Abstract
INTRODUCTION: healthcare workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of occupational acquisition of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and awareness of HBV infection among the HCWs in Abu-Salim Trauma Hospital, Tripoli, Libya. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was carried out on 206 HCWs at Abu-Salim Trauma Hospital from February to March 2022. Serum samples were tested to detect HBsAg, HBcAb, HBeAb and HBsAb. A structured questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and a cut-off of 75% was established to categorize KAP scores. Pearson´s chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between HBV marker rates and categorical variables, while KAP scores were assessed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: the prevalence of HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb and HBeAb among 206 HCWs was 0%, 50.4%, 3.9%, and 2.9%, respectively. High rates of HBcAb and HBsAb were significantly associated with more than 5 years of professional experience (P= 0.002 and P= 0.0008, respectively). 50.4% of participants were immunized by previous vaccinations. The rates of scores for knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding HBV infection were 62.5%, 72.8%, and 84%, respectively. The mean scores for participants´ knowledge and attitudes concerning HBV infection were significantly associated with their gender, age groups, occupation, and educational level (P= 0.023, 0.045, 0.001, and 0.002) and (P= 0.002, 0.000, 0.000, and 0.000), respectively. CONCLUSION: the study showed a low prevalence of past HBV infection and about half of participants were unvaccinated. The mean scores for KAP assessment were reflected insufficient knowledge, weakly positive attitude and good adherence to practices.