More than Just Bites: Assessing the Healthcare Needs for Animal Bite Treatment Center among Hospital Workers in a Selected Community Hospital in Surigao Del Sur

This study focused on the healthcare needs in setting up an Animal Bite Treatment Center at the chosen community hospital in Surigao del Sur, Philippines, due to the increasing number of rabies and animal bite cases that could be dangerous to public health. It was the intention of the research to analyze the knowledge of the hospital staff regarding animal bites management, as well as to explore their perceptions concerning the facilities, equipment and other resources required for proper delivery of services. Descriptive research methodology was used whereby 108 hospital workers were recruited using purposive sampling technique. Survey questionnaires were used to collect data which were analyzed using frequency distribution, percentages, means and standard deviations. The findings showed that the most of the respondents were young adults, women, college degree holders and had relatively low monthly income. The respondents exhibited high knowledge regarding home intervention, health seeking behavior and prophylaxis, while they had moderate knowledge about bite classification. In addition to the increased importance of improved facilities, provision of designated rooms for the treatment of victims, proper wound treatment equipment, as well as proper vaccine storage conditions, the study revealed the importance of human resources and training. The conclusion drawn from the study is that the hospital staff is knowledgeable about the measures that need to be taken in order to prevent rabies but that there are critical deficiencies regarding infrastructure and preparedness of the staff.