 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
James N. Hyde, MA, SM1, Sarah N. Keller, PhD2, Karen Daley, RN, MPH3, Richard S. Greif, BS, MBA4, Daniel R. Church, MPH5, and Judy Lunedei, BS4. (1) Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, (617)636-3456, james.hyde@tufts.edu, (2) Dept. of Communication, Emerson College, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116, (3) Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, 52 Copperwood Dr., Stoughton, MA 02072, (4) John Snow, Inc., 44 Farnsworth St., Boston, MA 02210, (5) State Laboratory Institute, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
A mail survey of a 5% sample (N=6000) of Massachusetts' RNs and LPNs was conducted during June and July of 2001 to obtain baseline measures of knowledge, beliefs and behaviors about hepatitis C. There was a 42% response rate (N=2443) to the 20 question survey after one mail follow-up. The survey was conducted on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Respondents closely resembled nurses in the state in terms of geographical distribution and national data with respect to current practice sites: 46% (1121) acute care, 19% (456) long-term care, and 14% (347) community health. Of those in acute care, 84% (842) worked in hospital settings. Fifty percent (1205) reported 21 or more years in practice, while 11% (275) reported 5 years or less.
Five questions were used to assess level of knowledge about viral hepatitis. Ten percent (254) answered all of these correctly, while 15% (359) had three or more wrong. Of those who counseled about hepatitis C,17% answered all questions correctly versus 7% for the non-counseling group. The 50% who reported receiving information about hepatitis were more likely to counsel patients and use safety equipment. The workplace, professional journals and continuing education courses were most often cited as sources of information. Finally, participants who answered the fewest questions wrong reported doing the most counseling and being more likely to use safety equipment.
These data have important implications for hepatitis C educational program development and continuing education of practicing nurses.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Nursing Education, Nurses
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.