Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Perceived Health Facility Preparedness Regarding COVID-19 in Sierra Leone

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Abstract

Background

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are known to spearhead the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are considered critical to the success of the current COVID-19 response efforts. This study aims to determine HCWs’ KAP toward COVID-19 and assesses their perception of their healthcare facilities preparedness to respond appropriately to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone.

Methods

We conducted an online cross-sectional study among HCWs (n=516) between 1st May 2020 and 30th June 2020. We collected our data using a self-administered structured questionnaire via email and online social media platforms. We analyzed our data using descriptive statistics and regression analysis (p<0.05).

Results

Close to three-fourth of HCWs (n=375, 72.7%) were knowledgeable regarding COVID-19. Doctors were more knowledgeable than community health workers and laboratory technicians (AOR= 2.48, 95% CI: 1.16–5.31, p=0.019) regarding COVID-19. Close to two-thirds of HCWs (n=301, 58.3%) HCWs show positive attitudes toward COVID-19. Being male (AOR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.36–3.20, p=0.001) and directly involved in COVID-19 patient care (AOR=3.21, 95% CI: 1.88–5.48, p<0.001) were identified as predictors of positive attitude towards COVID-19. HCWs are generally adhering to COVID-19 safe practices with majority indicating that they regularly wash or sanitize their hands (n=510, 98.8%) and used facemask at point of care (n=499, 96.7%). Majority of HCWs are of the view that their healthcare facilities are ill-prepared to adequately respond to COVID-19 with majority (n= 400, 77.5%) of them stating that their facilities lack enough personal protective equipment.

Conclusion

HCWs in Sierra Leone showed good knowledge, positive attitude and practice regarding COVID-19. However, HCWs are of the view that their healthcare facilities are ill-prepared to respond adequately to the COVID-19 outbreak. Health authorities and policymakers need to provide the necessary resources to allow HCWs to work in a safe environment.

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Most cited references 30

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Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China

Chaolin Huang, Yeming Wang, Xingwang Li … (2020)

Summary Background A recent cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, was caused by a novel betacoronavirus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). We report the epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics and treatment and clinical outcomes of these patients. Methods All patients with suspected 2019-nCoV were admitted to a designated hospital in Wuhan. We prospectively collected and analysed data on patients with laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection by real-time RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing. Data were obtained with standardised data collection forms shared by WHO and the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium from electronic medical records. Researchers also directly communicated with patients or their families to ascertain epidemiological and symptom data. Outcomes were also compared between patients who had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and those who had not. Findings By Jan 2, 2020, 41 admitted hospital patients had been identified as having laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection. Most of the infected patients were men (30 [73%] of 41); less than half had underlying diseases (13 [32%]), including diabetes (eight [20%]), hypertension (six [15%]), and cardiovascular disease (six [15%]). Median age was 49·0 years (IQR 41·0–58·0). 27 (66%) of 41 patients had been exposed to Huanan seafood market. One family cluster was found. Common symptoms at onset of illness were fever (40 [98%] of 41 patients), cough (31 [76%]), and myalgia or fatigue (18 [44%]); less common symptoms were sputum production (11 [28%] of 39), headache (three [8%] of 38), haemoptysis (two [5%] of 39), and diarrhoea (one [3%] of 38). Dyspnoea developed in 22 (55%) of 40 patients (median time from illness onset to dyspnoea 8·0 days [IQR 5·0–13·0]). 26 (63%) of 41 patients had lymphopenia. All 41 patients had pneumonia with abnormal findings on chest CT. Complications included acute respiratory distress syndrome (12 [29%]), RNAaemia (six [15%]), acute cardiac injury (five [12%]) and secondary infection (four [10%]). 13 (32%) patients were admitted to an ICU and six (15%) died. Compared with non-ICU patients, ICU patients had higher plasma levels of IL2, IL7, IL10, GSCF, IP10, MCP1, MIP1A, and TNFα. Interpretation The 2019-nCoV infection caused clusters of severe respiratory illness similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus and was associated with ICU admission and high mortality. Major gaps in our knowledge of the origin, epidemiology, duration of human transmission, and clinical spectrum of disease need fulfilment by future studies. Funding Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

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A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019

Na Zhu, Dingyu Zhang, Wenling Wang … (2020)

Summary In December 2019, a cluster of patients with pneumonia of unknown cause was linked to a seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, China. A previously unknown betacoronavirus was discovered through the use of unbiased sequencing in samples from patients with pneumonia. Human airway epithelial cells were used to isolate a novel coronavirus, named 2019-nCoV, which formed a clade within the subgenus sarbecovirus, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily. Different from both MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, 2019-nCoV is the seventh member of the family of coronaviruses that infect humans. Enhanced surveillance and further investigation are ongoing. (Funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Major Project for Control and Prevention of Infectious Disease in China.)

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Critical Supply Shortages — The Need for Ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Megan Ranney, Valerie Griffeth, Ashish Jha (2020)

New England Journal of Medicine

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Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): J Multidiscip Healthc

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): J Multidiscip Healthc

Journal ID (publisher-id): jmdh

Journal ID (pmc): jmulthealth

Title: Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare

Publisher: Dove

ISSN (Electronic): 1178-2390

Publication date (Electronic): 11 January 2021

Publication date Collection: 2021

Volume: 14

Pages: 67-80

Affiliations

[1 ]University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Complex, Connaught Hospital , Freetown, Sierra Leone

[2 ]Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone , Freetown, Sierra Leone

[3 ]Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo , Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia

[4 ]Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone , Freetown, Sierra Leone

[5 ]Institute for Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University Edinburg , Musselburgh, Scotland, UK

[6 ]Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xi’an Jiaotong University , Xi’an, People’s Republic of China

[7 ]Sierra Leone–China Friendship Hospital, Ministry of Health and Sanitation , Freetown, Sierra Leone

[8 ]Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health and Sanitation , Freetown, Sierra Leone

Author notes

Correspondence: Peter Bai James Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone , Freetown, Sierra Leone Email jamepeb@yahoo.com

[*]

These authors contributed equally to this work

Author information

Peter Bai James http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6373-5704

Christine Ellen Elleanor Williams http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7858-2854

Article

Publisher ID: 287156

DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S287156

PMC ID: 7810694

PubMed ID: 33469299

SO-VID: be126c03-1bb2-4a46-9573-16c1e41e6dc7

License:

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms ( https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).

History

Date received : 16 October 2020

Date accepted : 08 December 2020

Page count

Figures: 0, Tables: 8, References: 36, Pages: 14

Funding

Funded by: the authors;

This work was self-funded by the authors.

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Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Perceived Health Facility Preparedness Regarding COVID-19 in Sierra Leone

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Novel Coronavirus Disease COVID-19

Most cited references 30

Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China

A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019

Critical Supply Shortages — The Need for Ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment during the Covid-19 Pandemic

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