Low Levels of Knowledge and Preventive Practices Regarding Vertical Hepatitis B Transmission among Perinatal Nurses.

HEPATITIS B transmission; NURSING audit; CHI-squared test; LEGAL compliance; MATERNITY nursing; RESEARCH methodology; NURSING; PROFESSIONS; QUESTIONNAIRES; RESEARCH funding; STATISTICAL sampling; MULTIPLE regression analysis; PRE-tests & post-tests; CROSS-sectional method; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; VERTICAL transmission (Communicable diseases); PREVENTION

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate current levels of hepatitis-B-related knowledge and clinical practice among perinatal nurses. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Santa Clara County, California, home to one of the largest U.S. populations at risk of perinatal hepatitis B transmission. Participants Perinatal nurses ( N = 518) from eight birthing hospitals. Methods In 2008-2010, nurses completed a baseline survey evaluating existing hepatitis-B-related knowledge and preventive clinical practices, participated in an educational seminar, received instructional materials about hepatitis B, and completed a follow-up knowledge survey. Results Eighty percent of perinatal nurses had provided health care to a pregnant woman with chronic hepatitis B, but only 51% routinely provided patients with educational information about hepatitis B. While 75% routinely informed patients about effective methods to prevent mother-to-child transmission, only a small minority (17-34%) educated infected women about standard recommendations for protecting themselves and household members. One fourth or fewer nurses correctly answered most questions about hepatitis B prevalence, risks, and symptoms. After the educational seminar, knowledge increased statistically significantly. Conclusion Existing knowledge about hepatitis B is limited, and nationally recommended preventive clinical practices are commonly overlooked by perinatal nurses. This lack of knowledge and preventive care represents a noteworthy gap and an opportunity for targeted training and education to improve perinatal hepatitis B prevention and medical management of infected mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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