An evaluation of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of employees of a university hospital in an H1N1 influenza pandemic.

INTRODUCTION In this study, we aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the transmission routes of an H1N1 pandemic and the protective measures of health professionals at a university hospital in Turkey. METHODOLOGY A stratified systematic sampling method was used to select the sample size of the study group. A total of 22 professors, 29 researchers, and 26 nurses were included in the study. RESULTS The mean scores of the individuals were 8.4±2.5 (over 20) for knowledge about H1N1 transmission, 27.6±4.0 (over 60) for knowledge about protection against H1N1, 25.8±4.2 (over 45) for correct or appropriate attitudes, and 33.6±8.9 (over 60) for correct behaviors. A negative correlation between total knowledge and behavior was found (p < 0.001, r = -0.543). CONCLUSIONS In epidemics, standard protection measures should be known and applied. Regarding this topic, the web page of the Ministry of Health comes to the forefront as a reliable source of information in addition to scientific explanations.