ASSESSING KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF LIBYAN HEALTH WORKERS TOWARDS THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19): A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background and objectives: The increasing incidence of COVID-19 continues to cause distress, concern, and anxiety amongst the public, mostly for healthcare workers, as they are the most vulnerable individuals at risk of contracting this new SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. This study measured levels of knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 among health care workers in Libya.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Libya between April 22 and June 16, 2020 using online pre-validate questionnaire. A total of 272 valid participants from 28.7% nurses, 25.3% physicians, 34.2% pharmacists, and 11.8% other health care workers, were included.

Results: The majority of respondents (54.4%) were from the western part of Libya, and most of participants (41.2%) used international health websites as a source of information. Most of the participants (89.3%) perceived that they had adequate knowledge about COVID-19, and (95.6%) of respondents affirmed that COVID-19 can be life-threatening disease. All participants agreed that the transmission of COVID-19 can be prevented by using standard and isolation precautions given by the health care authorities. In addition, most participants had good attitude toward the adequate information about COVID-19 in Libyan society.

Conclusion: Readiness for the pandemic were low among government institutions as spotted from this study. Therefore, an effective educational training program should be implemented to ensure maintenance of appropriate practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19, Pandemic, HCWs – Libya.