scholarly journals Knowledge and Perceptions about COVID-19 among Health Care Workers: Evidence from COVID-19 Hospitals during the Second Pandemic Wave

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 136
Author(s):  
Petros Ioannou ◽  
Stamatis Karakonstantis ◽  
Anna Mathioudaki ◽  
Angelos Sourris ◽  
Vasiliki Papakosta ◽  
...  

Health care workers (HCWs) face a higher risk of infection, since they work at the front line of COVID-19 patients’ management. Misinterpretations of current scientific evidence among HCWs may impact the delivery of appropriate care to COVID-19 patients and increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the hospital setting. Moreover, knowledge may affect HCWs perceptions depending on their broad beliefs and past experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs regarding COVID-19 issues during the second wave of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey, involving a printed questionnaire, was conducted from 21 October 2020 to 31 January 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals located at four distant geographical regions in Greece. In total, 294 HCWs participated in this study. The majority of HCWs provided precise responses regarding general knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responses on hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in HCWs with COVID-19 were mistaken. This study reveals a certain degree of misconceptions and knowledge gaps in HCWs everyday practice, especially regarding hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-139
Author(s):  
Bhaskaran Unnikrishnan ◽  
Priya Rathi ◽  
Suchitra M. Shenoy ◽  
Gautam Nandan ◽  
Meenakshi Sanil ◽  
...  

Background: It is crucial for the frontline force such as health care workers to be up-to-date with the knowledge of the trend of COVID-19 pandemic and its epidemiology. We conducted this study to assess the knowledge, awareness and perception of health care workers towards the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional survey in the hospitals of coastal Karnataka among health care workers from February to May 2020. Results: A total of 197 Health care workers responded. Most of them were females (64%), physicians (45%), with a working experience of 1-10 years (77%). Five percent had a prior experience of the outbreak. The survey showed that the study participants had knowledge about treatment and precautions to be taken. However, some of them were not aware of the recent updates on quarantine and sample testing. Most of them perceived this pandemic as an important public health issue and were concerned that they might get infected in the course. Conclusion: There is a partial knowledge among HCWs regarding recent updates on COVID-19 pandemic and its related epidemiology. Hence, frequent sessions with the help of virtual media may be utilized to provide updates, and counseling sessions by experts may be arranged to reduce the fear of the pandemic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-127
Author(s):  
Imran Ahmed ◽  
Asif Khan ◽  
Abdul Ahad Sohail ◽  
Mujeeb-ur- Rehman

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are one of the most common problems encountered in health care. It is a major cause of concern for hospitals throughout the world. Methods: The study design was cross sectional and data was obtained from health care workers currently employed in hospitals. We selected tertiary care hospitals by convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed through SPSS version 20. Results: A total of 330 health care workers were included in the study out of which 54.4% (180) were males and the rest 45.4% (150) were females. When the participants were asked of the minimum time required for alcohol based hand rub to eradicate the microorganisms, only 42% (138) were able to correctly answer that it takes 20 seconds. Conclusion: Our study identified considerable gaps in knowledge and practice in some key areas regarding hand hygiene which need re-emphasis through regular training sessions aim at keeping abreast with standard protocols of hand hygiene.


Author(s):  
Gunjan Ramteke ◽  
Namrata Britto ◽  
Vijaykumar Gawali

Background: The health-care workers experienced various adverse psychological reactions due to COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to assess the anxiety and stress faced by the medical and paramedical staff while dealing with the pandemic.Methods: Analysis of 190 respondents of the survey was performed. Medical and paramedical staff included those of Bhaktivedanta hospital and research institute, Mumbai only. Data based on two questionnaires GAD-7 and “stress and anxiety assessment scale (SAAS)” was collected in the form of a survey from 15August 2020 till 31 May 2021 to assess the individual’s mental health.Results: Analysis of responses from GAD-7, a 7-item assessment scale and SAAS, a 14-item assessment scale were obtained. From the GAD-7 scale, 3.53% and from the SAAS scale, 9.09%, of the total health-care workers were found to have high anxiety and stress due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Conclusions: Although mediocre levels of stress and anxiety were found to be prevalent among the medical health-care workers, proper and timely mental health support and care must be provided to them even in normal conditions. This ensures safe and efficient execution of one’s duties even during crisis.


Author(s):  
Hasan S. Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1198-1202
Author(s):  
M.l Fatima ◽  
M. Waqar ◽  
H. Qamar ◽  
M. Akram ◽  
F. Zia ◽  
...  

Background: Iatrogenic and nosocomial infections are a serious threat to a healthcare setting especially during a pandemic. Hand hygiene among the health-care workers stands out to be a pivotal preventive measure. Practical application of hand hygiene measures during third wave of COVID-19 pandemic primarily depend upon the current knowledge among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study design based on validated WHO questionnaire for hand hygiene among the health care workers was conducted during March till May2021 in the settings of Shalamar and Central Park hospital and medical colleges. Results: The sample consisted of 271 participants with 110 males and 161 females, with the mean age of 24.72+ 4.174 years. The sample consisted of 36.2% of medical students, 49.1% of doctors and 14.8% of paramedical staff. Nearly 50.6% of the individuals claim to receive formal training. 47.6% believe that “Health-care workers’ hands when not clean” are the main route of cross-transmission. Nearly 57.2% believed that the hospital environment (surfaces)the most frequent source of germs. Comparison of hand-rubbing and washing revealed that major percentage believe hand rub to be rapid however less effective causing dryness. A majority believe that hand hygiene before touching the patient, immediately after exposure to body fluids or immediate surroundings of patients prevents transmission of germs to the patient and vice versa afterwards prevents transmission to HCW. Conclusion: A large proportion of the sample has considerable knowledge regarding essential hand hygiene in a health care setting. However more frequent training sessions should be conducted to improve it further. Key words: Hand hygiene, Health-care workers, Knowledge


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