Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
2 Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
3 Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India,
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID‑19 has become a global health emergency after its first case in Wuhan city,
China. An increasing number of cases and deaths are challenging the health‑care system globally.
This study aims to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice toward COVID‑19 disease among health
personnel in rapid outbreak in India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional survey was conducted using Google Forms through
Google platform on-line. A total of 713 health personal allied health‑care staff, working in different public
and private health‑care facilities, was conducted in the mid of April 2020. A structured knowledge, attitude,
and practice questionnaire used to assess health personnel’s knowledge, attitude, and practice toward
COVID‑19. All instruments were validated and pretested before use. Chi‑square test, followed by binary
logistic and multivariate regression, was applied to determine factors associated with knowledge scores.
RESULTS: Seven hundred and thirteen health personnel participated, and 703 (98.6%) participants
responded were analyzed for final results. 95.9% of the health personnel were aware about route
of transmission and clinical symptoms (95.3%) of COVID‑19. 63.7% believed that virus outbreak
would be controlled globally and followed standard precautions (81.8%), including wearing the mask.
Further, majority (98.3%) of the participants avoided social contact by not going to crowded places
and not calling people to their homes (82.2%) during the advisory of the government. In binary
logistic regression analyses, the adequate knowledge score found significantly associated with
MBBS/bachelor’s degree (odds ratio [OR]: 2.309, confidence interval [CI]: 1.232–4.324, P < 0.009)
and master’s degree (OR: 2.944, CI: 1.485–5.835, P < 0.002), working with government health‑care
facility (OR: 3.662, CI: 1.624–8.285, P < 0.002), and holding a post of a physician (OR: 7.735, CI:
2.210–27.091, P < 0.001) during outbreak.
CONCLUSIONS: The level of education is associated with adequate knowledge scores among the
health personnel. Type of health‑care facility and post held in a health‑care facility are significant
predictors of adequacy of knowledge.
Keywords
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