Original Articles STUDY ABOUT KNOWLEDGE, PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE AMONG FINAL YEAR MBBS STUDENTS AND HOUSE OFFICERS REGARDING COVID-19

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and the biggest challenge we are facing. The goal of the study is to evaluate the existing knowledge, perception, and attitude of medical students and house officers regarding the SARS-COV 2 pandemic.

Material and Methods:

A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 15th to 30th June, 2020, targeting final year MBBS students and house officers working in Akhtar Saeed Trust Hospital and Farooq Hospital. A questionnaire was designed and filled by 220 participants showing their demographic information, knowledge, perception and attitude towards corona virus.

Results:

Our participants were between 22-26 years of age, predominantly females 168 (76.4%). Regarding the knowledge about the cause and mode of transmission of corona virus, 99% knew that it’s a viral infection. Majority 157(71%) of the participants used social media as their main source of information. Ninety nine percent knew about common symptoms, risk factors and preventive measures. Around eighty two percent of participants thought this infection is associated with some social disgrace and 124(56.3%) considered that media had exaggerated the outbreak and that the virus is purposefully manipulated virus. Nearly sixty-five percent of our participants thought that the government has not succeeded in controlling the epidemic.

Conclusion:

In the present study, it was observed that participants had ample knowledge regarding COVID-19 and showed good perception of disease symptoms, risk factors, incubation period and its prevented measures but; their attitude towards the disease was not too positive and needs to be changed