Knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare workers towards COVID-19 in three states of Nigeria in 2022

Abstract

BACKGROUND Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 can directly impact healthcare workers' (HCWs) services and efforts to contain the spread of the disease. This study assessed KAP towards COVID-19 among HCWs (laboratorians, doctors, nurses and pharmacists) in Nigeria from August to December 2022. METHOD A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1341 HCWs (laboratorians, doctors, nurses and pharmacists) in 7 healthcare facilities across 3 states in Nigeria. HCWs were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire including sociodemographic and health information, and KAP sections was administered to participants. Using Bloom's cut-off, percentages of correct responses to KAP questions were grouped as either satisfactory (≥80%) or unsatisfactory (<80%). Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between HCWs' cadre and satisfactory KAP. RESULTS The proportions of HCW with satisfactory KAP were 64.5%, 51.2% and 5.3%, respectively. Laboratorians had the lowest satisfactory KAP scores (59.4%, 45.9% and 2.0%). There was a weak linear relationship between knowledge and practice (r=0.1, p:0.03), knowledge and attitude (r=0.2, p<0.001), and attitude and practice scores (r=0.20, p<0.001). 6-10 years of practice increased HCWs' odds of satisfactory knowledge (p=0.049). HCWs' cadre was not significantly associated with knowledge and practice towards COVID-19 (P>.05). However, nurses compared to laboratorians had higher odds of satisfactory attitude (p:0.033). Socio-demographic factors associated with satisfactory attitude towards COVID-19 were age group, gender, marital status, vaccination status, and satisfactory knowledge (p