tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
JMIR Form Res
. 2021 Jan 17.
doi: 10.2196/21220. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 and Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: A Survey on Their Knowledge and Practices
Talal Ahmad Shaikhain[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Faisal Abdulmohsen Al-Husayni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Essam Awadh Alhejaili[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maha Nawaf Al-Harbi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anas Abdullah Bogari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bayan Abdulaziz Baghlaf[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohammed Saeed Alzahrani[SUP] 4 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: Healthcare workers are the frontiers against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The risk of transmission decreases with adequate knowledge of infection prevention methods. Previous studies showed that healthcare workers lack proper attitude and knowledge towards different viruses outbreaks.
Objective: This study aimed to assess healthcare workers' knowledge and attitude in Saudi Arabia toward COVID-19. Assessing these parameters may help in pinpointing the areas that require improvements.
Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted on 563 participants who were recruited from multiple cities in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was shared via social media applications, which consisted of questions to healthcare workers about general knowledge of COVID-19 and standard practices.
Results: The mean age of the study population was 30.7 ? 8 years. Around 8% were isolated as a suspected case of COVID-19, and 0.9% were found positive. The majority agreed that social distancing, face masks, and hand washing are effective methods for preventing disease transmission. However, only 63.7% knew the correct duration of hand washing. Almost 70% were utterly obedient to hand hygiene, but less than half were utterly compliant to wearing a face mask. Significant differences between healthcare workers' attitudes based on city of residence noted in following COVID-19 news and compliance with face mask use. Of the healthcare workers, 27.2% declared that they will home-isolate themselves and take influenza medications if they experience COVID-19 symptoms.
Conclusions: The majority of healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia showed acceptable knowledge in general information of COVID-19, but they lack awareness in some crucial details that may prevent the disease spread. Intense courses and competencies assessment is highly recommended. Preventing the disease extension is the only option for the time being.
. 2021 Jan 17.
doi: 10.2196/21220. Online ahead of print.
COVID-19 and Healthcare Workers in Saudi Arabia: A Survey on Their Knowledge and Practices
Talal Ahmad Shaikhain[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Faisal Abdulmohsen Al-Husayni[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Essam Awadh Alhejaili[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Maha Nawaf Al-Harbi[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Anas Abdullah Bogari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Bayan Abdulaziz Baghlaf[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohammed Saeed Alzahrani[SUP] 4 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33460390
- DOI: 10.2196/21220
Abstract
Background: Healthcare workers are the frontiers against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The risk of transmission decreases with adequate knowledge of infection prevention methods. Previous studies showed that healthcare workers lack proper attitude and knowledge towards different viruses outbreaks.
Objective: This study aimed to assess healthcare workers' knowledge and attitude in Saudi Arabia toward COVID-19. Assessing these parameters may help in pinpointing the areas that require improvements.
Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted on 563 participants who were recruited from multiple cities in Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was shared via social media applications, which consisted of questions to healthcare workers about general knowledge of COVID-19 and standard practices.
Results: The mean age of the study population was 30.7 ? 8 years. Around 8% were isolated as a suspected case of COVID-19, and 0.9% were found positive. The majority agreed that social distancing, face masks, and hand washing are effective methods for preventing disease transmission. However, only 63.7% knew the correct duration of hand washing. Almost 70% were utterly obedient to hand hygiene, but less than half were utterly compliant to wearing a face mask. Significant differences between healthcare workers' attitudes based on city of residence noted in following COVID-19 news and compliance with face mask use. Of the healthcare workers, 27.2% declared that they will home-isolate themselves and take influenza medications if they experience COVID-19 symptoms.
Conclusions: The majority of healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia showed acceptable knowledge in general information of COVID-19, but they lack awareness in some crucial details that may prevent the disease spread. Intense courses and competencies assessment is highly recommended. Preventing the disease extension is the only option for the time being.