Attitude, Knowledge, and Practice Response of Nurses during COVID-19 Outbreak in Military Hospital, 2021

Abstract

Introduction: COVID- 19 outbreak was a threat and opportunity for health care systems. Nurses play an important role in COVID-19 pandemic management. Inadequate knowledge, inappropriate attitude and, practice response among nurses might lead to delayed care, and result in the rapid spread of infection. Therefore, this study aims to determine the attitude, knowledge, and practice response among nurses towards the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: This cross- sectional, descriptive study was conducted at a military hospital (Seyed Alshohada Hospital), based a on census sampling method in Kerman, Iran. Data were collected from January to February, 2021, using a self- report questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among 122 nurses. Data were imported to SPSS v.17 for analysis. Results: A total of 99 nurses participated in this study. Knowledge, attitude, and practice scores towards COVID- 19 were good. According to the data obtained, the majority had a bachelor, s degree, and most respondents were women (68%). The result of this study showed that 98% took practical infection prevention measures towards COVID-19. Also, our findings indicated that 91% of the study participants had favorable attitudes towards COVID-19. Discussion: Results showed that participants were knowledgeable, held positive attitudes, and took effective measures for COVID-19. COVID-19 pandemic and other novel diseases are a challenge for all health systems; therefore, it is necessary to enhance knowledge and skills of nurses.