Awareness and Practice of COVID-19 Precautionary Measures Among Healthcare Professionals in Saudi Arabia

The relationship between fear of COVID-19 and adherence to personal protective measures in a sample of Iranian healthcare providers: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Studies have been conducted worldwide to investigate the level of adherence to personal protective measures or fear of COVID-19 among healthcare providers. However, few studies have examined the relationship between adherence to personal protective measures and fear of COVID-19. There is also a need for more information on this topic from Iran. This study investigated the relationship between adherence to personal protective measures against COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19 in the healthcare providers at Pastor Hospital of Bam, Iran, in 2022.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in August and September 2022 with 199 healthcare providers of Pastor Hospital of Bam, Iran. The study included medical, nursing, and paramedical staff at Pastor Hospital at the time of the study. Incomplete responses and failure to return the questionnaire to the researcher were exclusion criteria. The fear of COVID-19 scale and a checklist of personal protective measures were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Of the 199 participants, 67.3% were female, and their mean age was 31 ± 4.55 years. The mean score for adherence to personal protective measures was 14.46 ± 3.39 (out of 23), and the mean score for fear of COVID-19 was 17.04 ± 4.58 (out of 35). Adherence to personal protective measures was higher among females than males (14.96 ± 2.99 vs. 13.43 ± 3.92, p = 0.003), in individuals who had attended infection control courses than in those who had not (15.57 ± 2.88 vs. 13.30 ± 3.50, p < 0.001), and in those working in intensive care units than those in other wards (p = 0.009). A positive correlation was found between fear of COVID-19 and adherence to personal protective measures (r = 0.16, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare providers demonstrated average levels of adherence to the personal protective measures and fear of COVID-19. Fear scores were also positively correlated with adherence scores. Specific workshops are necessary to familiarize all healthcare workers with personal protective measures against COVID-19 and universal precautions.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward the Novel Coronavirus Infection in Dental Laboratories in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to assess dental technologists/technicians knowledge, attitudes, and practice during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional study was conducted among workers in dental laboratories in Saudi Arabia. A validated questionnaire was developed based on previous literature and distributed online. The questionnaire assessed the study population's knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding infection control protocol for COVID-19. Descriptive statistics of categorical variables were conducted. The response rate was 58.3%, where most respondents are male at a rate of 97%. Most of the participants (82%) were aware of the various infection control measures for COVID-19 in a dental laboratory. Forty-eight participants showed a level of knowledge range between 80 and 100%, while 27 and 30 participants reported moderate and low level of knowledge, respectively. Only 67% of the participants strongly agree that dental cast and fabricated/repaired restorations should be transferred in a very close and protective package to control infection. About 70% of participants indicated they always wear protective gear/goggles and should be warned while working in the dental laboratory. As the pumice slurry was utilized frequently to clean and polish the prostheses, 66% of participants agreed that pumice slurry should be always changed regularly. Regarding COVID-19 infection control procedures, dental technologists/technicians showed good knowledge, attitude, and practice; however, considering how infectious the virus is, more measures should be taken into consideration. Effective communication and collaboration between the laboratory and the dental clinic are essential for infection control.

Alterations in Patients' Clinical Outcomes and Respiratory Viral Pathogen Activity following the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory pathogens such as influenza, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial virus were the most commonly detected viruses among hospitalized patients with respiratory tract infections.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of inpatients and outpatients who attended Jordan University Hospital and underwent Nasopharyngeal Aspiration (NPA) in the periods from December 2017 to December 2018 and from December 2021 to December 2022. The results of multiplex respiratory pathogen real-time PCR tests for nasopharyngeal swab specimens were extracted from the electronic-based molecular diagnostic laboratory record of JUH. We compared the prevalence of the detected viruses as well as the patients' characteristics and outcomes between the two periods.

RESULTS

The total number of included patients was 695. Our analysis showed that a higher percentage of patients with hypertension and diabetes presented before the pandemic compared to the same period after it (p-value < 0.001). The need for O2 devices, white blood cell counts, diastolic blood pressure, and the length of hospital stay were significantly higher among patients who presented before the pandemic (p-value < 0.050). Influenza H1N1 (8.70% vs. 4.03%), influenza B (1.67% vs. 0.25%), parainfluenza (1.00% vs. 0.00%), human metapneumovirus (5.35% vs. 0.76%), adenoviruses (6.35% vs. 3.02%), and coronaviruses (8.70% vs. 3.53%) were detected with higher frequency in the period before the pandemic (p-value = 0.011, 0.045, 0.045, 0.000, 0.035, 0.004). These results were similar in terms of changes in the detection rates of viruses after matching the number of tested patients between the periods before and after the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

We have demonstrated a reduction in the detection of several viruses, which might be due to the increase in public awareness toward infection protection measures after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of antimicrobial prescription and its resistance among health care providers in the COVID-19 era: A cross sectional study

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered as a global health and development threat. During COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in antimicrobial resistance. Health care providers (HCPs) play the main role in facing antibiotic resistance because they have the authority to prescribe antibiotics during clinical practice as well as in promoting patients' compliance with therapies and avoid self-medication. So, this study will serve as an important source of information in context with Covid19 pandemic in Egypt. The data was collected using a validated standardized self-administered online questionnaire compromised of four sections: socio-demographic data of the HCPs, the general knowledge on antibiotics and AMR, the HCP attitude towards antibiotic prescription and AMR and the practice in applying the appropriate antibiotic prescription. Most of HCPs (93.7%) recorded good knowledge level about antibiotic prescription and antimicrobial resistance with mean score of knowledge13.21 ± 1.83. About 79% of HCPs recorded a positive attitude towards proper antibiotic prescription with mean score of attitudes 63.02 ± 7.68. Fifty four percent of HCPs demonstrated a good level of practice with mean score of practice 9.75 ± 2.17. In conclusion, HCPs in our study have a good level of knowledge and attitude about antibiotics. However lower level of proper practice towards the problem of AMR in COVID19 era was noticed. Implementation of effective policies and guidelines is crucial to evaluate the antimicrobial use especially in the COVID-19 era to reduce the unintended consequences of the misuse of antibiotics and its impact on AMR.

Adherence of healthcare workers to COVID-19 infection prevention practices and its relationship with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity

Background

Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices against COVID-19 should be adopted by healthcare workers (HCWs) at their workplaces to protect themselves, their patients, and their families from infection.

Purpose

This study aimed to describe the relationship between the healthcare-related COVID-19 infection prevention measures adopted by HCWs and their SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.

Research Design

This cross-sectional study was conducted during the second and third COVID-19 waves in Egypt.

Study Sample

The study included 416 unvaccinated HCWs from 39 hospitals in Egypt.

Data Collection

Sociodemographic data, as well as COVID-19 IPC measures done at work, and protective measures performed by their healthcare facilities were collected. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibodies were measured by ELISA.

Results

58.2% of participants were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2. Among the previously undiagnosed HCWs, 125/271 (46.1%) were seropositive. Predictors of seropositivity were rural residence (aOR = 5.096; 95% CI: 1.583-16.403, p = 0.006), previous COVID-19 infection (aOR = 4.848, 95% CI: 2.933-8.015, p = 0.000), and examining 10-20 suspected COVID-19 patients daily (aOR = 2.329; 95% CI: 1.331-4.077, p = 0.003. Reporting low satisfaction (25-50%) with infection control implementation, working more than 40 h per week, reporting to "sometimes abiding by hand hygiene" compared to those who reported to "always" adhere to hand hygiene and shorter duration of hand washing (<20 s) were associated with significantly higher odds of seropositivity.

Conclusions

Poor infection control measures and the high workload of HCWs (longer working hours and examining more patients) were modifiable risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among HCWs. Hand hygiene was better among HCWs working in urban versus rural areas.

Preventive Measures among Healthcare Workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), placed health systems worldwide under immense pressure, and healthcare workers (HCWs) were at the front lines. The Puerto Rico Department of Health confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020. We aimed to assess whether COVID-19 preventive measures implemented by HCWs were effective in a work scenario before vaccine availability. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from July to December 2020 to evaluate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene guidelines, and other measures taken by HCWs to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. We collected nasopharyngeal specimens for molecular testing at the beginning of the study and follow-up. We recruited 62 participants aged 30-59 (79% women). Participants recruited from hospitals, clinical laboratories, and private practice included medical technologists (33%), nurses (28%), respiratory therapists (2%), physicians (11%), and others (26%). Among our participants, nurses were at higher risk (p < 0.05) of infection. We identified that 87% of participants followed the hygiene recommendation guidelines. In addition, all participants practiced handwashing or disinfection before or after caring for each patient. All participants tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 during the study period. On follow-up, all study participants reported being vaccinated against COVID-19. The implementation of PPE and hygiene measures showed high efficacy as a prevention method against SARS-CoV-2 infection when vaccines and treatment were not widely available in Puerto Rico.

Assessing the Saudi Population Knowledge, Acceptance, and Perception on the Effectiveness of Following the Safety Precautions During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an alarming issue worldwide. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was fast in adopting the safety precaution measures and is considered one of the major countries that place preventive precautions measures to control the spread of the disease. The current study aims to assess the knowledge, effectiveness, and acceptance of the public regarding COVID-19 safety precautions measures: face masks, physical distance, wash hands/use hand sanitizer, and the use of Tawakkalna application as a preventive measure in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

The study design was quantitative cross-sectional using a self-administered questionnaire.

Results

Of the 400 received responses, the data analysis showed that there was a significant association between knowledge about the safety precaution measures score with nationality and gender with P value less than 0.05.

Conclusion

The awareness of Saudi citizens of the importance of implementing preventive precautions and their compliance greatly contributed in limiting the virus spread.

COVID-19 and Saudi Arabia: Awareness, Attitude, and Practice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has transformed our appreciation of healthcare awareness worldwide. The amount of related data accumulated during this time has surpassed any other outbreak of a viral pathogen. Healthcare awareness is related to one of the nine pillars of the "World health organization (WHO) operational planning guidelines to support country preparedness and response". This review is structured around the awareness/knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP)-related publications in Saudi Arabia up to date to understand the impact of COVID-19 on these domains. The excellent communication effort response from governments, international, and individuals to keep the public informed about the outbreak is highlighted. Unraveling such impacts on the Saudi communities, including healthcare workers (HCWs)/professionals (HCPs), students, patients with different diseases, and non-professional individuals, is essential in containing the outbreak and planning preventive measures in case of future outbreaks.

COVID-19 pandemic experiences of students from BAME and White ethnic groups pursuing higher education in the UK: A qualitative comparative exploration

BACKGROUND

The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-Cov2, more commonly known as COVID-19 continues to be an ongoing cause of one of the most disruptive pandemics worldwide. UK universities comprise students who come from different backgrounds and cultures and the majority returned home or lived alone during the lockdown. This qualitative study aimed to compare the experiences of students from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds and White British students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An in-depth interview was conducted with each of 35 students-18 from BAME and 17 from White backgrounds-in their homes on Zoom or Microsoft between November 2020 and May 2021. Interview transcripts were checked for accuracy and were analysed using N-Vivo coding software for themes. The pre-pandemic and pandemic experiences of students were collected in the form of a data, including perceptions of the COVID-19 virus, the physical environment in which students lived, and the effect on their general wellbeing, social interactions, online learning, teaching, and assessment.

RESULTS

Mental health issues were more prevalent among female students compared to males and this was more evident amongst BAME females who had returned to living at home, possibly due to lack of personal space. There was a reduction in personal hygiene in White females. There was an increase in the use of social media, particularly by BAME females. Students mostly disliked online learning and exams. Concerns were also raised about how universities communicated important information to the students.

CONCLUSION

Based on the recommendations of the WHO in relation to COVID-19, universities need to effectively manage the information they provide to students and build trust through risk communication and community engagement. One important area in this regard is addressing access to mental health services. The reasons why BAME females experience more mental health issues should be explored further.

Knowledge, attitude, practices and perceived job stress among physical therapists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

AIM

The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and perceived job stress among physical therapists (PTs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was adopted; 300 PTs working within the KSA were randomly selected, and the KAP questionnaire was distributed through email using a Google form during the first quarter of 2022. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, KAP, and perceived stress level at the job. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.0.

RESULTS

Most PTs are knowledgeable about the management of COVID-19 patients, where their overall correct response to the items of the knowledge-related questionnaire was 87%. Most PTs had positive attitudes toward successful control of COVID-19 (83%) and took necessary precautions, such as frequent handwashing (97.2%) and adherence to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) guidelines (91.5%) during practice. The overall job stress level of the PTs was 'Moderate' (76.5%). This study showed a significant association between the level of job stress experienced by the PTs and selected demographic variables.

CONCLUSION

PTs have adequate knowledge, exhibit a positive attitude and adhere to CDC guidelines while managing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most PTs are prone to moderate job stress while managing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, and appropriate strategies must be devised to alleviate their job stress and improve their efficiency.