KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS TOWARDS COVID-19: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF PANDEMIC IN INDIA

Background: Presently, the COVID 19 has made its presence all over the world. Since, there is no definitive cure available, prevention is the only mode to control the increase of the disease. Thus, this study was undertaken to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of medical students towards COVID19 in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Methods: An online questionnaire was circulated among the medical students using the Google form. The questionnaire contained questions regarding the demographic details, attitude and knowledge of the students to be assessed. The response was typed in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 and data represented as frequency (n) and percentage (%). Results: A total of 321 responses were received from medical students, majority were female (199, 62%), nearly 50% were from Final (Clinical) phase. More than 10% of the students believed that the pandemic will last for more than 1 year. Most of the students were aware of the methods to prevent COVID 19 while most were unsure whether antibiotics (76%), hydroxychloroquine (47%), herbal drugs (97%) useful in prevention of COVID 19. Conclusion: The medical students were aware of the pathogenesis of COVID and IPC practices to be followed to prevent its spread. But they were not sure about the appropriate medication for the disease, which was not clear even to specialist, during the period which the study was undertaken.