Tuberculosis screening knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare workers attending to antenatal care mothers in Bunyangabu District health facilities

Abstract

Background: Pregnant women are at risk of developing active tuberculosis, and if not identified and treated early, it poses life-threatening complications to both the mother and fetus. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare workers towards tuberculosis screening among women attending antenatal care in public health facilities of Bunyangabu district. Methods: A cross sectional study employing the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was conducted among healthcare workers attending to women in antenatal care clinics of Bunyangabu district. 154 healthcare workers and 6 key informants were recruited in the study. An interviewer administered questionnaire and key informant interviews were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 18. Privacy and confidentiality of participants were maintained at all times. Results: A total of 154 healthcare workers participated in the study. The average age was 30 (SD 6.9) years, the minimum age as 19 years and maximum age was 52 years. 79.9% of the healthcare workers had ever received a training on TB screening. 132 (86%) had a poor knowledge as only 22 (14%) had a good knowledge on TB screening. The findings revealed that 65% had good attitudes towards TB screening among pregnant women. The attitudes of healthcare workers were significantly associated with sex (aOR= 0.393, P-Value 0.044) and level of health facility (aOR= 3.283, P-Value 0.021). TB screening in pregnant women was reported to be done routinely by 53% of healthcare workers while 2% reported that they do not screen for TB at all in pregnant women. Gene expert (66%), Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear (57%) and urine examination (66%0 were the commonly used methods for TB screening. Knowledge on Tb screening, OR=1.659, P-Value 0.046 was significantly associated with healthcare workers’ routine TB screening practices during ANC. Conclusion: Healthcare workers in Bunyangabu district had poor knowledge and poor practice on TB screening in pregnant women. There should be regular and consistent refresher trainings of healthcare workers on TB screening, treatment and prevention. Authorities should ensure regular and timely publication of disease surveillance reports to keep healthcare workers updated on the burden of diseases in their geographical areas, which would help them practice appropriate prevention strategies.