Attitude towards pulmonary hygiene and socio-demographic factors affecting it among health workers in two government hospitals east Amhara, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction

Pulmonary hygiene is formerly referred to as pulmonary toilet which is a set of methods used to clear mucus and secretions from the airways and it is depends on consistent clearance of airway secretions. Pulmonary hygiene is a technique designed to help clear mucus and secretions from your lungs. It can be used for people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, or bronchiectasis and others.

Objective

To determine level of attitude towards pulmonary hygiene and socio-demographic factors affecting it among health workers in two government hospitals East Amhara, Ethiopia

Methodology

Institution based cross sectional study design was employed among one hundred twelve health professionals using systematic random sampling technique. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

A total of 112 participants were included in this study. Out of total participants, 69 (61.6%) were females and their mean age was 26.10 (±3.47SD) years. Of 51.8% of respondents were aged greater than 25 years old. The majority of the respondents were Orthodox 53 (47.3%) followed by Muslims 47 (42%). Fifty- five (49.1%) of the participants were single. In this study the majority of participants 91(81.3%) had work experience less than five years. Majority of the respondents (52%) had no recent training on pulmonary hygiene. Around sixty- three percent of participants were nurses. Attitude was computed using 10 questions related to pulmonary hygiene. The mean attitude score of the total sample was 6.53 (+ 3.47 SD). Subjects who scored above the mean value were categorized as having good level of attitude. Forty- five (45%) study participants had poor attitude about pulmonary hygiene.

Conclusion & Recommendation

The present study concluded that only 55% participants had good attitude towards pulmonary hygiene which is much less than the expected value. Further study have to be conducted with large sample size and addressing more factors affecting pulmonary hygiene to design intervention strategies to enhance health professionals attitude towards pulmonary hygiene.