Assessment of knowledge, practice and perception of Nigerian medical practitioners on COVID-19 and its treatment using antimalarial drugs

ABSTRACT

Pharmaceutical interventions are being investigated as possible treatment options for COVID-19. Antimalarial drugs-Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are also being investigated in clinical trials due to their antiviral effects though their efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 is largely inconclusive. This study assessed the knowledge, perception, and practice of prescribing these drugs in the treatment of COVID-19 by practicing medical doctors in Nigeria. The survey was conducted online using Google forms sent via a link on WhatsApp © and Facebook © through the authors' contacts to medical doctors in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria from April-May 2020. Ethical issues were addressed by ensuring the anonymity of respondents, voluntary participation, and non-incentivized. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the mean and frequencies of data generated using SPSS version 22. Responses were obtained from 145 medical doctors with mean age of 37.78+or-6.47 years and 10.9+or-5.58 years of practice experience. All the respondents knew that the virus affects the lungs. Over 48% of the doctors believed in the efficacy of the antimalarial drugs, and more than half of them thought it would be more effective for mild disease presentation. About 46.8% of respondents agreed to prescribe the drug to COVID-19 patients, and most based their decisions on case reports, recommendations of NCDC or WHO. However, 75.9% believed a randomized control trial should be conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of the drugs. Practicing doctors in Nigeria are knowledgeable on COVID-19, and their perceptions and decision to prescribe antimalarial drugs are largely dependent on clinical trial outcomes.