Impact of an Educational Intervention on Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Knowledge among Nonphysician Healthcare Workers in an Endemic Region.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) poses a significant occupational risk to healthcare workers (HCWs) in endemic regions. Knowledge gaps, especially among nonphysician staff, may compromise infection control. The aim for the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted educational session in improving CCHF-related knowledge and infection control attitudes among nonphysician HCWs. A prospective pre-post intervention study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in an endemic region. A total of 176 nonphysician HCWs (nurses, technicians, administrative/clerical staff, cleaners) completed a 15-item multiple-choice knowledge test and a five-item Likert-scale attitude survey before and after a structured 1-hour training on CCHF. The intervention was delivered using national CCHF training materials. Paired pre-test/post-test comparisons were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, whereas Mann-Whitney U or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparisons between independent groups. Subgroup analyses were performed across occupational groups. The pre-intervention mean knowledge score was 13.0 ± 1.7, increasing to 14.5 ± 0.9 post-intervention (P <0.001). The proportion of perfect scores increased from 17.6% to 68.2%. Significant improvements were observed in previously weak areas, including disinfection protocols and tick vector recognition. All occupational subgroups benefited, with cleaners exhibiting the greatest relative improvement. Attitudes toward infection control also improved significantly across all five Likert items (P <0.001), indicating enhanced confidence and adherence to protocols. A brief, structured educational session significantly enhanced both CCHF knowledge and infection-control attitudes among nonphysician HCWs. Regular training is essential to close persistent knowledge gaps and strengthen frontline preparedness against high-risk pathogens.