Jornal de AIDS e Pesquisa Clínica

HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Use and Associated Factors among Health Professionals of Governmental Health Institutions in Mekelle Town, Tigray Ethiopia, Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Tsegabrhan Gebreslase and Gerezgiher Buruh

Background: Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a serious public health problem, costing the lives of many people including health workers. Health care workers practicing in developing countries like Ethiopia are more exposed to HIV following occupational exposure and less likely to use post exposure prophylaxis. Ethiopia has developed guidelines on the prevention of infection in health institutions in July 2004 and also employed the use of post exposure prophylaxis since the implementation of free antiretroviral in January 2005.

Objective: the main aim of this study was to assess prevalence of PEP service use among health professionals in Mekelle town.

Methodology: A health institution based cross sectional study design involving 190 health professionals was employed using a structured self administered questionnaire. Sampling technique was based on the population proportion to size, then to select a study unit systematic random sampling was used. SPSS version 16.00 was used for data entry and analysis. Proportions and percentages were used for descriptions of data.

Result: the study revealed that occupational exposure to blood, non bloody body fluids, needle stick injuries and mucocutaneous were 82.5%, 74.9%, 49.1% and 42.7% respectively. Among the exposed health professionals 19.6% use PEP. The main reasons for not using PEP was source patient HIV test result negative (65.5%), followed by negligence (25%). For those who started PEP all of them get HIV testing before commencing PEP and 80% of them completed in 4 weeks, 20% discontinue the PEP due to adverse effects of the drugs. Training of health professionals on PEP had statistically significant association with PEP utilization (AOR=2. 864, 95% CI=1. 152-7.122)

Conclusion: the finding of this result indicated that occupational exposures were common among health professionals. The use of PEP among exposed health professionals was low. Providing training for all health professionals on infection prevention, including PEP is recommended to lower the occupational exposure and to enhance the use of PEP.