Background and aim. Healthcare workers and Biomedical students
are continuously exposed to biological risk in their clinical practice. The
objective of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of an
Italian questionnaire on the knowledge and perception of biological risk
in Biomedical students at the beginning of their professional training.
Material and methods.An electronic questionnaire was administered
to students attending the second semester of the first year of
Biomedical Courses at Sapienza University of Rome. The questionnaire
consists of 40 questions divided into five sections collecting sociodemographic
data, health status and level of knowledge and perception of
biological risk. The statistical analysis was performed with Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.
Results. A total of 309 individuals answered the online questionnaire,
with a response rate of 83.5%. The analysis of internal consistency
was performed by two dichotomous variables that measured the knowledge
level on hygiene behaviour and gloves use. The analysis showed a
standardized Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.765, corresponding to a good
reliability. A better reliability was found out among physiotherapy and
medical students, with a Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.944 and 0.881,
respectively. Regarding vaccines, 97.7% of the sample was given a
Hepatitis B vaccination and 98.7% of students consider vaccinations
essential for healthcare workers.
Conclusion. Results of Cronbach’s alpha showed a good reliability
of the questionnaire. First-year Biomedical students may be exposed
to occupational biological risk mainly because of their inexperience.
A training educational path should be implemented in order to acquire
competences, knowledge, attitudes and practical skills, correct behaviors
and a personal and professional responsibility