Knowledge and awareness regarding hepatitis B among preclinical medical and dental students of Chitwan Medical College Nepal: a questionnaire-based study

Background: The knowledge of students regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) before attending clinical years, when their daily activities will be closely related to patients’ body fluids, plays vital role in minimizing the risk of acquiring HBV infection.Objective: We aimed to assess the knowledge regarding HBV infection, its mode of transmission, and prevention among preclinical medical and dental students.Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured self-administered questionnaire among the students of Chitwan Medical College, Nepal. A descriptive statistics along with Z ratio was used to analyze the obtained data.Results: Among 313 completely filled questionnaires, respondents gave 87% correct answers regarding the knowledge of HBV infection and 89.6% on its preventive aspect. However, only 73.5% participants were vaccinated for HBV. The blood and blood products (50%) followed by sexual contact (31%) were common mode of transmission reported. Compared to first year, significantly better knowledge was found among second year medical students regarding the infectious/transmissible nature of hepatitis B disease (p = 0.004), its causative agent (p = 0.004), and mandatory screening for HBV of blood donor before transfusion (p = 0.02).Conclusion: The students had good knowledge regarding HBV infection and its preventive aspect. All students should be mandatorily vaccinated before attending the clinical years.