Abstract
Background: The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that began in Wuhan, China rapidly became a public health concern and a challenge for healthcare systems globally. In the wake of the first confirmed case in The Gambia, concerns were raised in some quarters about the health system's preparedness to handle the outbreak. Therefore, we aimed to assess health personnel's knowledge and preparedness in fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in The Gambia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires distributed online through social media. Descriptive, bivariate, and binary logistic analyses were done using SPSS Version 22. Results: We obtained 333 valid responses. Most participants reported that their health facility has some form of preparedness; however, only a small proportion reported enough PPEs in the health facility. About half (50.5%) showed good knowledge of COVID-19. There was a statistically significant difference among the professions regarding their reaction if they were found positive of COVID-19 (p=0.006). There was a significant association between health professions [other professions (Odds ratio [OR]=0.2, 95% Confidence interval [CI]:0.04–0 .9; p=0.038)] and overall knowledge of COVID-19. Conclusion: Our findings showed some form of preparedness towards COVID-19 among healthcare workers. However, many aspects, such as the availability of PPEs and their proper use and knowledge, need improvement. Thus, training and an adequate supply of equipment are required to better respond to upcoming COVID-19 waves and future outbreaks. Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-03-SI-5 Full Text: PDF
Highlights
Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed unprecedented waves of communicable disease outbreaks that the World Health Organization has declared to be at least public health emergencies of international concern [1]
We aim to investigate the state of preparedness of healthcare workers in the Gambia towards controlling the COVID-19 outbreak, thereby identifying gaps
A vast number (91.6%) of the health workers reported they had always communicated with other staff on COVID-19, and 83% reported they had spoken with their patients about COVID-19
Summary
Over the past two decades, the world has witnessed unprecedented waves of communicable disease outbreaks that the World Health Organization has declared to be at least public health emergencies of international concern [1]. The effectiveness of these measures is unclear and the preparedness of healthcare workers in handling cases. Given this uncertainty, we aim to investigate the state of preparedness of healthcare workers in the Gambia towards controlling the COVID-19 outbreak, thereby identifying gaps. In the wake of the first confirmed case in The Gambia, concerns were raised in some quarters about the health system's preparedness to handle the outbreak. Conclusion: Our findings showed some form of preparedness towards COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Many aspects, such as the availability of PPEs and their proper use and knowledge, need improvement.
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