Abstract
BackgroundCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel disease that has spread to nearly every country worldwide. Medical laboratory professionals are key in the fight against COVID-19 as they provide confirmatory diagnosis for subsequent management and mitigation of the disease.ObjectiveThis study investigated the knowledge, attitude and practices of COVID-19 and their predictors among medical laboratory personnel in Zambia.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study among medical laboratory professionals in Zambia from 10 to 29 June 2020. Data were collected using Google Forms and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 for statistical analysis. Independent predictors of COVID-19 knowledge and practices were determined. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) are reported.ResultsA total of 208 medical laboratory professionals, 58.2% male, participated in the study. The majority of respondents had good knowledge (84.1%) and practice (75.0%) regarding COVID-19. Predictors of good knowledge included having a bachelor’s degree (AOR: 5.0, CI: 1.13–22.19) and having prior COVID-19 related training (AOR: 8.83, CI: 2.03–38.44). Predictors of good practice included having a master’s or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) qualification (AOR: 5.23, CI: 1.15–23.87) and having prior COVID-19 related training (AOR: 14.01, CI: 6.47–30.36).ConclusionOur findings revealed that medical laboratory professionals in Zambia have good knowledge regarding COVID-19. There is need for continuous professional development to ensure that medical laboratory professionals are well informed and aware of best practices to aid in curbing the pandemic.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.1 Coronaviruses have been known to affect humans, infecting the respiratory tract and causing infections ranging from mild to severe.[2]
Our study revealed that 77.9% were confident that Zambia could win the battle against the COVID-19 virus (Table 6)
Our findings show that participants with higher academic qualifications and COVID-19 training were 4.68 and 8.72 times more likely to have good COVID-19 knowledge
Summary
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.1 Coronaviruses have been known to affect humans, infecting the respiratory tract and causing infections ranging from mild to severe.[2]. Research has shown that COVID-19 is more contagious compared to the previous outbreaks, but less lethal.[3] Transmission occurs through the inhalation of droplets or contact with surfaces that have been contaminated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As of this writing, there is currently no known vaccine or documented specific treatment for COVID-19 disease.[4] Drugs that show potential to treat critically ill patients are still being investigated for safety and efficacy.[4,5,6] Prevention and control of the spread of COVID-19 is done by social distancing, wearing face masks to prevent both the inhalation and transmission of infectious droplets, as well as effective hand hygiene by regularly washing hands or using alcohol-based hand sanitisers.[7,8]. Medical laboratory professionals are key in the fight against COVID-19 as they provide confirmatory diagnosis for subsequent management and mitigation of the disease
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