Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Personnel in a Hospital Setting in Parakou in 2017

ABSTRACT

Aims: To describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care personnel regarding venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis (VTE) in the hospital setting to Parakou in 2017. Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study with prospective data collection. Place and Duration of Study Departments of medicine and medical specialties, Departments of surgery and surgical specialties, Departments of gyneco-obstetrics and intensive care at the Hospital University of Parakou (CHUD-B), in northern Benin, between February 2017 and May 2017. Methodology: We included all health professionals working in these services who consented to participate. The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines for the management of VTE were used as the reference for the assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices. The evaluation form consisted of two parts, one addressed to physicians and the other to paramedics. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21 software with a significance level of 5% for comparisons. Results: A total of 223 health workers participated in the study. The knowledge level of the health workers was good in 52.47%, attitudes were correct in 37.67% and practices were adequate in 4.32%. Overall, health professionals had a good knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) score in 5.83% of the cases. Factors significantly associated with a good overall KAP score were practice on medical departments, continuing education of staff, status of doctors, knowledge of VTE guidelines and existence of VTE prevention protocols. Conclusion: Venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis is moderately known by the health care personnel in Parakou, but attitudes and practices are not satisfactory. This highlights the need for continuous training.