Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards COVID 19 in Paramedical Staff of Two Tertiary Care Hospitals of Islamabad Suburbs
Abstract
Objective: The present study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice towards COVID 19 in paramedical staff of two tertiary care hospitals of Islamabad suburbs.
Study Design: Cross sectional study
Study Place: HBS General Hospital, Islamabad and Al-Nafees Hospital, Islamabad
Duration of Study: 1st November till 31st December 2020
Material & Methods:
The survey-based study used a questionnaire comprising of 30 questions. The Knowledge questionnaire consisted of questions regarding clinical presentation, diagnosis, prevention and spread of COVID 19 infection. Questions on attitude and practice assessed the infection control practices and behavior of paramedical staff in response to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic. The questionnaire was filled by the paramedical staff of HBS General Hospital and Al-Nafees Hospital, Islamabad during COVID-19 pandemic. The option for answer to each question was either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. The correct response was recorded as one, and the incorrectas zero. Paramedical staff (Responders) were divided into four categories: Nurses,laboratory staff,operating room technical assistant (OTA) and phlebotomist.
Statistical Analysis: SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were calculated as mean, frequency and standard deviation. Pearson correlation test was used to establish correlation between the three variables (knowledge, attitude, practice). p value <0.05 was considered as significant.
Results:
The total number of responders in the study were 110 (n=110). There were 54 (49.14%) Nurses, 20 (18.2%) Lab staff, 26 (23.6%) OTA and 10 (9.1%) phlebotomist. The male female ratio was 1:2. The mean age of the participants was 28.24 ±6.11years(range= 20-46years). The mean knowledge score was 9.24 ±1.776. Attitude was positive for 60 (54.5%) participants. Good practice score was shown by 108 (98.1%) participants. The mean knowledge score (9.24) varied significantly with the attitude (p=0.00) but it did not vary with their practice (p=0.08).The overall knowledge, attitude and practice scores for all four groups combined were 56.7%, 65.45%, 88.1% respectively.
Conclusion:
The present study showed that our healthcare staff practice a good infection control protocols but are deficient in knowledge of COVID 19 virus and related questions. The study highlights the need to improve teaching of healthcare workers in our setup about virus nature, and important aspects of disease.
