[Knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare providers on suspected Ebola cases in Guinea]

Developing a more resilient health system to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a necessity in Guinea. This implies having information on the knowledge and practices that health staffs had during the preceding the EVD outbreak. The objective of this study was to compare the knowledge, attitudes and practices of routine healthcare providers on suspected EVD cases in the affected and non-affected districts in Guinea.

A cross-sectional analytic study was conducted from December 6th to 30th, 2014 with health staffs and community health workers from 120 health facilities, in four health districts more affected by the EVD and four others less affected.

Health staffs who declared being able to identify a suspected EVD case were represented more in the more affected districts (95.2%) than in the less affected districts (78.7%, P<0.01). The main practice towards a suspected case in the more affected districts was referral to the Ebola treatment centre (79.2%, versus 20% in the less affected districts, P<0.05), while in the less affected districts, cases were first tested for malaria prior to treatment or referral (3 cases out of 5). Community health workers who declared being able to identify a suspected EVD case were significantly more represented in the more affected districts (73%) than in the less affected districts (38.1%, P<0.001).

This study suggests that health system managers should prioritize capacity building of health providers in EVD affected as well as in non-affected districts to ensure better preparation for and response to EVD outbreaks.