Background and Aims: Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards precautionary measures are important in limiting the COVID-19 spread. This study aims to assess the Saudi ophthalmic healthcare workers awareness, attitude, and practice towards the spread and prevention of COVID-19.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted through a social media web based survey on 800 ophthalmic health- care workers between September 2020 and November 2020. A 38-item questionnaire comprised socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice related questions were distributed to eye care professionals. The Kruskal Wallis test and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare the awareness level scores among ophthalmic health workers groups.
Results: Among 800 participants, 10.5% were ophthalmologists, 21.3% were optometrists and ophthalmic assistants and 68.3% were ophthalmic nurses. Nearly 90% showed adequate awareness, positive viewpoints, and better practices towards COVID-19 and its management. Ophthalmic nurses and ophthalmologists showed greater knowledge, a better attitude, and optimal practices when compared with optometrists and ophthalmic assistants groups (p˂ 0.05). Seventy-five percent were aware that conjunctivitis and conjunctival congestion are seen in established COVID-19 patients. However, 57.8% of practitioners reported avoiding patients who seek eye care with the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, whereas 31.8% were willing to render eye care to these patients.
Conclusions: Two-thirds of the eye care professionals were not willing to provide eye care services for the patients who presents with COVID-19 symptoms. Hence, a comprehensive health education and infection control practices training programs for COVID-19 is needed to prevent its spread.
Key words: Awareness, Attitude, Practice, Coronavirus disease, Ophthalmic professionals, Saudi Arabia
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