Factors associated with low knowledge of biosafety in medical interns at a university in Peru in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The right to pre-professional practices protected under Peruvian Law allows the student in the last year of the human medicine career to begin to participate in health care procedures and interventions under the guidance of a tutor. Objective: to determine the factors associated with low knowledge of biosafety in medical interns at a university in Peru in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. Methods: an observational, prolective and cross-sectional design was carried out. The sample consisted of 336 human medicine interns, who were selected by simple random probabilistic sampling. A valid and reliable instrument was used to determine the level of knowledge in biosafety. A bivariate and multiple logarithmic binary regression model was used to calculate the crude and adjusted prevalence ratio with their respective 95% confidence intervals for the factors associated with the level of knowledge in biosafety. Results: high, medium and low levels of knowledge of 44.6%, 26.8% and 28.6% respectively were found. Married marital status (RPA 0.418, 95% CI 0.181 – 0.968), living with people at risk for severe symptoms from covid-19 (RPA 0.472, 95% CI 0.344–0.647), undergoing medical internship in a hospital, and having been diagnosed by covid-19 in the last 12 months (RPA 0.586, 95% CI 0.387–0.887) were associated with a level of knowledge under biosafety by multiple logarithmic binary regression model. Discussion: married marital status, living with people at risk for severe symptoms of covid-19, undergoing medical internship in a hospital center and having been diagnosed with covid-19 have an inversely proportional relationship with low knowledge in biosafety. In medical interns in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. © 2022, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Santa Rosa del Aguaray Branch, National University of Asuncion. All rights reserved.