1361. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Infection Control Among Healthcare Workers in Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Healthcare centers are important sites for tuberculosis transmission, particularly in low-income settings where the burden of tuberculosis is high and infection control practices are often inadequate. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of drug-resistant tuberculosis infection control among the healthcare workers under the National Tuberculosis Control Program in Nepal. METHODS: In this descriptive cross-sectional survey, we studied the healthcare workers from all the functioning drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment centers across Nepal between March 1, 2018 and March 15, 2018. Nepal Health Research Council provided ethical clearance. Trained enumerators obtained informed consent and conducted face-to-face interviews with a pretested questionnaire to collect data on the basic characteristics of healthcare workers, their self-reported knowledge, attitude, and practice on tuberculosis infection control. We assigned a score of one to the correct response and zero to the incorrect or no response and calculated a composite score in each of the knowledge, attitude, and practice domains. We ascertained the healthcare workers as having good knowledge, appropriate attitude, and optimal practices when the composite score was at least 50%. We summarized the numerical variables with median and interquartile range (IQR) and the categorical variables with proportions. RESULTS: A total of 95 out of 102 healthcare workers from 11 drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment centers participated in the study. There were 46 male and 49 female respondents. The median age was 33 years (IQR 26–42). The majority of them (53, 56%) were mid-level paramedics. The median work experience in drug-resistant tuberculosis was 2 years (IQR 1–5). We found 91 (96%) respondents had a good knowledge of tuberculosis infection control with the median knowledge score of 14 (IQR 12–14), 49 (52%) respondents had an appropriate attitude with the median attitude score of 5 (IQR 4–6) and 35 (37%) respondents had optimal practices with the median practice score of 5 (IQR 4–7). CONCLUSION: Healthcare workers at the drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment centers in Nepal had good knowledge of tuberculosis infection control but it did not translate into an appropriate attitude or optimal practices. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.