The Level of Knowledge and Performance of Iranian Medical Students in The Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Introduction: It has been four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to medical professionals, medical students have also been at the forefront of the fight against this pandemic and, like them, have been highly susceptible to the virus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge of Iranian medical students about COVID-19, preventive behaviors, and their perception of risk in the second year of this pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted from January to October 2021 (during the fourth and fifth waves of COVID-19) on Iranian medical students who were undergoing clinical courses in university hospitals. In this study, an online questionnaire consisting of 48 questions in Persian was provided to the students. Results: After sending an electronic questionnaire to the students, 401 medical students from Lorestan University of Medical Sciences participated in the survey. Of these, 62.8% were studying medicine in the medical field. About 66.1%, 69.1%, and 54.9% of medical students considered common antiviral drugs, traditional medicine, and the flu vaccine to be ineffective in preventing COVID-19, respectively. To effectively prevent the transmission of COVID-19, 72.6% of medical students used 3-layer surgical masks, 18.7% relied on hand washing and personal hygiene alone, 73.6% advocated for mask usage by all members of the community, and 47.4% believed in using N95 masks during intubation, suction, bronchoscopy, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In terms of information sources, 65.1% of medical students trusted the opinions of doctors and nurses, and 40.6% obtained necessary information about the disease from these healthcare professionals. Conclusions: The basic and clinical knowledge of medical students was at an average level, indicating the need for retraining courses to update their information and impart current knowledge. The normalization of epidemic conditions for medical staff and the students under their supervision was not prevalent among the students. This not only increases the likelihood of individuals contracting the disease multiple times but also poses a potential source of contamination for society. Therefore, conducting educational workshops in this field can significantly impact compliance with health protocols.