Knowledge, Perception and Attitude of the Undergraduate Healthcare Students Relative to COVID-19 Infection at a Teaching Institute of Karachi
Ata Ur Rehman *
Department of Pharmacology, Hamdard College of Medicine & Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Kiran Khan
Department of Community Medicine, Iqra Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Jai Dev Maheshwari
Department of Community Medicine, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan.
Muhammad Aslam Bhatti
Department of Community Medicine, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College Lyari, Karachi, Pakistan.
. Kainat
Baqai Dental College, Baqai University, Karachi Pakistan.
Kashmala Khan
Baqai Dental College, Baqai University, Karachi Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Efforts are being made all over the world to raise awareness in order to prevent the disease from spreading. The purpose of this study was to assess undergraduate healthcare students' attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of COVID-19 disease. We conducted a cross- sectional survey in which a questionnaire with 12 questions was transformed online on Google forms and distributed online to healthcare students. Data was collected between May and June of 2021. The convenience sampling technique was used, resulting in a sample size of 926 people. A total of 926 individual questionnaires were evaluated. The findings revealed that the majority of participants learned about COVID-19 through social media and electronic media, which was the most common source of information. The majority of participants stated that older and middle-aged people are more likely to be affected. The protective measure against symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID 19 is N95 and surgical masks, as well as sanitization.
Half of the participants believe that COVID 19 is a bioweapon, and that it affects all religious groups equally. In general, undergraduate healthcare students had a fair understanding of the disease and a favorable attitude toward preventive measures. The government and the public are taking effective measures to combat disease spread; however, there is still a need for additional awareness campaigns and knowledge of safe interventions to combat disease spread.
Keywords: COVID-19, knowledge, perception, attitude, Karachi