Knowledge about chest imaging findings in COVID-19 among healthcare workers in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Objectives: Chest imaging, particularly computed tomography, plays a crucial role in the evaluation of patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. This study aimed to assess physicians’ knowledge about chest imaging findings in COVID-19 patients in Goma, North Kivu Province (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 202 physicians who responded to the survey questionnaire. Performance was tested in terms of the mean score and proportions of correct answers for each questionnaire item. Multiple logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with good knowledge. Results: The mean score obtained by respondents was 8.55 ± 2.49 out of 16 points. The proportion of physicians with more than 60% correct answers was 37.13%. There was no significant statistical association between good knowledge and the demographic and professional characteristics of the respondents (P > 0.05). Conclusion: This study found that physicians’ knowledge about chest imaging findings in COVID-19 patients is poor. This lack of sufficient information on the part of healthcare workers indicates the need to develop continuing education programs.