Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Hepatitis B and C among Nursing Students

A descriptive cross sectional study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding Hepatitis B and C among nursing students. The study was conducted at National Institute of Nursing Education, PGIMER, Chandigarh. Using purposive sampling technique, 86 students undergoing 3 rd year of an undergraduate nursing program were enrolled in the study. The tool used for data collection was a self-administered structured questionnaire consisting of three parts i.e. socio-demographic profile, assessment of knowledge, and attitude regarding Hepatitis B and C. To assess knowledge, 31 multiple choice questions with one correct answer were used. Information obtained was regarding the awareness about Hepatitis B and C, mode of transmission, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and treatment etc. The maximum attainable score was 31. A five point Likert’s scale consisting of 14 statements was used to assess the attitude of the subjects regarding care of HBV and HCV positive patients. These 14 statements were further categorized into positive and negative statements. Maximum attainable score was 70. The results of the study revealed that 70.93% of the subjects had average knowledge, 19.76% had poor knowledge and only few 09.31% had good level of knowledge regarding Hepatitis B and C. The mean knowledge score ± S.D. was 16.34±2.65 with the range of 7 to 23. Regarding attitude, majority 94.18% of the subjects had a positive attitude regarding care of patients with Hepatitis B and C. It was concluded that majority of students had average knowledge regarding Hepatitis B and C but had positive attitude towards care of patients with Hepatitis B and C. The knowledge and attitude were positively correlated (r = 0.09).