Determination of nurses' knowledge levels on hepatitis c infection

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection continues to be a worldwide health problem. It is associated with many serious symptoms and complications, including acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver failure (Bianco et al., 2013).Objective: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the knowledge level of nurses about Hepatitis C infection. This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study conducted in Hospitals in the Southern provinces of Iraq. Quantitative research was used in the design of the study. The sample selection was not made and 124 nurses who agreed to participate in the study were included in the study. Questions consisting of socio-demographic data were asked to the nurses to evaluate their level of knowledge on Hepatitis C infection. The data were collected using face-to-face questioning technique. Evaluation was made with percentage analysis. It was observed that the majority of the participants were 60.5% male, 51.6% were 21-25 years old. According to the education level, 39.5% and 22.6% of the sample were nursing high school graduates, 29% of the them had 6-10 years of experience in hospitals, and 75.0% had 1-5 years of experience in hemodialysis units. 71.8% of the nurses stated that Hepatitis C infection was liver disease, 44.4% did not know that the disease was transmitted by blood and organ transplantation, 70.2% did not know the use of protective equipment for blood or fluid contamination, 66.9% knew that patients with hepatitis C infection should use a separate dialysis machine, 50% did not know that non-disposable materials should be disinfected, 49.2% did not know that training programs should be organized for physicians and nurses about hepatitis C infection, and again 55.6% the patients did not know that a training program should be given to the patients as well. It was observed that the knowledge level of the nurses was at medium level. It is recommended that nurses should receive regular training programs for Hepatitis C infection at certain periods. Key Words: Hepatitis C infection , Nurse, Nursing management