Knowledge, attitude, and practice on prevention of novel coronavirus infection among patients attending general out patient department in a medical college of Eastern India

ABSTRACT

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by coronavirus family (SARS-CoV-2). There is a rising trend of the pandemic ever since its inception. Although the healthcare workers are already oriented and play a central role in the response to COVID-19, there is very limited information on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients attending health facilities toward SARS-CoV-2. Aim and Objectives: Assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice on prevention of Novel Coronavirus among patients attending general out-patient department (GOPD) in a Medical College of Eastern India. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in GOPD of Kolkata for 3 months in 119 adults. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data by interview method. Results: The mean age of study participants was 41.05 ± 15.09 (S.D.) with 49.6% belonging to the age group of 20–40 years. Knowledge regarding prevention of transmission was noted among 70.5% of study participants. About 96.6% followed the good practice of wearing mask while going outside and 70.6% covered both nose and mouth. The various socio-demographic variables were associated with the knowledge and practice of COVID-19 transmission. It was noted that education, occupation, and socio-economic status showed statistically significant association with knowledge and correct practice of using mask during the COVID-19 pandemic (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is a moderately fair level of knowledge concerning SARS-CoV-2 among the general population and a significant association with positive attitudes and practices toward preventive health measures to combat COVID-19.