Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices regarding COVID-19 National Guidelines in Selected Palestine Public Hospitals

Abstract

The front line of healthcare professionals that could be at high risk for COVID-19 is nursing personnel. In Palestine, there is a lack of data on nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 national guidelines. Undeniably, nurses’ adherence to control measures is affected by KAP. The study’s goal was to assess nurses’ KAP toward prescribed COVID-19 hospital guidelines. A cross-sectional, quantitative and descriptive design was used in this research involving a total of 340 nurses working in hospitals and health care centres in Palestine. The survey was conducted between May and July 2021 by means of a computerised survey questionnaire. Four portions of the questionnaire included sociodemographic data, nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 national guidelines. Results showed that a total of 248 (73.0%) nurses demonstrated good knowledge of COVID-19 national guidelines, 207 (61.0%) displayed positive attitudes, and 226 (66.6%) complied with prescribed COVID-19 guidelines as evidenced through observations of their daily nursing care practices. Increasing knowledge and training for improving attitudes and practices among frontline nurses is paramount for controlling the transmission of COVID-19. Nurses and other healthcare professionals who have direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 patients should be protected from infection by policies and education, which should be implemented.