Assessment of knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors towards health care ethics among physicians and nurses working in emergency departments in selected governmental hospitals Addis Abeba,Ethiopia2019.
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Date
2019-06
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Background: Healthcare ethics is concerned with moral values and judgment as it applies to
clinical practice, which involves consideration of risks versus benefits from procedures or health
care decisions. Recently questions are being asked on healthcare ethics about the possible threats
to the accepted principles of equity and social justice in the delivery of care within the health
sector. Despite these gaps little was studied about healthcare ethics so far. Therefore, this study
aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors of healthcare ethics among
healthcare providers.
Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was carried out among 230 healthcare providers
working in governmental hospitals in Addis Ababa from April 1-28, 2019. Data was collected
using pre-tested self-administered questionnaires. The data cleaned, coded, entered into EPI info
version 7.1 and SPSS version 24 statistical package for analysis. Descriptive statistics was used
to describe those continuous and categorical independent variables. Those independent variables
in bivariate analysis with the cut of point p<0.2 was transferred to multivariate logistic
regression. P-value< 0.05 was declared statically significant.
Results: This study showed that 61.3% of study participants had good knowledge on medical
ethics. Professional qualification, training and attitude were significantly associated with
knowledge of healthcare ethics. Among healthcare professionals only 108(47%) had favorable
attitude and 113 (57%) poor practice towards healthcare ethics. Work experience, level of
satisfaction, knowledge, practice had significant effect on attitude towards healthcare ethics.
Whereas attitude was found to be determinant factor on practice of healthcare ethics.
Conclusion and recommendations: The findings of this study show healthcare professionals
had good knowledge on healthcare ethics. And also indicate gaps in the attitude and practical of
medical ethics/health care ethics among physicians and nurses. Therefore, it is important to
aware and change attitude of healthcare professionals and improve their practice about healthcare
ethics by continuous training, increase public awareness about healthcare delivery and
client/patient right and strengthen competency based medical education and well-integrated
course.
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Keywords
KAP, Healthcare ethics, Nurses, Physician.