Competencies of Obstetric Caregivers Regarding Hepatitis B in the West Region of Cameroon

There are many zones of high prevalence of hepatitis B like Cameroon (10%). Mother to child transmission of hepatitis B is the most common mode of transmission in high prevalence area. Its prevention is assured by the health care staff in charge of pregnant women. We therefore used to assess the level of competence (skills levels) of obstetricians regarding hepatitis B in West region of Cameroon. This was a cross-sectional analytical KAP study. The recruitment took place in 11 hospitals in 5 major departments of West region of Cameroon. The sampling was consecutive and comprehensive. The population was constituted of 148 participants with a sex ratio of 0.51. The mean age was 34 years. The population consisted of 50 physicians (33.78%), 61 nurses (41.22%), and 37 auxiliary staff (25%). Only 4% had a good skills level, 55% had an average skills level, and 41% had an insufficient level. The Skills level was influenced by gender, occupation, seniority in the occupation. The skills level of health care workers was average and insufficient for most. This does not allow them to effectively fight against the mother to child transmission of hepatitis B virus in Cameroon.