Basic ENT training for enhanced healthcare worker knowledge, attitudes and practices in a resource-limited setting: a...

Diagnostic errors in ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases are prevalent among healthcare workers (HCWs) in resource-limited settings, yet comprehensive data that describe HCW knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding ENT disease management remains scarce. Further, the impact of basic ENT training on HCW KAP in such settings is largely undetermined.

We assessed HCW KAP before and after basic training in ENT disease management.

This questionnaire-based pre-post-test cross-sectional survey employed HCW training in public hospitals in a resource-limited setting. We conducted a 2-day training, preceded by a pretraining survey, followed by immediate and 5-month post-training assessments using a prevalidated questionnaire. 416 HCWs participated and were selected through probability-proportionate-to-size random sampling. Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to assess pre-post training KAP variations.

At baseline, the median (IQR) percentage knowledge scores for HCWs in general ENT, ear, sinonasal and head and neck disease management were 60 (40), 55 (18), 58.3 (25) and 56 (22.6), respectively. Only 33.8% (133/394) of HCWs had access to an otoscope, 25.5% (101/396) to a headlight and 12.1% (48/397) to a nasal speculum. While 99.2% (390/393) of HCWs considered ENT important, 57.8% (226/391) of them lacked the confidence to correctly diagnose and manage most ENT conditions. At the immediate post-training assessment, HCWs' median knowledge scores increased by 20%, 18%, 25% and 33% for general ENT, ear, sinonasal and head and neck disease management, respectively (p<0.001). Further, the proportions of HCWs consistently performing otoscopy and using ENT guidelines increased from 15.1% (43/284) and 13.8% (48/282) to 35.5 (44/124) and 23.9% (27/113) 5 months post-training.

This study underscores the critical need for continuous medical education (CME) to address knowledge gaps and improve HCW attitudes and practices. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance ENT healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings.