Knowledge and attitude of infection prevention and control practices among health care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is growing rapidly, accounting for an
increasing proportion of cases worldwide. Infection in healthcare
facilities enhances very likely the local outbreaks, impacting mainly the
elderly and vulnerable populations. All activities used to minimize the
risk of infection spread are referred to as infection control measures.
Therefore, this study aimed to; determine the proportion of SARS-COV2
infection among heath care workers (HCWs) caring for patients with
suspected or confirmed COVID-19, assess their knowledge and attitude to
infection control practices and recommend strategies to decrease the risk
of SARS-COV2 infection among them. Methods: This is an electronic-based
cross-sectional analytical study conducted in Egypt to assess the
knowledge, attitude of HCWs to infection control practices for patients
with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection. A purposive sample of 520
participants was targeted through electronic data collection, and they
were asked to fill a structured questionnaire form and submit it. Results:
The study revealed that 11% of the HCWs were infected with SARS-Cov2.
Their mean knowledge percent score regarding infection control prevention
practices was 36.19 ± 11.26. The higher rate of infection was among
Internal Medicine specialists (75%) with little experience (76.7%),
affiliated with the Ministry of Health (46.7%). About (89%) mentioned that
the leading cause of infection was the shortage in Personal Protective
Equipment PPE. Conclusion: There was a high proportion of SARS-COV2
infection among HCWs in EGYPT, especially among those working in Cairo
governorate in Internal Medicine Departments, with fewer years of
experience, due to lack of knowledge about infection prevention and
control measures and shortage of Personal Protective Equipment in their
working facilities.