Knowledge, attitude and practices study regarding current COVID-19 pandemic in patients presenting to rheumatology clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: The most important step in controlling the spread of any communicable disease is to stick to preventive measures and COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Keeping this in mind, a KAP study was performed in the rheumatology unit of a tertiary care hospital of Islamabad. The main idea was to know the level of understanding of rheumatologic patients with respect to COVID-19 pandemic and its preventive measures.
 Objective: The objective of the study was to understand the knowledge, attitude and practices of rheumatologic patients towards COVID-19 pandemic.
 Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study in which consecutive, non-probability sampling technique was used.
 Results: There were 37 males and 73 females in the study group, with mean age of 38.75±13.9 years.
 The total knowledge score was 17 points. It was found that 12 (10.9%) participants had poor knowledge regarding COVID-19, whereas 27 (24.5%) and 71 (64.5%) had good and excellent knowledge respectively. The total attitude score of study participants 7 points. It was found that 11 (10.0%) participants had poor attitude, whereas 72 (65.5%) and 27 (24.5%) had good and excellent attitude. The total practice score was 11 points. It was calculated that 30 (27.3%) study participants had poor practices regarding COVID-19 prevention, whereas 78 (70.9%) had good practices and only 2 (1.8%) had excellent practices.
 Conclusion: Overall, it was noted that KAP of our rheumatologic patients towards COVID-19 infection was reasonable, however, there is always room for improvement.

Systematic review and meta‐analysis of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID‐19 among chronic disease patients: A global perspective

“…Following this phase, a comprehensive review of the full-text articles was conducted, excluding 186 studies from further consideration. A total of 23 studies, including 21 studies for knowledge, 10,12,13,15,[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] 12 studies for attitudes, 10,12,14,15,[19][20][21]23,29,30,34,35 and 12 studies for practice 10,12,[18][19][20][21]23,[29][30][31]35 were included in the meta-analysis (Figure 1).…”

“…Although numerous studies have explored chronic disease patients’ knowledge, and attitudes toward COVID‐19, 10 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 their findings are inconsistent in some cases, such as the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice. To safeguard this high‐risk population, improve disease treatment, and put into place efficient public health measures to stop the virus's transmission and lessen its effects on vulnerable groups, it is essential to comprehend the KAP of people with chronic illnesses with regard to COVID‐19.…”

“…11 Understanding KAP in high-risk populations, particularly in the patients with chronic diseases, can help produce favorable outcomes in planned behavior concerning COVID-19 prevention. 10,12 Although numerous studies have explored chronic disease patients' knowledge, and attitudes toward COVID-19, 10,[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] their findings are inconsistent in some cases, such as the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice. To safeguard this high-risk population, improve disease treatment, and put into place efficient public health measures to stop the virus's transmission and lessen its effects on vulnerable groups, it is essential to comprehend the KAP of people with chronic illnesses with regard to COVID-19.…”