INTRODUCTION:

At the end of December 2019, 27 cases of severe pneumonia of unknown cause, which was later found to be caused by previously unknown Coronaviruses, have presented to hospitals in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Interestingly, many of these cases were exposed to a seafood market known as Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market which also traded live animals^1-2. Later on, Wuhan city became the origin of an outbreak of pneumonia cases of unknown cause that has got not only local warning but also international concerns and has led to a pandemic caused millions of infections and over 2 million deaths till 6^th of February 2021^3-4. Immediately, Chinese health authorities started investigating in the reported cases from Wuhan city in order to identify the disease and control it. Also, the surveillance system which has been placed after SARS (2002) outbreak was activated and the samples from patients’ respiratory system were sent to reference labs. Additionally, suspected people were isolated, their contacts were monitored closely and data of epidemiological and clinical nature were collected. Hygiene proceedings and sanitation of the market were applied and on 1st January the market was closed to the general public^2,3,5.

By Jan 7, 2020, a novel coronavirus was isolated from patients at the early beginning of the outbreak and its genetic sequence was identified which enabled creating specific diagnostic tests for 2019-nCoV (RT-PCR)^3,6. At the genome level, this virus shares more than 70% of its sequence identity with SARS-CoV and 96% with a bat coronavirus previously detected in Rhinolophus affinis^6-7. On 10 January 2020, genome sequence of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was available to public and uploaded to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data [GISAID]².

On 11 January, the first case of death by the novel coronavirus was reported. The second case of death with 2019-nCoV infection was reported on 16 January 2020².On 20 January 2020, transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) to health care workers who were in contact with the patients was reported⁵.

The number of the cases were rapidly increasing and some cases were not exposed to that market which indicated that human to human transmission was happening⁸. A total of 835 cases (286 cases from regions other than Hubei) were reported by 24 January. Also, cases among individuals returning from Wuhan to their countries such as Thailand, South Korea and Japan were reported^3,5.

Huang et al⁸ reported the clinical features of the first patients infected with 2019-nCoV. These 41 patients were confirmed to be infected with 2019-nCoV by RT-PCR. 22 of the 41 patients suffered of severe dyspnea, 13 were admitted to the ICU due to hypoxemia and 6 died. The symptoms onset of the first patient was on 1st December, 2019. The most common symptoms were fever (40 patients), cough (31 patients) and fatigue (18 patients). On the other hand, the less common symptoms were producing sputum, headache, haemoptysis and diarrhea. All of the patients had abnormalities in their chest CT scans⁸.

Pneumonia was common in all of the 41 patients. 12 patients developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). 6, 5 and 4 patients developed RNAaemia, acute cardiac injury and secondary infection, respectively. Invasive mechanical ventilation was needed by 4 patients⁸.

By Jan 22, 2020, 28 patients were discharged based on regression of fever for at least 10 days, progress in chest radiographic manifestations and viral clearance in the upper respiratory tract samples⁸.

2. Risks to health care workers:

No doubt that COVID-19 pandemic has placed enormous pressure on health care facilities and personnel across the world. Health care workers (HCWs), being in the front line dealing with COVID-19 patients, are facing various challenges. They are treating COVID-19 patients with the risks it carries, attempting to limiting the spread of infection and developing short and long-term strategies, not to mention the responsibilities toward non-COVID patients, their families and themselves⁹.

Other difficulties that are impeding the efforts in facing such pandemic include a shortage in health care staff. For example, in the UK, the ratio of specialist critical care nurse to patients has been changed from 1:1 to become 1:6¹⁰.

Despite the risks of being infected, HCWs were dedicated to their profession and responsibilities. In the first 3 months of the pandemic, it has been found that HCWs dealing with COVID-19 patients were 3 times more likely at risk of COVID-19 related admission comparing to HCWs who are not in contact with COVID-19 patients¹¹. When it comes to psychological wellness, HCWs had a variety of symptoms. The most common symptoms were anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression¹². For instance, medical personnel had higher levels of anxiety, fear and depression when compared with administrative personnel. In addition, sleep quality was negatively affected by stress and anxiety levels. HCWs in the frontline had higher prevalence of sleeping disturbances and insomnia. 36.1% of the participants were found to have insomnia symptoms. Therefore, working in an isolation unit, being anxious and worried of being infected and lack of support are considered as risk factors for insomnia in HCWs⁹.

Therefore, being aware about COVID-19 is of high importance for HCWs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitude about COVID-19.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

1. Aims and Objectives:

The overall aim of this study is to evaluate the Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and attitude about COVID-19. The objectives of the study are:

1. Assessment of Healthcare professionals’ knowledge and perception about COVID-19

2. Determine the significant factors that influence their knowledge aboutCOVID-19.

2. Study Design:

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out among convenient sample of health care professionals in the UAE. The survey was carried out by using an online self-administrated questionnaire. The later was composed into demographic, knowledge of COVID-19 and attitude of Covid-19.

A convenient sample composing of 353 health care professionals (consultants, general practitioners, clinical pharmacists, community pharmacists and nurses) were collected. Participants were from different age groups, different nationalities and from both genders (male and female).

3. Scoring of the questionnaire:

Knowledge about COVID-19 was measured by asking 27 questions distributed as follows: seven questions evaluated the COVID-19 Symptoms, four questions assessedCOVID-19 transmission, five questions assessed COVID-19 complications, four questions assessed COVID-19 recommendations and seven questions assessed COVID-19 specific information. Questions evaluating the COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, complications, recommendations included 2 items with categorical responses: (yes/no). Correct answer was given score 1 point, while a wrong answer was scored 0 points. Knowledge scores were calculated for each respondent by summing the grading for the correct responses. Questions evaluating attitude about COVID-19 included four items with categorical responses: (agree/neutral/disagree). In this study, 3 cut-off limits were used for grading the knowledge scores based on quadrants. The level of knowledge is considered poor if the knowledge score range less than 19 (25th quartile), acceptable if it ranging from 19-23(26-75th quartile) and good if it greater than 23 points (>75^thquartile).

4. Statistical analysis:

The data was analyzed using the SPSS version 26. Qualitative variables were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Mann Whitney u test Kruskal Wallis test were used to test the differences in quantitative variables across groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between the knowledge about COVID-19 and significant factors. A p value <0.05 was chosen as the criteria to make decisions regarding statistical significance.

RESULT:

1. Overview:

A total of 353 health care professional participated in the study and completed the whole questionnaire. The average knowledge score was 76.3% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [75.2%, 77.5%]. Of the total participants, 122(34.6%) have poor knowledge, 81 (22.9%) have acceptable knowledge and 150 (42.5%) have good knowledge. In the present study, significantly higher knowledge scores were observed in Western participants (OR 2.83; 95% CI 1.51 – 5.29), General practitioners (OR 1.319; 95% CI 1.03 – 1.69), participants working in Dubai (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.28– 1.69) and participants who had been in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases (OR 1.235; 95 % CI 1.11– 1.37). On the other hand, significantly lower knowledge scores were observed in participants aged 30-39 years (OR 0.760; 95% CI 0.647– 0.893), Arabian participants (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.58– 0.98) and participants with less than 1-year experience (OR 0.729; 95% CI 0.601– 0.883).

2. Demographic characteristics of the study participants:

Table 1 displays the demographics of the study participants. A total of 353 health care professional participated in the study and completed the whole questionnaire. Of the total participants, 68.3% (n=241) were female and 61.2% (n=216) were married. The nationality of the study subjects as following: 8 (2.3%) Western, 42(11.9%) Emirati, 69(19.5%) Asian, 218 (61.8%) Arabian and 16(4.5%) African. Community pharmacists (n=2017, or 58.6%) constituted the largest major in the study followed by nurses (n=56, or15.9%), general practitioners (n=50, or 14.2%), Clinical pharmacists (n=25, or 7.1%) and Consultants (n=15, or 4.2%). Regarding the years of experience, 75 participants (21.2%) reported having <1 year, 96 participants (27.2%) reported having 1 - 5 years, 67 participants (19%) reported having 6 - 10 years and 115 participants (32.6%) reported having more than 10 years. Of the total number of participants, 203(57.5%) working in private sector and 150(42.5%) working in governmental sector. The Emirate of work in study as following: 5(1.4%) Umm Al Quwain, 42(11.9%) Sharjah, 10(2.8%) Ras Al Khaimah, 155(43.9%) Fujairah, 76(21.5%) Dubai, 22(6.2%) Ajman and 43 (12.2%) Abu Dhabi. Among the total participants, 283 (80.2%) Received public awareness campaigns or lectures on COVID-19 and 207(58.6%) had directly in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Table 1: Number and percentages of the questions on demographic information (n=353)

Demographic	Responses	F	%
Gender	Male	112	31.7%
Gender	Female	241	68.3%
Marital status	Single	137	38.8%
Marital status	Married	216	61.2%
Nationality	Western	8	2.3%
	Emirati	42	11.9%
	Asian	69	19.5%
	Arabic	218	61.8%
	African	16	4.5%
Major	Consultant	15	4.2%
	community pharmacist	207	58.6%
	Nurses	56	15.9%
	General practitioner	50	14.2%
	Clinical pharmacist	25	7.1%
Experience years	< 1 year	75	21.2%
	1 - 5 years	96	27.2%
	6 - 10 years	67	19%
	> 10 years	115	32.6%
Current working sector	Private sector	203	57.5%
Current working sector	Governmental sector	150	42.5%
Emirate of work	Umm Al Quwain	5	1.4%
	Sharjah	42	11.9%
	Ras Al Khaimah	10	2.8%
	Fujairah	155	43.9%
	Dubai	76	21.5%
	Ajman	22	6.2%
	Abu Dhabi	43	12.2%
Received public awareness campaigns or lectures on COVID-19	Yes	283	80.2%
Received public awareness campaigns or lectures on COVID-19	No	70	19.8%
Directly in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases	Yes	207	58.6%
	No	146	41.4%
Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

3. Assessment of Participants’ Knowledge about COVID-19:

The average knowledge score was 76.3% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) [75.2%, 77.5%]. Of the total participants, 122(34.6%) have poor knowledge, 81 (22.9%) have acceptable knowledge and 150(42.5%) have good knowledge.

Table 2 presents the participants’ knowledge about COVID-19 according to their demographics. There was a statistically significant association between gender and knowledge scores, with higher knowledge scores among for male participants (P=0.031). Similarly, a statistically significant association was observed between the knowledge scores and nationalities, with better knowledge scores among Western and African participants (P<0.001). There was a significant association between major and knowledge scores. General practitioners and consultants scored better in knowledge about COVID-19 compared to other healthcare professionals (P=0.004).

Participants with more experience years scored better compared to those with less experience years (P=0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant associations between the Emirate of work and knowledge scores (P=0.009) with higher knowledge scores among the participant working in Dubai. Participants who have been in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases more likely to score better in knowledge about COVID-19 (P=0.001). Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5 present the results of each questions related to knowledge about COVID-19.

Scientific articles (85.3%), Social media (81.9%) and Awareness campaigns (80.5%) were the most identified Information source about COVID-19 in the study (Table 6).

Table 2: Participants' knowledge towards COVID-19 according to demographic factors

	COVID-19 knowledge score
Demographic Variables	Mean ± SD		Median		P- value
Gender
Male	78.17	10.89	77.77		0.031
Female	75.47	10.91	76.83		0.031
Marital status
Single	75.94	11.32	76.24		0.595
Married	76.58	10.75	77.44
Nationality
Western	93.98	1.917	92.56		< 0.001
Emirati	74.69	10.69	74.07
Asian	77.40	10.04	77.89
Arabic	75.25	10.75	77.52
African	81.94	12.08	82.41
Major
Consultant	78.52	15.024	77.77		0.004
community pharmacist	74.77	10.14	74.07
Nurses	76.91	12.67	75.82
General practitioner	81.26	9.45	81.48
Clinical pharmacist	76.74	11.08	77.54
Experience years
< 1 year	72.39	13.73	74.03		0.001
1 - 5 years	76.08	7.98	77.77
6 - 10 years	76.45	9.77	77.94
> 10 years	79.03	11.08	81.58
Current working sector
Private sector	75.41	11.08	77.72		0.078
Governmental sector	77.58	10.71	78.03
Emirate of work
Abu Dhabi	76.31	11.96	77.77		0.009
Dubai	79.67	10.16	81.51
Northern emirates	75.24	10.85	74.11
Received public awareness campaigns or lectures on COVID-19
Yes	76.55	10.36	77.03	0.454
No	75.45	13.17	77.09
Directly in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases
Yes	77.97	10.50	77.78	0.001
No	73.99	11.22	74.04

Notes: P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant, P-values obtained from the Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests

Table 3: Number and percentages of the questions on knowledge about the symptoms of COVID19

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include
	Yes		NO
	F	%	F	%
Fever	343	97.2%	10	2.8%
Diarrhea	104	29.5%	249	70.5%
Cough	309	87.5%	44	12.5%
Headache	268	75.9%	85	24.1%
Shortness of breath	275	77.9%	78	22.1%
loss of appetite	132	37.4%	221	62.6%
Fatigue	301	85.3%	52	14.7%
The less common symptoms of COVID-19 include
	Yes		No
	F	%	F	%
Fever	49	13.9%	304	86.1%
Diarrhea	270	76.5%	83	23.5%
Cough	57	16.1%	296	83.9%
Headache	101	28.6%	252	71.4%
Shortness of breath	79	22.4%	274	77.6%
loss of appetite	227	64.3%	126	35.7%
Fatigue	88	24.9%	265	75.1%

Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

Table 4: Number and percentages of the questions on knowledge about the transmission, complications and recommendations related to COVID 19

Transmission of COVID 19 include
	Yes		No
	F	%	F	%
Droplets and secretions of respiratory tract	346	98%	7	2%
Transfusion of infectious blood	162	45.9%	191	54.1%
Eating undercooked meat/chicken	71	20.1%	282	79.9%
Contaminated surface or objects	332	94.1%	21	5.9%
Close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 increase the risk of catching coronavirus infection	340	96.3%	13	3.7%
Complications of COVID-19 include
	Yes		No
	F	%	F	%
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)	335	94.9%	18	5.1%
Severe Pneumonia	315	89.2%	38	10.8%
Acute Renal failure	167	47.3%	186	52.7%
Sepsis or septic shock	186	52.7%	167	47.3%
Disseminated intravascular coagulation	243	68.8%	110	31.2%
Recommendations for preventing COVID-19 include
	Yes		No
	F	%	F	%
Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds	343	97.2%	10	2.8%
Rubbing hands with alcohol-based hand rub (60 - 95% alcohol	345	97.7%	8	2.3%
Wearing a face mask to cover nose and mouth	344	97.5%	9	2.5%
Physical distancing	337	95.5%	16	4.5%

Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

Table 5: Number and percentages of the questions on COVID19 specific characteristics

COVID19 specific characteristics	Responses	F	%
The incubation period of COVID19	2 - 21 days	41	11.6%
	2 - 14 days	309	87.5%
	1-30 days	3	0.8%
SpO2 value that indicates hypoxia in non-COPD patients	Below 95%	97	27.5%
	Below 90%	125	35.4%
	Below 85%	131	37.1%
Increased risk of COVID-19 complications	Patients without comorbidities	6	1.7%
	Patients of any age but with comorbidities	110	31.2%
	Patients above 40 years old with comorbidities	178	50.4%
	All patients are at increased risk of complications	59	16.7%
Being in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 increase the risk of catching coronavirus infection	Yes	340	96.3%
	No	13	3.7%
previous recommendations are effective in preventing COVID-19	Yes	330	93.5%
	No	23	6.5%
Infection can be transmitted from asymptomatic people and before the onset of symptoms	Yes	326	92.4%
	No	27	7.6%
Some people are considered super spreaders	Yes	299	84.7%
Some people are considered super spreaders	No	54	15.3%

Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

Table 6: number and percentages of the questions on source of information about COVID19

Information source	F	%
Scientific articles	301	85.3%
Awareness campaigns	284	80.5%
Social media	289	81.9%
TV	244	69.1%
Family / Friends	224	63.5%
Not interested	55	15.6%

Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

4. Participants’ attitudes about COVID-19:

Table 7 displays the participants’ perceptions about COVID-19. Of the total participants, 25.8% (n=91) believed that COVID-19 can be treated at home without consulting a doctor. About 137 participants (38.8%) believed that COVID-19 is a fatal disease and 43.6% of them perceived that COVID-19 pandemic will remain till end of 2021.

Table 7: Number and percentages of the questions on perception about COVID19

Perception items	Disagree		Neutral		Agree
Perception items	F	%	F	%	F	%
COVID-19 can be treated at home without consulting a doctor	153	43.3%	109	30.9%	91	25.8%
COVID-19 is a fatal disease	110	31.2%	106	30%	137	38.8%
Media is overestimating COVID-19	95	26.9%	111	31%	147	41.6%
COVID-19 pandemic will remain till end of 2021	52	14.7%	147	41.6%	154	43.6%
Abbreviations: F, frequency; %, Percentage

5. Factors associated with participants’ knowledge about COVID-19:

Table 8 shows the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis for the factors associated with participants’ knowledge about COVID-19. In the present study, significantly higher knowledge scores were observed in Western participants (OR 2.83; 95 % CI 1.51 – 5.29), General practitioners (OR 1.319; 95 % CI 1.03 – 1.69), participants working in Dubai (OR 1.47; 95 % CI 1.28– 1.69) and participants who had been in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases (OR 1.235; 95 % CI 1.11– 1.37). On the other hand, significantly lower knowledge scores were observed in participants aged 30-39 years (OR 0.760; 95 % CI 0.647– 0.893), Arabian participants (OR 0.76; 95 % CI 0.58– 0.98) and participants with less than 1-year experience (OR 0.729; 95 % CI 0.601– 0.883).

Table 8: Multivariate regression analysis of factors associated with COVID-19 knowledge score.

Demographic Variables	OR	95% CI		P-value
Gender (Ref. Female)
Male	0.996	0.882	1.124	0.949
Age groups (Ref. ≥ 40)
20-29	0.902	0.706	1.153	0.410
30-39	0.760	0.647	0.893	0.001
Marital status (Ref. Married)
Single	1.058	0.926	1.208	0.405
Nationality (Ref. African)
Western	2.83	1.51	5.29	0.001
Emirati	0.75	0.55	1.031	0.077
Asian	0.85	0.63	1.14	0.274
Arabic	0.76	0.58	0.98	0.036
Major (Ref. Clinical pharmacist)
Consultant	1.049	0.75	1.45	0.77
community pharmacist	0.960	0.78	1.18	0.69
Nurses	0.795	0.62	1.02	0.07
General practitioner	1.319	1.03	1.69	0.028
Experience years (Ref. > 10 years)
< 1 year	0.729	0.601	0.883	0.001
1 - 5 years	0.933	0.766	1.136	0.488
6 - 10 years	0.966	0.827	1.129	0.664
Current working sector (Ref. Governmental sector)
Private sector	0.924	0.810	1.055	0.242
Emirate of work (Ref. Northern emirates)
Abu Dhabi	1.01	0.86	1.194	0.883
Dubai	1.47	1.28	1.69	< 0.001
Received public awareness campaigns or lectures on COVID-19 (Ref.No)
Yes	0.931	0.818	1.061	0.285
Directly in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases (Ref.No)
Yes	1.235	1.111	1.372	< 0.001
Notes: P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant, Abbreviation OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.

DISCUSSION:

What makes this study different than any similar study is that it evaluates COVID-19 related knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals working in various specialties. It covers consultants, general practitioners, nurses, clinical and community pharmacists which gives an indication for the overall knowledge and attitude. Since community pharmacists are included in the survey, this will reflect the COVID-19 knowledge status in professionals contacting closely with various individuals from the community which may not be applied in the hospital setting. Also, it investigates the possible related factors that may influence their knowledge regarding COVID-19. The participants were from all Emirates in the UAE.

Generally speaking, this study revealed that healthcare professionals have a good knowledge about COVID-19 with an average score of 76.3%. In details, about 34% of them have poor knowledge which requires more investigation to determine and strengthen the weak points in the awareness process. About 65% of them showed acceptable and good knowledge.

When it comes to COVID-19 transmission, most of the HCWs showed a good level of knowledge which may be resulted from attending the awareness campaigns or lectures (80.2%) or reading scientific articles or published information in the social media. When they were asked about COVID-19 transmission, more than 90% of the participants were able to identify that COVID-19 can be transmitted through droplets and secretions of respiratory tract, contaminated surface or objects and close contact with a person known to have COVID-19. It indicates that the majority of HCWs are aware about the main routes of transmission (respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces)^13,14. Detailed questions about the transmission showed lower level of knowledge (e.g. eating undercooked meat/chicken). Also, a confusion regarding COVID-19 transmission through transfusion of infectious blood was obvious in their answers since 45.9% agreed that it can be transmitted. Therefore, awareness campaigns that cover more details may be required.

Regarding prevention precautions, most of the HCWs (>95%) believed that washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, rubbing hands with alcohol-based hand rub (60-95% alcohol), wearing a face mask and physical distancing are recommended and effective in preventing COVID-19 infection. This indicates that they are aware about the infection control standard precautions¹⁵. Also, it gives an indication that HCWs are most probably applying them. In addition, 96.3% of health care professionals believed that being in close contact with COVID-19 patient will increase the risk of being infected.

Understanding the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and its complications is of great importance for health care workers. We found that HCWs were aware about the prevalence of fever, cough and fatigue in COVID-19 patients. Out of the total participants, 97.2%, 87.5% and 85.3% of them believed that fever, cough and fatigue are common symptoms of COVID-19, respectively. Also, 76.5% of HCWs classified diarrhea as a less common symptom in COVID-19 patients which matches what Lai et al¹⁶and Dewangan et al¹⁷ have found. On the other hand, participants' responses regarding the prevalence of headache, shortness of breath and loss of appetite were not matching what Guan et al¹⁸ and Pan et al¹⁹ have found. Most of the health care professionals were aware about the respiratory complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (94.9%) and severe pneumonia (89.2%). Responses about non-respiratory complications (e.g. acute renal failure, sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation) revealed that HCWs were less aware of such complications which may be resulted from dealing with different types of patients (community vs. hospital settings). More than 80% of the participants believed that patients with co-morbidities have an increased risk of COVID-19 complications since they have less immunity and are prone to infections by viruses^20,21,22.

Speaking of sources of COVID-19 related information, the top three sources were scientific articles, awareness campaigns, and social media. Bhagavathula et al²³ found that 44.1% of HCWs attended lectures or discussions about COVID-19. Their study was performed in the first week of march. In our study, which was performed at the end of 2020, the percentage of HCWs who attended lectures or campaigns about COVID-19 increased to 80.2% reflecting the increased interest in COVID-19 related awareness. Since social media is considered as a source of misinformation and myths and is preferred over TV according to Ahmad et al²⁴, efforts for fighting rumors, monitoring the published media and providing the right information is a priority. In India, Ayedee and Manocha²⁵ found that conveying information to the public via television was the most valued method.

In order to understand the participants’ general perception about COVID-19, we asked them about the foreseeable future of COVID-19 and their perception about media when it is related to COVID-19. 43.6% of them felt that the pandemic will remain till the end of 2021 and 41.6% were neutral to that question. Only 14.7% of them thought that the pandemic won't last till the end of 2021. 41.6% of them believed that media is overestimating the actual situation. The answers to these two questions show that HCWs have a controversial perception to the current situation. Although 43.6% of HCWs were pessimistic about the future of the pandemic, 41.6% of them believed that is overestimating.

In order to identify the significant factors that contribute in the knowledge and attitude of health care professionals toward COVID-19, we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis. It revealed that participants from western nationalities were significantly more knowledgeable and aware about COVID-19 but we should take into consideration that they represent only 2.3% (F = 8) of the respondents. Arabic HCWs were significantly less knowledgeable when compared to African HCWs. Age was also another significant factor. HCWs aged 40 years old and above were significantly more aware about COVID-19 comparing to those who were aged 30-39 years old. Working in Dubai was significantly associated with higher knowledge score when compared with workers from Northern Emirates. Considering the profession of the participants, general practitioners had significantly higher COVID-19 related knowledge. Abou-Abbas et al²⁶ did not find any significant difference between general practitioners and specialists regarding their knowledge about COVID-19. Experience years of the HCWs had a significant influence on their knowledge score and those who have an experience for more than 10 years were more knowledgeable about COVID-19. Abou-Abbas et al²⁶ concluded that frontline physicians who have been working for more than 10 years were 3.35 times more likely to have good practice. Working directly in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases was significantly associated with more knowledge comparing to those who are not contacting with suspected or confirmed patients. In Abou-Abbas et al²⁶ study the front-line workers were not significantly different than second-line workers concerning their knowledge.

CONCLUSION:

This study revealed that health care professionals working in the UAE have a good level of general knowledge about COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, progression, and prevention. Questions about deeper knowledge revealed a lower level of knowledge. Significantly higher knowledge scores were observed in Western participants, general practitioners, participants working in Dubai and participants who had been in contact with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. On the other hand, significantly lower knowledge scores were observed in participants aged 30-39 years, Arabian participants and participants with less than 1 year experience. These results show that tailored awareness campaigns may be required in order to meet HCWs' needs and enhance their levels of deep knowledge.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The authors have no conflicts of interest regarding this investigation.

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Received on 22.11.2021 Modified on 18.02.2022

Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2022; 15(8):3717-3724.

DOI: 10.52711/0974-360X.2022.00623