Medical Students and COVID-19: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Precautionary Measures. A Descriptive Study From Jordan

Parents' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding COVID-19: Evidence From a Tertiary Healthcare Center in Irbid, Jordan

Background Understanding parental knowledge and attitudes is crucial for effective public health interventions. This study aimed to explore knowledge and attitudes reagrding the COVID-19 crisis among parents who visited King Abdullah University Hospital (KAUH) in Irbid governorate, Jordan, during the second wave of the pandemic. Methods This study employed a cross-sectional design for the parents who frequently visit KAUH in the period December 2020-January 2021. A quantitative study design was used via an online survey questionnaire via WhatsApp. The data from the responses were analyzed to understand the participants' knowledge and attitudes toward COVID-19. Results A total of 600 parents sample participated in this study. The findings showed that around 57% of the parents had high awareness and knowledge of the different symptoms of COVID-19. Additionally, around 60% of the parents who visited the KAUH during the second wave of this crisis in December 2020 and aged from 40 to 50 years old had more awareness of the different symptoms of this virus. Knowledge and attitudes towards SARS-CoV-2 were assessed, showing that high-education respondents (n = 425) identified sneezing (80%) and touching surfaces (90%) as common transmission routes, while low-education respondents (n = 153) emphasized sneezing (100%). Preventive actions such as wearing masks (high education: 80%, low education: 100%) and avoiding crowds (high education: 80%, low education: 83.3%) were widely recognized. Both groups believed in the benefits of vitamin C-rich foods (high education: 50%, low education: 25%), but not in alcohol, for treatment. They also rejected the idea that the virus could be transmitted from mothers to fetuses or through breastfeeding. Both education levels agreed that elderly individuals are at higher risk of severe complications, with high-education respondents (90%) and low-education respondents (100%) citing severe lung infection as a major risk. Conclusions Generally, the sample of different age groups was more concerned with the risks and threats that could happen because of this pandemic. New studies investigating similar issues in this crisis are necessary to expand the perceptions of managing and controlling this situation.

Health profession students' outlooks on the medical profession during the COVID-19 pandemic: a global perspective

BACKGROUND

This article summarizes a global study of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on junior health professions students' outlook on medicine. The pandemic has significantly affected health professions education. There is limited understanding of how students' pandemic experiences will affect them, and what impact these events may have on their career paths or the future of the professions. This information is important as it impacts the future of medicine.

METHODS

In the Fall 2020 semester, 219 health professions students at 14 medical universities worldwide responded to the question: 'Has this experience (with COVID-19) changed your outlook on medicine as a profession?'. Short essay responses were semantically coded and organized into themes and subthemes using an inductive approach to thematic analysis.

RESULTS

145 responses were submitted. Themes were identified: (1) students reflected on the interaction between politics and healthcare; (2) reported becoming more aware of the societal expectations placed on healthcare professionals, including undertaking high risks and the sacrifices that healthcare professionals must make; (3) found reassurance from the recognized importance of healthcare professionals and expressed pride to be entering the profession; and (4) reflected on the current state of healthcare, including its limitations and future.

CONCLUSION

Most students, independent of the extent of the pandemic in their respective countries, noted a change in their outlook regarding medicine. An overall positive outlook was noted in most junior students. Educators need to work on nurturing these sentiments and attitudes to help young students maintain a healthy relationship towards their chosen profession.

Confounding factors affecting the clinical decision-making of nursing and midwifery students post-pandemic COVID-19: cross-sectional study in Jordan

BACKGROUND

The ability of a nurse to make effective clinical decisions is the most important factor that can affect the treatment quality. However, several factors can affect the ability of nursing and midwifery students to make effective clinical decisions.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to identify the confounding factors that may affect the clinical decision making of nurses and thus patient outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed in this study. An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 269 nursing and midwifery students selected through purposive sampling, 224 of whom completed the questionnaire. The valid and reliable nursing decision-making instrument, which consisted of 24 items, was employed to gather the data, and descriptive statistics and simple linear regression were employed for the data analysis. Data was collected from November to the end of December 2022.

RESULTS

Among the respondents, 72.8% were female, and the average age was 20.79 years (SD = 1.44). The vast majority of the respondents (94.6%) was unmarried, and 74.1% were pursuing a nursing degree. The simple linear regression analysis showed that clinical decision making had a negative and significant relationship with social media usage of an average of 6 h a day (β=-0.085). Moreover, the male nursing students obtained lower clinical decision-making scores (β= -0.408) compared with the female nursing students.

CONCLUSION

Social media usage and gender have a considerable effect on the clinical decision making of the nursing and midwifery students. Therefore, the confounding factors that can affect the clinical decision making of nurses should be discussed further, and strategies to address such factors should be implemented.

Hand hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practice before, during and post COVID-19: a cross-sectional study among university students in the United Arab Emirates

Aims

Hand hygiene (HH) is an essential practice to evade the transmission of germs and minimize community-acquired infections. This study assesses the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of HH and other health and safety measures before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. in university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted between December 2022 and March 2023, targeting university students from all disciplines and study levels. A 44-item questionnaire was used which included student demographics, knowledge, attitude, and practice of HH, as well as the anticipated risk of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. Participants consented before commencing the questionnaire, and the collected data were analysed using the student's t-test and ANOVA test, as required.

Results

A total of 378 responses were received nationwide, with a valid response rate of 98%. The HH knowledge revealed an average score of 62%, which was significantly higher in students with moderate family income. Additionally, the average attitude score was 74.7%, as measured on the Likert scale, and the score lacked any correlation with the other variables. HH practice showed an average score of 86.8%, which was correlated with the students' gender and field of study.

Conclusions

This study showed a moderate level of knowledge, a good attitude, and good practice around HH and other safety measures among the UAE's university students. Socioeconomic status, gender, and field of study influenced the study outcomes. This study highlights the need for effective awareness campaigns to reinforce students' health and safety, especially for male and non-health science students, in order to protect against communicable diseases.

Prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and their psychosocial correlates among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate their association with related sociodemographic features and other psychological symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, students from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences with no major exam in the preceding or following month were surveyed during April to August 2021 through stratified available sampling. Data were collected by a structured online questionnaire distributed through social media platforms. OCS were assessed using Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) and COVID-related stress was evaluated using COVID Stress Scale (CSS). Overall, 347 students with a mean age of 22.67 ± 2.56 years were included in this study, of whom 30.3% had probable obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; OCI-R score ≥21). Mean CSS scores in students with and without probable OCD were 38.64 ± 19.82 and 26.72 ± 16.63, respectively ( P  < 0.005). Total CSS score was significantly correlated with OCI-R score ( r  = 0.38, P  = 0.001). Around one-third of the medical students reported significant OCS during COVID-19 pandemic, which was associated with higher COVID-19-related stress. Further research provides insight into management of OCD and related disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: a reflection on the JHUSOM experience

BACKGROUND

We sought to understand the relative risk of COVID-19 infection and identify risk factors for infection to identify targets for mitigation among medical students.

METHODS

An observational cohort study of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine students was conducted from June 2020 to July 2021. Blood samples were collected and tested at three visits to assess for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered at each visit to collect demographic information and assess potential social and behavioral risk factors.

RESULTS

264 students enrolled in the study, and 38 participants completed all study requirements by study end. Roughly 6% of the first- and second-year classes had a reported positive COVID-19 test compared to 5% of third- and fourth-year students. By visit 3, 92% of medical students had detectable antibodies against COVID-19 compared to 4% during the study enrollment period. From study enrollment to visit 3, there was a 10-fold increase in the percentage of students reporting attending large social gatherings and dining in restaurants.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, few COVID-19 cases were found among medical students, even those on clinical rotations. As the study progressed, students reported engaging in higher-risk social behaviors in conjunction with increasing vaccination rates among students.

Belief, knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 amongst residents of Abuja, Nigeria: implications for pandemic preparedness

Introduction

coronavirus disease, (COVID-19), was a pandemic with high global morbidity and mortality, partly due to a lack of preparedness. People´s knowledge, belief, attitude, and perception of disease outbreaks may affect their response, and this may impact their health-related behavior. This study was designed to determine the pattern of belief, knowledge, attitude, and practices (BKAP) of residents of Abuja, Nigeria, towards the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the study may help to make informed decisions on future pandemic preparedness.

Methods

a cross-sectional study with data collected online about the local perceptions and common concerns, beliefs, misconceptions, attitudes, and conspiracy theories amongst residents of the FCT. A self-reported validated e-questionnaire prepared on Google Forms was used. The obtained data was downloaded on Excel sheet and then exported to SPSS for analysis.

Results

there were one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three (1,873) respondents, 1017 (54.3%) females and 856 (45.7%) males. Participants were majorly knowledgeable, the majority (31.2%) were in the 41-50 years age group. Surprisingly, about 17% did not know that wearing a face mask could prevent COVID-19. About 25% still met in crowded places, and slightly more than 33% did not wear outdoor masks. The highest knowledge of COVID-19 was found among people in the age range 41-50 years, females, University graduates, married people, and healthcare personnel, particularly doctors.

Conclusion

our study concludes that the overall population of Abuja had good knowledge and, a positive attitude, with pockets of poor attitudes and bad practices born out of misconceptions and infodemics.

Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Indian Medical Students Towards Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) After Two Doses of Vaccination and Their Approach Towards the Third (Booster) Dose

Background and objectives Medical students not only directly impact coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission due to their behavior and perceptions but also play an important role in influencing the behavior and vaccine intentions of their families and the community at large. The study's objective was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of medical students who have completed two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine towards the disease and their approach towards the third (booster) dose. Methods A total of 705 individual responses were obtained from a cross-sectional web-based study deployed using Google Forms. After getting consent and basic information, data was obtained regarding knowledge of the disease, attitudes towards the disease, and practices regarding the same. The mean score was calculated for the above different categories and compared with their respective cut-offs using a one-sample t-test. Data was also collected regarding their approach towards the booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and the proportion of each response for different categories of questions was calculated. Results Participants were found to have mean scores in the range of moderate knowledge in the first part (47.67±4.49) and the second part (6.96±1.10) of the questionnaire and moderate practices (30.6±4.27) regarding COVID-19 disease. However, they had a mean score in the range of low attitude (39.79±4.07). The majority of participants acknowledge the role of vaccines in preventing the severity and spread of the disease (71.95%) and its effect on workers and medical professionals (60.26%). Mixed opinions were obtained for concerns regarding its pre-market testing and adverse effects and the government's vaccination policy. Interpretation and conclusion Responses of the medical students obtained in this study were majorly positive and in accordance with pre-vaccination studies concerning knowledge and practices. However, the low mean score in attitude obtained can be possibly explained due to their lack of direct exposure to patient management during the pandemic. The majority of participants had a positive response towards the use of the vaccine and the effectiveness of the booster dose, but concerns regarding pre-market testing, adverse effects, and the government's vaccination policy suggested the role of awareness campaigns and government endeavors to curb the same.

Assessment of Knowledge of Communicable Diseases Among Medical Students at Al-Balqa Applied University

INTRODUCTION

Medical education is the foundation of knowledge among medical students. This study aims to investigate the knowledge of medical students at Al-Balqa Applied University, exploring their awareness of five communicable diseases, namely, leishmaniasis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, measles, and cholera.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey included 271 participants who answered a structured validated questionnaire with varying questions on causes, symptoms, complications, transmission routes, and preventive measures for each disease.

RESULTS

Knowledge of all five communicable diseases was low. Leishmaniasis knowledge was notably low (mean=6.07, SD=1.43), with participants grappling with misconceptions about transmission modes, symptoms, and preventability. Hepatitis B knowledge was also low (mean=10.46, SD=1.67), especially regarding transmission modes, revealing that 76% of students were unaware of how the virus spreads. Tuberculosis knowledge unveiled gaps (mean=7.007, SD=1.90), particularly in recognizing the causes, symptoms, and transmission routes. Measles knowledge (mean=9.56, SD=1.92) indicated a robust understanding of symptoms but unveiled misconceptions about complications and transmission routes. For cholera (mean=14.50, SD=1.98), a knowledge of symptoms was demonstrated, but confusion about causative agents, transmission routes, and preventive measures was highlighted.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the study emphasize the critical need for enhanced educational strategies including curriculum revisions, increased practical exposure, engaging awareness campaigns, and the integration of interactive learning methods to increase knowledge about communicable diseases.

Medical education in Bangladesh from Student and Teacher's Perspective: Impact and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

In low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh, where medical education faces a range of challenges-such as lack of infrastructure, well-trained educators, and advanced technologies, abrupt changes in methodologies without adequate preparation are more challenging than in higher-income countries. This was worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic and these challenges have resulted in a change in medical education methodology. This study assesses the medical education procedure, impacts and adaptation strategies and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in the medical education system of Bangladesh from learners' as well as educators' perspectives.

Methods

The study collected data from 22 Medical Colleges/Universities across 18 districts of eight divisions using quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 408 samples were collected consisting of 316 from students and 92 from medical teachers. Descriptive analysis and probit model were performed for obtaining results.

Results

The efficacy of online learning was questionable, but results showed that it was more effective for theory classes (92.4%) followed by clinical classes (75.63%) and the efficacy rate was low for practical classes (54.11%). All types of classes (theory, practical and clinical) are currently using mixed methods to some extent in medical education in Bangladesh. Regarding impacts and adaptation strategy, approximately 75.3% of the students surveyed expressed their acceptance of online education. Over 80% of the participants acknowledged the advantages of online learning, highlighting the freedom to learn from home, cost and time savings, and avoiding physical closeness with other students as major benefits.

Conclusions

To address future challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic in medical education in Bangladesh, a comprehensive policy approach such as strengthening technological infrastructure, promoting blended learning approaches, enhancing faculty training and support, integrating telemedicine into the curriculum, and continuously evaluating and improving policies and interventions can enhance the resilience of its medical education system, and prepare for future challenges.

The health and quality of life of dental workers in jordan during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Dental team members are susceptible to high mental and physical stress levels, which could have increased during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate Jordanian dental workers' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and determine its predictors during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted on dental team members, namely; Dentists, dental Assistants, and Dental Technicians. The survey questionnaire was composed of questions related to stress during COVID-19, a short-form survey of 12 items (SF-12), a Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS-21), and a Nordic musculoskeletal disorder questionnaire (NMQ). Descriptive analyses were used to describe the main outcome measures, and multiple variable regression analysis was conducted to identify the quality of life predictors.

RESULTS

Participants' HRQoL measured by SF-12 showed a mean±SD score of 67.1±17.19 for the physical component and 54.51±20.27 for the mental component. The Nordic scale showed symptoms of lower back pain as 63.9% over 12 months, 32% over 12 months' functional limitation symptoms, and 45% in 7 days The regression model was found strong for our study with 53.8% variations (r2 = 0.538, F = 43.739, P <  0.001) in health-related quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study concluded that the level of HRQoL among Jordanian dental specialists during COVID-19 was observed to impact levels of physical and mental well-being which negatively influence the quality of life. Predictive factors like depression, stress, anxiety, musculoskeletal health, and individual everyday quality of life significantly affect the HRQoL of dental specialists.

Perception and attitude towards online clinical modules: a cross-sectional study among medical students from two countries

COVID-19 has deeply affected the world in various aspects including the education system worldwide. In this study, we intended to explore the merits and demerits of online clinical learning and its effect on medical education from a student's perspective. The study also assessed the perception and attitude of final-year medical students towards online clinical modules. This observational study was carried out in the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (KMC) in collaboration with King's College London, UK (KCL). In our study, a total of 42 students were enrolled, with 37 students from KMC and 5 students from KCL. 81% of students reported that they were not willing to continue the online mode of learning. The abrupt switch to e-learning without prior preparedness has exposed some pitfalls that must be attended to. Contrary to other fields, the medical field places high importance on offline clinical teaching which has recently been impacted by online teaching. The survey responses were analyzed for improvisation of online clinical modules as well as to come up with better ideas and outcomes since this mode of learning may have to continue till the spread of the disease is under control.

Sicilians' knowledge, perceptions, prevention and practices during the pandemic in relation to vaccination: A questionnaire-based survey

BACKGROUND

COVID-19 has influenced Sicily, Italy as any other part of the world, and people had various types of reactions to this global epidemic. This study aimed to assess the behavior, perception, and willingness of the Sicilian population to accept vaccination, as well as their attitudes toward conspiracy theories, which have been a concern for governments around the globe.

METHODS

Study design: cross sectional-descriptive study. The data were collected through a survey developed based on a protocol from the World Health Organization's regional office in Europe, which was distributed in two waves. The first wave took place in April and May 2020, and a modified survey was distributed during June and July.

RESULTS

Sicilians showed a very good knowledge of the virus, while their positive attitude has changed toward vaccination in the second wave. Furthermore, Sicilians showed an average trust in the governmental institutions, which allow the doubts of conspiracy to exist in the population.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the results indicate a good level of knowledge and positive attitude toward vaccination, we believe that further studies should be conducted in the Mediterranean to better understand how to face future epidemics with limited resources in the healthcare system, as compared with other countries.

Beyond COVID-19: the impact of recent pandemics on medical students and their education: a scoping review

INTRODUCTION

Over the past two years, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has greatly altered medical student education as well as daily life. Medical schools across the world were disrupted and had to immediately adapt the educational experience to the online environment in order to continue the delivery of quality medical education. However, COVID-19 was not the only recent pandemic. This posed the question, were similar disruptions and adaptations also seen in recent past pandemics such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that could have prepared medical educators for COVID-19? This scoping review investigated the educational and personal impact of recent pandemics on medical students.

METHODS

This review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines for scoping reviews. Nine databases including PubMed, ERIC, and EMBASE were systematically searched using keywords and subject headings related to medical students and SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. Studies were limited to research studies published between 2000 and 2020 and in English. Based on exclusion and inclusion criteria, all studies were independently screened by two reviewers first by the title/abstract and then via full text. Data were extracted from the included studies and analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 174 studies fit the criteria. Seven major themes emerged from those studies: educational adaptations and online modifications, knowledge and attitudes of students, mental wellness of students, student involvement and use of telehealth, student vaccination, physical wellness of students, and stigma.

CONCLUSION

This review provided insights into how medical students were affected by recent pandemics and their perceptions of pivoting to online education, mental health, and knowledge of the diseases. Additionally, this review showcases the various educational adaptations that emerged uniquely during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as telehealth services or video conferencing tools, that can be utilized in a post-pandemic environment.

Exploring determinants of formation of cognitive anchors from altruistic messages: A fuzzy DEMATEL approach

Altruistic communication by non-profit organizations plays a crucial role in shaping individuals' perceptions and beliefs about altruism. One of the indicators of effective communication is the anchoring of the messages. Therefore, understanding the underlying determinants of anchoring in altruistic communication is essential. Despite the importance of anchoring in the communication of altruism, extant research has not done much to examine the determinants of anchoring in altruistic communication. This paper investigates the determinants of anchoring in non-profit organizations' altruistic communication through the lens of the dual process theory. It applies the Fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (F-DEMATEL) method to analyze the causal and effect factors. Data were gathered from 12 social communication experts based in Taiwan. Out of the 12 proposed determinants, three factors, namely consistency, cultural consideration, and emotional anchoring, were established as significant causal factors. Consistency had causal effects on five other factors, namely, the use of metaphors, the use of antinomies, thematic anchoring, understanding the cognitive ability of the audience, and crafting engaging information. Cultural consideration had causal effects on feedback, naming, use of antinomies, thematic anchoring, emotional anchoring, and repetition. Emotional anchoring had causal effects on thematic anchoring, use of antinomies, use of metaphors, consistency, naming, feedback, understanding the cognitive ability of the audience, and repetition. On the other hand, feedback, naming, and use of antinomies were established as significant effect factors. The study's findings offer crucial contributions to the social communication literature and provide important insights for social communication practitioners.

Simulation-based education in neurology: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the disruption of all sectors of the economy including education. According to UNESCO over 1.37 million young people including medical students, were affected by the lockdowns in response to COVID-19 and the subsequent closure of the education system. The primary challenge for medical education was to provide clerkships in a biosafety environment. This study aimed to determine the impact of a simulated hospital in a neurology clerkship of 5-year medical students during the coronavirus pandemic and compare their results with a non-pandemic group in Bogotá, Colombia.

RESULTS

The students in the pandemic group answered a Likert scale survey regarding their satisfaction with the simulated hospital. Both groups were required to perform an oral, mid-term and final examination. From the results, it is clear that students perceived that exposure to a simulated hospital facilitated their learning process (93.1%) and allowed greater interaction with the teacher compared to a face-to-face environment (77.3%). There were no clinically significant differences in test results. This experience indicates that a simulated hospital is a valuable method to acquire clinical skills in trainees, that could be integrated into the curricular milestones of medical education programs regardless of the pandemic.

Perception of COVID-19 infection risk among students in healthcare professions: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK

The aim of this study was to describe how students in healthcare professions perceived the risk of COVID-19 infection during their curricular internships in the post-lockdown period, in order to evaluate possible corrective and/or improvement actions to ensure future safe learning experiences.

METHODS

Is a descriptive qualitative study conducted in March 2021 using Focus Groups, with the participation of students from all the involved study programs, based on a voluntary proactive sampling approach. The study was conducted among students in healthcare professions at the University of Bologna, in collaboration with the Local Health Authority of Imola, who were undertaking curricular internships in various public or private healthcare, social, and non-healthcare settings, as specified in the educational plan.

RESULTS

The results showed that the students reported having knowledge about preventive measures to avoid infection, being attentive observers of the organizational aspects within their internship contexts, and considering the internship tutor as a significant guiding figure in their perception of risk and the related measures to be adopted. Despite the challenges, the students evaluated their internship experience as an opportunity to acquire distinctive skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Students who embarked on their internships without prior experience expressed additional and diverse aspects that warrant further investigation. Therefore, it was deemed necessary to conduct further qualitative research to broaden the perception of SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in this group of students.

Medical Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Reflection on the JHUSOM Experience

Background

We sought to understand the relative risk of COVID-19 infection and identify risk factors for infection to identify targets for mitigation among medical students.

Methods

An observational cohort study of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine students was conducted from June 2020 to July 2021. Blood samples were collected and tested at three visits to assess for the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, a questionnaire was administered at each visit to collect demographic information and assess potential social and behavioral risk factors.

Results

264 students enrolled in the study, and 38 participants completed all study requirements by study end. Roughly 6% of the first- and second-year classes had a reported positive COVID-19 test compared to 5% of third- and fourth-year students. By visit 3, 92% of medical students had detectable antibodies against COVID-19 compared to 4% during the study enrollment period. From study enrollment to visit 3, there was a 10-fold increase in the percentage of students reporting attending large social gatherings and dining in restaurants.

Conclusions

Overall, few COVID-19 cases were found among medical students, even those on clinical rotations. As the study progressed, students reported engaging in higher-risk social behaviors in conjunction with increasing vaccination rates among students.

Mentoring & support practices for final year medical students during a pandemic - 'The covid doctors'

BACKGROUND

Transition from final-year medical student to newly graduated doctor is challenging with evidence of associated increased patient mortality and medical errors. Previous work suggests tackling preparedness alone does not 'solve' this transition. The current focus on mentoring and support provision during this period and is an under-researched area. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a unique disruptive critical incident in which to examine mentoring and support practices, exposing strengths and weaknesses. The perspectives of this cohort and their implications remains an under-researched area.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine graduate-entry final-year medical students. An inductive latent phenomenological approach explored individual experiences of mentoring and support practices during final-year and transition to professional practice.

RESULTS

Three major themes emerged: 1) Mentoring & Support; 2) Clinical Exposure; 3) Graduation & Transition. A journey metaphor was used to aid the description of participants' lived experience of mentoring and support practices during their final year. Final year medical students (FYMs) felt under-supported and found practices inadequate. Reduced clinical exposure yielded unpreparedness and regression, potentially impacting future careers. Positive experiences were variable and unstructured. 'The COVID Doctors', subtheme provided rich insights into shared narratives and identities amongst participants.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides qualitative evidence for perceived inadequate mentoring and support provision for final year medical students at transition during a critical incident (the COVID-19 pandemic). Several themes using the metaphor of a journey explore the lived experience of this unique cohort determining their perceptions on the delivery of their medical education and their identity as 'covid doctors'. There are several implications for this study in a post-pandemic era and for pandemic-preparedness, both rapidly growing areas of research in medical education. Recommendations include updating contingency plans, balancing clinical exposure with patient safety issues, and providing support to 'bottom-up' mentoring practices.

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Dental Sciences and Internship Students in Ajman University, United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

The aim of this study was to assess the COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice among dental students (DS) and internship students at Ajman University (AU).

Methods

A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among Ajman dental college students registered in the academic year 2019/2020, about COVID-19 during the first week of April 2020. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all DS to examine their knowledge and attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic. Chi-square (χ²) test was used to investigate the level of association among categorical variables at the significance level of p < 0.05.

Results

Out of 769 students in the dental college, majority (75%) had adequate knowledge of COVID-19, but only 40.6% of the participants projected a positive attitude. A positive behavior was reported by an overwhelming 94.5% of the participants. Participants above 25 years of age had significantly higher (p < 0.001) adequate knowledge (88.2%), positive attitude (56.9%), and positive behavior (100%) compared to those below 25 years of age. Study participants reported social media (71.1%), government websites (63.7%), and family and friends (41.0%) as top three sources of information regarding COVID-19 related information.

Conclusion

The results of this study show that AU dental and internship students have adequate knowledge and positive attitude of the COVID-19 pandemic but the majority are not eager to adopt effective strategies to avoid the spread of COVID-19 (practice). Further education should be offered to encourage efficient infection management practices to protect students, faculty, and other university staff.

The Assessment of the Spectrum of Preventive Measures Taken by Healthcare Providers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: A Survey-Based Study

INTRODUCTION

The first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created havoc and confusion in choosing appropriate treatment, as well as prophylaxis, due to its rapid surge, disease novelty, and lack of evidence-based literature. It was even more concerning among the healthcare workers (HCWs), who had to take care of patients, themselves, and their own families.

OBJECTIVE

This online survey-based study targeted finding the various options for COVID-19 precautionary or prophylactic measures opted for by HCWs.

METHODOLOGY

This was an observational study based on a predesigned questionnaire, which was floated online for three months after institutional ethical approval, just after the first wave of COVID-19 in 2021, targeting HCWs of different cadres (doctors, nurses, paramedics/laboratory technicians, etc.), ages, and sexes and HCWs hailing from across the country. Questions were focused on HCW's adopted measures, the order of preference and its reasons, and concerns related to safety and efficacy. Data was collected through Google Forms (Google, Inc., Mountain View, CA) into an Excel spreadsheet (Microsoft^® Corp., Redmond, WA) and analyzed by the latest Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) using appropriate statistics.

RESULTS

The routine practice of standard precautionary measures (face mask, hand hygiene, and social distancing) and wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) kit during the care of COVID-19-positive or COVID-19-suspected patients was adopted by the majority of HCWs, i.e., 306/312 (>98%) irrespective of cadre (p = 0.001). After the "routine measures," the most adopted measure by participant HCWs irrespective of profession, age, and gender was the consumption of allopathic drugs (n = 188; 60.26%). Anti-COVID-19 measures in the category of drugs used by healthcare providers (HCPs) were prophylactic allopathic drugs (60.26%), homeopathic drugs (11.86%), and other Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH)/traditional medical system drugs (11.86%). Vitamin C was the most consumed among all of the drugs for COVID-19 prophylaxis purposes. Non-drug measures espoused by the HCPs were physical exercises (46.47%), increased sleep duration (35.89%), change in dietary habits (42.62%), and spiritual measures (19.23%).

CONCLUSION

The fear of COVID-19 imposed on the HCPs the obligation to use all the available preventive measures in spite of the lack of evidence on actual benefits. After the routine infection preventive measures, the most adopted measure by participant HCWs irrespective of profession, age, and gender was the consumption of prophylactic allopathic drugs (>60%), and the most non-drug preventive measures were the initiation of physical exercises and change in dietary habits. Adapting some form of physical exercise was more noted with males than females (p = 0.001), and it significantly increased with HCPs of higher age of >25 and >40 years than younger HCPs (58.6% versus 29.3%; p = 0.016). Females preferred more dietary and nutritional modifications.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Students at the University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background This study aims to identify the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impact on the academic, financial, psychological, and hygienic aspects of medical students at the University of Jeddah. Methodology Three hundred fifty medical students from the University of Jeddah were sent an online questionnaire using a simple consecutive type of sampling for this cross-sectional study. Students from the preclinical and clinical years were included. The survey consisted of 39 items: four questions were for the demographic domain, 14 items were for the academic domain, another 14 were for hygienic, psychological, and financial aspects, and seven items assessed the effect on elective. A P-value of less than 0.05 was regarded as significant during the statistical analysis, which was conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results There were 333 responses, 174 (52.3%) of them were males. The commonest age group was 21-23 years (n=237, 71.2%). Most of the participants were living in Jeddah (n=307, 92.2%). The majority (54%, n=180) agreed or strongly agreed that "Fluctuations in lecture timing is one of the downsides of online teaching" and "The hands-on experience has suffered greatly" and 42% (n=140) strongly agreed on "Technical issues like poor WiFi connection and lack of computer or mobile devices make online teaching difficult". One hundred five (31.5%) of the participants had an elective during the pandemic, of which 41 (39%) did not have it in training centers. In terms of the mental aspect, 154 (46.2%) students were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and 111 (72.1% of them) developed anxiety or depression. Social media (n=150, 45%) was the most preferable source of information during the pandemic.". Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic affected the academic advancement of medical students, particularly during the years of their clinical training at the University of Jeddah. Our findings also showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the students' financial, hygienic, and mental health, which led to increased depression and concern about visiting hospitals and providing care for patients, which ultimately prevented them from acquiring the necessary clinical skills.

Undergraduate health sciences students' response regarding COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: an observational study

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents a major health problem, and its influences may persist with emerging viral variants. The current work was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and learning satisfaction of health sciences students (HSS) regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 February 2021 to 20 March 2021. Participants were undergraduate HSS at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire has been generated and distributed via online form. The questionnaire used was based on previous studies and included demographic information and knowledge, attitudes, perception, and learning satisfaction related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Out of the 400 questionnaires distributed to eligible students, the current study included a total of 330 HSS (82.5% response rate) from colleges of medicine (25.5%), dentistry (11.8%), pharmacy (33.6%), and Applied Medical Sciences (29.1%) of participants. The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and learning satisfaction attained by students were 5.63 ± 0.65 out of 6, 4.22 ± 1.01 out of 5, and 11.28 ± 2.9 out of 19, respectively. Results show an association between the knowledge score of students and their age-group and specialty-college. Students with chronic diseases reported lower attitude scores and rate of COVID-19 vaccine-willingness. Younger HSS had a higher learning satisfaction score than the older participants.

CONCLUSION

Overall, participants show high knowledge level and positive attitude toward COVID-19 but fair learning satisfaction during the pandemic. Further studies are needed to improve the learning satisfaction and attitude of HSS in the future.

Economic evaluation of strategies against coronavirus: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 outbreak was defined as a pandemic on 11 March 2020 by the World Health Organization. After that, COVID-19 has enormously influenced health systems around the world, and it has claimed more than 4.2 million deaths until July 2021. The pandemic has led to global health, social and economic costs. This situation has prompted a crucial search for beneficial interventions and treatments, but little is known about their monetary value. This study is aimed at systematically reviewing the articles conducted on the economic evaluation of preventive, control and treatment strategies against COVID-19.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar from December 2019 to October 2021 to find applicable literature to the economic evaluation of strategies against COVID-19. Two researchers screened potentially eligible titles and abstracts. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist was used to quality assessment of studies.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies were included in this review, and the average CHEERS score was 72. Cost-effectiveness analysis was the most common type of economic evaluation, used in 21 studies. And the quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was the main outcome applied to measure the effectiveness of interventions, which was used in 19 studies. In addition, articles were reported a wide range of incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and the lowest cost per QALY ($321.14) was related to the use of vaccines.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of this systematic review, it seems that all strategies are likely to be more cost-effective against COVID-19 than no intervention and vaccination was the most cost-effective strategy. This research provides insight for decision makers in choosing optimal interventions against the next waves of the current pandemic and possible future pandemics.

Knowledge, attitudes and perceived behavioral modification of chiropractic students returning to clinical training in South Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes toward COVID-19 and perceived behavioral modification of South African chiropractic students returning to clinical training during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

An online survey was administered to students registered for clinical training in South African chiropractic programs. The survey consisted of questions related to knowledge and attitudes toward COVID-19 and perceptions on behavioral modification in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) use to prevent transmission.

RESULTS

Out of 129 participants, there was a 69% response rate (n = 89), with a mean age of 25 (±2.39) years and 75% were females. They had an acceptable level of knowledge (67.9%). There was a favorable perception score about COVID-19 (98.8%) but a poor perception of the role of PPE. They expressed concern about returning to clinical training (62.9%) but were prepared to return to serve their patients during the pandemic (72%).

CONCLUSION

Chiropractic students within South Africa demonstrated good attitudes, knowledge, and perception toward the measures required to return safely to the clinical environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a level of stress associated with potential infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), mostly for onward transmission to family members.

Jordanian Undergraduate Students' Views of Participation in Clinical Trials: The COVID-19 Example

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated broad public participation in clinical trials. Knowledge of the attitudes of the relatively young would provide a perspective on future representative public enrollment in clinical trials. This study investigated the attitudes of undergraduate university students toward participation in COVID-19 clinical trials and determined the predictors of their attitudes. Using a validated, web-based questionnaire, 61.2% of the 425 respondents had heard about clinical trials before. Web-based media were the main sources of this knowledge. Less than 20% expressed willingness to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials or support the participation of a family member. The predictors were personal and family protection from the disease. On the contrary, being a female, possible political exploitation of the vaccine or drug, and their potential inefficacy were predictors of unwillingness to participate. This study may inform different stakeholders in developing effective study recruitment strategies to combat current and emerging pathogens.

Evaluating Research Impact Based on Semantic Scholar Highly Influential Citations, Total Citations, and Altmetric Attention Scores: The Quest for Refined Measures Remains Illusive

Background: The evaluation of scholarly articles’ impact has been heavily based on the citation metrics despite the limitations of this approach. Therefore, the quest for meticulous and refined measures to evaluate publications’ impact is warranted. Semantic Scholar (SS) is an artificial intelligence-based database that allegedly identifies influential citations defined as “Highly Influential Citations” (HICs). Citations are considered highly influential according to SS when the cited publication has a significant impact on the citing publication (i.e., the citer uses or extends the cited work). Altmetrics are measures of online attention to research mined from activity in online tools and environments. Aims: The current study aimed to explore whether SS HICs provide an added value when it comes to measuring research impact compared to total citation counts and Altmetric Attention Score (AAS). Methods: Dimensions was used to generate the dataset for this study, which included COVID-19-related scholarly articles published by researchers affiliated to Jordanian institutions. Altmetric Explorer was selected as an altmetrics harvesting tool, while Semantic Scholar was used to extract details related to HICs. A total of 618 publications comprised the final dataset. Results: Only 4.57% (413/9029) of the total SS citations compiled in this study were classified as SS HICs. Based on SS categories of citations intent, 2626 were background citations (29.08%, providing historical context, justification of importance, and/or additional information related to the cited paper), 358 were result citations (3.97%, that extend on findings from research that was previously conducted), and 263 were method citations (2.91%, that use the previously established procedures or experiments to determine whether the results are consistent with findings in related studies). No correlation was found between HICs and AAS (r = 0.094). Manual inspection of the results revealed substantial contradictions, flaws, and inconsistencies in the SS HICs tool. Conclusions: The use of SS HICs in gauging research impact is significantly limited due to the enigmatic method of its calculation and total dependence on artificial intelligence. Along with the already documented drawbacks of total citation counts and AASs, continuous evaluation of the existing tools and the conception of novel approaches are highly recommended to improve the reliability of publication impact assessment.

COVID-19 pandemic: perception, attitude, and practices of university students from health sector faculties

Background

Adherence to preventive control measures is influenced by perception, attitudes, and practices toward the disease prevention.

Aim

To assess the perceptions, attitude, and practices of university students in three health sector faculties (Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) from six Egyptian universities towards COVID-19 pandemic prevention.

Methods

An electronic online survey was distributed to students of 3 faculties (Medicine, Pharmacy, and Nursing) in six Egyptian universities from March to July 2021. The questionnaire consists of the following parts: socio-demographic data of participants, student perception and attitude towards the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, as well as practices of preventive measures in the community.

Results

The study included 1990 participants. Most respondents perceived the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic (88.2%). The rates of practicing precautionary measures were mostly high (approximately 90% or above). Significantly high attitude scores toward the pandemic were detected in people with quite-to-extremely concerned, very good/excellent status, aware of infection risk, willing to report positive cases and avoiding contact with them, and seeking medical advice regarding infection. The attitude to protective measures followed a similar pattern along with average health status, female students, and avoidance of contact when experiencing flu symptoms. Significantly higher practice scores were observed in those with bad health status, rural areas, perceiving the risk of infection, willing to report positive cases, and avoiding contact with positive cases.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of precautionary measures should be stressed to promote positive student practices.

Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), India

To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in National Capital Territory of Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR), India. Various nations, including India, devised strategies to impose lockdowns and movement restrictions on their citizens in order to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. Cooperation and compliance by the populace are crucial to the effectiveness of such measures. People's knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward such diseases are crucial in determining the adaptability of a society to such changes. Using Google Forms, a self-designed semi-structured questionnaire was created. This study is cross-sectional. Participants were eligible to participate if they were over the age of 18 and presently resided in the study area. The questionnaire included demographic variables such as gender, age, location, occupation, and income level. A total of 1,002 people completed the survey. A 48.80% of the respondents in the study group were females. The mean knowledge score was 13.14 (Maximum Score = 17), while the mean attitude score was 27.24 (Maximum Score = 30). Most of the respondents (96%) had adequate knowledge about the disease's symptoms. A 91% of the respondents had an average attitude score. A 74.85% of respondents accepted that they had avoided large social events. Gender had a negligible impact on the average knowledge score, while the score differed significantly across education levels and occupation categories. Consistent dissemination of messages regarding the virus, its spread, control measures implemented, and precautions expected from the public aids in reassuring the public and reducing their anxiety regarding the virus.

Should Medical Students Be Overprotected? A Survey from China and Review About the Roles of Medical Student Under the COVID-19

Objective

The impact of COVID-19 continues to this day, there are many disputes about how medical students should be managed and diverse arrangements were adopted by medical schools around all over the world. The purpose of this study was to discuss the risks and benefits of medical student participation in healthcare in the context of COVID-19.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey was distributed to 300 Medical students undergoing standardized training program (STP) in China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University. The survey included questions about basic demographic characteristics, roles and mental state of interns during the pandemic, comments on the University's management of medical students. Data were processed using SPSS 25.0 statistical analysis software, the comparison between two groups of data was performed using t-test; the non-normally distributed variables were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-test, differences between groups were compared using chi-square test for analysis. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

A total of 191 students completed the survey (response rate 63.67%). The epidemic had a significant psychological impact on students, but most of them believed that participation in clinical work under voluntary, precise protective measures and strict supervision were benefit for their future. Older, married, female, and salaried students are more willing to engage in pandemic-related activities. The biggest challenge of working under the pandemic focused on high working pressure and insufficient protection, the biggest harvest was getting knowledge and accumulating experience.

Conclusion

Circumstances, cultures, outbreaks and strategies for coping with COVID-19 varied around the world. Medical students do not need to be overprotected, participation in pandemic work in an optimized system is acceptable and beneficial to their career plan. Medical education should focus on improving the social status of infectious diseases and cultivating future doctors with awareness of epidemic prevention and control.

Navigating a Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Knowledge, Sources of Information, and COVID-19-Related Precautions Taken by HBCU Students

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread quickly across the nation with a disproportionate impact on Black Americans. Many college-aged students receive their COVID-19-related information through social media and television even though research suggests that social media sources are more likely to be incorrect. Some students report trusting these sources over government sources such as the CDC and WHO. The purpose of this study was to understand Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students' COVID-19 knowledge, sources of information, and planned precautions. There were 21 in-depth interviews conducted with students attending a large southern HBCU during Spring 2020. Themes regarding knowledge included the following: it is a flu-like condition, it has international roots, there is inaccurate and changing information, and it is a pandemic. Themes regarding sources included: the news, US government and related officials, social media, interactions with family, and other social interactions. Themes regarding severity included the following: statistics, a distrust for hospital reporting, a belief that COVID-19 deaths were conflated with baseline health, peer influence, and familial influence. Themes regarding precautions included the following: proper mask use, hand washing/ sanitizing, avoiding large crowds/small crowds only, physical distancing, COVID-19 testing/symptom monitoring, and COVID-19 vaccination.

Knowledge, practice and attitude associated with SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among adults in Jordan

COVID-19 infection is a global pandemic health emergency. This contagious disease was caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus‑2 (SARS‑CoV-2) which is mutating over time. In 2021, the Delta variant became the most dominant transmissible form. During the crisis, human practice and knowledge were critical in the overall efforts to encompass the outbreak. A cross-sectional, web-based approach was conducted among adults in Jordan to quantify knowledge, attitude, and practices towards SARS-CoV-2 (Delta variant). This research was carried out between 15th April and 15th of May 2021. The study questionnaire consisted of four sections including the participant's demographics, knowledge, practices and attitude. Comparative evaluation of responses was accomplished using a scoring system. Respondents who scored above the mean score (60%) on the item measured were categorized as knowledgeable, having a positive attitude, and good practices. Participants were allocated to one of the three groups; medical, non-medical and others (unemployed and housewives). Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 software. A variance test to assess the statistical difference between groups was used. Pearson's chi-squared test was applied to compare the variables and identify significant predictors. Of the participants, 308 (66%) were in the age group of 18-25yrs, 392 (84.1%) females, 120 (25.8%) employed and 346 (74.2%) unemployed. The principle source of knowledge was social media (291, 62.4%). Interestingly, participants had adequate overall knowledge. The mean knowledge score was 22.6 (± 0.19), 20.6 (± 0.19), and 21.3 (± 0.18) for the medical, the non-medical and the others group, respectively. Also, participants showed a positive attitude and good practices towards SARS-CoV-2 (Delta variant). The mean practice score for medical, the non-medical and the others groups was 7.35 (± 0.25), 7.38 (± 0.24), 7.35 (± 0.24) and the mean attitude score was 10.8 (± 0.16), 9.4 (± 0.21), 9.5 (± 0.22), respectively. The studied groups generally had good knowledge, positive attitudes and good practices about SARS-CoV-2 (Delta variant). This was expected due to the authorities' successful management of the pandemic and the high educational level of the Jordanian society, bearing in mind the economic and social impact of COVID-19 disease.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward tuberculosis among Jordanian university students

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide with numerous undiagnosed and untreated cases, emphasizing the need for TB awareness to minimize transmission and initiate early treatment. Data regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward TB among Jordanians is lacking but requires attention given the massive migration spells to Jordan from neighboring countries in the past decade.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2022. An online questionnaire was developed following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for TB KAP surveys and was distributed to Jordanian university students. The questionnaire documented sociodemographic data and measured participants' KAP toward TB. Descriptive and analytic statistics were used to report KAP levels and highlight relevant sociodemographic factors associated with better KAP.

Results

602 participants completed the survey; most were females (60.8%), in their first 3 years of school (84.4%), and from a healthcare field of study (57.0%). The knowledge section median score was 27 out of 51. Knowledge gaps in TB treatment, and to a lesser extent, TB transmission routes were identified. The attitudes section median score was 6 out of 9, attitudes were generally positive toward TB patients with no indication of a social stigma. The practice section median score was 6 out of 8, most participants would take the correct measures if they suspected being infected, yet around 41.0% were not confident that masks are important in preventing airborne diseases. Students in healthcare specialties had significantly better KAP scores and identifying as a smoker was associated with a lower practice score.

Conclusion

Although university students displayed satisfactory KAP scores, the focus should be aimed at informing students from non-healthcare fields on TB transmission routes, treatment options, and the role of masks in preventing disease transmission.

Health Literacy, Misinformation, Self-Perceived Risk and Fear, and Preventive Measures Related to COVID-19 in Spanish University Students

The "infodemic" is one of the main obstacles in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to face it, health literacy (HL) is essential since it allows for knowledge about COVID-19 and the practice of preventive measures to be fostered. This is especially relevant in university students due to their idiosyncrasy. This study aims to evaluate the level of HL related to COVID-19 (HLC), risk perception, misinformation, and the attitudes and behaviors adopted to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Spanish university students. An online questionnaire was administered to 499 Spanish university students. The HLC index presented a mean of 33.89 out of 50; a total of 63.8% had an inadequate level of HLC. They practiced a mean of 7.54 out of 9 preventive behaviors, and the mean knowledge score was 10.40 out of 13. The HLC showed significantly different scores for the degree, the practice of preventive measures, and some sources of information. The level of HL correlates with the adoption of preventive measures. The higher the severity and perceived susceptibility, the more preventive measures are taken by the students. Therefore, there is a need to strengthen the HL skills of university students and address the dissemination of misinformation. Although caution should be taken when generalizing these results due to the limitations inherent within a cross-sectional study and the convenience sampling, our results can guide the establishment of health education strategies and policies for the management of the infodemic in pandemic situations, according to this target population.

Factors Associated with Anxiety, Depression, and Stress in Peruvian University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students have adopted measures that completely transformed their educational environment, and this has generated an increase in psychological stress. The present study aimed to identify the factors associated with anxiety, depression, and stress in students at a university in Peru during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We conducted a cross-sectional analytical study in students in Lima, Peru. The DASS-21 scale was used to measure levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and associate it with socio-educational and COVID-19-related variables using generalized linear models with Poisson distribution, log link, and robust variance. Of 400 students surveyed, 19.2%, 23.2% and 17.2% of students presented depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. The frequency of depression (PR = 0.91, 95%CI: 0.84-0.99), anxiety (PR = 0.90, 95%CI: 0.83-0.99) and stress (PR = 0.92, 95%CI: 0.86-0.99) was lower in women. The students of the engineering and business faculty presented a higher frequency of anxiety (PR = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.00-1.22). There was a greater frequency of presenting anxiety, depression and stress in students who worked in a different area of health or did not work. Our results suggest the importance of promoting mental health awareness campaigns in university students due to the constant academic load they have.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of university students regarding COVID-19: a cross-sectional study in Vietnam

Objective

This cross-sectional study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Vietnamese university students regarding COVID-19.

Methods

A validated questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.71) was used to survey 1,025 students. A convenience sampling method was used for recruiting students from April to May 2022. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test and the Kruskal–Wallis rank-sum test/Dunn test for multiple comparisons were employed to compare students' KAP scores between two groups and among three groups or more, respectively. Factors associated with students' COVID-19 KAP scores were determined via univariate and multivariate linear regression models. Variables in the multivariate linear regression models were chosen using the Bayesian Model Averaging method in R software version 4.2.0.

Results

A majority of students had good knowledge (75.61%), positive attitudes (98.24%), and good practices toward COVID-19 (94.93%). Regarding the COVID-19 knowledge, the proportions of students who knew that mosquito bites and exposure to/eating wild animals would not lead to COVID-19 infection were not high (47.22 and 34.34%, respectively). More importantly, 70.34% of students thought that vitamins and minerals could help prevent or cure COVID-19. Antibiotics were the first choice for COVID-19 treatment of 438 students (42.73%). Nearly half of students (48.0%) bought antibiotics to keep at home in case of COVID-19 infection. The average KAP scores of medical students (19.97 ± 3.99, 45.10 ± 3.94, 9.72 ± 1.78) and females (18.67 ± 4.44, 44.79 ± 3.79, 9.36 ± 1.84) were significantly higher than those of non-medical students (16.48 ± 4.37, 43.33 ± 4.03, 8.68 ± 1.87) and males (17.01 ± 4.55, 42.79 ± 4.39, 8.77 ± 1.97), respectively (p < 0.001). Older students were more likely to have good knowledge and practices than the younger ones (p < 0.001). In addition, students using websites of the World Health Organization/the Ministry of Health and scientific articles to seek COVID-19 information were significantly associated with higher KAP scores when compared with those not using these sources (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.00139, respectively).

Conclusion

Students' KAP scores significantly varied by age, sex, major, and sources of COVID-19 information. Although many students had sufficient knowledge, positive attitudes, and good preventive practices toward COVID-19, additional education and training strategies are paramount, especially for non-medical students and males.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-14442-9.

Evaluation of Health Technician Students' Knowledge and Behaviors Regarding COVID-19 and Protective Measures

Background and Purpose: COVID-19 is an important public health problem impacting the whole world. This study aimed to evaluate health technician students' knowledge and behaviors regarding COVID-19 and protective measures. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed with Dokuz Eylül University Health Services Vocational School students (n=648). Data were collected online using a descriptive data registration form that consisted of 65 questions via Google Forms. Results: While the students' mean knowledge score on COVID-19 and protective measures was 15.31±3.22, the mean behavior score was 10.53±3.34. A significant difference was detected between the students' education program, gender, father's educational status, smoking, and exercise habits and total behavior score averages related to COVID-19 and protective measures (p

Cyberchondria, Anxiety Sensitivity, Hypochondria, and Internet Addiction: Implications for Mental Health Professionals

Repetitive online searches for health information increase anxieties and result in Internet addiction. Internet addiction, cyberchondria, anxiety sensitivity, and hypochondria have been studied separately, but how these concepts are reciprocally linked has not been investigated. This study aimed to determine the levels, correlations, and predictors of Internet addiction, cyberchondria, anxiety sensitivity, and hypochondria among students based on the sample's characteristics. A sample of 143 university students participated in this cross-sectional online survey. A self-reported questionnaire was employed to collect data from students. The studied concepts had moderate to high correlations with each other and with the students' characteristics. Not getting infected with the coronavirus was among the demographic factors inserted into the regression model that only predicted cyberchondria. The model of cyberchondria was significant and explained 11.5% of the variance in the score of concepts. The results of the standard regression analysis indicated that the model predicting Internet addiction accounted for 41.2% of the variability. Our unique findings indicate that cyberchondria can contribute to developing Internet addiction compared to earlier studies. The findings suggest the importance of empowering students to overcome their anxieties by managing cyberchondria and Internet addiction. Mental health professionals, namely psychiatric nurses, are at the forefront of taking preventive mental health measures on campus, such as screening and referring students who exhibit these problems to psychological support and counseling to cope with their anxieties.

Food Delivery Drivers' Health Literacy Regarding COVID-19 Prevention and Protective Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Survey in Southern Thailand

Background

In 2019, COVID-19 spread worldwide, causing a pandemic that has posed unprecedented challenges and pressure for health systems and economies. Food delivery services have become an important medium for consumer food purchases to limit human-to-human contact. Thus, delivery drivers are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19 infection at work. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have analyzed the dimensions of health literacy (HL) regarding COVID-19 prevention in this population.

Objective

This study aims to explore the HL status toward COVID-19 prevention and its associated factors among food delivery drivers in southern Thailand.

Methods

Following a cross-sectional survey from July to August 2021, Thai food delivery drivers in the upper-south and lower-south regions of southern Thailand were recruited to participate during the compulsory COVID-19 lockdown. An online structured questionnaire was administered verbally and recorded by the interviewer. Univariate and multivariate linear regressions were used to explore independently associated factors.

Results

Of 401 drivers, 291 (72.6%) were men. The median age was 31 years (range 19-64 years). The median number of months working as a driver was 12 months, and the median number of working hours was 9 hours per day. The median number of daily food orders was 20, while the median daily income was Thai baht (THB) 600 (US $15.90). Social media (Facebook and Line) was a common source of health information. The most common information required was about the COVID-19 vaccine, medications, and treatment. Most drivers (285/401, 71.1%) had excellent HL levels regarding COVID-19 prevention. Only the practical application of information was statistically correlated with behavior (r=0.38, P<.001). Drivers in the lower south of Thailand were more likely to have excellent HL than other drivers (β=7.03, P<.001). Those who frequently accessed information through YouTube (β=–2.17, P=.01) and relatives (β=–4.19, P<.001) were less likely to have excellent HL levels.

Conclusions

Understanding HL among food delivery drivers would be useful for planning effective interventions that target this population. Conventional health education through social media alone may not be effective at educating people about COVID-19 prevention. Information literacy skills could determine individuals’ HL and drivers’ behaviors.

Assessment of COVID-19 related preventive measures in medical students across a lower-middle-income country: A cross-sectional study from Pakistan

Objectives

This study aims to identify the effect of having COVID-19 positive close contact on practices and evaluate practices regarding COVID-19 prevention among medical students and the differences among clinical and preclinical students.

Study design

The cross-sectional study included medical students from the Micro-fest++ event held on 30th May 2020.

Methods

Participants filled a questionnaire of 15 questions regarding COVID preventive measures practices having satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.715) and validity. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS) 26.0 was used for data analysis. Out of 1342 medical students, the majority were female (N = 881, 65.6%). Greater proportion (47%) of students had good practices (>85.7%) (p < 0.05).

Results

Having COVID-19 positive relatives resulted in higher positive responses for practices with 11.86 ± 1.94 (out of 14) compared to 11.78 ± 2.38 for the COVID-19 negative group. Clinical year students compared to preclinical students responded positively to all questions, except one, and had a better score of 11.90 ± 2.28 (out of 14) compared to 11.61 ± 2.37 (p < 0.05). A significant difference was noted for “Information on preventive measures” (p < 0.01), “Avoiding crowds and staying home” (p < 0.05), “Social distancing (maintain 3 feet)" (p < 0.01), and “Practices of disinfection after going outside” (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Overall, medical students showed good practices, but a lack of knowledge in certain areas requires addressing infection during clinical rotations. A greater proportion of clinical students and those having a COVID-19 positive relative showed better adherence to practices.

•

Having COVID-19 infected relatives had a positive impact on preventive measures.

•

Clinical year students responded positively compared to preclinical ones.

•

Gap of preventive practices was highly evident amongst both groups.

Assessment of perceived risk and precautionary behavior toward COVID-19 pandemic using the health belief model, Saudi Arabia

Background

The global threat of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve forming the most impactful health crises in modern history, necessities of individuals adhering to mandatory behavior change that limits the spread of the pandemic. The purpose of the current study is to identify behavioral responses of the health sciences university students during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic and determine risk perceptions using the health belief model (HBM).

Methods

A cross-sectional study using an online survey distributed among health sciences female university students in Riyadh, KSA. The questionnaire was used to assess sociodemographic characteristics; knowledge about COVID-19 and its preventive measures, risk perceptions, and beliefs using the HBM; and their actual adoption of precautionary measures.

Results

The mean age of 286 respondents was 21.6 years (SD 2.5). They had good knowledge, positive risk perception, and good practice. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents adhere satisfactorily to COVID-19 precautionary behavior. Respondents with positive overall risk perception had around 6 times significantly higher adherence compared to those with negative risk perception. Perceived benefits have higher odds of adherence to COVID-19 precautionary behavior. Similarly, cues to action were a significant determinant of adherence to COVID-19 precautionary behavior.

Conclusions

The constructs of the HBM provided good measurement of risk perception and the respondent students had good knowledge. Yet, significant gaps were shown between COVID-19 perceived risks and the students’ actual practice of personal hygienic measures, particularly hand hygiene. To put an end to the present COVID-19 and its upcoming waves, it is highly recommended to direct COVID-19 training programs specifically tailored towards university students.

Relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice of COVID-19 precautionary measures and the frequency of infection among medical students at an Egyptian University

Background

Medical undergraduates are at high risk of COVID-19 infection. Thus, conformance to healthy practices is advised to reduce disease transmission and control the current epidemic. The present study aimed to explore the relationship of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) related to COVID-19 precautionary measures with the frequency of infection among medical students at an Egyptian University.

Methods

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 404 undergraduate medical students from different grades using a web-based self-administered anonymous questionnaire.

Results

More than one-third of medical students (37.4%) were previously infected with COVID-19, where the majority (60.5%) were diagnosed with relevant signs and symptoms. Medical students with low levels of KAP experienced higher frequencies of infection than did other students. A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between the number of previous COVID-19 infections among medical students and their knowledge and attitude scores toward COVID-19. In addition, a statistically significant positive correlation was noted among KAP scores (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Improving the knowledge, attitude, and conformance of medical students to precautionary measures toward COVID-19 may substantially reduce the risk and frequency of infection and, hence, reduce community transmission.

COVID-19-Related Predictors of Fear and Attitude to Vaccination Displayed by Polish Students

Vaccines are one of the most important achievements of modern medicine in maintaining the health of the population. The prolonged pandemic and subsequent lockdowns meant that the new COVID-19 vaccine was regarded by scientists and society as the way to end the pandemic and return to normal life. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors responsible for the feeling of fear due to COVID-19 infection and the attitudes of medical students towards vaccination against COVID-19. A cross-sectional study was conducted online among medical students using standardized questionnaires: the Fear of COVID-19 scale and the Vaccination Attitude Examination scale. According to the results obtained, the respondents had a low level of fear of COVID-19 and the majority had positive attitudes towards vaccination against COVID-19. Regression analysis showed that the main predictors of fear of the pandemic and attitudes towards vaccination were age, sex, field of study, and sources of knowledge about vaccines. The analysis of factors related to the discussed issues can be the basis to formulate educational and preventive programs, to shape positive attitudes of future health sector employees toward the issue of preventive vaccination, as well as for the development of strategies to promote vaccination against COVID-19.

Knowledge, attitude and perception of medical students on COVID-19 vaccines: A study carried out in a Nigerian University

Objective

Vaccine development, distribution, and immunization of large populations have been identified as vital mitigation strategies for curbing the spread of COVID-19. However, vaccine hesitancy is a major barrier to this. The knowledge and perception of COVID-19 vaccines can improve vaccine acceptance. The purpose of this study was to assess medical students' knowledge, attitude, and perception of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional web-based survey conducted among undergraduate students from the faculties of Basic medical sciences and Clinical sciences, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The students' knowledge was ranked as excellent (>70%), good (50-69%) and poor (<50%) while perception was categorized into positive (>50%), and negative (<50%). The difference in knowledge based on demographics was analyzed using the Independent sample t-test. The association between demographics, and students' perception was carried out using the Chi-square and Fisher's Exact tests. Analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 25.

Results

A total of 233 students consented to participate in the study out of which 51.1% were female. Forty-eight students (20.6%) had good knowledge while 41.2% of the participants accepted to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Positive perception was reported among 51.1% (119) of the students.

Conclusion

There was poor knowledge and positive perception among majority of the students. Educational intervention in form of training should be done to improve medical students' knowledge and perception toward COVID-19 vaccination.

A Turf-Based Feature Selection Technique for Predicting Factors Affecting Human Health during Pandemic

Worldwide, COVID-19 is a highly contagious epidemic that has affected various fields. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and particular feature selection approaches, this study evaluates the aspects affecting the health of students throughout the COVID-19 lockdown time. The research presented in this paper plays a vital role in indicating the factor affecting the health of students during the lockdown in the COVID-19 pandemic. The research presented in this article investigates COVID-19’s impact on student health using feature selections. The Filter feature selection technique is used in the presented work to statistically analyze all the features in the dataset, and for better accuracy. ReliefF (TuRF) filter feature selection is tuned and utilized in such a way that it helps to identify the factors affecting students’ health from a benchmark dataset of students studying during COVID-19. Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosted Decision Trees (GBDT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and 2- layer Neural Network (NN), helps in identifying the most critical indicators for rapid intervention. Results of the approach presented in the paper identified that the students who maintained their weight and kept themselves busy in health activities in the pandemic, such student’s remained healthy through this pandemic and study from home in a positive manner. The results suggest that the 2- layer NN machine-learning algorithm showed better accuracy (90%) to predict the factors affecting on health issues of students during COVID-19 lockdown time.

The impact of COVID-19 on medical students' practical skills and hygiene behavior regarding venipuncture: a case control study

BACKGROUND

Despite their importance to current and future patient care, medical students' hygiene behaviors and acquisition of practical skills have rarely been studied in previous observational study. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical student's hygiene and practical skills.

METHODS

This case-control study assessed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on hygiene behavior by contrasting the practical skills and hygiene adherence of 371 medical students post the pandemic associated lockdown in March 2020 with that of 355 medical students prior to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Students' skills were assessed using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Their skills were then compared based on their results in hygienic venipuncture and the total OSCE score.

RESULTS

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, medical students demonstrated an increased level of compliance regarding hand hygiene before (prior COVID-19: 83.7%; during COVID-19: 94.9%; p < 0.001) and after patient contact (prior COVID-19: 19.4%; during COVID-19: 57.2%; p = 0.000) as well as disinfecting the puncture site correctly (prior COVID-19: 83.4%; during COVID-19: 92.7%; p < 0.001). Prior to the pandemic, students were more proficient in practical skills, such as initial venipuncture (prior COVID-19: 47.6%; during COVID-19: 38%; p < 0.041), patient communication (prior COVID-19: 85.9%; during COVID-19: 74.1%; p < 0.001) and structuring their work process (prior COVID-19: 74.4%; during COVID-19: 67.4%; p < 0.024).

CONCLUSION

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic sensitized medical students' attention and adherence to hygiene requirements, while simultaneously reducing the amount of practice opportunities, thus negatively affecting their practical skills. The latter development may have to be addressed by providing additional practice opportunities for students as soon as the pandemic situation allows.

A descriptive study of knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and precautions of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students regarding COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Physiotherapy and rehabilitation students need to be aware of the global COVID-19 pandemic and choose the correct interventions. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and precautions of physiotherapy and rehabilitation students regarding COVID-19 during the global pandemic. METHODS: A total of 438 physiotherapy and rehabilitation students participated in the study. A web-based descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted using the “Google Forms” on physiotherapy and rehabilitation students in the months of February, March, and April 2021. The online questionnaire consisted of six main sections containing 130 items: (1) sociodemographic information, (2) knowledge sources and knowledge about COVID-19, (3) attitudes about COVID-19, (4) behaviors, (5) precautions, and (6) being a physiotherapy and rehabilitation student during the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data were reported in terms of mean, standard deviation, number, frequency, and percentage values. RESULTS: The vast majority of the participants (n = 291, 66.5%) often/always accessed information about COVID-19 via social media, 397 (90.6%) of them often/always wear masks. Moreover, 419 (95.6%) of the physiotherapy students knew the symptoms of COVID-19, and 409 (93.4%) of the students have been responded “yes” to the question of whether pulmonary rehabilitation should be applied in intensive care units for COVID-19 infections. CONCLUSIONS: Physiotherapy and rehabilitation students have adequate awareness about COVID-19. In this regard, physiotherapy and rehabilitation students should be included in appropriate educational programs to protect themselves, their relatives, and patients against COVID-19, and their knowledge about the treatment methods should be increased.