Healthcare professionals’ awareness, knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about Ebola at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abebe, Tamrat Befekadu; Bhagavathula, Akshaya Srikanth; Tefera, Yonas Getaye; Ahmad, Akram; Khan, Muhammad Umair; Belachew, Sewunet Admasu; Brown, Brandon; Abegaz, Tadesse Melaku

doi:10.4081/jphia.2016.570

Cited by 38 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…In some instances, medical staff actually panicked in handling suspected Ebola patients (Today, 19/11), while in others, suspicious patients in dire need of medical attention were simply abandoned (Today, 19/11). This result is similar to earlier findings in Ethiopia, where Abebe and colleagues [14] found Ebola caused fears among more than 58% of healthcare professionals. It also concurs with previously reported episodes of fear, avoidance and flight from hospitals by medical staff in earlier outbreaks of Ebola [8].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

And Ghana was scared: Media Representations of the Risk of an Ebola Outbreak in Ghana

Iddrisu¹

2018

OJPHI

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IntroductionThe 2014 Ebola virus outbreak in parts of West Africa marked the 25th occurrence of the disease since its discovery in 1976. While earlier outbreaks in Central and Eastern Africa had limited geographical extension and little media coverage, news media interest in the 2014 epidemic was remarkably high. In countries like Ghana, where the risk of imported infection was estimated to be among the highest, news coverage for the epidemic proliferated. This study aimed to describe and analyze the central themes which characterized media representations of the risk of Ebola outbreak in Ghana.MethodA quantitative content analysis (CA) was employed to study news media reportage of the risk of Ebola outbreak in Ghana. Two daily newspapers, the Daily Graphic and Today were sampled. An online search for Ebola news stories in the selected newspapers was conducted, and all hits with Ebola downloaded and screened. A total of 332 articles were retrieved and 156 articles met the inclusion criteria. Three independent coders carried out the coding using identical story analysis form.ResultsIn the course of the 2014 Ebola epidemic in parts of West Africa, the Daily Graphic and Today newspapers in Ghana published 332 stories about the epidemic. Of this number, the study analyzed 156 news articles which met the inclusion criteria. The analysis found that, media coverage for the risk of Ebola outbreak in Ghana reflected nine salient themes: concerns about the Ghana’s preparedness, support for Ghana’s preparation, public education on Ebola virus, assurances on Ghana’s readiness, suspected cases of Ebola, effects of Ebola, critique of Ebola risk handling, Misinformation and other.ConclusionAnalysis of news media coverage for the threat of Ebola outbreak in Ghana revealed nine important themes. These themes, contributed to an understanding of the broad impact of the recent Ebola outbreak on various sectors of the population.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

And Ghana was scared: Media Representations of the Risk of an Ebola Outbreak in Ghana

Iddrisu¹

2018

OJPHI

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“…In this study there was general low levels of knowledge on etiology, mode of transmission, clinical signs and management of EVD in over 50 percent of the HCWs. This seems to agree with a study in Ethiopia amongst HCWs that showed nearly similar low levels of knowledge about EVD (41). Annan et al (29) also demonstrated the same in HCWs in Ghana during the period of Ebola outbreak in West Africa.…”

Section: Knowledge On Etiology Transmission Control and Prevention supporting

confidence: 89%

Preparedness of Health Care Systems for Ebola Outbreak Response in Kasese and Rubirizi districts, Western Uganda

Kibuule

Sekimpi²,

Agaba³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background The level of preparedness of the health care workers, the health facility and the entire health system determines the magnitude of the impact of an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak as demonstrated by the West African Ebola outbreak. The objective of the study was to assess preparedness of the health care facilities and identify appropriate preparedness measures for Ebola outbreak response in Kasese and Rubirizi districts in western Uganda. Methods A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted by interviewing 189 health care workers using a structured questionnaire and visits to 22 health facilities to determine the level of health care system preparedness to EVD outbreak. District level infrastructure capabilities, existence of health facility logistics and supplies, and health care workers’ knowledge of EVD was assessed. EVD Preparedness was assessed on infrastructure and logistical capabilities and the level of knowledge of an individual health work about the etiology, control and prevention of EVD. Results Twelve out of the 22 (55%) of the health facilities, especially health center III’s and IV’s, did not have a budget to respond to EVD. The majority (> 59%%) of the facilities did not have the following: case definition books, rapid response teams and/or committees, burial teams, simulation drills. Information on presence of personal protective equipment within 8 hours was lacking for 62% of the health facilities. All facilities (100%) did not have Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF) incident management centers, isolation units, guidelines for burial, and one-meter distance between health care worker and patient during triage. Overall, 54% (n = 102) of health care workers (HCWs) did not know the incubation period of EVD. HCWs who had tertiary education (cOR = 6.36; CI = 2.05–19.66; p = 0.001), were Clinical Officers (cOR = 3.13; CI = 1.02–9.59; p = 0.046) and were Christian (cOR = 5.73; CI = 1.22–26.78; p = 0.027) were more likely to know about EVD. Conclusions Feedback on the level of preparedness for the rural districts helps inform strategies for building capacity of these health centers in terms of infrastructure, logistics and improving knowledge of health care workers.

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“…However, there have been various other studies where authors have attempted to access the knowledge of EVD among healthcare workers. Some of these studies include the work of Abebe et al (2016) of Gondar University Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia and Narasimhulu et al (2015) in New York City (2015). In the first study by Abebe et al (2016), the authors stratified Healthcare Professionals (HCP) into two groups, physicians and allied health professionals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these studies include the work of Abebe et al (2016) of Gondar University Hospital in Northwest Ethiopia and Narasimhulu et al (2015) in New York City (2015). In the first study by Abebe et al (2016), the authors stratified Healthcare Professionals (HCP) into two groups, physicians and allied health professionals. In that study, they found poor knowledge and negative incorrect beliefs among doctors and allied health professionals (Abebe et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the first study by Abebe et al (2016), the authors stratified Healthcare Professionals (HCP) into two groups, physicians and allied health professionals. In that study, they found poor knowledge and negative incorrect beliefs among doctors and allied health professionals (Abebe et al, 2016). The latter study by Narasimhulu et al (2015) analyzed Healthcare Workers (HCW) attitude towards care of patients with EVD.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of knowledge of Ebola virus disease management of medical residents in a tertiary medical college

Nchako¹,

Nesbeth²,

Odoh³

2017

J. Public Health Epidemiol.

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The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in WestA total of 60 residents participated in the survey. Of these, 11 (18.3%) were psychiatry residents, 5 (8.3%) each were preventive and occupational medicine residents, while 13 (21.7%) and 26 (43.4%) were family and internal medicine residents, respectively. Compared to other specialties, resident physicians in occupational medicine had higher knowledge of the first step in the management of Ebola virus (EBOV) (p=0.042). On whether use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was required for individuals driving or riding in a vehicle carrying human remains of EBOV patients, only 10 respondents (16.7%) answered correctly, with preventive medicine residents performing significantly better than other physicians (p<0.0001). In conclusion, this study identified that resident physicians have a low level of knowledge regarding the presentation, prevention and management of EVD, including handling post-mortem remains. This study highlights the importance of educational interventions to improve knowledge on EVD prevention and management.

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Healthcare professionals’ awareness, knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and beliefs about Ebola at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Cited by 38 publications

References 13 publications

And Ghana was scared: Media Representations of the Risk of an Ebola Outbreak in Ghana

And Ghana was scared: Media Representations of the Risk of an Ebola Outbreak in Ghana

Preparedness of Health Care Systems for Ebola Outbreak Response in Kasese and Rubirizi districts, Western Uganda

Assessment of knowledge of Ebola virus disease management of medical residents in a tertiary medical college

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