Knowledge and apprehension score correlation among healthcare workers in COVID-19 block of tertiary care hospital

Abstract

COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan (China), in December 2019. Mode of transmission was by respiratory droplets)or by surface transmission. Changing symptoms, treatment guidelines, and increased transmissibility of the virus were a concern among the healthcare workers. During the pandemic, the anxiety and stress levels were high among HCWs as they were disturbed by the increased caseload with colleagues testing positive. The present study aimed to find a correlation between knowledge and fear among health care workers working in COVID-19 areas of a tertiary care government hospital. This was a hospital-based study conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. It was an observational study with a cross-sectional study design. The study was conducted in OPD and IPD of COVID-19 for a period of three months. Study participants were consultants, residents, nurses, hospital attendants, and paramedical staff. Pre-structured questionnaires for knowledgeand fear assessment were utilized. A total of 358 study participants were enrolled. The mean age of study participants was 29± 6.17. The mean knowledge and fear score of all study participants was 9.85 ± 1 and 19.86 ± 5.2 respectively. A negative correlation (r= - 0.04) was found between the knowledge and fear scores. There was a significant difference in knowledge among different groups of HCWs, but the level of fear was not significantly different It was established that the negative correlation between the knowledge and fear score among health care workers working in COVID-19 situation in tertiary health care hospitalRegular training and dissemination of the new updates regarding the pandemic can help in allaying the fear. Making appropriate personal protective equipment available at the healthcare center will boost the confidence of the health workers.