Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about occupational hazards and the use of safety measures among healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in Rwanda: a mixed method study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4314/ajbr.v27i1.2Nyckelord:
Occupational hazards, healthcare workers, safety measures, contagious diseasesAbstract
Healthcare workplaces are unsafe environments due to inherent sources of hazards. This study was conducted to assess healthcare workers' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of workplace hazards and the availability of safety measures at a teaching hospital in Rwanda. A descriptive, cross-sectional, prospective study design with a mixed-methods approach was used. Healthcare workers of a teaching hospital were selected by stratified sampling and asked to complete a structured, self-administered questionnaire. Information was collected from the participants about their socio-demographic characteristics as well as the knowledge, attitude and perceptions of occupational hazards and the presence of safety measures. A total of 290 staff responded to the questionnaire, of which 163(56.2%) were males. The mean age was 35.81 years (SD: ±7.528 years). Most of the participants (n=151; 52.1%) reported that they met patients with highly contagious diseases 12 months before data collection; 155 (53.3%) participants had needle stick injuries. Overall, 143 (49.3%) participants had knowledge deemed adequate; with the majority being males who are married, have a bachelor’s degree and are aged above 30 years. The results show that 154 (53.1%) participants had a good attitude. A bad attitude was associated with being aged 26 or younger, female, divorced, widowed, or having only completed secondary education. Over the course of the year, half of hospital staff are exposed to workplace hazards. There are gaps in knowledge about workplace hazards and proper safety practices. Healthcare workers' attitudes also put them at risk. Workplace health education and policy need to be strengthened to create a safe working environment.
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