Healthcare providers’ knowledge on rotavirus vaccine at selected primary ‎healthcare centers in Erbil City

Abstract

Background and objective: Rotavirus gastroenteritis is the most common cause of acute dehydrating diarrhoea among children younger than five years and globally the most important cause of severe diarrhea in this age group. Most children acquire rotavirus infection before they turn two years of age. Rotavirus vaccination can prevent rotavirus infection. This study aimed to assess healthcare providers' knowledge regarding rotavirus vaccine.Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 100 healthcare providers at four healthcare centers (Azady, Tayrawa, Mala Fandi and Zhyian), during July to August 2014. Data were collected through the use self-reporting questionnaire format, which was developed for the purpose of the study. A socio-demographic sheet was also constructed to determine characteristics of the subjects. Results: Most of the healthcare providers were in the‎ age group 33-42 years old (31%), 51%, were male, 80% were married, 56% were graduated from the institute, half of them had work experience between 2-11 years and 29% were working in ‎vaccination room. Fifty-four (54%) of healthcare providers had average knowledge while 24 (24%) and 22 (22%) of them had a poor and good knowledge, respectively‎.Conclusion: More than half of healthcare providers had average knowledge regarding rotavirus vaccine