Jammal Hisham M, Alqudah Noor M, Khader Yousef
Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Clin Ophthalmol. 2020 Aug 3;14:2195-2202. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S260460. eCollection 2020.
COVID-19 pandemic is a serious public health concern, and the role of health care workers is essential in preventing spread. The study objective is to investigate awareness, perception, and attitude towards COVID-19 and infection control measures among ophthalmologists in Jordan.
The design of the study was a cross-sectional survey among Jordanian ophthalmologists. An online survey was sent to 197 ophthalmologists on March 23, 2020. Information on participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of clinical features of COVID-19, risk assessment and infection control measures for preventing disease transmission, and attitude towards treating patients with COVID-19 were collected.
A total of 132 ophthalmologists (mean age 40.5 years) responded, 23 (17.6%) had received training on infection control in ophthalmology. Most ophthalmologists were aware of COVID-19 symptoms and ways to identify patients at risk of having the disease, correctly reported modes of transmission and were aware of measures for preventing COVID-19 transmission in the ophthalmic setup. Social media was the commonest source of information on COVID-19 (75%), and 38.2% were not provided with instructions on infection control plan to reduce transmission of COVID-19. Most ophthalmologists (79.5%) thought that the virus could be detected in tears, and 72.2% thought that red eye as a symptom of COVID-19.
Ophthalmologists in Jordan were aware of the epidemiology of COVID-19 and related infection preventive measures. Knowledge was lacking regarding ocular aspects of the disease. Training on infection prevention needs to be improved. Access to guidelines from international ophthalmological organizations should be promoted and seeking updated literature from peer-reviewed journals needs to be encouraged.
新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）大流行是一个严重的公共卫生问题，医护人员在预防传播方面的作用至关重要。本研究的目的是调查约旦眼科医生对COVID-19以及感染控制措施的认识、认知和态度。
本研究采用横断面调查设计，对约旦眼科医生进行调查。2020年3月23日向197名眼科医生发送了在线调查问卷。收集了参与者的社会人口学特征信息、COVID-19临床特征知识、预防疾病传播的风险评估和感染控制措施，以及对治疗COVID-19患者的态度。
共有132名眼科医生（平均年龄40.5岁）做出回应，其中23名（17.6%）接受过眼科感染控制培训。大多数眼科医生了解COVID-19症状以及识别患病风险患者的方法，正确报告了传播方式，并知晓在眼科环境中预防COVID-19传播的措施。社交媒体是关于COVID-19最常见的信息来源（75%），38.2%的人未收到关于减少COVID-19传播的感染控制计划的指导。大多数眼科医生（79.5%）认为病毒可在泪液中检测到，72.2%的人认为红眼是COVID-19的症状。
约旦的眼科医生了解COVID-19的流行病学及相关感染预防措施。但对该疾病的眼部方面知识缺乏了解。需要改进感染预防培训。应促进获取国际眼科组织的指南，并鼓励从同行评审期刊中查找最新文献。
