Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Rescue 1122 Personnel Regarding Pre-Hospital Infection Control and Handling of AIDS and Hepatitis Patients in District Kohat, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Emergency medical rescue personnel are among the healthcare workers most frequently exposed to blood-borne pathogens such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the Hepatitis B and C viruses, largely because of their close, often unplanned, contact with body fluids in uncontrolled pre-hospital settings. Adequate knowledge, a positive attitude, and consistent infection-control practice among rescue squad personnel are essential to protect both the workforce and the patients they serve. Objectives: Rescue personnel are exposed to blood-borne pathogens in uncontrolled pre-hospital settings. We assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of Rescue 1122 personnel regarding pre-hospital infection control strategies and the handling of AIDS and hepatitis patients in Kohat, Bannu, and Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study used a structured, self-administered questionnaire with seven sections (knowledge, health and safety, training and confidence, cleaning practices, equipment and ambulance design, barriers, and suggestions). We enrolled 100 personnel using convenience sampling (Kohat n = 42, Bannu n = 30, Lakki Marwat n = 28). We calculated frequencies and percentages by district and overall. Domain scores were classified as Good (≥75%), Moderate (50–74%), or Poor (<50%). Results: Most respondents (73.0%) had transported a patient with AIDS or hepatitis, and 72.0% rated their occupational risk of hepatitis as high or very high. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was always used during cleaning by 81.0% overall (100% in Bannu and Lakki Marwat, 54.8% in Kohat). Full training in ambulance disinfection was reported by 74.0% (Kohat 40.5%, with 19.0% untrained), and 77.0% wanted more training or guidelines. Lack of time between calls was the main barrier (80.0%). Pooled scores were Poor for knowledge (43.3%) and practice (44.1%) and Moderate for attitude (55.3%). Kohat scored Poor in all three domains; the only Good score was Bannu’s attitude (75.0%). Conclusions: Rescue 1122 personnel held generally favourable attitudes, but knowledge and practice were inconsistent across districts. Standardised training with annual refreshers, reliable supplies of PPE and disinfectants, modern disinfection equipment, and protected cleaning time between calls are needed.

Keywords: Knowledge, attitude, practice; AIDS; HIV; hepatitis; infection control; rescue squad; emergency medical technician; ambulance disinfection; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.