Assessment of knowledge and attitude among healthcare workers towards monkeypox disease: a cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background. Monkeypox has been announced recently as a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization. The recent outbreak of monkeypox has brought back concerns about how this viral infection can spread easily between individuals and cause a major health concern. Objectives. The objective of this study was to assess healthcare workers’ (HCWs) knowledge about monkeypox illness, its transmission, prevention, and attitudes toward this re-emerging disease. Materials and Methods. A descriptive correlational cross-sectional survey was conducted in Saudi Arabia from June to August 2022 and targeted HCWs including medical technologists and technicians, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others. Results. A total of 385 participants were included where 53.5% of respondents were male compared to 46.5% female. The average score for knowledge was 9.90, and the majority of respondents had an inadequate understanding of monkeypox. In addition, the average score of attitude toward monkeypox infection was 50.19, which indicate that HCWs have a positive view of efforts to prevent monkeypox. Conclusions. In Saudi Arabia, HCWs were found to have an inadequate understanding of the virus that causes monkeypox. This study shows how important it is for HCWs to learn more, since managing contagious infections requires a lot of help from trained and knowledgeable medical professionals.