Knowledge, Attitude & Practices of hospital residents regarding utility of CBNAAT in Tuberculosis

Abstract

Background: India is bearing the highest Tuberculosis burden in the world. For its accurate & rapid diagnosis it is imperative to keep residents abreast of all latest guidelines regarding utilization of CB-NAAT, a promising new tool endorsed by national programmefor tuberculosis. Method: It was a hospital based descriptive study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Faridabad, Haryana. A self-designed, structured questionnaire was administered to junior and senior residents (N=120). Knowledge level was based on 16 item knowledge score, attitude was assessed by Likert scale and practices were expressed in percentages. Results: Only 35.5% residents were having good knowledge level whereas rest were having average (58.3%) or poor (6.7%)level of knowledge regarding CBNAAT utility. A statistically significant positive association was observed between higher qualification and years of post MBBS experience. Majority of residents had positive attitude towards most aspects of CBNAAT utility. Surprisingly only 64.58% residents were practicing CBNAAT testing for tuberculosis detection & management. Conclusion: The study found huge gaps in the knowledge, attitudes and practices among residents leading to low utilization of CBNAAT demanding efforts for sensitization and adequate training of healthcare staff.