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In 2009 there was a pandemic of a new virus, the Influenza A H1N1. Due to its great capacity to spread, it was targeted by society. Thus, there was the importance of health professionals trained to perform diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. In order to evaluate the knowledge of health professionals about the H1N1 influenza in 2009; a transversal study was made with public health professionals, who work in a general hospital, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During the vaccination campaign, held in March 2010, we applied a questionnaire that included demographic variables, self-perception of knowledge and information about the disease. The study population consisted of 593 individuals. The mean age was 38.9 years old (SD ± 11.96). 62.0% were women, 32.8% men and 5.1% unknown sex. The doctors represented 20.1%, nurses 31.1%, 14.5% from others areas of health, 25.0% from others areas but not health and 38% didn’t answer. Approximately 6% classify knowledge as Very Good, 38.25% as Good, 44.4% as Regular and 11.6% as Insufficient. When analyzing general knowledge about the disease and the identification of symptoms of severe cases, the score could range from 0 to 5, and it was obtained an average of 3.6 (SD ± 1.1) and 2.5 (SD ± 1.3), respectively. The results indicate that the knowledge shown by health professionals is inadequate. This group has an important role to face a possible second wave caused by this virus. Thus, it’s necessary to reinforce the importance of continuous education actions and information targeted to that audience, as well as the supporting of its planning and organization.
Learning Objectives: The objective of this study is to develop and promote the building of health professionals to face pandemic situations, as well as their progress and identify gaps in their training, articulating new strategies for this group.