Physicians' awareness toward the diagnosis and treatment protocol for corona virus disease-19

Abstract

BackgroundThe emergence of corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) globally, coupled with its unknown etiology and its high transmission rate, has created an unprecedented state of emergency worldwide. Physicians' awareness about COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment protocols is essential in suppressing its pandemic status.AimTo assess the awareness of Egyptian physicians toward diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19.Patients and methodsAn online cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 31 to April 20 2020 involving a total of 391 physicians across Egypt. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire about 'The Egyptian Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for COVID-19' to assess their awareness toward the protocol, and the higher the score, the higher the awareness. Participants were classified according to their specialty into frontline specialties (chest, emergency/intensive care, anesthesia, and tropical medicine) and other nonfrontline specialties. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors of awareness score.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 40.72 ± 7.46 years. Overall, 58.1% were females, 77.2% were working in urban hospitals, and 32.7% of the physicians worked at both governmental and nongovernmental hospitals. The mean overall score was 18.33 ± 3.79. It was significantly higher among physicians of frontline specialties (20.88 ± 2.13) than other specialties (16.29 ± 3.59) (P < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses revealed that male sex, working in urban health care settings, frontline specialties, working experience more than 5 years, medical doctorate degree, and working in a COVID-19 management place were significantly associated with higher awareness score.ConclusionPhysicians with frontline specialties had knowledgeable awareness regarding the protocol. Continued professional education interventions and campaigns are advised for Egyptian physicians especially for those in nonfrontline specialties.