Back to Search
Start Over
Knowledge of and preparedness for COVID-19 among Somali healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study.
- Source :
-
PloS one [PLoS One] 2021 Nov 23; Vol. 16 (11), pp. e0259981. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 23 (Print Publication: 2021). - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Background: Somalia is considered severely underprepared to contain an outbreak of COVID-19, with critical shortages in healthcare personnel and treatment resources. In limited-resource settings such as Somalia, providing healthcare workers with adequate information on COVID-19 is crucial to improve patient outcomes and mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study assessed the knowledge of, preparedness for, and perceptions toward COVID-19 prevention and treatment among Somali healthcare workers.<br />Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was completed by 364 Somali healthcare workers in summer of 2020 utilizing a convenience sampling method.<br />Results: Participants' most accessed sources of COVID-19 information were from social media (64.8%), official government and international health organization websites (51.1%,), and traditional media sources such as radio, TV, and newspapers (48.1%). A majority of participants demonstrated strong knowledge of treatment of COVID-19, the severity of COVID-19, and the possible outcomes of COVID-19, but only 5 out of 10 symptoms listed were correctly identified by more than 75% of participants. Although participants indicated seeing a median number of 10 patients per week with COVID-19 related symptoms, access to essential medical resources, such as N95 masks (30.2%), facial protective shields (24.5%), and disposable gowns (21.4%), were limited. Moreover, 31.3% agreed that Somalia was in a good position to contain an emerging outbreak of COVID-19. In addition, 40.4% of participants agreed that the Somali government's response to the pandemic was sufficient to protect Somali healthcare professionals.<br />Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the need to equip Somali healthcare providers with more information, personal protective equipment, and treatment resources such that they can safely and adequately care for COVID-19 patients and contain the spread of the virus. Social media and traditional news outlets may be effective outlets to communicate information regarding COVID-19 and the Somali government's response to frontline healthcare workers.<br />Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Aged
COVID-19 epidemiology
COVID-19 transmission
COVID-19 virology
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Somalia epidemiology
Young Adult
COVID-19 prevention & control
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Personnel psychology
Personal Protective Equipment statistics & numerical data
Practice Guidelines as Topic standards
Protective Clothing statistics & numerical data
SARS-CoV-2 physiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1932-6203
- Volume :
- 16
- Issue :
- 11
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- PloS one
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34813620
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259981