Brief Article
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co.
World J Gastroenterol. May 14, 2012; 18(18): 2238-2244
Published online May 14, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i18.2238
Table 1 Hepatitis C knowledge level, attitude and self-reported statement questions in the questionnaire
Hepatitis C knowledge questions (response options: true, false and uncertain)
Hepatitis C is caused by a virus
Hepatitis C is caused by bacteria
Hepatitis C can be spread through close personal contact such as kissing
Hepatitis C can be spread through sharing injecting equipment, such as needles, tourniquets, spoons, filters and swabs
Hepatitis C can be spread by mosquitoes
Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact
Having a medical and/or dental procedure performed in the Middle East, South East Asia or the Mediterranean increases a person's chances of contracting hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is spread through the air in an enclosed environment (e.g., crowded buses and elevators)
Sexual transmission is a common way hepatitis C is spread
Some people with hepatitis C were infected through unsterile tattooing
Some people with hepatitis C were infected through blood transfusions
People with hepatitis C should be restricted from working in the food industry
Hepatitis C can lead to cirrhosis
Hepatitis C is associated with an increased risk of liver cancer
Hepatitis C is a mutation of hepatitis B
A person can be infected with hepatitis C and not have any symptoms of the disease
There is a pharmaceutical treatment available for hepatitis C
There is a vaccine for hepatitis C
HIV is easier to catch than hepatitis C
An individual can have hepatitis C antibodies without being currently infected with the virus
People with hepatitis C should restrict their alcohol intake
Once you have had hepatitis C, you cannot catch it again because you are immune
Attitudes and self-reported behavior statements according to theme (response options: strongly agree, agree, uncertain, disagree and strongly disagree)
Attitudes and self-reported behavior toward the implementation of infection control guidelines
When receiving health care, patients with hepatitis C (HCV) should be identified for safety reasons
Patients with HCV should be given the last appointment for the day (ICG)
Health professionals who are HCV positive should be discouraged from having contact with patients
All patients should be tested for HCV before they receive health care
I deliver the same standard of care to patients with HCV as I do for other patients
I feel that I do not have the skills needed to effectively and safely treat patients with HCV
Following infection control guidelines will protect me from being infected with HCV at work
I often use additional infection control precautions when treating patients with HCV
I would prefer to wear two pairs of gloves when treating a bleeding person with HCV
The infection control guidelines necessary to treat patients with hepatitis C would be a financial burden on my practice/ward
Attitudes and self-reported compassion toward people with hepatitis C
I feel sorry for people who contracted HCV through a blood transfusion
I feel sorry for people who contracted HCV through HIV drug use
Attitudes and self-reported willingness to treat people with hepatitis C
I do not like treating people with HCV
I am willing to treat people with HCV
I believe my profession should have central role in the treatment of HCV
Table 2 Health care workers’ demographic data
Variablen (%)
Age (yr) ≤ 30108 (45.2)
31-4088 (36.8)
≥ 4143 (18.0)
SexMale47 (19.7)
Female192 (80.3)
Working history (yr) ≤ 5117 (49)
6-1060 (25.1)
≥ 1162 (25.9)
Health care groupPhysicians79 (33.1)
Nurses150 (62.8)
Technicians10 (4.2)
NSI historyYes125 (52.3)
No114 (47.7)
EducationYes189 (79.1)
No50 (20.9)
Table 3 Health care workers’ hepatitis C knowledge scores in association with different variables (mean ± SD)
VariablesnMean knowledge score (SD)P value
SexMale4718.78 (2.12)0.0001
Female19217.1 (2.66)
Age ≤ 3010816.75 (2.9)0.001
31-408817.93 (2.22)
≥ 414318.13 (2.41)
Working history ≤ 511717.05 (2.97)0.073
6-106017.6 (2.91)
≥ 116217.98 (2.54)
Professional groupPhysicians7919.26 (1.97)0.0001
Nurses15016.61 (2.51)
Technicians1015.3 (1.25)
NSI historyYes12517.28 (2.81)NS
No11417.59 (2.45)
Table 4 Association of health care workers’ attitudes with different variables
VariablesP value
Sex0.0001
Age0.002
Working history0.002
Professional group0.0001
NSI historyNS
Education0.035
Knowledge score0.0001