Knowledge on COVID 19 among the healthcare professionals in South Indian states

Abstract

As the COVID-19 has become a pandemic across the globe, the knowledge of healthcare workers (HCWs) about the diseases and its management is very vital to have a better control over the infection. This study was carried out to assess the knowledge of HCWs of the 5 south Indian states with higher rates of COVID-19 infection. An online survey with 25 validated questions about COVID-19 was administered to 385 HCWs across the study region. Prior to the administration, the questionnaire was validated for various standard parameters using Cronbach’s alpha score greater than 0.7. The responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA.p value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The overall knowledge about COVID-19 was found to be greater among the medical doctors, pharmacists and nurses from higher to lower scores with a mean value of78.81±13.45 compared to the other healthcare workers 63.6±24.3. The one-way ANOVA revealed that the difference in the knowledge levels among the HCWs significantly differed (p=0.0012). The answers to few of the questions were found to be highly dynamic as the advisory guidelines are highly dynamic. The present knowledge level of HCWs in south India about COVID-19 is relatively high. However, there is a need for continuous education about COVID-19 to the HCWs and the national organizations and authorities should provide a structured and reliable information to the HCWs in order to have a better control over the COVID-19 infection.