Assessment of nursing knowledge about tuberculosis

We included 60 nurses, the majority of whom were women with less than 5 years' professional experience. Only 32% of the participants had attended previous training courses concerning this disease. 87% of the nurses had already cared for patients with tuberculosis. A minority of staff knew that BCG vaccination is recommended for newborns, and that it must be administered intradermally. Most respondents (44%) were dissatisfied with the quality of care in their departments, due to the difficulties encountered. They emphasized two key aspects for improving tuberculosis management: providing the hospital with all the equipment needed to carry out complementary examinations and screening (39%), and providing regular health education (28%).Prevention is the most important pillar in reducing the transmission and morbidity and mortality associated with tuberculosis. Caregivers therefore need awareness-raising and ongoing training to enrich their knowledge in order to overcome this scourge and achieve the objectives of the national tuberculosis control program.