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. 2015 Apr-Jun;5(2):117-133.

KNOWLEDGE OF CERUMEN AND EFFECT OF EAR SELF-CLEANING AMONG HEALTH WORKERS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL

S M Oladeji  1 , O T Babatunde  2 , L B Babatunde  3 , O A Sogebi  4
Affiliations

KNOWLEDGE OF CERUMEN AND EFFECT OF EAR SELF-CLEANING AMONG HEALTH WORKERS IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL

S M Oladeji et al. J West Afr Coll Surg. 2015 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Background: Ear wax lubricates, cleans and protects the external auditory canal while ear self-cleaning can lead to ear infections, trauma and perforation of the tympanic membrane. An erroneous understanding of these facts can lead to wrong practices with grievous consequences.

Objective: To assess the knowledge on ear wax and the effects of ear self-cleaning among health workers in Nigeria.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was done on health workers in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria with administration of structured questionnaire. Knowledge of the participants on the effect of ear self-cleaning were classified as poor, fair or good based on the calculation of their knowledge score.

Results: Out of 150 respondents, 10.7% of them had good knowledge of ear wax and the health effects of self-ear cleaning while 51.3% had poor knowledge. There was strong association between knowledge score and occupation (x2=24.113, P=0.007), while there was no association between knowledge score and practice of ear self-cleaning.

Conclusion: Most respondents had poor knowledge of the function of ear wax and the damage to the auditory canal associated with ear self-cleaning. There is thus, the need for public enlightenment on the complications of the practice.

Keywords: Ear self-cleaning; Health workers; Knowledge; Nigeria; Wax.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Knowledge score of respondents about cerumen and ear self-cleaning
Figure 2
Figure 2. Proportion of health workers by their profession with good knowledge of the complications of ear self-cleaning
Figure 3
Figure 3. Perceived effects of ear wax by respondents
Figure 4
Figure 4. Perceived benefits of ear self-cleaning by respondents
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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