Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding COVID-19 among Physicians in Egypt

Taie, Almass F; Metwally, Tayseer M; Mahdy, Sarah S; Abbas, Heba M

doi:10.21608/scumj.2022.215498

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding COVID-19 among Physicians in Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

² Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Suez University, Suez, Egypt.

10.21608/scumj.2022.215498

Abstract

Background: Protection of health care workers and prevention of intra-hospital transmission of infection are important aspects in COVID-19 epidemic response, and this requires that they must have updated knowledge regarding the source, transmission, symptoms, and preventive measures. Lack of knowledge and misunderstandings leads to delayed diagnosis, spread of disease, and poor infection control practice. Objective: To identify the status of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 among physicians in Egypt. Subjects and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey-based study was carried out on 160 physicians who participated in the study which was conducted in May and June 2020. Self-administered questionnaire shared on social media groups of Egyptian physicians to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice among physicians regarding COVID-19. Results: Participants have good knowledge (98.8%), a positive attitude means 9.76 ±1.70, and good practice (77.5%). physicians working in clinical departments had greater knowledge than physicians working in academic departments (p =0.003) also physicians with work experience ≥ 5 years have greater knowledge (p=0.002). 88.75% of physicians perceived that limited infection control material and 84.37% of them perceived that Lack of policy and procedures of infection control practice were the major barriers to infection control. Conclusion: There is good knowledge regarding COVID-19 among Egyptian physicians. Appropriate practice correlates with better knowledge and a positive attitude towards COVID-19 infection. More training programs on protective measures to improve attitude among physicians and healthcare workers are necessary to win the fight against COVID-19 infection.

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