Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers regarding dengue fever in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran

Abstract

BackgroundDengue fever is a rapidly emerging infection worldwide with a high public health burden. Adequate training of healthcare workers is essential to warrant the timely provision of health services to improve the outcome of dengue management.MethodsThis is an analytical cross-sectional study, conducted to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice (KAP) of healthcare workers regarding dengue from April 2021 to March 2022 in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Data was collected using a researcher-made structured questionnaire, prepared as Google Forms, and sent to target groups through social media and email. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 22 software using descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square) at a significant level of 5%.ResultsMost of the respondents had heard about dengue (83.8%); media (32.7%) and academic education (25%) were the main sources of information. Respondents had less knowledge associated with dengue symptoms (52%) than prevention and control (69%), transmission (72.2%) and clinical management (81%). Based on the 70% cut-off point, the majority of the participants had a good attitude (81%) and practice (73%). However, only 49.6% of the respondents showed good practice regarding dengue local transmission. A significant difference was observed between participants knowledge on clinical management with occupation; attitude with gender and occupation; and practice with gender (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe results of this study revealed gaps in some dimensions of KAP in healthcare workers, therefore, a greater focus should be placed on future training programs to raise knowledge and attitude leading to sound practice and behavior for adequate management of dengue.

Uncovering the knowledge gap: A web-based survey of healthcare providers’ understanding and management of dengue fever in East Azerbaijan, Iran

“…In this study, the highest percentage of lack of knowledge was related to the dimensions of prevention (88.6%) and transmission (77.4%), which was consistent with Ho's study [32]. In another study conducted in Mazandaran, Iran, HCPs had higher knowledge associated with the transmission, clinical management, and prevention and control of dengue as compared with the results of our study [37]. This difference may be due to the non-endemic nature of DF…”

“…Therefore, considering the report of the presence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the country [13,14] with a high risk of spreading throughout the country causing outbreaks and epidemics of arboviruses including dengue, it seems necessary to improve the knowledge of the HCPs by whatever means possible including but not limited to holding educational workshops, distributing posters and pamphlets in health and treatment centers, social media and etc. Similar to the findings of this research (13.3%), in Khan's study (13.3%) a low percentage of the participants were aware of the daytime biting habit of the dengue vectors [43] while in other studies, this proportion was quite different [25,37,39]. This misapprehension may lead healthcare providers to give patients incorrect preventive counsel.…”

Knowledge and Perceptions about Diagnosis, Clinical Management, and Prevention of Dengue Fever among Physicians during the 2023 outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Study in Peru

“…Divergent results were found across different studies in the literature. Higher rates of correct answers were reported in Ethiopia, Iran, and Ecuador, with percentages of 79% (Mohammed Yusuf and Abdurashid Ibrahim, 2019), 75.7% (Nikookar et al, 2023), and 75% (Handel et al, 2016) respectively. In contrast, lower percentages were found in a study in Taiwan 27.1% (Huang et al, 2011).…”

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health care professionals regarding dengue fever: need for training and provision of diagnostic equipment in Togo in 2022, a cross-sectional study

“…For comparison, Yusuf and colleagues identified that in Ethiopia in 2019, 48% of surveyed healthcare workers exhibited appropriate dengue-related practices based on a 60% cut-off ( 29 ). Similarly, using a 70% cut-off, Nikookar et al reported that in Iran in 2023, an impressive 73.0% of participants had good practices ( 38 ). The scant proportion of adequate dengue practices in our study could primarily be attributed to the reported unavailability of dengue diagnostic equipment within the participants' health region.…”