Healthcare Workers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice about COVID-19 and its Predictive Factors: A Retrospective Single-Center Survey

Abstract

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly infected people worldwide, and healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk for infections. The scenario necessitates the continuous use of COVID-19 control measures by HCWs, which will most likely be determined by their sources of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice (KAP) toward COVID-19. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the KAP scores of COVID-19 and its predictive factors among 283HCWs conducted between Jan 2022 and Sep 2022. The mean age of participants was 31.7 ±9.2 years. The majority (N= 205, 86.1%) were aged 16-44 and males (N= 160, 67.2%). Most participants were nurses (N= 144, 60.5%), followed by laborers (N= 40, 16.8%), physicians (N= 33, 13.9%), and administrative staff (N= 21, 8.8%). Most participants held a diploma (N= 102, 42.9%), with 63 (26.5%) holding PhDs, 48 (20.2%) holding bachelor's degrees, and 25 (10.5%) holding master's degrees. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 12.3 ± 4.6, 3.5 ±1.4, and 3.0 ±2.6, with 104 (43.7%), 139 (58.4%), and 121 (50.8%) exhibiting high knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice, respectively. Spearman rank correlation indicated a fair positive correlation between knowledge and attitude scores (r=0.32, P < 0.001) and practice scores (r=0.43, P < 0.001). Predictive factors for higher knowledge were higher educational level including bachelor’s (p= 0.004), and PhD degrees (p< 0.001). Predictive factors for good practice were higher educational levels including PhD degrees (P< 0.001) and higher professional occupation including nurses (p=0.014). Predictive factors for positive attitude were higher educational levels including bachelor’s and PhD degrees (p= 0.005 and < .001, respectively).  In conclusion, while HCWs' knowledge, attitude, and practice of COVID-19 were generally acceptable, there were barriers to increasing their KAP scores, particularly among HCWs with lower education and professional levels. As a result, assessing and prioritizing educational requirements and learning preferences is equally important.