Knowledge, Attitude and Practices about Prevention of Transmission Hepatitis B Virus among Nursing Students on ward placement at KIUTeaching Hospital.

In Uganda, it was recently shown that 52% of the adult population has serological evidence of previous hepatitis B exposure and 10% are chronic carriers with infection rates varying across the country from 10% in the south west and 25% in the north east. This study was planned to assess knowledge, attitude and practices of nursing students on ward placement at KIU-Teaching Hospital about prevention of hepatitis B virus. A descriptive cross-sectional study design quantitative in nature was used to recruit 73 respondents for the study. 78% of the respondents stated that the best precaution for prevention of transmission of hepatitis B virus was vaccination, 71% of the respondents agreed that reporting of occupational exposures was important for post exposure prophylaxis of hepatitis and 72% of the respondents agreed that universal precautions such as hand washing, gloving and gowning should be always be practiced in the ward. The researcher concluded that knowledge about prevention of transmission of hepatitis B was good as majority of the respondents stated that the best precaution for prevention of transmission of hepatitis B virus was vaccination. Attitudes about prevention of transmission of hepatitis B were also good as most of the respondents agreed that hepatitis B virus vaccination should be made compulsory for every nursing student on ward and most of the respondents agreed that reporting of occupational exposures was important for post exposure prophylaxis of hepatitis B virus infection. Practices towards prevention of transmission of hepatitis B virus were equally good as most of the respondents agreed that universal precautions such as hand washing, gloving and gowning should be always be practiced in the ward. Keywords: Hepatitis B, Virus, infection, transmission, prophylaxis