ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm, with cases continuously increasing by the hour and with a shortage of information regarding the virus available to the general public. Despite the availability of trusted online sources, there are still misconceptions relating to the virus floating around. This study aimed to find out the level of misconceptions among healthcare professionals (HCPs) worldwide about the ensuing COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted through a global online survey. The self-administered questionnaire was designed and registered at an online website (Kwiksurveys). A total of 652 participants from 35 different countries across the world responded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23. Socio-demographic and discipline characteristics were compared with the help of the chi-square test and univariate and multivariate logistic regression to find significant relationships. Results: Among all HCPs, general physicians (61.2%) were the most common respondents. The responses from females (63.3%) almost doubled those of men, and nearly half of the participants were working in private institutes (49.2%). Additionally, the major source of information used by HCPs about COVID-19 was social media (55.4%). Regarding misconception assessment, 71.6% of participants had correct concepts regarding COVID-19. However, 28.4% had incorrect information. Female HCPs were 1.49 times more likely to have correct concepts compared to males (OR=1.49, 95% CI=1.04-2.14). Conclusions: The majority of the HCPs were keeping themselves up-to-date with current information concerning the knowledge, prevention, and hygiene practices of COVID-19 infection. However, some misconceptions are deeply rooted in the mindsets of HCPs worldwide and need to be addressed by the continuous professional development of HCPs. The availability of reliable sources of information on the pandemic should be encouraged, with adequate explanations also available to the general public in simple terms.
Antecedentes: la pandemia de COVID-19 ha asolado al mundo, con casos que aumentan continuamente y con una escasez de información sobre el virus disponible para el público en general. A pesar de la disponibilidad de fuentes confiables en línea, todavía hay conceptos erróneos relacionados con el virus. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo dilucidar el nivel de ideas erróneas entre los profesionales de la salud (PS) en todo el mundo sobre la pandemia de COVID-19. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal a través de una encuesta global en línea. El cuestionario autoadministrado fue diseñado y registrado en un sitio web en línea (Kwiksurveys). Respondieron un total de 652 participantes de 35 países. El análisis estadístico se realizó con el programa SPSS versión 23. Las características sociodemográficas y disciplinarias se compararon con la ayuda de la prueba de chi-cuadrado y la regresión logística univariada y multivariada para encontrar relaciones significativas. Resultado: Entre todos los profesionales de la salud, los médicos generales (61,2%) fueron los que más respondieron. Las respuestas de las mujeres (63,3%) casi duplicaron las de los hombres, y casi la mitad de los participantes trabajaban en institutos privados (49,2%). Además, la principal fuente de información utilizada por los profesionales de la salud sobre COVID-19 fueron las redes sociales (55,4%). En cuanto a los conceptos erróneos, el 71,6% de los participantes tenían conceptos correctos con respecto a COVID-19. Sin embargo, el 28.4% poseía información incorrecta. Los profesionales de la salud mujeres tenían 1.49 veces más probabilidades de tener conceptos correctos en comparación con los hombres (OR = 1.49, IC 95% = 1.04 2.14). conclusión: La mayoría de los profesionales de la salud se mantuvieron actualizados con la información actual sobre el conocimiento, la prevención y las prácticas de higiene de la infección por COVID-19. Sin embargo, algunos conceptos erróneos están profundamente arraigados en la mentalidad de los PS en todo el mundo y deben abordarse mediante el continuo desarrollo profesional de los PS. Se debe alentar la disponibilidad de fuentes confiables de información sobre la pandemia, con explicaciones adecuadas también disponibles para el público en general en términos simples.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Adult , Middle Aged , Young Adult , Pneumonia, Viral , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Coronavirus Infections , Epidemiology, Descriptive , Surveys and Questionnaires , Pandemics , BetacoronavirusABSTRACT
Background: chronic kidney disease [CKD] is common in Saudi although there are few data on the prevalence of this disorder. Therefore, we initiated a multicenter screening study to identify the prevalence and staging of CKD in 712 patients with known hypertension in four hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Method: we measured estimated glomerular filtration rate by the six-variable modification of diet in renal disease equation and proteinuria by the protein/creatinine ratio. All the subjects studied were Saudis
Results: of the 712 patients studied, the median age was 59 years [range 19-90 years] and 560 [78.7%] of the patients were female. The mean duration of hypertension was 4 years [range 0.1-50]. The overall prevalence of CKD was 46.9% [95% CI: 43.2-50.7%]; 19.1% had CKD stages 1-2 and 27.8% had CKD stages 3-5. There was no difference in age between patients with or without CKD [p = 0.12]. The overall prevalence of proteinuria was 28.9% [95% CI: 25.6-32.4%]; 14.7% of subjects had preexisting diabetes mellitus and their prevalence of CKD [55%; 95% CI: 42.4-62.2] did not differ from those without diabetes [46%; 95% CI: 41.9-50.0, p = 0.133]
Conclusion: CKD is common in hypertensive patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a prevalence of 46.9%. This provided justification for the inclusion of this group in CKD screening programs in Saudi