Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward MERS-CoV among primary health-care workers in Makkah Al-Mukarramah: an intervention study

Abstract

Background: Saudi Arabia (KSA) showed a higher number of Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection in Eastern Mediterranean Region. Satisfactory knowledge, positive attitude, and healthful practice of health-care workers (HCWs) regarding MERS-CoV are a cornerstone in prevention of virus spread and disease outbreak. Objective: To assess and improve knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of HCWs toward MERS-CoV. Materials and Methods: An interventional prospective study was conducted during the year 2015 on a randomly selected 398 HCWs in primary health-care centers of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, KSA. The participants were invited after their consent to fill a predesigned closed-ended Arabic-based questionnaire before and 3 months after exposure to a structured health education program. Result: The level of satisfactory knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice of studied HCWs significantly improved after exposure to the program, as it increased from 43.3%, 45%, and 57.4% before intervention to 67.9%, 63.8%, and 64.8% after intervention, respectively (P < 0.001). Older age, previous training, and experience were positively correlated with higher scores of knowledge. Conclusion: The study reflected the importance of health education as a cornerstone element in improving KAP toward MERS-CoV infection in preventing the virus spread and disease outbreak.

Knowledge and attitude toward Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus among heath colleges' students in Najran, Saudi Arabia

“…Previous study indicated the importance of health education in improving knowledge, attitude and practice toward MERS infection in preventing the virus spread and disease outbreak. 23 The study showed that level of satisfactory knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice of studied health care workers significantly improved after exposure to educational program. 23 Another study recommended that courses on new emerging diseases, field epidemiology, and tropical medicine should be introduced to medical students to prepare them for dealing with these types of health emergencies.…”

“…23 The study showed that level of satisfactory knowledge, positive attitude, and good practice of studied health care workers significantly improved after exposure to educational program. 23 Another study recommended that courses on new emerging diseases, field epidemiology, and tropical medicine should be introduced to medical students to prepare them for dealing with these types of health emergencies. 24 The present study showed positive attitude of the students about the disease and there were significant differences among different specialties.…”

“…The need for more education was in consistent with other previous works. 9,23 To improve the significant lack of knowledge among the health students in the basic science, more education and practical applications are needed. Previous study indicated the importance of health education in improving knowledge, attitude and practice toward MERS infection in preventing the virus spread and disease outbreak.…”

Development and validation of knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire for prevention of respiratory tract infections among Malaysian Hajj pilgrims

“…Various researchers had reported that an individual's level of KAP is linked to competent control and prevention of illness, response to medical treatment, and advancement of one's individual health [6][7][8][9]. KAP level at lower standard had been one of the foremost pointers of poor health, unproductive health care practice, the drop of the disease screening rate, and unrealistic preventive behavior toward various infections in various settings [10,11]. Similarly, reliability is similar with precision and shows the extent to which the measurement tool is reproducible by determining its internal consistency [12].…”

Exploring Nursing Intention, Stress, and Professionalism in Response to Infectious Disease Emergencies: The Experience of Local Public Hospital Nurses During the 2015 MERS Outbreak in South Korea

“…It was reported that nurses working with patients with SARS experienced psychological distress [8]. Moreover, 91.8% of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia, nearly half of them nurses, were found to have a negative attitude toward treating patients with suspected or confirmed MERS [9]. As MERSrelated deaths began to be reported, levels of anxiety and stress increased, mainly because of the possibility of involuntary placement and dispatch to other front-line areas with a workforce shortage.…”