scholarly journals Occupational COVID-19 Prevention among Congolese Healthcare Workers: Knowledge, Practices, PPE Compliance, and Safety Imperatives

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Nzaji Michel-Kabamba ◽  
Nlandu Roger Ngatu ◽  
Ngombe Leon-Kabamba ◽  
Astrid Katumbo-Mukemo ◽  
Olivier Mukuku ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Sufficient Knowledge ◽  
The Government

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the functionality of health systems and world affairs. We assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of healthcare workers (HCWs) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 23 referral hospitals located in three towns of the DRC (Lubumbashi, Kamina, Mbuji-Mayi). In total, 613 HCWs were surveyed using the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) “Exposure Risk Assessment in the Context of COVID-19” questionnaire. Participants included medical doctors (27.2%) and other categories of HCWs (72.8%). The mean age was 40.3 ± 11.7 years. Over 80% (range: 83–96%) of respondents had sufficient knowledge on each of the three domains: COVID-19 symptoms, disease transmission, and patient care approach. However, attitudes and practices scores were relatively low. Only 27.7% of HCWs were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it is available, whereas 55% of HCWs complied with good practices; 49.4% wore masks consistently and, surprisingly, only 54.9% used personal protective equipment (PPE) consistently at work and during contact with patients. Knowledge level was positively associated with the use of social media as a primary source of COVID-19-related information and the category of residence, with HCWs from towns already affected by the COVID-19 epidemic being more likely to have positive attitudes (adjusted OR, 1.64; 95%CI, 1.32–2.20) and comply with good practices (aOR, 2.79; 95%CI, 1.93-4.06). This study showed that most Congolese HCWs had sufficient knowledge on COVID-19, whereas the majority did not comply with consistent PPE use. The government of the DRC should urgently take major steps in capacity building for HCWs in outbreak preparedness and supplying hospitals with PPE.

scholarly journals Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Perception among the Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1627
Author(s):  
Adil Abalkhail ◽  
Ilias Mahmud ◽  
Fahad A. Alhumaydhi ◽  
Thamer Alslamah ◽  
Ameen S. S. Alwashmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Organization

Hand hygiene is among the most important factors of infection control in healthcare settings. Healthcare workers are the primary source of hospital-acquired infection. We assessed the current state of hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and practice among the healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, we used the hand hygiene knowledge and perception questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. Knowledge and perceptions were classified into good (80–100%), moderate (60–79%), and poor (<60% score). The majority of the healthcare workers had moderate knowledge (57.8%) and perception (73.4%) of hand hygiene. Males were less likely to have moderate/good knowledge compared to females (OR: 0.52, p < 0.05). Private healthcare workers were less likely (OR: 0.33, p < 0.01) to have moderate/good perceptions compared to the government healthcare workers. Healthcare workers who received training on hand hygiene were more likely to have good/moderate perception (OR: 3.2, p < 0.05) and to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs (OR: 3.8, p < 0.05) than the ones without such training. Physicians are more likely (OR: 4.9, p < 0.05) to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs than technicians. Our research highlighted gaps in hand hygiene knowledge, perception and practice among healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia and the importance of training in this regard.

scholarly journals Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Perception Among the Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Abalkhail ◽  
Ilias Mahmud ◽  
Fahad A. Alhumaydhi ◽  
Thamer Alslamah ◽  
Ameen S S Alwashmi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Government ◽  
Health Organization

Hand hygiene is among the most important factors of infection control in healthcare settings. Healthcare workers are considered the primary source of hospital acquired infection. We assessed the current state of hand hygiene knowledge, perception and practice among the healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study we used the hand hygiene knowledge and perception questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. Knowledge and perceptions were classified into good (80 &ndash; 100%), moderate (60 &ndash; 79%) and poor (&lt;60% score). Majority of the healthcare workers had moderate knowledge (57.8%) and perception (73.4%) of hand hygiene. Males were less likely to have moderate/good knowledge compared to females (OR: 0.52, p&lt;.05). Private healthcare workers were less likely (OR: 0.33, p&lt;0.01) to have moderate/good perception compared to the government healthcare workers. Healthcare workers who received training on hand hygiene were 3.2 times likely (p&lt;.05) to have good/moderate perception and 3.8 times likely (p&lt;0.05) to routinely use alcohol-based hand-rub than the ones without such training. Physicians were 4.9 times likely (p&lt;0.05) to routinely use alcohol-based hand-rub than the technicians. Our research highlighted gaps on hand hygiene knowledge and perception and practice among healthcare workers in Qassim and importance of training in this regard.

scholarly journals The Utilization of Protective Face Masks among Polish Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic: Do We Pass the Exam?

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 841
Author(s):  
Radomir Reszke ◽  
Łukasz Matusiak ◽  
Piotr K. Krajewski ◽  
Marta Szepietowska ◽  
Rafał Białynicki-Birula ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Profession ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
World Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Protective Measures ◽  
Who Criteria ◽  
The Face ◽  
Health Organization

Relevant personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic include face masks, possibly decreasing the risk of infection among the general population and healthcare workers (HCW) if utilized properly. The aim of the study was to assess whether different Polish HCW utilize face masks according to the 2020 World Health Organization guidance (WHO) criteria. This cross-sectional study included 1156 respondents who participated in an internet survey evaluating mask-related behaviors. All the WHO criteria were complied with by 1.4% of participants, regardless of medical profession, specialty or place of employment. HCW mostly adhered to criterion 1 (C1; strict covering of the face and mouth with the mask; 90.8%), C4 (washing/disinfecting the hands after touching/taking off the mask; 49%) and C3 (taking off the mask properly without touching the anterior surface; 43.4%), whereas C2 (avoidance of touching the mask with hands) was complied with least commonly (6.8%). HCW with mask-induced itch (31.6%) complied to C2 less often (odds ratio 0.53; p = 0.01). The study reveals that Polish HCW rarely adhere to all the 2020 WHO guidance criteria on the use of masks, whereas the adherence to particular criteria is variable and may be associated with the presence of skin-related conditions and other factors. Better compliance with the recommendations in the future is necessary to increase personal safety of HCW and prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Related to COVID-19 Among Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-sectional Study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina M. Al Marzouqi ◽  
Michael E. Otim ◽  
Heba H. Hijazi ◽  
Leena S. Kehail ◽  
Ramsha A. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global health pandemic that continues to have an impact on many aspects of everyday life. This study investigates the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 among healthcare workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This study uses a cross-sectional study design. The original data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via a Google Forms link. Participants were healthcare workers currently working in the UAE healthcare facilities and recruited using snowball sampling. The questionnaire collected information on demographic variables and COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice.Results: In total, the sample of 107 healthcare workers completed the survey. About 92% of the participants worked in public institutions, 87% were from Dubai, and 673% were female. The majority were aged 31–40 years (34.6%), and 43% were radiographers. 66.4% held bachelor’s degrees and Indian nationalities were (28%) and the Philippinos were (28%). Most (90.7%) participants knew the absence of fever did not mean that the virus could not transmit from an infected person, and 84.1% agreed that wearing general medical masks prevented one from contracting COVID-19. However, only 36.4% strongly believed that wearing a well-fitting face mask was effective. In addition, only 15.9% reported confidently managing patients with symptoms of COVID-19, and 54.2% reported that they were afraid of contracting the virus from patients. Almost half of the participants avoided patients who had symptoms of COVID-19. Conclusion: Overall, healthcare workers’ COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices for healthcare workers in UAE healthcare facilities was very high. However, we found gaps in awareness regarding the spread of the pandemic. Our study recommends that providing healthcare workers with education programs and counseling services would help increase their confidence in treating patients with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Healthcare Professionals on COVID-19 and Risk Assessment to Prevent the Epidemic Spread: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study from Punjab, Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (17) ◽  
pp. 6395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Rashid Malik ◽  
Naveel Atif ◽  
Furqan Khurshid Hashmi ◽  
Fahad Saleem ◽  
Hamid Saeed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

In the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), healthcare professionals (HCPs) have a primary role in combating the epidemic threat. HCPs are at high risk of not only contracting the infection but also spreading it unknowingly. It is of utmost importance to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) and the ability to assess the risks associated with the outbreak. A cross-sectional online survey involving physicians, pharmacists, and nurses was conducted. A 39-itemed questionnaire based on the World Health Organization (WHO)COVID-19 risk assessment tool was shared with healthcare professionals in three purposively selected key divisions of Punjab province. Out of 500 healthcare professionals, 385 responded to the survey. The majority (70%) were aged 22–29 years; 144 (37.4%) physicians, 113 (29.4%) nurses, and 128 (33.2%) pharmacists completed the survey. Overall, 94.8% of healthcare professionals scored adequately (>14) for COVID-19-related knowledge; 97.9% displayed an optimistic attitude (>42) and 94.5% had an adequate practice score (>28). Kruskal–Wallis and Jonckheere–Terpstra tests showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in KAP and risk assessment scores among groups; physicians and nurses scored higher as compared to pharmacists. Further research and follow-up investigations on disaster management and risk assessment can help policy-makers better tackle future epidemics.

scholarly journals COVID-19 – what do we know and how are we dealing with it? A quick online cross-sectional study in India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwani Verma ◽  
Dhanshree R Gunjawate ◽  
Sanny Bhushan Kumar ◽  
CNV Sai Bharath ◽  
Rohit Ravi
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Measure ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Home Based ◽  
The Government ◽  
Infection Spread

PurposeCoronavirus disease 2019 is a global public health emergency affecting almost the entire world. The exponential spread of the infection has become a matter of concern. The study aims to determine how well people in India know about COVID-19 outbreak and actions taken to cope up during lockdown.Design/methodology/approachA total of 5,000 randomly selected participants were sent the survey link, of which 1,526 responded (response rate of 30.5%). The survey was conducted from March 28 till March 31, 2020. The 20-item questionnaire aimed to determine how well people know about COVID-19 outbreak as well as actions taken to cope up during the lockdown. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the findings.FindingsParticipants exhibited good knowledge about the primary and secondary symptoms of COVID-19 and infection spread. Over 95% participants knew preventive measures such as use of masks, sanitizers and hand wash. And, 80% of the participants felt that steps taken by the government are effective, while 93% opined that lockdown would be effective. There was apprehension regarding the infection spread, its containment and age group affected. Over 60% referred the World Health Organization website as their source of information. During the lockdown, participants engaged in home-based exercise (39%) and yoga (28%) for fitness while used social media (64%) and television (63%) for entertainment.Originality/valueAlthough participants exhibited good knowledge related to symptoms and preventive measure related to COVID-19, the beliefs related to infection spread and containment need to be addressed. These should be targeted through health promotional campaigns focusing on mental health and home-based physical activities.

scholarly journals Proficiency, Attitudes, and Practices in Breastfeeding of Participants in a Pediatric Congress

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Cynthia Francisca Xavier Costa de Assis Silva ◽  
Maria do Carmo Barros de Melo ◽  
Roberto Gomes Chaves ◽  
Maria Cândida Ferrarez Bouzada
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Study Participant ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
World Health ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Public ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Health Organization

Objective: To investigate the proficiency, practices, and attitudes about breastfeeding of participants in a Pediatrics Congress. Methods: Cross-sectional study in which an online questionnaire was applied, using a specific QRcode, for each study participant, in June 2018. The questions were formulated according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Among the 39 questions, 13 identified the profile of the participants, 19 questions assessed the proficiency in breastfeeding and 7 questions the practices and attitudes. Results: Responses to 296 questionnaires were evaluated, 62.5% of which were health professionals and 37.5% were undergraduate health students. In assessing proficiency, the global average did not reach the expected minimum of 70%. But the highest proficiency averages were found among health professionals (p: 0.0136), among professionals with more recent degrees (p <0.0001), and those who performed most of their activity in the public sector (p: 0.018). 77% of health professionals and 73% of students assessed attitudes and practices about breastfeeding as appropriate. Conclusion: The low proficiency in the population studied points to the need for periodic training of professionals in breastfeeding and greater emphasis on undergraduate curricula in the health area on the subject.

scholarly journals Hand hygiene knowledge, perception and practice of healthcare workers in a Turkish university hospital intensive care unit

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (08) ◽  
pp. 744-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uluhan Sili ◽  
Pinar Ay ◽  
Huseyin Bilgin ◽  
Seyhan Hidiroglu ◽  
Volkan Korten
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Cross Sectional

Introduction: While improvement of hand hygiene (HH) compliance is considered as the best approach to reduce healthcare-associated infections, the instructional interventions in HH among healthcare workers of intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital was not successful enough. The following study was conducted to evaluate HH knowledge, perception, practice and effectiveness of the trainings among healthcare workers of ICU in our hospital. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the ICU containing 8 medical and 16 surgical beds with 284 filled questionnaires about HH knowledge and 1187 observed opportunities for HH compliance. Results: Overall observed HH compliance rate was 40.6%; lowest compliance was 21.7% for “before clean/aseptic procedure” indication and highest compliance was 68.6% for “after touching a patient” indication. Although > 90% healthcare workers correctly identified the World Health Organization’s five indications for HH, 82 – 85% failed to recognize non-indications, i.e. when it was not necessary to perform HH. Our study showed that 15.1% of healthcare workers neither received nor felt the need for HH training. Conclusions: Despite regular HH trainings, healthcare workers could not differentiate when HH was not required which suggested failure to understand HH rationale. This may explain poor HH compliance rates. A systematic study is needed in order to find out the reasons behind of this noncompliance and improve HH training methods for educating healthcare workers.

scholarly journals A STUDY ON IMMUNIZATION OF CHILDREN AT URBAN HEALTH TRAINING CENTRE IN UDAIPUR CITY, RAJASTHAN

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Anjili Mathur ◽  
Anum Fatima ◽  
Abhinav Vyas ◽  
Anuradha Meena ◽  
Shruti Priyadarshini
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Training Centre ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Drop Out Rate ◽  
The Government ◽  
Source Of Information

Background: Immunization is the most economic and most efficient solution to prevent children from infectious diseases. Despite launch of several programmes by the government, parents attitude and knowledge towards vaccination is what matters most. Objective:(i) To study immunization related details of children in general population of UHTC. (ii) To counsel mothers regarding immunization. Methodology: A questionnaire based cross sectional study was conducted for 2 month duration (August and September 2020) among 100 mothers who visited general outdoor of a UHTC in Udaipur city.Data was entered in MS Excel and analysed through SPSS. Result: Majority of the mothers were of the age group 21-25 years (56%),educated upto secondary school (49%), were housewives / unemployed (46%) . The source of information for the maximum participants were health workers. Majority chose government set ups for vaccination of their children (91%).Among all, 69% were fully immunized,30% were partially immunized and only 1% were not immunized at all. An overall 38% drop-out rate was seen. The most common reason of non-vaccination was found to be fear of side effects among the parents (37%).Conclusion: Active and comprehensive involvement of sociologists, behavioural scientists and health personnel is very important to produce effective changes in the attitudes and practices regarding immunization of children.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Towards COVID-19 among Medical Students in International Islamic University Malaysia: An Online Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ikhlas Solehah Abd Rahim ◽  
Muhammad Badrul Nizam Roslan ◽  
Nur Najihah Mohamad Zaini ◽  
Nur Syazwani Kasim ◽  
Muhammad Izz Hilmi Mohd Yazid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Standard Operating Procedure ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
The Government ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major impact to global public health including one of the high risk groups which is the medical students. This study was intended to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 among medical students in International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). MATERIAL AND METHOD: An online cross-sectional study was conducted among 438 medical students of IIUM from 6th July 2020 to 9th July 2020. KAP towards COVID-19 was measured using a structured Malay and English version questionnaire consisting of 13 items on knowledge, 3 items on attitudes and 3 items on practices. RESULTS: The average correct response rate on knowledge was 85.4%. Only 12.1% of the students had correct knowledge on all items, and 1 in every 4 and 5 students had misconceptions on the clinical features and transmission of COVID-19. In term of attitudes towards COVID-19, majority of the respondents believed that COVID-19 would be effectively controlled (85%) and had faith that Malaysia could overcome the war against COVID-19 (99%). Most of the respondents practiced good towards COVID-19 in avoiding crowded places (90%), wearing face masks (95%) and practicing hand hygiene (91.6%). CONCLUSION: Although the results are positive towards KAP, only 1 in every 10 students responded correctly to all knowledge questions, and few proportions had misconceptions on the disease and did not maintain adequate practices. Policies aimed at appropriate health promotion activities may ensure empowering the medical students with adequate knowledge on all aspects of COVID-19, and practice properly following the standard operating procedure implemented by the government.

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