ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE TOWARD PREVENTION OF HEPATITIS B INFECTION AND VACCINATION STATUS AMONG HEALTH CARE WORKERS AT A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN EASTERN INDIA

SUBHA SANKHA KUNDU; MOUMITA KUNDU; MUKESH KUMAR; DHAVAL PAREKH; ANAND KISHORE

doi:10.22159/ajpcr.2025v18i2.53677

Authors

SUBHA SANKHA KUNDU Department of Community Medicine, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
MOUMITA KUNDU Department of Community Medicine, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5224-2121
MUKESH KUMAR Department of Community Medicine, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2970-5771
DHAVAL PAREKH Department of Community Medicine, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3026-2412
ANAND KISHORE Department of Community Medicine, KPC Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1640-7417

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2025v18i2.53677

Keywords:

Hepatitis B, healthcare workers, vaccination coverage, universal precautions, occupational hazard

Abstract

Objectives: The present study aims to assess the knowledge about Hepatitis B infection of healthcare workers (HCWs) and their vaccination status.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out over a period of 4 months, at a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India. The study enrolled 151 HCWs, including nurses and paramedical staff employed on either a permanent or contractual basis. Participants were selected randomly, and data were obtained using a structured, pre-tested data collection tool. The questionnaire included sections to capture sociodemographic details, assess knowledge about Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, determine vaccination status, and identify reasons for partial or lack of vaccination.

Results: Among the 151 participants, 29.8% were nurses, and 70.2% were auxiliary health workers, including laboratory technicians, administrative staff, housekeeping staff, ward attendants, and ambulance drivers. While all nurses exhibited complete knowledge across all domains of HBV awareness, only 14% of auxiliary health workers knew the causative organism and 9% were aware of prevention strategies. Vaccination coverage was suboptimal, with 48.3% fully vaccinated, 30.5% partially vaccinated, and 21.2% unvaccinated. Unvaccinated participants cited a lack of awareness (62.5%) and perceived irrelevance (31.3%) as major barriers. Among partially vaccinated participants, 65.2% were unaware of their vaccination schedule.

Conclusion: Significant gaps in HBV-related knowledge and vaccination coverage persist among auxiliary health workers, highlighting the need for targeted educational programs and routine workplace vaccination initiatives. Enhancing awareness about vaccination schedules and ensuring easy access to vaccines are critical steps to mitigate HBV transmission risks in healthcare settings and protect HCWs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

World Health Organization. Fact Sheet: Hepatitis B. World Health Organization. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b [Last accessed on 2024 Dec 12].

Alghamdi M, Alghamdi AS, Aljedai A, Khathlan AA, Masri NA, Qutub A, et al. Revealing hepatitis B virus as a silent killer: A call-to-action for Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2021;13(5):e14811. doi: 10.7759/ cureus.14811, PMID: 34094765

Datta S. An overview of molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in India. Virol J. 2008;5:156. doi: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-156, PMID: 19099581

Abraham P. Viral hepatitis in India. Clin Lab Med. 2012;32(2):159-74. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2012.03.003, PMID: 22726997

Ziraba AK, Bwogi J, Namale A, Wainaina CW, Mayanja-Kizza H. Sero-prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B virus infection among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in Uganda. BMC Infect Dis. 2010;10:191. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-191, PMID: 20587047

Jha AK, Chadha S, Bhalla P, Saini S. Hepatitis B infection in microbiology laboratory workers: Prevalence, vaccination, and immunity status. Hepat Res Treat. 2012;2012:520362. doi: 10.1155/2012/520362, PMID: 23304474

Abdela A, Woldu B, Haile K, Mathewos B, Deressa T. Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices toward prevention of hepatitis B virus infection among students of medicine and health sciences in Northwest Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes. 2016;9(1):410. doi: 10.1186/ s13104-016-2216-y, PMID: 27543117

Shrestha SK, Bhattarai MD. Study of hepatitis B among different categories of health care workers. J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2006;16(2):108-11. PMID: 16499802

Talaat M, Kandeel A, El-Shoubary W, Bodenschatz C, Khairy I, Oun S, et al. Occupational exposure to needlestick injuries and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among health care workers in Egypt. Am J Infect Control. 2003;31(8):469-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2003.03.003, PMID: 14647109

Van Tuong P, Phuong TT, Anh BT, Nguyen TH. Assessment of injection safety in Ha Dong general hospital, Hanoi, in 2012. F1000Res. 2017;6:1003. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11399.4, PMID: 29188014

Batra V, Goswami A, Dadhich S, Kothari D, Bhargava N. Hepatitis B immunization in healthcare workers. Ann Gastroenterol. 2015;28(2):276-80. PMID: 25830669

Siraj F, Fareed P, Mahajan N. Assessment of knowledge attitude and practice towards hepatitis B among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2016;5:58-61. doi: 10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20151601

Garg M, Sridhar B, Katyal V, Goyal S. Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) toward hepatitis B infection, its prevention, and vaccination among health care workers. Cureus. 2023;15(5):e39747. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39747, PMID: 37398757

Benarji KA, Anitha A, Suresh B, Aparna V, Praveena A, Penumatsa LA. Knowledge and attitude of dental students toward hepatitis B virus and its vaccination - A cross-sectional study. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2021;25(3):553. doi: 10.4103/jomfp.jomfp_387_21, PMID: 35281163

Reang T, Chakraborty T, Sarker M, Tripura A. A study of knowledge and practice regarding hepatitis B among nursing students attending tertiary care hospitals in Agartala city. Int J Res Med Sci. 2015;3:1641-9. doi: 10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20150244

Zaveri J, Karia J. Knowledge, attitudes and practice of laboratory technicians regarding universal work precaution. Natl J Med Res. 2012;2(1):113-5.

Chao J, Chang ET, So SK. Hepatitis B and liver cancer knowledge and practices among healthcare and public health professionals in China: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2010;10:98. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-98, PMID: 20184740

Mursy SM, Mohamed SO. Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards hepatitis B infection among nurses and midwives in two maternity hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1597. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7982-8, PMID: 31783744

Sasapu S, Nethra KP, Kumar PS. Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices in infection prevention and control among health-care workers at the government teaching hospital, Visakhapatnam. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2023;16(5):157-61. doi: 10.22159/ajpcr.2023. v16i5.46874

Choudhury J, Mahapatra A. Knowledge of hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers in neonatal and paediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital of Odisha. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2017;10(4):272-4. doi: 10.22159/ajpcr.2017.v10i4.16716

Nema S, Saraf A, Ayer S, Singh AK, Biswas D. Awareness and vaccination status of hepatitis B among health care workers in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Central India. Indian J Microbiol Res. 2021;8(2):152-6. doi: 10.18231/j.ijmr.2021.031