knowledge, attitude, and practice toward covid-19 among healthcare workers in shiraz, iran

Background: the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic is a critical world concern, with healthcare workers (hcws) at a high risk of infection. thus, a sufficient level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (kap) must be ensured. objectives: we aimed to investigate the kap toward covid-19 among hcws in shiraz, iran. methods: a crosssectional study was performed on a large sample of hcws dealing with the covid-19 pandemic in multiple hospitals affiliated to the shiraz university of medical sciences. the survey featured four sections: demographic data, knowledge, attitude, and practice. an expert panel validated the questionnaire, and its reliability was ensured through a pilot study on 20 hcws (cronbach’s alpha = 0.9). results: we found that 72.8% of hcws had sufficient knowledge, 66.65% indicated correct attitudes, and 67.72% described good practices. however, 24.23% thought adequate protective equipment or facilities are unavailable. the knowledge scores were lowest on prevention and diagnosis, though symptoms were wellrecognized. the male gender was correlated with more correct attitudes. among nurses, 2 5 years of work experience was associated with better practice, with a master’s degree being related to more positive attitudes. conclusions: the kap of hcws toward covid-19 are acceptable in shiraz, but further education and training is beneficial, especially on disinfectants and prevention; reassurance regarding protective equipment is also vital.