A Countrywide Survey in Saudi Arabia Regarding the Knowledge and Attitude of Health Care Professionals about Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Unveiling the nexus! Understanding knowledge issues, animal contact patterns and interaction of health care providers in the context of monkeypox and COVID-19 during monkeypox outbreak 2022

BACKGROUND

A monkeypox (MPOX) outbreak occurred in May 2022. On June 3, 2022, the WHO Blueprint organized a consultation on MPOX research knowledge gaps and priority research questions because the engagement of health care providers (HCPs) in providing accurate information and the public's motivation to adapt protective behaviour were crucial. Thus, we conducted this study to explore the knowledge issues, animal patterns, and interactions of HCPs in the context of MPOX and COVID-19 during the MPOX outbreak.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional web-based survey among 816 HCPs working in governmental health facilities from many countries, mainly Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Cameroon, in September 2022.

RESULTS

Four hundred and sixty (56.37%) were aged between 18 and less than 35 years old. About 34.44% were physicians, while only 37.25% worked on the frontlines with patients. 37.99% and 5.88% received vaccinations against chickenpox and MPOX, respectively. In the meantime, 55.39% had taken courses or training programmes regarding COVID-19. Regarding knowledge-seeking behaviours (KSBs) about COVID-19, 38.73% were through passive attention, while only 28.8% got their information through active search. Most of the participants (56.86%) had a moderate level of knowledge regarding COVID-19. Only 8.82% had courses or training programmes regarding MPOX. Regarding KSB about MPOX, 50.86% were obtained through passive attention, while only 18.01% and 23.04% got their information through active and passive search, respectively. Most of the participants (57.60%) had a poor level of knowledge regarding MPOX. The regression analysis of the MPOX knowledge score revealed that individuals working on the frontlines with patients and those who had training programmes or courses were shown to have a higher score by 1.25 and 3.18 points, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The studied HCPs had poorer knowledge about the MPOX virus than they did about the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Training programmes and education courses had an impact on their knowledge.

Turkish Validity and Reliability of Comprehensive Diabetes Self-Management Scale

Objectives

A self-care approach is very important in diabetes management. In this study, it was aimed to make the Turkish validity and reliability of the Comprehensive Diabetes Self-Management Scale (CDSMS), which examines the behaviors of diabetes patients.

Methods

The study is of methodological type. CDSMS, which was translated into Turkish from its original version and tested for language validity, was first included in the pilot application and then in the main study. The validity of the scale was evaluated by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Then, a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine the cut off score.

Results

The mean age of the study participants was 57.10 ± 11.20 years and the mean disease duration was 9.96 ± 7.79 years. The internal consistency of CDSMS was 0.73, which was measured using Cronbach's alpha. After the ROC analysis, the optimal cut-point score of CDSMS to predict good glycemic control was determined as 21.17 points.

Conclusion

With this study, it was found that the Turkish version of CDSMS is valid and reliable for use in the Turkish population. It is thought that CDSMS will be beneficial to physicians working in the clinic in terms of showing the disease management skills of diabetic patients.

COVID-19 information sources, knowledge, attitude, control practices and the predictors among health workers during the pandemic in Ebonyi state, Nigeria

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed into an endemic COVID-19 disease and health workers continue to be at high risk. The situation requires continued use of COVID-19 control measures by health workers and this will likely depend on their sources of information/knowledge/attitude about COVID-19 and previous use of COVID-19 control measures. We explored the COVID-19 information sources, knowledge, attitude, control practices, and the predictors, among health workers in Ebonyi state, Nigeria. We implemented an online-offline analytical cross-sectional survey from March 12 to May 9, 2022 among all categories of health workers (clinical/non-clinical, public/private) working/living in Ebonyi state who gave consent and were selected via convenience/snowballing sampling. Data was collected with a structured self-administered/interviewer-administered questionnaire via WhatsApp/KoBoCollect. Descriptive/inferential analyses were done including multivariate generalized linear models. 1276 health workers were surveyed. The commonest individual source of information about COVID-19 was health workers (used by 83.8%), followed by radio (67.9%), television (59.6%), family members/relatives/friends (57.9%) etc. The main individual source of information for majority of the participants was health workers (for 35.0%) followed by radio (24.5%), television (14.4%) etc. The most trusted individual source of information for majority of the participants was health workers (for 39.4%) followed by radio (26.0%), television (14.3%) etc. Interpersonal sources were the main/most trusted source of information for the majority (48.0%/49.8%) followed by traditional media (39.4%/40.6%) and internet/social media/SMS (12.6%/9.6%). 42.3%, 81.3%, and 43.0% respectively had good knowledge, good attitude, and good control practice about COVID-19. The most important predictors of the main/most trusted sources of information about COVID-19 were place of work (public/private), level of place of work (primary-secondary/tertiary), age, and years of working experience. Good knowledge about COVID-19, good attitude towards COVID-19, strong COVID-19 experience/perception, working at a tertiary facility, tertiary education, and decrease in years of working experience were strong predictors of good control practice about COVID-19. This study's evidence regarding the commonest/main/most trusted information sources and control practice about COVID-19 should be considered by later COVID-19/similar health emergencies' policy actions to optimise emergency health information dissemination and use of control measures by health workers in Ebonyi state/Nigeria/other similar settings.

Public Health Challenges in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Literature Review

Similar to most countries, Saudi Arabia faced several challenges during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some of which were related to the religious position of the country. The main challenges included deficits in knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19, the negative psychological impacts of the pandemic on the general population and healthcare workers, vaccine hesitancy, the management of religious mass gatherings (e.g., Hajj and Umrah), and the imposition of travel regulations. In this article, we discuss these challenges based on evidence from studies involving Saudi Arabian populations. We outline the measures through which the Saudi authorities managed to minimize the negative impacts of these challenges in the context of international health regulations and recommendations.

COVID-19 and Mucormycosis of Orofacial Region: A Scoping Review

During the second wave of coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, infection due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in the year 2021 around the globe, there is a surge in the number of cases of mucormycosis or "Black Fungus" that is directly/indirectly associated with COVID-19. In this review article, mucormycosis of the orofacial region has gained importance from the maximum published literature (45 articles) from various databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Rhino-orbital cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) is a fatal condition associated with COVID-19 among categories of mucormycosis such as pulmonary, oral, gastrointestinal, cutaneous, and disseminated. ROCM targets the maxillary sinus, also involving teeth of the maxilla, orbits, and ethmoidal sinus. These are of particular interest to dentists and oral pathologists for proper diagnosis and identification. Co-morbid conditions, especially diabetes mellitus type II, have to be monitored carefully in COVID-19 patients as they have a higher risk of developing mucormycosis. In this review article, various presentations of COVID-19-linked mucormycosis are mentioned having particular emphasis on pathogenesis, signs and symptoms, clinical presentation, various diagnostic modalities including histopathology, radiology like CT and MRI, serology, tissue culture, various laboratory investigations, treatment protocols, management with prognosis, and so on. Any suspected case of mucormycosis needs quick detection and treatment since it progresses quickly due to the destructive course of infection. Long-term follow-up along with proper care is a must to detect any kind of recurrence.

Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding occupational protection against COVID-19 among midwives in China: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Midwives assume the roles in protecting perinatal women and newborns, meanwhile defending their own safety during the epidemic of COVID-19. Since there is currently no specific treatment available that targets the disease, strictly compliance with various infection prevention and control measures appears utmost important to achieve their occupational safety. We then explored the status quo and influencing factors of the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of occupational protection against the COVID-19 among midwives in China. This online cross-sectional survey was conducted on 2663 midwives across the China during the early stages of the pandemic with a self-reported structured questionnaire. 97.4% and 92.9% of them were identified with positive attitude and appropriate practice, respectively, whereas only 6.4% showed good level of knowledge about the occupational protection toward the COVID-19. Midwives with older age, keeping on working during the breakout period, completing the training programs, caring the confirmed COVID-19 cases and having family members with cold-like symptoms were significantly associated with their KAP status. This study could provide valuable information not only for policy makers and administrators to optimize resource allocation and design education programs on targeted midwives, but also serve as a baseline for measuring changes in subsequent, post-intervention KAP studies.

COVID-19 and Saudi Arabia: Awareness, Attitude, and Practice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has transformed our appreciation of healthcare awareness worldwide. The amount of related data accumulated during this time has surpassed any other outbreak of a viral pathogen. Healthcare awareness is related to one of the nine pillars of the “World health organization (WHO) operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response”. This review is structured around the awareness/knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)-related publications in Saudi Arabia up to date to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these domains. The excellent communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak is highlighted. Unraveling such impacts on the Saudi communities, including healthcare workers (HCWs)/professionals (HCPs), students, patients with different diseases, and non-professional individuals, is essential in containing the outbreak and planning preventive measures in case of future outbreaks.

A national survey evaluating the knowledge and attitude of health-care workers of Saudi Arabia about Coronavirus infection

Background and Objectives:

Health-care workers (HCWs) are playing an instrumental role in combating coronavirus infection (COVID-19). While rendering their services, they also run the risk of cross-contamination. Hence, it is important to evaluate and correlate the knowledge and attitude of HCWs of Saudi Arabia about COVID-19.

Materials and Methods:

A prospective, nationwide, questionnaire-based survey was conducted after getting the approval from the institutional ethical board. A validated and reliable questionnaire was constructed, developed on the Qualtrics software, and circulated through an electronic medium across the country. The questionnaire had a total of 29 questions regarding knowledge and attitude about COVID-19. Through convenience sampling, the data were collected from a total sample of 1553 HCWs. Based on the primary area of expertise, the sample was categorized into three study groups with 1040 medical health-care professionals (MHCPs) (Group I), 318 dental health-care professionals (DHCPs) (Group II), and 195 allied health-care professionals (AHCPs) (Group III). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was done using SPSS v. 21, where P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

Female HCWs (P = 0.003) were shown to have a higher (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.46; confidence interval [CI]: 1.19–1.79) risk of inadequate knowledge in comparison to male HCWs. With respect to qualification, HCWs with doctorate qualification (P = 0.005) (aOR: 0.39; CI: 0.2–0.75) had shown to have adequate knowledge compared to their counterparts. AHCPs were shown inadequate knowledge (P < 0.001; aOR: 2.36; CI: 1.65–3.38), but adequate attitude (P < 0.001; aOR: 0.13; CI: 0.09–0.2) compared to MHCPs and DHCPs.

Conclusion:

MHCPs were shown to have the most appropriate level of knowledge, whereas AHCPs outscore other counterparts of HCWs with respect to attitude toward COVID-19. Emphasis should be directed to the whole community of HCWs in enhancing their awareness and practice attitude toward the novel infection of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 – related problems encountered by nursing homes in Poland and the steps undertaken to prevent disease spread in the first phase of the epidemic

Nursing Homes (NHs) are institutions of social assistance run by local governments or non-government organizations. Their purpose is to provide individuals with basic services. On March 20, 2020, the Regulation of the Minister of Health issued the declaration of the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland. The introduction of legal regulations allowed the authorities to take actions to prevent infections at NHs. The aim of the study was to analyze the COVID-19 – related problems encountered by nursing homes in Poland and the steps undertaken to prevent disease spread in the first phase of the epidemic.

The survey was conducted with use of an original questionnaire e-mailed to 532 NHs throughout Poland in May 2020. Results were analysed by way of the IBM SPSS Statistics program.

A total of 89 completed questionnaires were received from: 40 NHs organized by local government (44.9%), 24 run by churches (27.0%), 13 established by non-governmental organizations (14.6%) and 12 operating privately (13.5%). Among them, 78 NHs had less than 100 employees (87.6%) and 11 had more than 100 employees (12.4%), while 68 had up to 100 inhabitants (76.4%) and 21 had more than 100 inhabitants (23.6%). All NHs had problems with recruiting and retaining enough nursing staff.

The most commonly used method of COVID-19 spread prevention at NHs in the first phase of the pandemic was establishing an increased sanitary regime, monitoring of temperature of residents and staff members and preparing isolation rooms. The greatest problem was personnel shortages.

Clinical Experience, Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Turkish Pediatric Dentists during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and Objectives: “Coronavirus Disease 2019” (COVID-19) is a critical public health problem that has affected all fields, including dentistry. The dental management of children has become even more difficult during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of Turkish pediatric dentists who have been providing dental treatments to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: After receiving ethical approval, this cross-sectional study was conducted using the Google Forms online survey instrument. An online questionnaire link was sent to all the members of the Turkish Society of Paediatric Dentistry by e-mail and through social media. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test; a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 200 pediatric dentists participated in this study and most of them (82%) only performed emergency dental treatments, whereas 18.5% performed both emergency and routine dental practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority (72.5%) of pediatric dentists prescribed antibiotics and analgesics to their patients who were not cooperative with non-pharmacological behavior management techniques. The findings of the current study showed that the Turkish pediatric dentists had a good level of knowledge about COVID-19, satisfactorily conducted most of the infection control measures before and after the dental treatments, and attached importance to the use of PPEs; however, infection control measures during the dental treatments could be implemented better. Conclusions: Along with all precautions, the vaccination of healthcare workers and requesting a recent test result from patients showing a lack of COVID-19 disease before dental appointments could be used as effective infection control measures. Additionally, pediatric dentists should continue to follow local and universal guidelines, and education programmes should be frequently implemented in order to keep their COVID-19 management strategies up to date.

Development and Validation of a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Questionnaire on COVID-19 (KAP COVID-19)

Given its highly contagious nature and an absence of a specific antiviral agent to this date, the key to controlling the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and decreasing the infection rate is adherence to preventive measures. It is essential to understand an individual’s knowledge, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19 since public adherence to health guidelines relies heavily on these aspects. However, there is no validated instrument that evaluates knowledge, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19. Thus, this study aimed to develop and validate such tool. A questionnaire was developed based on international and national guidelines and a review of the literature. Initial items were evaluated by 10 experts to determine content validity. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability testing were conducted with a convenience sample of 229 nursing students. Based on the content, face validity and factor analysis, 34 items were selected. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.735 indicated a highly acceptable score with a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.0001). The internal consistency coefficients indicated acceptable reliability of the tool (Cronbach’s α = 0.75). The KAP COVID-19 is a valid instrument that can be used to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices toward COVID-19.

Assessment of knowledge and attitude of allied healthcare professionals about COVID-19 across Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has shown a catastrophic effect on mankind. The allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) play a pivotal role against COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES

To appraise the knowledge and attitude about COVID-19 of AHPs working across Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted using Qualtrics software to gather data from all five regions of Saudi Arabia during the nationwide lockdown in April 2020. Complete responses of 195 AHPs were considered for analysis. The questionnaire consisted of 15 and 14 questions on knowledge and attitude, respectively. The overall scores of each domain were calculated and modified Bloom's criterion was applied to categorize them into a three-point ordinal scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square test along with multivariate logistic regression for significant parameters.

RESULTS

The AHPs displayed a moderate level of knowledge (58.2%) and a good level of attitude (80%). The AHPs were found to have a non-significant (P > 0.05) difference in the level of knowledge within age, gender, region, occupation, educational level, organizational setup and years of experience. The attitude of AHPs working in a private setup has shown a 2.8 times (P = 0.020) higher risk for having moderate/poor attitude compared to the AHPs working in a government organization.

CONCLUSIONS

AHPs displayed a moderate level of knowledge and good attitude towards COVID-19. Emphasis should be given to continuous professional development in order to enhance their knowledge. Furthermore, strategies should be developed in the private sector to positively reinforce the attitude of AHPs.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among dental health care professionals: a cross-sectional study in Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES

With the increasing severity of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it is essential that dental health care professionals (DHCPs) are prepared. The study aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among DHCPs in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study using a web-based survey was conducted. A validated and reliable questionnaire was developed that comprised 44 questions. Using Qualtrics survey software, DHCPs working in different settings were approached across five geographical regions of Saudi Arabia.

RESULTS

A total of 318 respondents voluntarily participated in the survey. Most DHCPs showed a moderate level of knowledge (51.6%), a positive attitude (92.1%) and adequate practice standards (86.5%). We found that 94.7% of DHCPs had an adequate overall level of KAP. DHCPs with a doctorate significantly outscored DHCPs with other educational levels with respect to knowledge and practice. Older (51-60 years) DHCPs reported significantly more knowledge than younger DHCPs.

CONCLUSION

DHCPs displayed an average level of knowledge that needs to be enhanced through continuing education programmes. However, they showed a positive attitude and an acceptable level of practice, as they were abiding by guidelines issued from various international and national health agencies.