Healthcare Provider Intention to Report Communicable Disease Cases to Public Health: An Exploratory Study Using the Health Belief Model

Abstract

Background: Communicable diseases can have devastating physical, psychological, emotional, social, and economic impacts in a community. State and local public health agencies (PHAs) work to protect communities, or lessen the impact, from these diseases through surveillance. Surveillance enables PHAs to understand disease epidemiology – who is affected, how the disease is spread and what actions or interventions will stop the spread and prevent the next incident.Purpose/Aims: The intent of this study was to examine the communicable disease related health beliefs of healthcare providers and whether a relationship exists between those beliefs and case reporting. The theoretical framework supporting this quantitative study is the Health Belief Model (HBM). Studies have used the HBM to explain beliefs regarding inwardly, or self-focused action. A gap in the literature is whether the HBM constructs are reliable in assessing “outwardly focused” behaviors, i.e., does a healthcare provider’s personal health beliefs about a communicable disease affect their intention to complete a case report. Methods: A self-administered survey, adapted from Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale, was used to assess these beliefs. Recruitment of participants (N=163) occurred during a conference, through email, and use of two crowdsourcing recruitment platforms. Statistical analysis of the data, using SPSS, included reliability and validity of the new instrument, independent sample t-tests, exploratory factor analysis, ANOVA and regression analysis. Findings: The initial 25 item survey was reduced to 14 items after reverse scoring negatively phrased items and performing EFA. Items loaded on 2 components renamed Perceived Threat (perceived severity and perceived susceptibility) and Perceived Benefits. Regression analysis of the independent variables (age, gender, credential, specialty, and years of practice) and Perceived Threat showed no significant relationship (N = 163, p = .16). Regression analysis of the independent variables and Perceived Benefit also showed no significant relationship (N=163, p = .49). Conclusions/Implications: Surveillance of communicable diseases is vital to protecting the health of communities. A better understanding of HCP health-related beliefs can help public health develop effective methods of communicating the importance of reporting. Completing the report moves the HCP outside of their personal beliefs to protect the community from a potential disease outbreak.