scholarly journals Risk Perception of the Iranian Healthcare Workers Concerning the Covid-19 Crisis and the Factors Affecting it: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author(s):  
Ezat Samadipour ◽  
Fatemeh Ghardashi ◽  
Roghayeh Zardosht ◽  
Fatemeh Borzoee ◽  
Elham Navipour

Abstract Background: The emergent Covid-19 disease with conspicuous prevalence is putting the healthcare workers' job security at risk. The preventive behaviors in every individual have a close relationship with his/her risk perception of the risk factor. Hence the present study has been undertaken aiming at determining the Iranian healthcare workers' risk perception of the Covid-19 disease and the relevant effective factors. Methods: This anonymous online survey was conducted in March-April, 2020 using targeted snowball sampling among the Iranian healthcare workers. The data was collected via online-social networks using a questionnaire containing demographical specifications (5 questions), risk perceptions (20 questions), with five sub-scales including cognitive, cultural, political, social and emotional factors. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v.16 software.Results: From 165 participants, the youth (20-49 years of age) with 84% and the females with 60% constituted the majority of participants. The average risk perception score of the healthcare workers was 66.43±8.17. The Spearman correlation coefficient showed the significant direct relationship between the risk perception score and all the sub-scales at 0.01 significance level. The political and cultural factors had the highest correlation with the personnel risk perception (r > 0.75).Conclusion: Health workers did not have an excellent risk perception of the emergent Covid-19 disease.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezat Samadipour ◽  
Fatemeh Ghardashi ◽  
Roghayeh Zardosht ◽  
Fatemeh Borzoee ◽  
Elham Navipour

Abstract Background and Objectives: The emergent Covid-19 disease with conspicuous prevalence is putting the healthcare workers' job security at risk. The preventive behaviors in every individual have a close relationship with his/her risk perception of the risk factor. Hence the present study has been undertaken aiming at determining the Iranian healthcare workers' risk perception of the Covid-19 disease and the relevant effective factors. Materials and Methods: This anonymous online survey was conducted in March-April, 2020 using targeted snowball sampling among the Iranian healthcare workers. The data was collected via online-social networks using a questionnaire containing demographical specifications (5 questions), risk perceptions (20 questions), with five sub-scales including cognitive, cultural, political, social and emotional factors. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v.16 software.Results: From 165 participants, the youth (20-49 years of age) with 84% and the females with 60% constituted the majority of participants. The average risk perception score of the healthcare workers was 66.43±8.17. The Spearman correlation coefficient showed the significant direct relationship between the risk perception score and all the sub-scales at 0.01 significance level. The political and cultural factors had the highest correlation with the personnel risk perception (r > 0.75).Conclusion: Health workers did not have an excellent risk perception of the emergent Covid-19 disease. Training seems to be necessary to increase employee risk perception and requires more extensive studies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasir Ahmed Mohammed Elhadi ◽  
Azza Mehanna ◽  
Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi ◽  
Mohammad Yasir Essar ◽  
Haider M El Saeh ◽  
...  

Background: Healthcare workers intention to be vaccinated is an important factor to be consider for successful COVID-19 vaccination programme. Our study aimed to understand the intention of health workers to receive COVID-19 vaccine and associated concerns across 10 countries in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2021 among healthcare workers using an online survey. A total of 2806 health workers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0. Results: More than half of the respondents (58.0%) intend to receive COVID-19 vaccine, even if the vaccination is not mandatory for them. On the other hand, 25.7% of respondents were not intending to undertake COVID-19 vaccination while 16.3 % answered undecided. The top three reasons for not intending to be vaccinated were unreliability of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials (62.0%), fear of the side effects of the vaccine (45.3%), and that COVID-19 vaccine will not give immunity for a long period of time (23.1%). Conclusion: Overall, our study revealed suboptimal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in the 10 countries in EMRO.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 1482-1487
Author(s):  
Cecyli C ◽  
Ezhilarasan G

Mankind is experiencing another remarkable involvement in the quickly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, the sickness fundamentally influences regular daily existence, bringing about a financial emergency. Moreover, the highest risk of getting COVID-19 is for the front line Healthcare workers (HWs). Therefore, utmost importance to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID -19 is needed. An online Cross-sectional research design was utilized for the study. An aggregate of 100 paramedic health workers (Nurses, Pharmacist, Lab technician and Allied health technicians) were chosen using a convenient sampling technique. Data were gathered among eligible healthcare workers through an online survey by electronic distribution of self-administered questionnaire developed by the investigator. The results depict that 80% had adequate knowledge, 84.6% had a positive attitude towards COVID-19 and 88% of participants had appropriate practice related to COVID-19.  There was a positive relationship noted among knowledge and attitude(r=0.114),attitude-practice(r=0.283) and knowledge-practice(r=0.177) at p<.05 and p<.01level respectively.The outcome found that there is no huge affiliation found between selected demographic variables such as age, residence, marital status and source of information but gender and years of experience was significantly associated with knowledge and practice (p=5.18) at p<0.01 and profession was significantly associated with attitude (p=10.92) at p<0.001.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Emad Al Madadha ◽  
Khalid E. Ahmed ◽  
Rama Rayyan ◽  
Mamoun Ahram ◽  
Nancy Al-Sanouri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background With the implementation of nucleotide-based vaccines (NBVs) in the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, a wide controversy surrounding NBVs has become a heated subject of debate, and it did not spare healthcare workers (HCW) and staff. HCW have a powerful influence on the acceptance of NBVs by the general public. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers regarding this new vaccine technology. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey involving health workers in Jordan. The survey assessed the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude about the safety and efficacy if NBVs. The study population was divided into two groups, educated and uneducated groups, whereby the former received a small educational pamphlet on NBVs. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare between the response of the two groups. Results A total of 330 health workers participated in this study. Respondents believed that RNA-based NBVs would be a safer option compared to DNA-based ones, with the educated group showing significant difference. The notion of NBVs being a form of gene therapy was more common among the educated group. The majority of the participants, particularly amongst the uneducated group, were concerned about undiscovered effects of NBVs. Respondents also agreed that NBVs must be reevaluated in phase 1 trials. As for efficacy, our study population agreed that these vaccines would prevent severe illness. Conclusions Although healthcare workers have positive knowledge and attitude towards NBVs, misconceptions and skepticism exist and must be addressed with more education efforts.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Kamrul Hasan ◽  
Humayun Kabir ◽  
Mamunur Rahman ◽  
Anjan Kumar Roy ◽  
Dipak Kumar Mitra

Background: Raised of mucormycosis or black fungus cases middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear associated with black fungus may turn out to be a terrifying public health issue. This study aimed to assess the association between the fear and knowledge of black fungus and other determinants among healthcare workers in Bangladesh. Methods: From 25th May 2021 to 5th June 2021, a cross-sectional study was carried out among healthcare workers. For data collection during the COVID-19 pandemic, a semi-structured online questionnaire was used followed by convenient and snowball sampling methods. A multivariable linear regression model was fitted to assess the association between the fear and knowledge of black fungus and other determinants. Results: A total of 422 healthcare workers participated in this study. The results indicated that with the increased knowledge score of black fungus, the average score of black fungus fear was significantly increased (β = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.50, p <0.001). Alongside, the respondents having insomnia had a higher score of black fungus fear compare to not having insomnia (β = 3.91, 95% CI: 2.49, 5.33, p <0.001) significantly. The gender, profession, and death due to COVID-19 of friends and family members had a significant effect on black fungus fear score increment. Conclusion: Even in the COVID-19 pandemic, the black fungus fear among healthcare workers may hinder their quality of life. Our study findings recommend an emphasis on the mental health aspects and ensure support to the healthcare workers so that they can tackle the ongoing situation with lesser frictions. Keywords: Mucormycosis, black fungus, COVID-19, fear, knowledge, insomnia, health workers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakgari Deressa ◽  
Alemayehu Worku ◽  
Workeabeba Abebe ◽  
Muluken Gizaw ◽  
Wondwosson Amogne

AbstractHealthcare professionals are at higher risk of contracting the novel coronavirus due to their work exposure in the healthcare settings. Practicing appropriate preventive measures to control COVID-19 infection is one of the most important interventions that healthcare workers are expected to use. The aim of this study was to assess the level of risk perception and practices of preventive measures of COVID-19 among health workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 9th to 26th June 2020 among healthcare professionals working at six public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used to summarize the data. A binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with risk perception about COVID-19. A total of 1,134 participants were surveyed. Wearing facemask (93%), hand washing for at least 20 seconds (93%), covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing (91%), and avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth (91%) were the commonly self-reported preventive practices. About 88% perceived that they were worried about the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus, and majority (91%) worried about the risk of infection to their family. The mean score of overall fear and worry of COVID-19 was 2.37 on a scale of 1 to 3. Respondents who ever provided clinical care to COVID-19 patients were more likely to report fear and worry (adjusted OR=1.34, 95% CI:1.02-1.91), however those who ever participated in Ebola or SARS outbreaks were less likely to report fear and worry due to COVID-19 crisis (adjusted OR=0.66, 95% CI:0.48-0.90). This study has revealed widespread practices of preventive measures and the highest perceived risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Therefore, an effective risk communication intervention should be implemented to ensure the maintenance of appropriate practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Yasir Ahmed Mohammed Elhadi ◽  
Azza Mehanna ◽  
Yusuff Adebayo Adebisi ◽  
Haider M. El Saeh ◽  
Saddam Abdulhakem Alnahari ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Willingness of healthcare workers to be vaccinated is an important factor to be considered for a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme. This study aims to understand the willingness of health workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and its associated concerns across 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2021 among healthcare workers in EMR using an online survey. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS software package version 20.0. RESULTS: A total of 2806 health workers (physicians, nurses and pharmacists) completed and returned the informed consent along with the questionnaire electronically. More than half of the respondents (58.0%) were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, even if the vaccination is not mandatory for them. On the other hand, 25.7% of respondents were not willing to take COVID-19 vaccine while 16.3 % were undecided. The top three reasons for not willing to be vaccinated were unreliability of COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials (62.0%), fear of the side effects of the vaccine (45.3%), and that COVID-19 vaccine will not give immunity for a long period of time (23.1%). CONCLUSION: Overall, the study revealed suboptimal acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among the respondents in the EMR. Significant refusal of COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare professionals can reverse hard-won progress in building public trust in vaccination program. The findings suggest the need to develop tailored strategies to address concerns identified in the study in order to ensure optimal vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers in the EMR.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakgari Deressa ◽  
Alemayehu Worku ◽  
Workeabeba Abebe ◽  
Muluken Gizaw ◽  
Wondwosson Amogne

AbstractHealthcare professionals are at higher risk of contracting the novel coronavirus due to their work exposure in the healthcare settings. Practicing appropriate preventive measures to control COVID-19 infection is one of the most important interventions that healthcare workers are expected to use. The aim of this study was to assess the level of risk perception and practices of preventive measures of COVID-19 among health workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 9th to 26th June 2020 among healthcare professionals working at six public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used to summarize the data. A binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with risk perception about COVID-19. A total of 1,134 participants were surveyed. Wearing facemask (93%), hand washing for at least 20 seconds (93%), covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing (91%), and avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth (91%) were the commonly self-reported preventive practices. About 88% perceived that they were worried about the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus, and majority (91%) worried about the risk of infection to their family. The mean score of overall fear and worry of COVID-19 was 2.37 on a scale of 1 to 3. Respondents who ever provided clinical care to COVID-19 patients were more likely to report fear and worry (adjusted OR=1.34, 95% CI:1.02-1.91), however those who ever participated in Ebola or SARS outbreaks were less likely to report fear and worry due to COVID-19 crisis (adjusted OR=0.66, 95% CI:0.48-0.90). This study has revealed widespread practices of preventive measures and the highest perceived risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Therefore, an effective risk communication intervention should be implemented to ensure the maintenance of appropriate practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Emad Al Madadha ◽  
Khalid E.Ahmed ◽  
Rama Rayyan ◽  
Mamoun Ahram ◽  
Nancy Al-Sanouri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and objectives: With the implementation of nucleotide-based vaccines (NBVs) in the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, a wide controversy surrounding NBVs has become a heated subject of debate, and it did not spare healthcare workers and staff. The latter group has a powerful influence on the acceptance of NBVs by the general public. Hence, the aim of this study to assess the knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers regarding this new vaccine technology.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey involving health workers in Jordan. The survey assessed the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude about the safety and efficacy if NBVs. The study population was divided into two groups, educated and uneducated groups, whereby the former received a small educational pamphlet on NBVs. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare between the response of the two groups.Results: A total of 330 health workers participated in this study. Respondents believed that RNA-based NBVs would be a safer option compared to DNA-based ones, with the educated group showing significant difference. The notion of NBVs being a form of gene therapy was more common among the educated group. The majority of the participants, particularly amongst the uneducated group, were concerned about undiscovered effects of NBVs. Respondents also agreed that NBVs must be reevaluated in phase 1 trials. As for efficacy, our study population agreed that these vaccines would prevent severe illness. Conclusions: Although healthcare workers have positive knowledge and attitude towards NBVs, misconceptions and skepticism exist and must be addressed with more education efforts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-152
Author(s):  
Nirmala Shrestha ◽  
Nisha Gurung ◽  
Sanju Banstola ◽  
Saurabh Kishor Sah ◽  
Sharad Koirala ◽  
...  

Introduction: Psychological distress among healthcare workers amidst COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a serious health problem. Understanding its magnitude is crucial to guide policies and interventions to improve their psychological wellbeing. This study assessed the psychological distress and its associated factors among health care workers in Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out among 427 health workers currently working in Nepal from April 25 to June 10, 2020. Psychological distress was measured using “The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale” (K10). Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were computed at a 5% level of significance. Ethical approval was taken from Nepal Health Research Council. Results: A total of 427 healthcare workers participated in the study. Out of the total participants, 50.4% were males. Nearly half of the participants were medical doctors (48%) followed by nurses (22.2%), health assistants (12.2%) and 61% were non-government employees. The healthcare workers who experienced symptoms of psychological distress were 28.9%. Out of 123 respondents who had symptoms of psychological distress, 19% had mild, 7.3% had moderate and 2.6% had severe psychological distress. Female healthcare workers were more likely to have psychological distress than males [AOR: 1.75, CI: 1.05-2.92]. Conclusions: Psychological distress in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic is a matter of serious health concern. This issue demands urgent comprehensive intervention embracing the provision of a supportive environment and protective equipment, screening psychological outcomes and psychological counseling especially targeting female healthcare workers.  


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