Integration of SRH/ STI/HIV services; Baseline assessment of knowledge in primary health care workers

Background: Integration of STD/HIV services into maternal and child health services is an important strategy in STD/HIV prevention in the community. Assessing the base line knowledge of primary health care workers on STD/HIV is crucial in successful implementation of the above strategy.

Objective: To assess the STD/HIV knowledge among primary health care workers in a selected district.

Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among 255 primary health care workers using the convenient sampling method in Gampaha district. Data were collected by using a self administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS Version 17.

Results: The majority of the sample (31.4%) was between 40- 49 years and consisted mainly of public health midwives (86.7%).The highest percentage (34.9%) had worked in the current position for more than 20 years. Only 29% of the sample knew all four methods of HIV transmission. The majority (82.4%) rejected all misconceptions of HIV transmission. The majority (>80%) had satisfactory knowledge on HIV transmission in health care setting. Only a very small number (0.4%) knew the commonest symptoms of STIs. A small percentage of the sample (12.5%) had the knowledge on MTCT of STIs and only 18.8% knew stages of MTCT of HIV. Although the majority (83.9%) knew that VDRL should be performed early in pregnancy 62% of the sample was unaware why it is done.

Conclusions: The knowledge of primary health care workers on MTCT of STI/HIV, testing, necessary referral is not satisfactory.

Recommendations: well structured sustainable programmes should be conducted. The curriculum should be updated.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljv.v3i1.5411

Sri Lanka Journal of Venereology Vol.3(1) 2012 pp.38-40