Family Medicine Academy, Qassim Health Cluster, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2021 Mar;11(1):60-68. doi: 10.2991/jegh.k.200819.002. Epub 2020 Aug 28.
Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency. Health Care Workers (HCWs) with sound knowledge and practices can help curb the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of HCWs about COVID-19 and compare physicians and non-physicians in Saudi Arabia.
An online survey was conducted among HCWs in Saudi Arabia in March and April 2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire having four sections including; socio-demographic and professional profile, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding COVID-19. Questionnaire link was sent through social media. Descriptive analysis was used for assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice and Chi-square test was used for comparing physicians and non-physicians. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0.
A total of 398 HCWs completed the questionnaire. Only 45% of the participants had correct knowledge about the agent while about 97% knew that close contact with infected person is the most important risk factor. Only 63% had correct knowledge about the role of antibiotics in COVID-19 treatment. Majority of the HCWs were worried and most frequently reported worry was risk to family. Carrying infection to home was most commonly reported fear, 92%. Cleaning hands often or always was 11.5% and 87% respectively. About 71% wore mask during work. Knowledge was better among physicians compared to non-physicians while attitude and practices were comparable between the two groups.
We found that there was poor knowledge about causative agent and role of antibiotics for COVID-19 but for mode of transmission and prevention there was good knowledge. There were widely prevalent worries and fears among the participants. Overall, there were good infection control practices among the HCWs. Interventions are needed to improve knowledge and address worries and fears of HCW.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行是一场全球卫生紧急事件。具有扎实知识和实践经验的医护人员（HCWs）有助于遏制大流行。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯 HCWs 对 COVID-19 的知识、态度和实践，并比较医生和非医生的情况。
2020 年 3 月至 4 月，在沙特阿拉伯的 HCWs 中进行了在线调查。使用包含四个部分的结构化问卷收集数据，包括：社会人口统计学和专业概况、COVID-19 相关知识、态度和实践。通过社交媒体发送问卷链接。使用描述性分析评估知识、态度和实践，使用卡方检验比较医生和非医生。使用 SPSS 版本 21.0 进行数据分析。
共有 398 名 HCWs 完成了问卷。只有 45%的参与者对病原体有正确的认识，而约 97%的人知道与感染者密切接触是最重要的危险因素。只有 63%的人对 COVID-19 治疗中抗生素的作用有正确的认识。大多数 HCWs 感到担忧，最常报告的担忧是对家庭的风险。将感染带回家是最常报告的恐惧，占 92%。经常或总是洗手的比例分别为 11.5%和 87%。约 71%的人在工作时戴口罩。医生的知识比非医生好，而态度和实践在两组之间相当。
我们发现，关于病原体和 COVID-19 抗生素作用的知识较差，但对传播途径和预防措施的知识较好。参与者普遍存在担忧和恐惧。总体而言，HCWs 有良好的感染控制实践。需要采取干预措施来提高知识水平，解决 HCW 的担忧和恐惧。
