Attitudes and knowledge of medical students concerning prevention and pharmacotherapy of COVID-19 infection in Serbia

Abstract

Introduction: COVID-19 infection represents a worldwide health issue. To prevent the infection, it is necessary to possess adequate knowledge regarding the virus itself, transmission routes, clinical forms of disease and prevention measures. Also, it is crucial to stay informed about protocols and pharmacotherapeutic options in the treatment of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Aim: This study aimed to investigate knowledge and attitudes about prevention and pharmacotherapy of COVID-19 infection among students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade as well as compare differences between 1st, 3rd and 6th year students. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 479 students of all six years of study. The questionnaire was distributed online and it was available between November 30 and December 20, 2021. Results were obtained and analyzed in statistical software SPSS 22.0 (IBM Corp. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows. Armonk, NY: IBM Cor; 2017). Results: Most of the students that took the part in the survey were females (72%) and the majority of our participants were vaccinated against COVID-19 infection at the time of the survey (92.7%). The vaccination rate in 1st year students was 78.8%, in 3rd year 97.3% and 97.4% in 6th year students. Different than the 6th year students, 1st year students tend to believe that vaccine is the most efficient preventive measure (medium value ± standard deviation; 1.2 ± 0.1 vs 0.7 ± 0.1; p < 0.001). The results showed that there is a significant difference in knowledge about pharmacotherapy of this infection between students at the beginning of the studies and older peers (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Students showed progress in understanding pharmacotherapy during their studies in the Faculty of Medicine, meaning that courses they take in Pharmacology and Toxicology and clinical experience improve their knowledge and skills when it comes to therapeutic approaches.