Dogbey Godwin, Unim Brigid, Kwamena Abbiw Richard, Ahiabor Godwin Clinton, Kisiel Marta A, Zhou Xingwu, Maima Apollo O, Abdul-Aziz Amidu, Enyetornye Ben, Niayele Robert, Agbolosu Anthony Amison, Asare-Dompreh Kweku
School of Veterinary Sciences, University for Development Studies, Nyankpala, Ghana.
Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases and Aging, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, Italy.
Environ Health Insights. 2025 May 28;19:11786302251339881. doi: 10.1177/11786302251339881. eCollection 2025.
Healthcare workers' (HCWs') knowledge in delivering medical services is significantly influenced by their understanding of zoonotic diseases and the One Health (OH) concept. This study investigates the extent of HCWs' knowledge and experience regarding zoonosis and the One Health approach in Ghana.
This cross-sectional study involved 182 HCWs at the Tamale Teaching Hospital who completed questionnaires. Logistic regression was conducted to assess associations between socio-demographic factors and knowledge of zoonoses and OH. The correlation between knowledge and self-reported experience with zoonoses was assessed using Spearman's correlation.
While 79.7% of HCWs correctly defined zoonoses, only 18.7% could sufficiently identify zoonotic diseases, and 59.3% were familiar with OH. The most commonly identified zoonotic disease was Ebola (75.3%), while brucellosis (12.1%) was the least recognized. Medical doctors were more likely to report previous encounters with zoonoses. Compared to medical doctors (reference HCWs), knowledge of OH was significantly higher among biomedical scientists (OR = 2.25, 95% CI: 0.72-7.37) and lower among nurses (OR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.33-2.60). Professional experience of more than 5 years was associated with greater knowledge of rabies and tuberculosis. There was no significant correlation between knowledge of zoonoses and self-reported experience with any of the assessed diseases, except for a weak negative correlation with trypanosomiasis (Spearman's = -0.206, = .005).
The majority of HCWs have inadequate knowledge of zoonosis. Although most HCWs are aware of OH, they have limited experience with zoonosis and OH. Curricula for training HCWs should include more courses on zoonosis and arrange refresher training programs for HCWs. Enhancing HCWs' expertise in zoonotic disease surveillance and detection is crucial for early identification and control of zoonoses, aiding in the prevention of future outbreaks.
医护人员在提供医疗服务方面的知识，会受到他们对人畜共患病和“同一健康”（OH）概念理解的显著影响。本研究调查了加纳医护人员关于人畜共患病和“同一健康”方法的知识程度与经验。
这项横断面研究涉及塔马利教学医院的182名医护人员，他们完成了问卷调查。进行逻辑回归以评估社会人口统计学因素与人畜共患病知识及“同一健康”之间的关联。使用斯皮尔曼相关性评估人畜共患病知识与自我报告的人畜共患病经验之间的相关性。
虽然79.7%的医护人员正确定义了人畜共患病，但只有18.7%的人能够充分识别出人畜共患病，59.3%的人熟悉“同一健康”。最常被识别的人畜共患病是埃博拉（75.3%），而布鲁氏菌病（12.1%）是最不被认识的。医生更有可能报告以前与人畜共患病的接触情况。与医生（作为参照医护人员）相比，生物医学科学家对“同一健康”的了解显著更高（比值比[OR]=2.25，95%置信区间[CI]：0.72 - 7.37），而护士的了解则较低（OR = 0.92，95% CI：0.33 - 2.60）。超过5年的专业经验与人对狂犬病和结核病的更多了解相关。除了与锥虫病有微弱的负相关（斯皮尔曼相关系数 = -0.206，P = 0.005）外，人畜共患病知识与自我报告的任何评估疾病的经验之间没有显著相关性。
大多数医护人员对人畜共患病的知识不足。虽然大多数医护人员了解“同一健康”，但他们与人畜共患病和“同一健康”的经验有限。医护人员培训课程应包括更多关于人畜共患病的课程，并为医护人员安排进修培训项目。增强医护人员在人畜共患病监测和检测方面的专业知识，对于人畜共患病的早期识别和控制至关重要，有助于预防未来的疫情爆发。
