Knowledge and attitude to human immunodeficiency virus post-exposure prophylaxis among pharmacy, nursing, and medical students in a tertiary institution in southeastern, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Health-care workers are at great risk of being exposed to body fluids at the workplace. This has posed a great risk for transmitting infections like the Human immunodeficiency virus. Initiating post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) immediately after body fluid exposure is therefore of utmost importance in the healthcare setting. Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and attitude of medical, pharmacy, and nursing students toward HIV PEP. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 200, 300, 400, and 500 level pharmacy, medical and nursing students. Data collation was done using pretested, structured questionnaire self-administered to 396 respondents. Data were summarized using a frequency, mean, standard deviation. The statistical difference in the means of the knowledge and attitude of the students was compared using ANOVA. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There was poor knowledge but a favorable attitude to HIV PEP among the students. The result revealed that 44.63% of nursing, 38.34% medical, and 34.11% pharmacy students had knowledge of HIV PEP while 72.80% medical, 72.60% nursing, and 60.42 pharmacy students had good attitude toward HIV PEP. Only 18% of the respondents were aware of the existence of HIV PEP while 8% attended training on HIV PEP. About 4% of the respondent had knowledge of the time PEP should be initiated while 91% of the respondents believed that reporting needle stick injury was important. Conclusion: The study revealed poor knowledge but favorable attitude toward HIV PEP. Well-designed educational programs should be instituted to improve students’ knowledge and attitude of students of HIV PEP.