Evaluation of awareness, knowledge levels and attitudes of the society and health personnel of Dokuz Eylul University in Balçova district: A survey study

Introduction: The aim of our study is to determine the knowledge levels and attitudes of the society in Balcova district about sepsis; the awareness level of health personnel at Dokuz Eylul University about the new diagnosis and treatment guidelines of sepsis. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted after obtaining ethics approval from Dokuz Eylul University non-interventional research ethics committee. In the first part of the study, a 10-question questionnaire was applied to determine the awareness, knowledge levels and attitudes of the society about "sepsis" in Balçova district. In the other part of the study, a 24-question questionnaire was applied to determine the awareness, knowledge levels and attitudes of the physicians and nurses about "sepsis" in Dokuz Eylul University Hospital. The data of our study was analyzed by entering the data to SPSS 24.0 statistical package program. Results: A face-to-face questionnaire was applied to 200 people in total in order to evaluate the awareness, knowledge levels and attitudes of the society about sepsis in Balçova district. In the questionnaire survey, the rate of sepsis knowledge was determined as 57.5%. An average of 37% (27.5%-45%) of the study group answered correctly in the questioning of sepsis information. An average of 28.9% (20.5%-42.5%) of the study group answered correctly in the questioning of sepsis symptoms. In the second part of the study, a face-to-face questionnaire was applied to 144 physicians and other healthcare workers in Dokuz Eylul University Hospital in order to determine the awareness, knowledge levels and attitudes of the physicians and nurses about "sepsis". 89 (61.8%, doctor-51.4%, nurse-10.4%, p=0.002) of the health workers who participated in the survey, had enough knowledge about rapid sepsis diagnosis score, while 81 (56.3%, doctor-46.5%, nurse-9.7%, p=0.009) correctly defined the diagnostic criteria according to sepsis 3. While there was a standard sepsis treatment scheme in the service of 101 (70.1%, doctor-54.2%, nurse-16.0%, p=0.219) healthcare workers, 82 (56.9%, doctor-43.8%, nurse-13.2%, p=0.425) had schema changes after the publication of sepsis 3. The rapid SOFA score was used as a screening tool in the service of 102 (70.8%, doctor-50.7%, nurse-20.1%, p=0.241) healthcare workers. According to the definition of sepsis 3, the use of lactate as a sepsis parameter was found in the ratio of 87 (60.4%, doctor47.2%, nurse-13.2%, p=0.191). Discussion: Sepsis awareness has increased significantly compared to the results of the German Sepsis Foundation, which conducted surveys with 1014 participants representing the total population of Germany between 2013 and 2017. Study showed increase of sepsis knowledge in the rate of 9.7% from 2013 to 2017, which resulted knowledge rate to 64.7% in the population over 60 years. In our survey study, the rate of blood poisoning knowledge was 63% and the rate of sepsis awareness was 57.5%. Questioning of the vaccination against 10 sepsis received only 16% of the yes answers. Similarly, lower awareness level about sepsis had been noted in several international studies. 21% of interviewees in Sweden, 55% in the USA and 66% in the UK had heard the term sepsis before. In our study, an average of 37% (27.5%-45%) of the study group answered correctly the sepsis information inquiry. In our study, it was not known that disorientation, hypotension, dyspnea and tachycardia were signs of sepsis. 89 of the healthcare workers answered correctly the rapid sepsis diagnosis score, while 81 of them knew the diagnostic criteria according to sepsis 3 with statistical significance. In contrast, in a study conducted in the Netherlands, 22% of intensive care doctors and only 5% of non-intensive care doctors were able to answer the definition of sepsis correctly. In another study conducted in Brazil, 48% of intensive care doctors and only 20% of non-intensive care doctors were able to define sepsis correctly. In a study conducted in Thailand, 45% of internal medicine residents were able to define sepsis accurately, while only 12% of surgical residents were successful in this regard. In another study conducted in Turkey, the correct response to sepsis treatment steps among clinics dealing with sepsis treatment varied between 12% and 88% among residents, and between 16% and 90% among specialists. Conclusion: In our study, population living in Balcova heard about sepsis in the rate of 57.5%, they gave an average of 37% correct answers about sepsis information, and averagely 28.9% about sepsis symptoms, although the results showed that 61,8% of healthcare workers knew rapid sepsis diagnosis score correctly, while it was 56.3% in sepsis 3 diagnosis criteria‟s. In a situation such as sepsis that needs to be diagnosed quickly, it is very important for the public to know the symptoms of sepsis and for healthcare professionals to know the diagnostic criteria with higher rates. These results show that sepsis education should be provided to all segments of the society and healthcare workers, and there is a need to increase the awareness of sepsis among population and healthcare workers. Keywords: Sepsis, sepsis-3, society, physician, nurse, awareness, knowledge