TITLE:
When Information Does Not Translate into Knowledge. Ebola and Hemorrhagic Fevers Knowledge among Primary Care Physicians and Nurses
AUTHORS:
Lluís Valerio, Olga Pérez-Quílez, Sílvia Roure, Elisabeth Fructuoso, Itziar Amilibia, Nemesio Moreno, Lydia Sañudo, Cristina Bocanegra, Octavi Martínez-Cuevas
KEYWORDS:
Ebola, Haemorrhagic Fevers, Primary Care, Spain, Nursing, Knowledge
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Preventive Medicine,
Vol.5 No.3,
March
20,
2015
ABSTRACT: After the first secondarily-transmitted ebola case in Spain, a wave of divergent opinions flooded mass and sanitary media. Very few of these opinions, however, came from experts on epidemiology or hemorrhagic fevers. This observational study aimed to assess the specific knowledge of Primary Care physicians and nurses about ebola and hemorrhagic fevers by means of analyzing the results obtained from a 5-item self-reported questionnaire dealing on hemorrhagic fevers basic knowledge. Validity and reliability of questionnaire were confirmed by a pilot study. The participants were 138 family doctors and nurses from the 64 public Primary Care centers sited in the North Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (1,400,000 inhab; Catalonia, Spain) taking part in training-the-trainers ebola workshops. Overall, there were 117 (84.8%) respondents out from 138 workshop participants; of them were physicians 61 (51.2%). The main age was 46.7 (8.8) years; stating previous specific knowledge on hemorrhagic fevers 39 (33.3%). On the whole, up to 92 (78.6%) of respondents shown a poor knowledge. Previous specific formation was significantly and independently associated with having proper knowledge (p