Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Leprosy Among Nurses Employed at a Tertiary Healthcare Centre in Central India: An Epidemiological Study.

INTRODUCTION

Leprosy is a common infectious disease in India that can lead to nerve damage and disability. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding leprosy not only among the general public but also among healthcare workers. This knowledge gap leads to the generation of stigma and delay in the detection of new cases. Nurses comprise a major proportion of the healthcare community and can also act as opinion leaders and influencers in society. Unfortunately, many times, they are not well-trained regarding leprosy and its clinical manifestations. Lack of adequate scientific knowledge and a positive attitude can hamper the eradication of this disease with life-long consequences on patients' lives. Therefore, this study was done to assess the knowledge, social attitudes, and practices about leprosy among nurses working at a tertiary care teaching centre.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study in which nurses working at a tertiary care centre were asked to mark their responses in a questionnaire comprising questions related to various aspects of knowledge, attitude, and practices on leprosy. The data were collected using online Google Forms (Google Inc., Mountainview, CA) and analysed by Stata software version 17 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX).

RESULTS

A total of 215 nurses, including 167 (77.67%) females and 48 (22.33%) males, participated in the survey. The age of the participants ranged from 22 to 38 years. Their work experience varied from less than one month to 15 years. Most (180, 83.72%) of the participants knew that leprosy is caused by a bacterium, and 129 (60%) knew that it is predominantly transmitted by the respiratory route. Most (171, 79.53%) of them were also aware that leprosy affects both peripheral nerves and skin. However, less than half (105, 48.84%) of the participants knew about the correct incubation period. Similarly, only 104 (48.37%) participants could correctly answer the question related to the duration of treatment of leprosy. The majority (173, 80.47%) of the participating individuals believed that leprosy is curable. Two hundred and four (94.88%) participants were aware of the National Leprosy Eradication Program (NLEP), and 200 (93%) knew that treatment for leprosy is available free of cost in government hospitals. Only 10 (4.65%) participants strongly agreed to marry a person cured of leprosy, and 13 (6.04%) participants strongly disagreed to shake hands with a leprosy patient.

CONCLUSION

A considerable proportion of nurses employed at a tertiary care teaching centre are not aware of the correct incubation period, duration of treatment, and mode of transmission of leprosy. Few of them also have a negative attitude towards the disease, which could be detrimental to the patients. It is essential to adequately train them in order to instill the right knowledge and develop the correct perception about leprosy so that they can counsel and care for ailing patients in a healthy manner and move towards the goal of eradication of leprosy.