Knowledge of and preparedness for COVID-19 among Somali healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study

Background Somalia is considered severely underprepared to contain an outbreak of COVID-19, with critical shortages in healthcare personnel and treatment resources. In limited-resource settings such as Somalia, providing healthcare workers with adequate information on COVID-19 is crucial to improve patient outcomes and mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study assessed the knowledge of, preparedness for, and perceptions toward COVID-19 prevention and treatment among Somali healthcare workers. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was completed by 364 Somali healthcare workers in summer of 2020 utilizing a convenience sampling method. Results Participants’ most accessed sources of COVID-19 information were from social media (64.8%), official government and international health organization websites (51.1%,), and traditional media sources such as radio, TV, and newspapers (48.1%). A majority of participants demonstrated strong knowledge of treatment of COVID-19, the severity of COVID-19, and the possible outcomes of COVID-19, but only 5 out of 10 symptoms listed were correctly identified by more than 75% of participants. Although participants indicated seeing a median number of 10 patients per week with COVID-19 related symptoms, access to essential medical resources, such as N95 masks (30.2%), facial protective shields (24.5%), and disposable gowns (21.4%), were limited. Moreover, 31.3% agreed that Somalia was in a good position to contain an emerging outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, 40.4% of participants agreed that the Somali government’s response to the pandemic was sufficient to protect Somali healthcare professionals. Conclusion This study provides evidence for the need to equip Somali healthcare providers with more information, personal protective equipment, and treatment resources such that they can safely and adequately care for COVID-19 patients and contain the spread of the virus. Social media and traditional news outlets may be effective outlets to communicate information regarding COVID-19 and the Somali government’s response to frontline healthcare workers.

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Effect of barrier related factors on perceived usefulness and ease of use of social media applications in the Australian healthcare sector

Australasian Journal of Information Systems ◽

10.3127/ajis.v25i0.2625 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

Author(s):

Irfanuzzaman Khan ◽

Jennifer Loh ◽

Abu Saleh ◽

Ali Quazi ◽

Majharul Talukder

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Ease Of Use ◽

Perceived Usefulness ◽

Healthcare Sector ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Related Factors ◽

Cross Sectional

Despite the growing popularity of social media internationally, an extant review of the literature revealed a low rate of social media usage among healthcare professionals. While cynicism amongst healthcare professionals might be a reason, there might be other factors that could explain healthcare professionals’ reluctance to use social media in their practices. This research investigated potential barriers that affected healthcare professionals’ behavioural intention to use social media. A cross-sectional survey was randomly administered to 824 healthcare professionals working in Australian healthcare organisations. At the end of data collection, 219 usable responses were collected. Analysis of data via structural equation model (SEM) found that perceived trust, privacy threats, professional boundary, facilitating conditions and self-efficacy significantly influence the notion of perceived usefulness and ease of use. In addition, information quality directly influences health professionals’ perceived ease of utilising social media technology. The result also indicated that gender moderates the relationship between barrier-related factors and perceived usefulness and ease of use. This study’s findings have important implications for healthcare providers and policymakers regarding medical professionals’ perceptions of the potential challenges in using social media as well as developing strategies to counter misinformation against the backdrop of COVID-19.

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Burnout of Healthcare Workers amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052434 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2434

Author(s):

Yoshito Nishimura ◽

Tomoko Miyoshi ◽

Hideharu Hagiya ◽

Yoshinori Kosaki ◽

Fumio Otsuka

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Healthcare Delivery ◽

General Medicine ◽

Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽

University Hospital ◽

Survey Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Past

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic has drastically changed how we live and work. Amid the prolonged pandemic, burnout of the frontline healthcare professionals has become a significant concern. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study to provide data about the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals in Japan. Healthcare workers in a single Japanese national university hospital participated in the survey, including basic demographics, whether a participant engaged in care of COVID-19 patients in the past 2 weeks and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Of those, 25.4% fully answered the survey; 33.3% were doctors and 63.6% were nurses, and 36.3% engaged in care of COVID-19 patients in the past 2 weeks. Compared to those belonging to General Medicine, those in Emergency Intensive Care Unit were at higher risk of burnout (odds ratio (OR), 6.7; 95% CI, 1.1–42.1; p = 0.031). Of those who engaged in care of COVID-19 patients, 50% reported burnout while 6.1% did not (OR 8.5, 95% CI; 1.3–54.1; p = 0.014). The burnout of healthcare workers is a significant concern amid the pandemic, which needs to be addressed for sustainable healthcare delivery.

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Opinion of Healthcare Professionals in the Usage of Social Media for Patient Care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) ◽

10.11591/.v6i1.6527 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

Syed Meraj Ahmed ◽

Faisal Alhumaidi Alruways ◽

Thamer Fahad Alsallum ◽

Meshal Munahi Almutairi ◽

Abdullah Saif Al-Subhi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Patient Care ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Improve Patient Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Use Of Social Media

Use of social media for patient care is the new frontier in the healthcare indus-try. Sharing of information between the clinicians and their patients is now so much easier. In slowly gaining a foothold worldwide it needs a healthy push to make it universally accepta-ble. Study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare providers on the usage of social media in their clinical practice.A baseline cross – sectional study was conducted among 200 healthcare professionals from March 2015 to September 2015 on their knowledge, attitude, and practices in the use of social media for patient care in Majmaah, Saudi Arabia. A close ended self – administered validated questionnaire was used to gather data which was analyzed by using the SPSS ver. 21.0 software. 55.3% participants used social media for both professional and personal reasons. Some (25.3%) specified using it for patient care while a significant majority (52.9%) opined that it can be successfully used for patient interaction. Nearly 55% agreed that social media should not be banned due to its benefits as an efficient tool for patient communication. Social media use for pa-tient doctor interaction should be encouraged to improve patient care through effective com-munication.

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Perspectives on simulation-based training from paediatric healthcare providers in Nigeria: a national survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034029 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. e034029

Author(s):

Rachel Umoren ◽

Veronica Chinyere Ezeaka ◽

Ireti B Fajolu ◽

Beatrice N Ezenwa ◽

Patricia Akintan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Professional Training ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Skills Acquisition ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Simulation Based

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to explore the access to, and perceived utility of, various simulation modalities by in-service healthcare providers in a resource-scarce setting.SettingPaediatric training workshops at a national paediatric conference in Nigeria.ParticipantsAll 200 healthcare workers who attended the workshop sessions were eligible to participate. A total of 161 surveys were completed (response rate 81%).Primary and secondary outcome measuresA paper-based 25-item cross-sectional survey on simulation-based training (SBT) was administered to a convenience sample of healthcare workers from secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.ResultsRespondents were mostly 31–40 years of age (79, 49%) and women (127, 79%). Consultant physicians (26, 16%) and nurses (56, 35%) were in both general (98, 61%) and subspecialty (56, 35%) practice. Most had 5–10 years of experience (62, 37%) in a tertiary care setting (72, 43%). Exposure to SBT varied by profession with physicians more likely to be exposed to manikin-based (29, 30% physicians vs 12, 19% nurses, p<0.001) or online training (7, 7% physician vs 3, 5% nurses, p<0.05). Despite perceived barriers to SBT, respondents thought that SBT should be expanded for continuing education (84, 88% physician vs 39, 63% nurses, p<0.001), teaching (73, 76% physicians vs 16, 26% nurses, p<0.001) and research (65, 68% physicians vs 14, 23% nurses, p<0.001). If facilities were available, nearly all respondents (92, 98% physicians; 52, 96% nurses) would recommend the use of online simulation for their centre.ConclusionsThe access of healthcare workers to SBT is limited in resource-scarce settings. While acknowledging the challenges, respondents identified many areas in which SBT may be useful, including skills acquisition, skills practice and communication training. Healthcare workers were open to the use of online SBT and expressed the need to expand SBT beyond the current scope for health professional training in Nigeria.

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PO 8438 KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTIONS ON ADVERSE DRUG EVENTS REPORTING AMONG PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN RURAL UGANDA

BMJ Global Health ◽

10.1136/bmjgh-2019-edc.96 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (Suppl 3) ◽

pp. A37.1-A37

Author(s):

Helen Ndagije ◽

Victoria Nambasa ◽

Dan Kajungu

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Adverse Drug Events ◽

Health Workers ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Reporting Rate ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adequate Knowledge ◽

Drug Shops ◽

Outcome Monitoring

BackgroundDrug regulatory authorities promote patient safety by, among other ways, monitoring adverse drug events (ADEs). Reporting of ADEs in Uganda is below the average for a well-performing system. Enhancing patients’ understanding of and involving them in reporting ADEs improves drug safety and treatment outcome monitoring. The objective of this study was to describe the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients and healthcare workers regarding ADEs and ADEs reporting.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out among 1034 respondents from randomly selected households and 327 health workers at health facilities in the Iganga Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (IMHDSS). The IMHDSS, located in Uganda, covers 90,000 people living in 17,000 households.ResultsOver half of respondents (59%) sought treatment from private drug shops, 37% from either clinic, health center or hospital, while 4% sought treatment from herbalists, friends or relatives. Over half (56%) were aware of ADEs, 57% expressed willingness to report an ADE while 43% did not know what to do when it occurs. Almost half (46%) could not differentiate between an ADE and the symptoms, and for those who could, the majority (76%) were willing to report it. Only 34% had ever reported an ADE when it occurred to them. Of those who reported, 43% had their drugs changed, 31% were only counseled while 11.5% continued taking the same medication. Among healthcare workers, 95% knew about ADEs, but only 35% had ever reported. Reasons for not reporting were: fear of being victimised or sued (35%); lack of adequate knowledge about ADE (26%); 20% thought it would disappear shortly; and 14% did not find it necessary to report.ConclusionPatients seek their treatment from private providers. Patients want to report ADEs, but they do not have adequate knowledge. Healthcare workers’ reasons for not reporting are subjective. Dedicated pharmacovigilance-related interventions at community level would improve community members’ knowledge and hence ADE reporting rate.

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Knowledge and Attitude towards 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Among Health Care Workers in Tripoli, Libya

10.21203/rs.3.rs-112634/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed Atia ◽

Mohammed Abdo

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

International Health ◽

Educational Training ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Educational Training Program

Abstract The rising incidence of COVID-19 continues to cause distress, worry, and fear amongst the public, mostly for healthcare workers, as they are the most vulnerable individuals at risk of contracting this new SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This study measured levels of knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 among health care workers in Libya. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Libya between April 22 and June 16, 2020 using online pre-validate questionnaire. We obtained 272 valid participants from 28.7% nurses, 25.3% physicians, 34.2% pharmacists, and 11.8% other health care workers. The majority of respondents (54.4%) were from the western part of Libya, and most of participants (41.2%) used international health websites as a source of information. Most of the participants (89.3%) perceived that they had adequate knowledge about COVID-19, and (95.6%) of respondents affirmed that COVID-19 can be life-threatening disease. All participants agreed that the transmission of COVID-19 can be prevented by using standard and isolation precautions given by the health care authorities. In addition, most participants had good attitude toward the adequate information about COVID-19 in Libyan society. Readiness for the pandemic were low among government institutions as spotted from this study. Therefore, an effective educational training program should be implemented to ensure maintenance of appropriate practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Attitudes towards Anti-SARS-CoV2 Vaccination among Healthcare Workers: Results from a National Survey in Italy

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13030371 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 371 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Francesco Di Gennaro ◽

Rita Murri ◽

Francesco Vladimiro Segala ◽

Lorenzo Cerruti ◽

Amina Abdulle ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Information Quality ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Close Contact ◽

Information Source ◽

Vaccination Campaign ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Healthcare Personnel ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has afflicted tens of millions of people, fostering and unprecedent effort in vaccine development and distribution. Healthcare workers (HCW) play a key role in vaccine promotion and patient guidance, and it is likely that hesitancy among this population will have a major impact on the adoption of a successful immunization policy. To investigate HCW attitudes towards anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) vaccination, we developed an anonymous online cross-sectional survey. 1723 Italian HCW responded. Overall, 1155 (67%) intended to be vaccinated, while 443 (26%) were not sure and 125 (7%) declared refusal. In multivariate analysis, factors associated with hesitancy were using Facebook as the main information source and being a non-physician HCW, while predictors of acceptance included younger age, being in close contact with high-risk groups and having received flu vaccination during the 2019–2020 season. Reasons for hesitancy included lack of trust in vaccine safety (85%) and receiving little (78%) or conflicting (69%) information about vaccines. According to our results, adequate investment in vaccine education for healthcare personnel appears to be urgently needed, prioritizing non-physicians and information quality spread through social media. We hope that our data could help governments and policy-makers to target communication in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

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Post-partum Hospital Stay and Mothers' Choices on Breastfeeding and Vaccines: A Chance We Should Not Miss

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.625779 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Daniela Morniroli ◽

Alessandra Consales ◽

Luana Riverso ◽

Lorenzo Colombo ◽

Elena Nicoletta Bezze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Stay ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Post Partum ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Sufficient Information ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Right ◽

First Year Of Life

Parents' education and knowledge regarding major topics of children's health, such as nutrition and vaccines, have a paramount role. However, breastfeeding rates in first year of life are lower than recommended, and vaccine hesitancy is progressively spreading. To reverse this harmful trend, healthcare professionals are challenged to promote correct health information. This study aimed to assess newly mothers' knowledge of breastfeeding and vaccinations, and education received on both topics during hospital stay. We performed a cross-sectional survey in the Postnatal Unit of our Center. Mothers of full-term babies with a birthweight >2,500 g were enrolled. Two different questionnaires, one about breastfeeding and one about vaccines, were proposed to the 140 enrolled mothers. Ninety-nine percent of mothers enrolled were aware of breastfeeding benefits, and 92% felt adequately supported by maternity staff. Less than 25% stated to have received sufficient information regarding breastfeeding. Only 20% of mothers received information about vaccines during hospital stay. Healthcare providers were identified as primary, secondary, and tertiary source of information on vaccines by 55, 15, and 30% of mothers, respectively. Healthcare professionals are crucial in informing and educating mothers on breastfeeding and vaccinations. Post-partum hospital stay could be the right time for this critical responsibility.

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COVID-19 Knowledge among Healthcare Professionals in Gombe, Northeast, Nigeria: A Quick Online Cross-Sectional Survey

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research ◽

10.9734/jammr/2021/v33i430839 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105-114

Author(s):

Rabiu Ibrahim ◽

Abdulsalam Yakubu ◽

Ahmed Iya Girei ◽

Danladi Muhammed Umar

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Close Contact ◽

Healthcare Setting ◽

Control Measures ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional

Aims: Despite control measures adopted to check the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, healthcare workers still face a serious threat to infection due to SARS-CoV-2 virus. Adherence to control measures by healthcare workers depends on their knowledge. This study aimed to determine the knowledge of COVID-19 and related infection control practices among healthcare professionals in Gombe State. Mythology: A cross sectional study was conducted among healthcare professionals in Gombe. Relying on our network with the healthcare professionals, 500 participants were recruited into the study using simple random sampling method. The data were collected using online questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic questions and 17questions based on knowledge and infection control practices related to COVID-19 disease in the healthcare setting adapted from a study in India. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 at uni-variate and bivariate levels with p value at < 0.05. Results: Close to three-fourth (72.1%) of the participants reported correct answer about knowledge of COVID-19, thus overall knowledge was found to be adequate for all subgroups. About four-fifth (78.9%) of doctors’ responses were correct. and the lowest (65.5%) was from CHOs, Laboratory assistants and health recorders. 43.7% of the participants could correctly define “close contact.” More than three-fourths of the participants knew the various infection control measures like rapid triage, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette and having a separate, well ventilated waiting area for suspected COVID-19 patients. However, less than half (47.8) of the participants were aware of the correct sequence for the application of a mask/respirator, and 62.2% of them knew the preferred hand hygiene method for visibly soiled hands. Conclusion: Regular health educational programs aimed at improving COVID-19 knowledge and infection control are needed.

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Finding Echoes: An Exploration of Empathy Among Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Students in Singapore

Proceedings of Singapore Healthcare ◽

10.1177/20101058211048581 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 201010582110485

Author(s):

Elsie Kim Hiok Lim ◽

Gordon Jian Ting Loh ◽

Ren Yong Ong ◽

Rachel Ruizhen Tan ◽

Clement Chee Kin Yan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Health Professions ◽

Group Differences ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Clinical Empathy ◽

The Mean ◽

Convenience Sampling ◽

Physiotherapy Students

Background Empathy is an essential antecedent in motivating healthcare professionals to treat and care for their patients with compassion – few studies had explored empathy on healthcare workers. Currently, no data reported empathy amongst physiotherapists and physiotherapy students in Singapore. Objectives This study aims to: 1) measure and explore within- and between-group differences in empathy scores amongst physiotherapists and physiotherapy students in Singapore, and 2) compare the results with similar studies locally and overseas. Methods This cross-sectional survey recruited 187 participants (37 physiotherapists and 150 physiotherapy students) via convenience sampling. Participants completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) Health Professions (JSE-HP) and the JSE-Health Professions Students (JSE-HPS), correspondingly. The 20-item JSE-HP and JSE-HPS are validated self-reported questionnaires that measure clinical empathy using a 7-point Likert scale. Summed scores range from 20 to 140, with higher scores suggesting a higher level of empathy. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-tests and one-way analyses of variance. Results The mean score of JSE-HP and JSE-HPS was 110.89±11.37 and 112.43±10.73, respectively. No statistically significant differences found between gender, physiotherapists and physiotherapy students, and years of study. However, physiotherapists scored significantly higher [5.08±1.24 (95% CI 4.67–5.49) vs 4.01±1.36 (95% CI 3.79–4.23), p < .001 ] in the JSE components ‘Walking in Patient's Shoes’. Conclusion Physiotherapists and physiotherapy students in Singapore have similar empathy scores to their counterparts locally and internationally. No statistically significant differences in empathy scores were found. However, physiotherapy students were less able to understand patients' perspectives. This warrants further exploration in developing this vital attribute amongst students.

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