OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of the Hospital’s staff towards people with mobility disabilities.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed from December 2023 to January 2024. The sample constituted by 162/200 (response rate: 81%) employees of G.H of Komotini, in North Greece. A questionnaire was prepared which was based on the standardized scale "Attitudes towards People with Disabilities - Form B" in accordance with other demographic questions followed by questions on the employees' knowledge about disability, the frequency of contact and their relationship with people with mobility disabilities.

RESULTS: The analysis of the results revealed that most participants were women (73.5%), 40-59 years old (65.4%), married (62.3%) and had higher education level (70.3%). Additionally, they had a moderate level of knowledge about disability while the main sources of acquiring knowledge about disability and the life of people with disabilities were the internet, newspapers/magazines/television as well as personal experience with a disabled person, during their work. Also, 65.4% of the participants contacted people who have a mobility disability, mainly due to their work. At the same time, 61.1% of employees declared a positive attitude towards people with disabilities, while participants who had contact with people with mobility disabilities but also had more years of professional employment overall in the health sector, had more knowledge about disability. Finally, participants with more knowledge showed more positive attitude towards people with disabilities, compared to those with less knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that information and training is needed among Hospital employees in order to increase the percentage of employees presenting positive attitudes towards people with mobility disabilities in order to combat prejudices and improve the quality of health care provision to people with a mobility disability.