An evaluation of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of employees of a university hospital in an H1N1 influenza pandemic

Omer Evirgen; Nazan Savas; Vicdan Koksaldi Motor; Yusuf Onlen; Erhan Yengil

doi:10.3855/jidc.3400

An evaluation of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of employees of a university hospital in an H1N1 influenza pandemic

Authors

Omer Evirgen Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey
Nazan Savas Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey
Vicdan Koksaldi Motor Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey
Yusuf Onlen Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey
Erhan Yengil Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.3400

Keywords:

H1N1 virus, influenza vaccine, health professional, health knowledge, attitudes, behaviors

Abstract

Introduction: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the transmission routes of an H1N1 pandemic and the protective measures of health professionals at a university hospital in Turkey.

Methodology: A stratified systematic sampling method was used to select the sample size of the study group. A total of 22 professors, 29 researchers, and 26 nurses were included in the study.

Results: The mean scores of the individuals were 8.4±2.5 (over 20) for knowledge about H1N1 transmission, 27.6±4.0 (over 60) for knowledge about protection against H1N1, 25.8±4.2 (over 45) for correct or appropriate attitudes, and 33.6±8.9 (over 60) for correct behaviors. A negative correlation between total knowledge and behavior was found (p < 0.001, r = -0.543).

Conclusions: In epidemics, standard protection measures should be known and applied. Regarding this topic, the web page of the Ministry of Health comes to the forefront as a reliable source of information in addition to scientific explanations.

Author Biographies

Omer Evirgen, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology

Nazan Savas, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

Department of Public Health

Vicdan Koksaldi Motor, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology

Yusuf Onlen, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology

Erhan Yengil, Mustafa Kemal University School of Medicine, Hatay, Turkey

Department of Family Medicine

Downloads

Published

2014-05-14

How to Cite

Evirgen O, Savas N, Koksaldi Motor V, Onlen Y, Yengil E (2014) An evaluation of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of employees of a university hospital in an H1N1 influenza pandemic. J Infect Dev Ctries 8:561–569. doi: 10.3855/jidc.3400

Download Citation

Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 05: May 2014

Section

Outbreak

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).