.MethodsIn this systematic review study, three international databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus) were searched for related published articles in the English language from 1 January 2000 to 1 February 2020. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Hoy et al. tool.ResultsOut of the 1,848 studies examined, 41 studies that were performed on 11,050 HCWs were included in the final stage. The results indicated that in most studies, more than half (50%) of the participants had average knowledge. Furthermore, 60% of the participants had a positive attitude, but in most studies, they had average practice regarding radiation protection. The most important recommendation for improving KAP among the participants was incorporating radiation protection standards in the student curriculum.ConclusionConsidering the results of the study, further attention should be paid to proper education regarding radiation protection standards and improvement of HCW performance.

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Occupational Exposures to Blood and Body Fluids among Healthcare Workers in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

10.1101/2020.05.20.20107953 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Biniyam Sahiledengle ◽

Yohannes Tekalegn ◽

Demelash Woldeyohannes ◽

Bruce John Edward Quisido

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Care ◽

Occupational Exposure ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Body Fluid ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Occupational Exposures ◽

Body Fluids ◽

Care Workers

Background: Occupational exposure to blood and body fluids is a major risk factor for the transmission of blood-borne infections to healthcare workers. There are several primary studies in Ethiopia yet they might not be at the national level to quantify the extent of occupational blood and body fluid exposures among the healthcare workers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of occupational blood and body fluid exposure of health-care workers in Ethiopia. Methods: PubMed, Science Direct, Hinari, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane library were systematically searched; withal, the references of appended articles were also checked for further possible sources. The Cochrane Q test statistics and I2 tests were used to assess the heterogeneity of the included studies. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among health-care workers in Ethiopia. Results: Of the 641 articles identified through the database search, 37 studies were included in the final analysis. The estimated pooled lifetime and 12-month prevalence on occupational exposure to blood and body fluids among healthcare workers were found to be at 54.15% (95% confidence interval (CI): 47.54,60.75) and 44.24% (95%CI: 36.98,51.51), respectively. The study identified a variation in healthcare workers whom were exposed to blood and body fluids across Ethiopian regions. Conclusion: The finding of the present study revealed that there was a high level of annual and lifetime exposures to blood and body fluids among the healthcare workers of Ethiopia.

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The fundamental role of educational intervention on improving health care workers’ knowledge, attitude and practice towards infection control precautions

International Journal of Infection Control ◽

10.3396/ijic.v12i3.020.16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Rasha H. Bassyouni ◽

Ahmed-Ashraf Wegdan ◽

Naglaa A El-Sherbiny

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Infection Control ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Standard Precautions ◽

Attitude And Practice ◽

Care Workers ◽

Atp Bioluminescence ◽

Knowledge Attitude And Practice

To evaluate the role of educational intervention on health care workers' (HCWs) compliance to standard precautions and cleaning of frequently touched surfaces at critical care units, forty-nine HCWs at 2 intensive care units (ICUs) and one neonatology unit at Fayoum University hospital were evaluated for knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards standard precautions as well as obstacles affecting their compliance to standard precautions before and after a 32-hour purposed-designed infection control education program. A structured self-administrated questionnaire as well as observational checklists were used. Assessment of Environmental cleaning was investigated by observational checklist, ATP bioluminescence and aerobic bacteriological culture for 118 frequently touched surfaces. Pre-intervention assessment revealed that 78.6% of HCWs were with good knowledge, 82.8% with good attitude and 80.8% had good practice. Obstacles identified by HCWs were as follow: making patient-care very technical (65.3%), deficiency of hand washing facilities (59.2%), skin irritation resulting from hand hygiene products (51%), and unavailability of PPE (38.8%). High significant improvements of knowledge, attitude and practice were detected after one month of educational intervention (P= 0.000). During the pre-interventional period only 30.5% of surfaces were considered clean versus 97.45% post intervention (P< 0.05). The highest Median ATP bioluminescence values were obtained from telephone handset, light switches and Blood pressure cuffs. S. aureus was the most common isolated organism followed by Enterococcus spp and E.coli (52, 38 and 19 surfaces respectively). In conclusion, contentious training of HCWs on standard precautions should be considered a mandatory element in infection control programs

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