doctors perception of the use of hydroxychloroquine as prophylaxis for covid-19 infection

Background: the national task force constituted by the indian council of medical research(icmr) and various international agencies has recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine(hcq) as prophylaxis for coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). this measure was takenbecause of the urgent need to protect high-risk individuals like health care workers (hcw)from contracting covid-19.objectives: this study aimed to assess the awareness, attitudes, and practices on using hcqas prophylaxis to prevent covid-19 infection.methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among the doctors working in dr rmlhospital, new delhi, india, a tertiary care public hospital involved in the care of covid-19patients. the invitation to participate was electronically circulated, and the consentingparticipants were allowed to access an online survey. the survey had a total of 23 questionsthat were designed to understand the awareness, perception, and practices of doctors regardingthe use of hcq as prophylaxis in covid-19.results: about 147 doctors participated in this survey. the major source of knowledgeregarding hcq prophylaxis was quoted as regulatory agencies (44%), particularly icmr, andthe main indication was reported as being a healthcare worker (60%). most of the participants(91%) believed that the hcq effect is not clear and felt more scientific data regarding the useof hcq as prophylaxis for covid-19. but many doctors (51%) still recommend using hcqto their colleagues.conclusion: in this study, we observed that most doctors were aware of the recommendationsregarding the hcq prophylaxis in covid-19 and had good adherence to therapy but felt theneed for more concrete scientific evidence for using hcq.