Knowledge about Viral Hepatitis Type B and C from Nursing and Dentistry Colleges in a State of Brazil

Background:: Viral hepatitis is a serious health problem in the world. It is estimated that two billion people in the world has contacted the type B viruses. About 325 million people are chronic patients of hepatitis type B and 170 million people has the type C. Health professionals are the reference to the population about diseases. Therefore, the formation of these professionals should have special attention, ensuring knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The objective was to evaluate the knowledge of professors from nursing and dentistry colleges in a city of Brazilian’s Northeastern area about aspects of Hepatitis type B and C.

Methods:It’s a cross-sectional exploratory study, conducted through interviews with professors. The data were stored in a software Bioestat® 5.0 database’s, 2007.

Results:Professors answered correctly when approached about prevention (93.75%) and signs and symptoms (87.5%), however presented difficulties about transmission (53.12%), diagnosis (62.5%) and treatment (43.75%). 

Conclusions:The professors had wispy knowledge about hepatitis. When comparing the professors from both colleges, there was no statistically significant differences. This result suggests a weakness in knowledge about hepatitis type B and C.