Pharmacy and Pharm.D students' knowledge and information needs about COVID-19

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates collaborative teamwork by all healthcare providers including pharmacists. Since Pharmacy and Pharm. D students represent the future pharmacists, it is necessary to ensure that they have a good awareness about COVID-19 or any other pandemic that could happen in the future. Objective: The study aim was to evaluate Pharmacy and Pharm.D students’ knowledge and information needs about COVID-19. Method: A cross-sectional web-based design survey was used to assess socio-demographics and knowledge about COVID-19 amongst Pharmacy and Pharm. D students. After being validated, the questionnaire was formatted into Google forms and distributed amongst undergraduate Pharmacy and Pharm. D students in accredited Universities in Jordan. Results: A total of 860 Pharmacy and Pharm.D students completed the questionnaire. Results revealed moderate students’ knowledge about COVID-19 (mean knowledge score was 5.6 out of 10). Students had high correct response rates in questions asking about transmission method, treatment, zoonotic transmission and medications to be avoided. However, the students demonstrated low knowledge in questions asking about the incubation period and degree of contagion scores. Several factors were associated with students’ level of knowledge including the field of study and academic year. Few students relied on their faculty as the main source of information about the infection and most of them relied on self-reading and social network. Conclusion: The results of this study clearly demonstrate unsatisfactory level of knowledge and a lot of information needs about COVID-19 amongst Pharmacy and Pharm. D students. More efforts should be deployed to educate pharmacy students about COVID-19, with an emphasis on the need for more active role by the universities to achieve this goal.