The Knowledge and Self-efficacy of Healthcare Workers in Kwara State on the Detection and Reporting of Yellow Fever Cases

Abstract Yellow fever is a potential cause of public health emergencies of international concern. Nigeria has the highest burden of yellow fever primarily due to her large population size, high vulnerability to infections, the low rate of vaccination uptake and sub-optimal preparedness. There is also limited record of capacity assessment of the epidemic preparedness for yellow fever in Nigeria. This study therefore aimed to assess the knowledge and self-efficacy of healthcare workers in detecting and reporting yellow fever in Kwara State. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 177 Health care workers. The LGA DSNOs, ADSNOs and Health Facility Surveillance Focal Persons from the 16 LGAs of Kwara State were interviewed using a pre-tested interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 365 and SPSS 20. Respondent's knowledge of yellow fever and self-efficacy in detecting and reporting yellow fever cases were assessed. Knowledge was assessed on a point scale on which good knowledge was ≥ 5/9 and self-efficacy was assessed on a point scale on which good self-efficacy was ≥ 4/8. Chi-square was used to test association between dependent and the independent variables. Majority, 125 (70.6%) of the respondents were female and 171 (96.6%) of them were married. The mean age of the respondents was 44.28 years (SD = 8.28) and majority, [129 (72.9%)] were above 40 years of age. Most, [131 (74%)] of the respondents were Yoruba. Majority, [132 (74.6%)] work in primary health care institutions, Health Record Officers, [90 (50.8%)], Surveillance Focal Persons [131 (74.0%)] and 84 (47.5%) have been in their present designation for 1 to 4 years. Most of the respondents, 146 (82.5%) had good knowledge of yellow fever and 176 (99.4%) had good self-efficacy on yellow fever detection and reporting. The knowledge of yellow fever and self-efficacy in detecting and reporting cases of yellow fever among the health workers in Kwara State were good. Continuous training and retraining of health workers are recommended.