A systematic review of the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of physicians, health workers, and the general population about Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

Background: Understanding people, physicians, and healthcare workers' knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAPs) can help to achieve the outcomes of planned behavior. The aim of this study was to investigate and synthesize the current evidence on KAPs regarding COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed/LitCovid, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases for papers in the English language only, up to 1 Jul 2020. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist developed for cross-sectional studies to appraise the quality of the included studies. All stages of the review conducted by two independent reviewers and potential discrepancies solved with a consultation with a third reviewer. We reported the result as number and percentage. PROSPERO registration code: (CRD42020186755). Results: Fifty-two studies encompassing 49786 participants were included in this review. 45.76% of the participants were male. The mean age of the participants was 32.6 years. 44.2% of the included studies were scored as good quality, 46.2% as fair quality, and remaining (9.6%) as low quality. 30.76% examined all three components of the KAPs model. The knowledge component was reported as good, fair, and poor in 59%, 34%, and 7%, respectively. Of the studies that examined the attitude component, 82% reported a positive attitude, 11% a fairly positive attitude, and 7% a negative attitude. For the practice component, 52% reported good practice, 44% fair practice, and 4% poor practice. Conclusion: This systematic review showed that the overall KAP components in the included studies were at an acceptable level. In general, knowledge was at a good level, the attitude was positive and practice was at a fairly good level. Using an integrated international system can help better evaluate these components and compare them between countries.

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