Abstract:

Objectives: To determine the knowledge of hepatitis B infected patients and their behaviors regarding hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and vaccination. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Department of Infectious Diseases. A total of 402 patients followed for one year or more were included in the study. Results: Seventy-seven percent of the patients knew that HBV affects the liver, 64.2% of the patients were aware that HBV was an infectious disease and the possibility of inactive carriage was known by 91% of the patients. Although almost all patients were aware of the transmission routes, they were found to assume that transmission rates could be high even in circumstances where the risk of transmission was actually very low. Vaccination and its effects were recognized by all of the patients, as well as the possibility for progression to cirrhosis. Seventy-six percent of the patients were aware of treatments for HBV infection. Conclusion: In this study, the knowledge and awareness level of the patients was considered to be good overall, despite the fact that there were some gaps in patient knowledge. We believe that these positive findings were associated with the educational activities in our clinic.

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