Health professional's knowledge and attitudes towards emergency contraceptives [E. C.] in Alexandria

ABSTRACT

A random sample of 150 doctors and nurses working in different organizations representing Alexandria zones and providing FP services was recruited for this study. Two tools were used to collect data A structured questionnaire to elicit the characteristics and knowledge of the respondents and a three-point Likert scale to predict their attitudes towards EC. A knowledge scoring system was developed and the participants were accordingly classified as having a good, average or poor score. The rating scale for assessing the attitude included positive, indifferent and negative attitude according to the adopted scale system. The results revealed a general lack of knowledge. The respondents differed in their attitude towards EC. However, a positive attitude was associated significantly with a good knowledge score. Good knowledge score and positive attitude were significantly related to qualifications, years of experience, training and place of work. On the other hand, no significant relation was found between training and the good knowledge scores