ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To protect health-care providers (HCPs) from COVID-19, the WHO recommends applying basic principles of infection prevention and control measures at all health-care facilities. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, perceptions, satisfaction, and readiness of HCPs regarding COVID-19 in Tigrai, Ethiopia in 2020. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to July, 2020. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Multistage sampling followed by purposive sampling were used to recruit study subjects. SPSS 21 was used to compute proportions and χ2 to identify risk factors. RESULTS: Of 765 participants, 88% had adequate knowledge, close to a third showed positive perceptions and were satisfied with their job and nearly a quarter demonstrated readiness to prevent and control COVID-19. Education, knowledge, readiness, perceptions, and job satisfaction with associated with type and readiness of health facilities. CONCLUSION: Despite adequate knowledge of the HCPs about COVID-19, their perceptions and job satisfaction are a concern for the health-care system. Only one in five HCPs was found to be ready to prevent and control COVID-19. Efforts should be exerted to improve perceptions, job satisfaction, and readiness of HCPs to fight COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Effective risk communication is one of the critical strategies in the response to COVID-19. This study examined risk perceptions and attitudinal responses to COVID-19 among the educated section of the society in Ethiopia. METHODS: An internet-based survey was conducted from April 22 to May 04, 2020, in Ethiopia. A questionnaire addressing the perception of health threat-combination of perceived vulnerability (PV) and perceived seriousness (PS), and perceived efficacy-combinations of perceived response efficacy (PRE), perceived self-efficacy (PSE), and perceived collective efficacy (PCE). The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0. Descriptive statistics were computed after the standardization of the scores. The scores for overall efficacy and threat were split by median value and response classifications were generated through threat by efficacy interactions. For statistical significance, 95% CI and p-value < 0.05 were used. RESULTS: A total of 929 respondents submitted their responses. Eight hundred and twenty-eight (89.1%) of the respondents were male and 753 (81.1%) were Christian. The perceived threat to COVID-19 was generally low (median = 58.3). The median score for overall efficacy, PRE, and PSE were 79.8, 87.5, and 80.0, respectively. However, the median value (66.7) for PCE was relatively low. Perceived threat significantly varied by age, education, occupation, and place of residence (p < 0.05). Perceived efficacy significantly differed by gender, residence, and use of some sources of information (p < 0.05). In terms of response to COVID-19, 290 (31.2%), 239 (25.7%), 175 (18.8%) and 225 (24.2%) of the respondents were in the responsive, pro-active, avoidant, and indifferent attitudinal categories, respectively. The avoidant and indifferent groups constituted a fear control response (mal-adaptive motivation towards COVID-19 protective behavior) whereas responsive and pro-active categories formed a danger control response (self-protective motivation). These responses varied significantly by residence, region, religion, and sources of information (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Understanding people's perceived health threat and efficacy is a critical step toward creating risk communication campaigns. Hence, this study provided an insight that has the potential to inform the COVID-19 risk communication campaigns targeting the educated section of the society, by ensuring a balanced combination of threat appeals and efficacy messages for improved self-protective responses.