[Knowledge, attitudes, practices and education among students in a faculty of health]

Objective To determine tuberculosis (TB) knowledge, attitudes, practices, education and Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) positivity among Colombian health professions students in their last year of study. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-reported questionnaire about TB knowledge, attitudes, practices and education with 193 students of medicine, nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, clinical laboratory studies and emergency care. A TST was performed on 153 of the students. Results Although most of survey respondents perceived the TB education they received to be "sufficient", the results regarding their knowledge of TB do not support such perceptions: 35.2% of participants did not identify TB risk factors, 33.7 % of participants identified Colombian TB incidence, and only 1.6 % identified appropriate initial treatment for TB. In regards to practices, 50 % of respondents admitted that they would take care of a patient without a high efficiency mask. The TST was positive in 35 % of participants. Conclusions Our results show that there are opportunities to improve TB education in this health faculty, there is also a need to improve safety practices in the facilities where students work in order to reduce their risk of conversion.