Evaluation of Healthcare Workers Attitudes Toward Handling and Treating COVID-19 Patients in Diyala Governorate, Iraq

Abstract

Background: In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global state of emergency due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: This study aimed to determine the attitudes of healthcare workers in various Iraqi health institutions towards treating patients with COVID-19. Additionally, it aimed to identify the most important reasons behind preventing them from doing their job. Methods: Between Nov. 2021 to Dec. 2022, we conducted a self-administered cross-sectional survey of 207 healthcare worker participants. The data were collected using a questionnaire that included three parts. The first part included sociodemographic data, the second part aimed to assess the participants’ information concerning how they dealt with this pandemic, and the third part was designed to identify the participants’ attitudes. The statistic data were analysed by using (SPSS), 25.0/ IBM Crop., Armonk, NY. The scientific content of the questionnaire items was taken from the online literature as well as updated information on the WHO website. Results: The results study revealed that 135 (65.22\%) of the participants were willing to receive and treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals and private clinics. While 72 (34.78\%) of the study participants showed their unwillingness to treat infected patients. The most crucial reasons behind their reluctance were the fear of transmission of infection and the lack of protective equipment. Conclusion: The study concluded that the participants' willingness was good. This was indicated by their positive attitudes toward carrying out their medical duties and commitment to providing health care and treatment for COVID-19 patients. There is an urgent need to reduce psychological and physical stress as well as the pressures that health workers suffer from because they are facing large numbers of daily infections. This reduction is achieved via training, continuous education and equipping hospitals with the latest protective supplies to confront epidemics and pandemics.