Effectiveness of Continuing Medical Education on Rabies Prevention and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis in Healthcare Professionals at a Northern Himalayan Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Rabies remains a significant public health issue in India, and gaps in healthcare professionals' knowledge are linked to preventable deaths. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a well-structured Continuing Medical Education (CME) program focused on rabies prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis at AIIMS Rishikesh. Methods: The CME was organized among 50 healthcare professional like physicians, nurses, medical students, and residents. Each participant was evaluated for pre- test assessment using a pre-set questionnaire followed by full 4-hour CME knowledge session on rabies epidemiology, clinical management, and prevention measures. After the interactive session a post- test assessment was evaluated. Results: The mean knowledge scores increased significantly from 10.50 ± 2.32 points increased to 13.54 ± 0.89 points (p < 0.001), with a mean improvement of 3.04 points. This effect size was large with a Cohen's d of 1.308. Improvement in scores was seen in 86.0% of participants (43 out of 50). The greatest change was in participants' knowledge of post-exposure prophylaxis guidelines, risk assessment, and immunoglobulin administration. Conclusions: The structured CME program was highly effective in improving medical workers' knowledge related to rabies prevention. The large effect size and high participant satisfaction support the use of similar educational interventions to meet continuing medical education needs. These findings can inform evidence-based strategies to increase rabies prevention awareness and help India achieve the WHO goal of eliminating dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030.