Knowledge Level of Nursing Students on Hepatitis B Infection

• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8405056
• Publication Date: 2023-09-30
• Authors: BİNAY, Şengül KOR...; ÖZAKGÜL, Aylin; KARAKURT, Papatya; BİNAY, Umut Devrim; KÖSE, Sema
• Keywords: Nursing Students; 4. Education; Knowledge Level; Hepatitis B; Contagious Diseases; 3. Good health

Objective: In reducing the risk of transmission of hepatitis B infection, nursing students should have the necessary knowledge, attitude and sensitivity about hepatitis B. The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge level of nursing students about the problems caused by the Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), its transmission routes and prevention methods. Materials-Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with fourth-year students at nursing department of a university. Questionnaire Form (QF) consisting of questions about sociodemographic information and questions about HBV and disease information was used in the collection of data. Descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean and standard deviation were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The mean age was 22.10±1.14. They got an average of 68.76±13.17 points from the hepatitis B disease QF. 99% stated that "HBV infection is a contagious disease"; 80.4% “It can cause cirrhosis”; 64.9% “It can cause liver cancer”; 62.9% “Risk of HBV transmission due to sharpening injuries is higher than HIV” correctly. 80.4% answered the wrong statement “A single dose hepatitis B vaccine is enough" correctly. To the incorrect statements about the routes of transmission, 68% answered correctly that it can be transmitted by kissing, 53.6% by sharing food and 29.9% by using shared bathrooms and toilets. 97.9% of them answered correctly that changing gloves, 94.8% getting hepatitis B vaccine and 86.6% washing hands is among the ways of protection. Conclusion: The knowledge level about hepatitis B was above the moderate level. It is important to increase the level of knowledge about transmission routes. In this direction, it is thought that this study will be a guide for studies with larger samples.