Exploring Gaps in Healthcare Workers Knowledge, Attitude, Perception and Practice of COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Rivers State Nigeria

Abstract

Background Knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention affect the effectiveness of healthcare workers in the pandemic response. This study assessed gaps in awareness, knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention among healthcare workers in Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey carried out six weeks into Rivers State response that commenced on February 20, 2020, in the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs). State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers used multistage sampling to recruit 555 healthcare workers for the survey. A self-designed structured interviewer-administered questionnaire built into the Open Data Kit application for android phones was used for data collection. Descriptive data analysis was done, and outputs presented as frequency and percentages. Results There was a total of 372 (67.0%) female respondents. Majority of study participants had tertiary education 453 (81.6%). The mean age of study participants was 40.6 years (Standard Deviation = 7.8 years). Furthermore, 285 (51.4%) were Community Health Workers, and had over ten years practicing experience 393 (70.8%). Most healthcare workers 554 (99.8%) had heard about Covid-19, through radio 539 (97.1%), and television 445 (80.2%) yet 213 (38.4%) respondents did not know that it is caused by a virus. Most respondents 415 (74.8%) had good knowledge about Covid-19. However, only 148 (26.7%) would refer suspected cases to a facility and only 365 (65.8%) respondents demonstrated the correct hand washing technique. Conclusion There are some gaps in health worker knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention. Interventions to bridge these gaps are needed for effective containment of this pandemic.