Hina Shan, Saadia Maqbool, Rubab Zulfiqar, Maryam Shan, Mahnoor Baber, Tamkeen Nishat Jaffry.
Assessing rabies knowledge and practice from a one health lens in healthcare professionals in Sargodha district, Pakistan: a zero by 2030 approach.
J Uni Med Dent Coll Jan ;14(1):549-55.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: The complex dynamics of rabies transmission make it a public health challenge, especially in an underdeveloped world. The study aims to assess the knowledge and practices of healthcare professionals about the pathogenesis, epidemiology, prevention, and control of rabies through a One Health lens. METHODOLOGY: A mixed-method study targeting the healthcare professionals practicing in the district of Sargodha, Pakistan, was carried out from 1ST January to 31ST December 2020. A total of 102 participants were purposively enrolled to collect the quantitative and qualitative data. The Chi-square test for categorical variables and binary logistic regression to test associations between variables were used and for qualitative data, thematic analysis was done. RESULTS: Postexposure Prophylaxis protocol was correctly identified by 21(31.8%) human healthcare professionals, and the association with clinical experience of more than ten years was found to be statistically significant (ꭓ2=5.657, p=0.017). Veterinary practitioners were almost seven times more likely to support the idea that the One Health approach can help reach zero deaths target from rabies by 2030 compared to human healthcare professionals (OR=6.84, 95%CI 1.31;35.56, p=0.0222). Healthcare providers had reasonable knowledge of rabies pathogenesis, reservoir, mode of transmission, and endemicity; however, they lacked adequate skills for proper animal bite management and treatment. Clinical experience was indirectly proportional to the acceptance of the One Health approach, especially with the mass vaccination of canines. CONCLUSION: Reiteration and continuing medical education for integrated approaches like One Health is needed for healthcare professionals to bridge the skill gaps and promote collaborative work in the face of challenges experienced during zoonotic diseases.

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