Evaluation of the knowledge of tuberculosis of nurses working at DHI qar governor's primary health centers

Background: Tuberculosis, one of the oldest known diseases in human history is one of the major threats to public health. Providing effective tuberculosis control is a duty of institutions providing primary preventive health care services. The risk of tuberculosis infection in health care workers is higher than in the general population. For this reason, it is important to have information about tuberculosis for both health professionals and public health. Purpose of the study: This study was planned to assess the knowledge of nurses working in primary health care centers of DHI QAR GOVERNORSHIP about tuberculosis. Method: This descriptive study was conducted in primary health care centers in Al-Rifai District, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq, between 10.10.2020-10.03.2021. The study sample consisted of 250 nurses between the ages of 18-65 working in the institutions in which the research was conducted at the date of data collection. Data were collected through a questionnaire prepared by the researcher to determine the social and demographic characteristics of nurses and a questionnaire designed to determine their knowledge of tuberculosis. Descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the data. XIV Results: 44.4% of the nurses participating in the study were found to be between 35-44 years of age, 57.2% are married, 47.6% are university graduates, and 53.3% have professional seniority between 6-10 years. It was determined that 50% of the study group did not know about tuberculosis, 56% did not know the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis, 53.2% did not know how to prevent tuberculosis, 58.9% did not know its complications, 57.6% did not know about the drugs used in tuberculosis. 3.6% of nurses know that the treatment for tuberculosis is 6 months or more. It was determined that 52.8% of nurses did not use protective equipment when encountering a suspicious patient. It was determined that the top three methods that nurses used to prevent tuberculosis were using ventilation in crowded work environments (52.4%), getting vaccinations regularly (50%), and using gloves (46.0%). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the nurses participating in the study did not have good knowledge of tuberculosis and that they had training needs for tuberculosis. In line with these findings, reporting of tuberculosis that threatens community health can be recommended, both in undergraduate education programs and in-service training programs to be organized after graduation. Keywords: knowledge, prevention nurse, tuberculosis