Knowledge, attitudes, and practices on infection prevention and control among healthcare workers in Rohingya refugee camp

Objectives

The forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMN) camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is highly vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks due to overcrowding and limited healthcare infrastructure. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to infection prevention and control (IPC) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the FDMN camp to identify gaps and inform targeted interventions.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2023 and July 2024 among 401 HCWs employed in Primary Health Care Centers, Health Posts, Community Clinics, and Upazila Health Complexes within the FDMN camp. Respondents were randomly selected from the healthcare workforce list of the local civil surgeon’s office. Data were collected using a semi-structured, pretested questionnaire. The questionnaire covered sociodemographics and a KAP survey was developed based on the World Health Organization IPC protocol. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and association analyses were performed using SPSS version 22, with significance set at P <0.05.

Results

Among 401 healthcare workers, 60.6% were female and 39.4% were male. Overall, 71.8% had good IPC knowledge, 64.4% showed positive attitudes, and 85.5% demonstrated good practices. Knowledge was significantly associated with age, experience, job station, and training (all P <0.01), while attitudes were influenced by experience and training (P <0.01). Practice was significantly associated with sex, experience, job station, and training (all P <0.01).

Conclusions

Healthcare workers in the FDMN camp showed good IPC knowledge and practices, though attitudes varied. Training significantly improved all KAP domains. Strengthening NGO-led training, supervision at PHCCs, and routine KAP monitoring is vital for sustainable infection control in refugee settings.