Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Disease Prevention among Patients Attending the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nepal

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to health and disease influence community health, disease burden, and healthcare utilization. Assessing KAP, disease patterns, and sociodemographic characteristics helps to identify health-related behaviors and guide public health interventions. Thus, this study assessed these factors among patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) of Janaki Medical College Teaching Hospital.

Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted in the (Emergency Department (ED) of Janaki Medical College Teaching Hospital from 15^th April 2023 to 18^th July 2023. Written or verbally informed consent was obtained from all participants. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices and prevention of diseases. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2010 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results: A total of 400 ED patients were included. Most participants were from Dhanusha district (80.5%), belonged to the Yellow Triage category (61.25%), followed Hinduism (94.5%), and were from the Terai Madheshi Other Castes (62.5%). Tobacco use was reported by 25.5%, alcohol consumption by 11.75%, and 53.25% were literate. The most common clinical presentations were acute abdominal pain (18.75%), hypertension (10.0%), COPD (9.25%), and pneumonia (9.0%). Adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and appropriate health practices were observed in 95.8%, 60%, and 99.25% of participants, respectively. Disease occurrence and healthcare-seeking behavior were associated with tobacco use, alcohol consumption, belief in traditional healers, educational status, health-related ignorance, and culturally influenced accidental incidents. Most patients were admitted to the Observation Ward (53.0%).

Conclusion: Most ED patients demonstrated adequate knowledge and satisfactory health practices; however, positive attitudes were comparatively lower, highlighting the need for targeted health education and behavioural interventions.