Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Disability among Healthcare Workers in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution

Abstract

Purpose: In Nigeria, people living with disabilities often face unintentional poor treatment and neglect. This cross-sectional study was aimed at exploring the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception of healthcare professionals towards PLWD in Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital, Nnewi Anambra State. Materials and methods: A total of 293 healthcare professionals were recruited through a random sampling technique. An adopted Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception of Physically Disabled People (KAPDAP) questionnaire was used to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception. Participants’ characteristics were summarized using mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. Chi-square test was used to examine the association between selected participants’ variables and the level of knowledge, attitude, and perception of physical disability. Results: 242 (82.6%) of the participants had fair knowledge, 151 (51.5%) had fair attitude, while 142 (48.5%) of the participants had fair perceptions of PLWD. There was a significant association between professions and knowledge about disability. Conclusions: The findings from this study indicated that healthcare professionals within the study area had adequate knowledge of physical disability-related issues capable of impacting positively their attitude and perception towards PLWD. There was a significant association between professions and knowledge (p < 0.001), with physiotherapists possessing the highest knowledge level. However, more efforts on advocacy should be made until a disability-friendly environment is achieved across all studied professions.