A study to assess knowledge, attitude and practice regarding diagnosis and management of tuberculosis among nursing staff in tertiary care hospital, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India

Background Numerous studies have previously been conducted on the management of tuberculosis by healthcare workers. Given that nurses interact with patients frequently in the course of their work, it is also important to look at their knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Future studies may take into account additional aspects of tuberculosis patient care, such as knowledge and approaches for managing patients of multidrug-resistant pathogens including tuberculosis. A report from the WHO has emphasized the importance of educational strategies to equip healthcare workers with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes which will lead to adequate infection control practices and thus reduce the disease burden of TB. Methods For this cross-sectional study, offline survey was conducted among 182 nursing staff members of Sir T General Hospital, Bhavnagar, Gujarat. A validated self-administered questionnaire comprising five sections (socio demography, work-related information, knowledge, attitude, and practice) was used for data collection. Result 155 (84%) out of a total of 182 participants had good knowledge, 129 (70%) had a positive attitude and 77 (42%) had good practice around tuberculosis prevention. Study reveals that only 58% of participants had provided a surgical mask to a patient with cough Approx. 25% of respondents didn’t know the role of private practitioners in the treatment of tuberculosis. Every nine out of ten participants thought to increase awareness regarding tuberculosis in the hospital campus. Conclusion The findings of the study reveal that nursing staff of the hospital had an overall good knowledge and a positive attitude regarding Tuberculosis prevention. However, this knowledge does not explain the cause of TB therefore it leads to disparities between knowledge and practice. To overcome this problem effective educational programmes should be implemented.