Impact of educational package on sexual health knowledge among
healthcare workers in Lebanon
Abstract
Rationale, aims and objectives: In Lebanon, HIV is concentrated among
men who have sex with men (MSM). Healthcare workers in testing centers
are trained through workshops to gain HIV and sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) information and skills. The objective of this report
is to evaluate this intervention. Methods: Nine workshops were conducted
in 2018. Each workshop was introduced and concluded with a pre and post
intervention questionnaire that addressed HIV knowledge, health-risk
behaviours, STIs testing. Results: A total of 144 participants were
included. HIV knowledge score increased by 37.5% (p<0.05)
after the interventions. The areas with the lowest knowledge after the
training were the questions about non-sexual HIV transmission, the
fluids containing HIV, prevention and treatment of HIV. STIs knowledge
score showed a 29.7% increase (p<0.05). Stigma score showed
an increase by 11.7% (p>0.05). In all scores, there were
differences between urban and rural areas. Conclusion: These findings
consolidate the value of these training sessions and highlights the
importance of the use of innovative learning approaches. Further efforts
and interventions should address stigma and discrimination among service
providers to reach better outcomes in Lebanon. A comparison with some of
the indicators that exist in previous reports show higher knowledge in
healthcare workers compared to MSM community that is served by these
healthcare workers. These activities among health care workers are
crucial to increase HIV knowledge and reduce high-risk behaviors among
key populations.