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. 2021 Jul 19;6(3):136.
doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6030136.

Knowledge and Perceptions about COVID-19 among Health Care Workers: Evidence from COVID-19 Hospitals during the Second Pandemic Wave

Petros Ioannou  1 , Stamatis Karakonstantis  1 , Anna Mathioudaki  1 , Angelos Sourris  1 , Vasiliki Papakosta  1 , Periklis Panagopoulos  2 , Vasilis Petrakis  2 , Dimitrios Papazoglou  2 , Kostoula Arvaniti  3 , Christina Maria Trakatelli  3 , Evgenia Christodoulou  3 , Garyfallia Poulakou  4 , Konstantinos N Syrigos  4 , Vasiliki Rapti  4 , Konstantinos Leontis  4 , Dimitrios Karapiperis  5 , Diamantis P Kofteridis  1
Affiliations

Knowledge and Perceptions about COVID-19 among Health Care Workers: Evidence from COVID-19 Hospitals during the Second Pandemic Wave

Petros Ioannou et al. Trop Med Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Health care workers (HCWs) face a higher risk of infection, since they work at the front line of COVID-19 patients' management. Misinterpretations of current scientific evidence among HCWs may impact the delivery of appropriate care to COVID-19 patients and increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the hospital setting. Moreover, knowledge may affect HCWs perceptions depending on their broad beliefs and past experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs regarding COVID-19 issues during the second wave of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey, involving a printed questionnaire, was conducted from 21 October 2020 to 31 January 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals located at four distant geographical regions in Greece. In total, 294 HCWs participated in this study. The majority of HCWs provided precise responses regarding general knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responses on hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in HCWs with COVID-19 were mistaken. This study reveals a certain degree of misconceptions and knowledge gaps in HCWs everyday practice, especially regarding hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; attitudes; healthcare workers; knowledge; perceptions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Knowledge of healthcare workers on COVID-19.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Personal perceptions regarding COVID-19 and hand-wash practices of healthcare workers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Healthcare workers’ opinions on aeration and hand-hygiene practices.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Healthcare workers’ opinions regarding isolation and vaccination.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Medical doctors’ opinions and knowledge regarding antimicrobial use and isolation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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