Development and validation of a questionnaire for assessing preventive practices and barriers among health care workers in COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objectives COVID-19 has affected thousands of health care workers worldwide. Suboptimal infection control practices have been identified as important risk factors. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to holistically assess the preventive practices of health care workers related to COVID-19 and identify the reasons for shortcomings therein. Methods The development of the questionnaire involved item generation through literature review, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with health care workers and experts, followed by validation through expert opinion, pilot testing and survey. A cross-sectional survey on 147 healthcare workers was done using an online platform and/or interviews in August 2020 in New Delhi, India. Exploratory factor analysis using principal component extraction with varimax rotation was performed to establish construct validity. Internal consistency of the tool was tested using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results The developed questionnaire consists of two sections: Section A contains 29 items rated on a five-point Likert scale to assess preventive practices and Section B contains 27 semi-structured items to assess reasons for suboptimal practices. The first section has good validity (CVR = 0.87, S-CVI/Av = 0.978) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.85) Conclusions This questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for holistic assessment of preventive practices and barriers to it among health care workers. It will be useful to identify vulnerable practices and sections in health care settings which would assist policymakers in designing appropriate interventions for infection prevention and control. This will also be useful in future pandemics of similar nature.

Association of Sociodemographic Parameters With Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Sleep Quality, Psychological Trauma, Mental Well-Being, and Resilience During the Second Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey From India

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Do Electronic Health Literacy and Online Health Information-Seeking Behavior Mediate the Effects of Socio-Demographic Factors on COVID-19- and Non-communicable Disease-Related Behaviors Among Myanmar Migrants in Southern Thailand?

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Knowledge and Skills in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Effect of Simulation Training on it among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Care Center in India

“…This was done through a standard methodology consisting of a literature review, focused group discussions, interviews with experts, item generation, and expert evaluation for content and face validity. 8 , 9 …”