Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Post Exposure Prophylaxis of Hiv/Aids Among Students of Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Techiman

Abstract

Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is any form of preventive healthcare that is commenced as soon as the person comes into contact with a specific pathogen and before necessarily developing the disease. According to a report, 2 million out of 35 million health care workers are estimated to have exposure to infectious disease every year. Such an infection is HIV/AIDS that is in dire straits in Health care workers and student nurses in Ghana. PEP is useful in preventing HIV virus after exposure to contaminated substances; however student nurses may lack adequate knowledge about it. The aim of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of PEP for HIV among student nurses of Holy Family Nursing and Midwifery Training College in Techiman and how this could be enhanced. This paper used a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative research design and the data source was a structured questionnaire with closed ended questions to be answered by 220 respondents. Descriptive analysis was done SPSS version 23. The existing level of knowledge of student nurses was low in terms of PEP; although, several students had some level of knowledge with a positive attitude and practice towards PEP. Furthermore, this study also showed a relationship with the level of the programme in knowledge about PEP. The results show that students’ knowledge of PEP in HIV is poor and short training before the preclinical attachment on PEP of HIV should be conducted to the students annually to improve their knowledge.