Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
BMJ Open. 2021 Feb 18;11(2):e042910. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-042910.
The objectives of this study were to assess the volunteering of undergraduate health students and interns in the Ministry of Health (MOH) services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, its motivational factors and barriers, as well as their risk perception of COVID-19.
A cross-sectional study.
From 12 to 21 May 2020, an online survey was sent to all undergraduate health students and interns in the KSA. This included questions on demographics, volunteering status, risk perception of COVID-19, as well as motivations and barriers towards volunteering.
In a convenience sample of 6016 students and interns across KSA, 1824 (30.31%) have volunteered with the MOH services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteering was more likely among older participants, from the College of Medicine, those with self-perceived at risk of COVID-19 infection and those with self-perceived healthy participants. Females, those who did not think that students had moral duties to volunteer, those who were at risk of seasonal influenza and those with self-perceived at risk of hospitalisation from COVID-19 were less likely to volunteer. Patriotism, gaining experience, assisting when able and religious rewards all were reported as major motivators to volunteer. Non-volunteering participants reported that lack of interest, protocol and knowledge, as well as issues related to their personal health and transportation were the main barriers to volunteering.
About one-third of undergraduate health students and interns volunteered during the first 2 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in KSA. Moral values were the most important motivations among volunteers. Efforts to encourage heath students and interns to volunteer and providing those with appropriate educational programmes are recommended.
本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯王国（沙特）在 COVID-19 大流行期间医学生和实习医生在卫生部（MOH）服务中的志愿服务情况、其动机因素和障碍，以及他们对 COVID-19 的风险感知。
横断面研究。
2020 年 5 月 12 日至 21 日，向沙特所有医学生和实习医生发送了在线调查。其中包括人口统计学、志愿服务状况、对 COVID-19 的风险感知，以及志愿服务的动机和障碍等问题。
在沙特的 6016 名学生和实习医生的方便样本中，有 1824 人（30.31%）在 COVID-19 大流行期间在 MOH 服务中志愿服务。年龄较大的参与者、来自医学院的参与者、自我认为有感染 COVID-19 风险的参与者和自我认为健康的参与者更有可能参与志愿服务。女性、那些不认为学生有道德义务参与志愿服务的人、那些有季节性流感风险的人以及那些自我认为有 COVID-19 住院风险的人不太可能参与志愿服务。爱国主义、获得经验、在有能力时提供帮助以及宗教奖励都被报告为志愿服务的主要动机。非志愿者参与者报告缺乏兴趣、协议和知识，以及与个人健康和交通相关的问题是志愿服务的主要障碍。
约三分之一的医学生和实习医生在沙特 COVID-19 大流行的前 2 个月期间自愿参加志愿服务。道德价值观是志愿者最重要的动机。建议鼓励医学生和实习医生自愿参与，并为他们提供适当的教育计划。
