AWARENESS OF PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AGAINST COVID-19 IN HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Abstract

Objective: To study the perception of COVID-19 and awareness of necessary precautionary measures against COVID-19 among health care workers.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted amongst the health care workers, working across Pakistan, from Apr 2020 to Jun 2020.

Methodology: An online questionnaire was made on Google Forms Inc®. The survey forms were distributed online. The response obtained was entered and analyzed on SPSS version 23.

Results: A total of 210 healthcare workers, 130 males (61.9%) and 80 females (38.1%), participated in our study, of which 120 were doctors (57%) and 76 were dentists (36%). The participants were questioned about certain precautionary measures against COVID-19, of which majority were answered correctly. However, only 18.6% participants chose the correct sequence of donning of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, while 41% and 29.2% individuals correctly stated scrubs as the dress code of choice while treating a COVID-19 and non-COVID patient respectively. Among dentists, gloves (17.8%) were considered an important part of gear to treat/consult any patient whereas among doctors, when treating non-COVID patients, gloves (31.6%) while when treating COVID-19 patients, everything, except for surgical masks, was considered a significant part of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Chi-square test was applied and p-value <0.05 was achieved.

Conclusion: Participants showed adequate awareness regarding the necessary preventive measures of COVID-19. However, we identified a gap of information in some protocols that need to be emphasized more.