Awareness of Asthma and COPD Among Healthcare and Support Staff in Hospitals in TRNC

BACKGROUND/AIMS: With the increasing prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases worldwide, the likelihood of healthcare personnel encountering these patients has also risen.The purpose of this study is to determine the awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma among staff working in hospitals in North Cyprus. MATERIALS AND METHODS:A survey was administered to staff in 4 hospitals.In addition to demographic data, the survey consisted of 22 questions related to COPD and asthma, which were part of the GARD-Trkiye Project established by the Turkish Ministry of Health in 2013.The data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. RESULTS:A total of 316 personnel from 4 hospitals participated in the study.The age range was 18-59 years (369.82years), and the average duration of work was 11.359.53years.The group with more than 10 years of work experience had a lower awareness that COPD is seen in individuals over 40 years of age compared to other groups (p=0.008).Additionally, this group had a stronger belief that asthma medications cause addiction (p=0.035).When examining doctors, nurses, paramedics, and technicians as the "healthcare workers group" and auxiliary health staff and clerks as the "other group," it was found that neither group had sufficient knowledge that COPD is a disease affecting individuals over 40 years.Regarding whether COPD is a treatable disease, 46.2% (98) of healthcare workers responded "yes," while 43.9% (93) answered "no".In general, the level of knowledge about COPD and asthma was higher in the healthcare workers group. CONCLUSION:Although the study population is quite heterogeneous and has a low participation rate from doctors, it is thought to represent hospital workers well.Awareness about asthma and COPD is low.In particular, the group with a longer duration of work was less aware of these two diseases than other groups.We believe that hospital staff should receive in-service training on these diseases at regular intervals.