ABSTRACT
Background: Despite the emergence of potentially prophylactic vaccines, COVID-19 transmission poses a persistent threat to healthcare providers (HCPs) communities. Aim: Assess the progress in the knowledge and attitudes of HCPs of Armed Forces Hospital Wadi Al Dawasir (AFHWD) toward COVID-19 measures and vaccines perception. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed online, 09-10, 2021, to achieve study aim. SPSS-22.0 software was used for the analysis;ANOVA;t-test used for comparing quantitative variables;.2 for categorical data;level of materiality set to 0.05. Results: Out of 149 HCPs, 38 (25.5%) were "physician" 44 (29.5%);"nurse";31 (20.8%) " allied health" 11 (7.4%)" pharmacist";25 (16.8%);"other"'. HCPs averaged 39.3 +/- 9.2y of age. Overall score (84.3%) greater than cutoff, set to 70%, also greater than that assessed earlier (69.5%) was achieved (p=0.005). The higher profession the higher score (p<0.05). "Age";"clinician";"infection prevention and control (IPC) training;"COVID-19 infection", were significant score predictors. COVID-19 "all knowledge" (general and IPC, combined) = 79% exceeded cutoff (70%), (p<0.001);also exceeded that identified earlier (69.6%), (p<0.001). The IPC perception score behaved likewise: 86.1% vs. 70%, 86.1% vs. 71.6%, (p<0.001), respectively. An overall vaccine response (68.3%) comparable to cutoff was verified (68.3%), (p=0.08). Most (86.6%) HCPs accepted a COVID-19 vaccine;73.2% were vaccine confident;23.3% of those immunized were concomitantly vaccine hesitant (p = 0.012). "Age" and "clinician" predicted vaccine response variability. Conclusion: Findings imply an ongoing improvement of the HCPs' responses on COVID-19 requirements. Continued education and adherence with updated protocols provide utmost protective environment for the HCP staff against COVID-19 consequences.
ABSTRACT
Aim: Study knowledge and perception of COVID-19 prevention and control (IPC) measures of healthcare workers (HCWs) of Armed Forced Hospital, Wadi Al Dawasir (AFHWD), Saudi Arabia. Methods: All HCWs were invited June, 2020;a pre-validated questionnaire used. Results: Out of 103 participants, 40 (38.9%) were physicians, 33 (32.0%) nurses, 30 (29.1%) other HCWs;mean age 39.4 +/- 9.5y. The mean score for COVID-19 knowledge surpassed the cutoff (25.1 vs. 22.4, p<0.001);contrary to COVID-19 IPC measures' (33.4 vs. 36.4;p=0.01). COVID-19 "all-knowledge" mean score (58.5) equated the cutoff (58.8) (p=0.89);same as IPC measures perception mean score's (80.8 vs. 81.2, p = 0.8). An overall mean score (139.5) achieved equated the cutoff (140), (p = 0.83). Physicians and nurses achieved mean COVID-19 IPC knowledge scores (35.8, 34.9) higher than other professions' (p<0.001). Physicians referred to reliable COVID-19 sources more frequently (aOR 4.1, 95%CI 2.1 - 11.7). Conclusion: The HCW levels of knowledge and perception toward COVID-19 measures were satisfactory. Awareness of some specific COVID-19 IPC measures needs to be enhanced. Findings help update COVID-19 preventive policy;raising the HCWs' COVID-19 nosocomial transmission preventive skills.