Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) Study of Physicians, Medical Technologists, and Nurses on the Emergence of Nosocomial Fungemia Caused by Candida auris: A Comparative Study between a Government and a Private Primary Hospital in Atimonan, Quezon Province

Abstract

Candida auris is a globally emerging fungus due to its multidrug resistant profile and nosocomial transmissibility. Although there were no known cases in the Philippines as of the performance of the study, the presence of South and East Asian clades is a cause of concern. The study was performed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of health workers from a government and a private primary hospital in Atimonan, Quezon Province regarding the emergence of C. auris. This was done by using a questionnaire made by the researchers, which was based on the guidelines proposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 35 participants participated in the study, 26 (74.3%) participants were from the primary government hospital and nine (25.7%) were from the private primary hospital. Pearson’s Chi-Square test of association and the Two-sample T-test were used to determine significant differences in the answers of the participants. After the interpretation of the data, it was found that there were no significant differences between the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of the health workers of primary hospitals in Atimonan, Quezon Province in comparison to the guidelines proposed by the CDC (2020). Furthermore, there were no significant differences between the Knowledge (p= 0.554), Attitude (p=0.575), and Practices of health workers from a government and a private primary hospital from Atimonan, Quezon Province with regards to C. auris. These results could be attributed to the close geographical proximity of the hospitals, and as there were no recorded cases of C. auris in the Philippines, the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the health worker respondents were solely grounded on theoretical means.