ABSTRACT

Aim: To determine knowledge, awareness, and practice towards the COVID-19 infections, in addition to an awareness and education program with updated evidence.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan from 31^st March 2020 to 31^st May 2020

Methodology: Three hundred and four healthcare professionals completed the questionnaire were included. The demographic information and knowledge about COVID-19 were completed by 304 patients.

Results: Males were 175(57.5%) and females were 129(42.4%), with an age range from 18 to 62 years with a mean age of 26.97±7.22 years. The majority of participants 241(79.3%) were in the age group 21-30 years. out of 304 participants, 117(38.48%) were medical students, 53(17.43%) dental students, 41(13.48%) resident doctors. About 296(97%) of the participants discerned that they had acquaintance about coronavirus. 213 (70.06%) knew the strain of the virus. 97.03% knew about the initial symptoms and 81.90% knew about the incubation period of the disease. Regarding prevention of COVID-19, 96% knew the proper use of PPE and 86.84% knew about the personal measure to be taken for prevention. Regarding certain myths, 63.13% of participant believed that thermal scanner did not detect the disease.

Conclusion: The medical students and health care professionals of RMI showed a satisfactory level of knowledge of COVID-19. More educational efforts with periodic educational interventions are still needed about the current pandemic.