Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Hulu Langat District Health Office, Ministry of Health, Putrajaya, Malaysia
Asia Pac J Public Health, 2024 Jul;36(5):504-510.
PMID: 38641958 DOI: 10.1177/10105395241247128

Abstract

As Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection continues to rise globally, including in Malaysia, it is essential for healthcare workers (HCWs) to have adequate knowledge about the disease for diagnostic accuracy and to improve public health surveillance systems. This study aimed to assess awareness and measure the level of knowledge of CHIKV infection among HCWs in the Hulu Langat district and explore associated sociodemographic and skill-related factors. This was a cross-sectional study in which the questionnaire was physically distributed to participants using the universal sampling method. All participants (100%) were aware of CHIKV infection, and most (80.1%) had knowledge of the disease. Furthermore, networks such as professional members, family, and friends (27.8%), followed by professional development programs (23.1%), were identified as the common platforms utilized by HCWs to access information regarding CHIKV infection. Ordinal logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that the level of education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23,) and HCWs who attended Continuing Medical Education (CME)/courses on CHIKV infection (OR = 1.73,) and had experience in handling the case (OR = 3.23,) were significantly associated with awareness and knowledge of the disease. Implementing continuous education and training can enhance HCWs' understanding of CHIKV infection.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.