Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids and Knowledge of HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Medical and Allied Health Students in Northern Nigeria

Details

• Personal Author:
  Abdullahi, Shahida S. ; Aliyu, Muktar H. ; Amole, Taiwo G. ; Galadanci, Hadiza S. ; Iliyasu, Bilkisu Z. ; Iliyasu, Zubairu
• Description:
  Background: Clinical students are at increased risk of exposure to blood-borne pathogens. However, little has been documented about their exposure to blood and body fluids and their knowledge of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in high-HIV burden settings, such as Nigeria. Objective: To determine the prevalence and predictors of BBF exposure and knowledge about PEP among medical and allied health students in northern Nigeria. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 273 clinical students were asked to complete structured questionnaires. The prevalence of BBF exposure was determined. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of BBF exposure. Results: The majority of the respondents (98.2%) had heard about PEP; 26.0% (n=71) had adequate knowledge about PEP. 76 (27.8%) of the 273 respondents reported accidental exposure to HIV. 230 (84.2%) respondents had positive attitude toward HIV PEP. Of those who had had accidental exposure to HIV (n=76), only 13% (n=10) received PEP. The level of knowledge about PEP was predicted by previous training (aOR 0.43, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.80 ["no" vs "yes"]), year of training (aOR 4.10, 95% CI 1.60 to 10.47 [6thvs 4th year]), course of study (aOR 4.69, 95% CI 2.06 to 10.68 ["allied health" vs "clinical medicine"]) and religion (aOR 5.39, 95% CI 1.40 to 20.71 ["non-Muslim" vs "Muslim"]). Similarly, accidental exposure was independently predicted by respondents' sex (aOR 2.55, 95% CI1.36 to 4.75 ["female" vs "male"]), age (aOR 2.54, 95% CI 1.06 to 6.15 ["25-29" vs "20-24" years]), ethnicity (aOR 2.15, 95% CI1.10 to 5.14 ["others" vs "Hausa/Fulani"]), course of study (aOR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.38 ["allied health" vs "clinical medicine"]), and previous PEP training (aOR 0.39, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.78 ["no" vs "yes"]). Conclusion: One in four clinical students reported exposure to BBF. Most students expressed a positive attitude toward PEP, but knowledge and uptake of PEP was sub-optimal. We recommend strengthening training curricula for infection control and prevention and enhancing protocols for timely post-exposure evaluation and follow up for all exposure incidents. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Blood Blood-Borne Pathogens Body Fluids Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Hematologic Diseases HIV Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Knowledge Blood-borne Pathogens Bloodborne Pathogens Body Fluids Health Care Workers Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Control Nigeria Occupational Exposure Post-exposure Prophylaxis Prophylaxis

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• ISSN:
  2008-6520
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Nigeria
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  14 pdf pages
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20066985
• Citation:
  Int J Occup Environ Med 2020 Oct; 11(4):196-209
• Contact Point Address:
  Professor Zubairu Iliyasu, MBBS, PhD, Department of Community Medicine, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
• Email:
  ziliyasu@yahoo.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20080701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a0a96f62dade0b2b574c99516a2032f8d36cc2a0a04dcf91d9e61d3e3bf3081bf6ad3cb19168d072277990b4262306b9562a9ab52e79b771be298bf38dae88a1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230815/cdc_230815_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 628.28 KB ]