AI Article Synopsis

  • - The study assessed the knowledge and attitudes about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among healthcare workers at a hospital in Italy, revealing that many overestimate their understanding of the topic.
  • - A questionnaire completed by 140 healthcare workers showed that only one-third could correctly identify STIs and knew the transmission methods, despite most recognizing HIV and the effectiveness of condoms.
  • - The findings suggest a significant gap in STI education, indicating the need for targeted educational programs for healthcare providers to improve their knowledge and ability to educate patients.

Article Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers have a fundamental role in providing care and education on sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, their knowledge is often worryingly limited. This study aimed to assess the real knowledge and attitude regarding STIs among healthcare workers of the IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.

Methods: The recruited subjects were asked to complete a 31-item questionnaire, divided into 3 sections: socio-demographic context, knowledge about STIs, and personal sexual behavior.

Results: We enrolled 140 subjects, employed as nurses (52.9%), physicians (12.9%), laboratory technicians (7.1%), or other workers (27.1%). Despite the generalized erroneous belief of having a good level of knowledge on the matter, only one-third of the subjects could correctly identify STIs among a list of diseases, and less than one-third correctly recognize all possible ways of transmission. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was the most frequently recognized STI (97%), but only 39.2% of healthcare workers were correctly informed about the body fluids that can transmit the virus. Most participants (93.5%) correctly identified condoms as effective in preventing STIs but did not indicate complete abstinence as the only way to guarantee protection against STIs. Most participants were informed on the oncogenic potential of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections (82%), the usefulness of the Pap test (85.7%), and the existence of vaccines against some STIs (63.5%).

Conclusions: Overall, healthcare workers have limited knowledge about STIs. Creating specific educational programs aimed at healthcare providers should become a priority.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.23736/S2784-8671.24.07773-9DOI Listing

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