Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward prevention and management of COVID-19 among indian nurses: A cross-sectional study

Background: To plan suitable policy against COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that the nurses have updated knowledge related to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of COVID-19 and have an optimistic attitude and good practices in managing the patients during the pandemic crisis. Thus, we conducted a study on the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 among Indian nursing professionals. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April 22 to May 22, 2020 using a pretested 37-item-self-reported e-questionnaire among nursing professionals above 18 years of age, working in health-care setting across 25 states. The questionnaire consisted of four sections: demographic details, knowledge (26 items), attitude (6 items), and practice (5-itmes). KAP questionnaire was shared through e-mail, SMS, and WhatsApp groups. Results: A total of 1182 participants responded to the online survey with 94% completion rate. The study analyzed the data for 1110 nurses with a mean age of 30 ± 6.7 years and 68% being females. The mean KAP score was 16.82 ± 3.3, 9.77 ± 2.03, and 18.37 ± 3.29, respectively. Knowledge was significantly correlated with attitude (r = 0.1316) and practice (r = 0.1526). Practice and attitude were also found to be positively correlated (r = 0.4398). Good knowledge related to COVID-19 was significantly affected by age, gender, location, and type of facility (