Centre of Excellence for Health Systems and Universal Health Coverage, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Centre of Excellence for Health Systems and Universal Health Coverage, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BMJ Open. 2022 Jan 11;12(1):e051893. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-051893.
This study explored Frontline Health Workers' (FLWs) knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on COVID-19 and their lived experiences, in both their personal and work lives, at the early stage of the pandemic in Bangladesh.
DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a qualitative study conducted through telephone interviews in May 2020. A total of 41 FLWs including physicians, nurses, paramedics, community healthcare workers and hospital support staff from 34 public and private facilities of both urban and rural parts of Bangladesh participated in the interview. A purposive sampling technique supplemented by a snowball sampling method was followed to select the participants. The in-depth interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide, and we applied the thematic analysis method for the qualitative data analysis.
Except physicians, the FLWs did not receive any institutional training on COVID-19, including its prevention and management, in most instances. Also, they had no training in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Their common source of knowledge was the different websites or social media platforms. The FLWs were at risk while delivering services because patients were found to hide histories and not maintaining safety rules, including physical distancing. Moreover, inadequate supply of PPE, fear of getting infected, risk to family members and ostracisation by the neighbours were mentioned to be quite common by them. This situation eventually led to the development of mental stress and anxiety; however, they tried to cope up with this dire situation and attend to the call of humanity.
The uncertain work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic simultaneously affected FLWs' physical and emotional health in Bangladesh. However, they showed professional devotion in overcoming such obstacles and continued to deliver essential services. This could be further facilitated by a quick and targeted training package on COVID-19, and the provision of supplies for delivering services with appropriate safety precautions.
本研究探讨了孟加拉国新冠肺炎疫情早期前线卫生工作者（FLWs）在个人和工作生活中对 COVID-19 的知识、态度和实践（KAP）及其生活经历。
设计、地点和参与者：这是一项于 2020 年 5 月通过电话访谈进行的定性研究。共有 41 名 FLWs 参与了访谈，包括来自孟加拉国城乡地区 34 家公立和私立医疗机构的医生、护士、辅助医务人员、社区医疗工作者和医院支持人员。采用目的抽样技术和滚雪球抽样方法选择参与者。深入访谈遵循半结构化访谈指南，我们对定性数据分析采用主题分析方法。
除医生外，大多数情况下，FLWs 都没有接受过任何关于 COVID-19 的机构培训，包括其预防和管理。此外，他们也没有接受过个人防护设备（PPE）的使用培训。他们的知识来源通常是不同的网站或社交媒体平台。FLWs 在提供服务时面临风险，因为发现患者隐瞒病史，不遵守安全规则，包括保持身体距离。此外，他们提到 PPE 供应不足、担心感染、对家庭成员的风险以及被邻居排斥是很常见的。这种情况最终导致精神压力和焦虑的产生；然而，他们试图应对这种可怕的情况，并响应人类的呼唤。
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，不确定的工作环境同时影响了孟加拉国 FLWs 的身心健康。然而，他们表现出了专业的奉献精神，克服了这些障碍，继续提供基本服务。通过快速、有针对性的 COVID-19 培训包以及提供适当安全防范措施下提供服务的供应品，这种情况可以得到进一步改善。
