Preparing for the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in a Country Emerging from an Ebola Epidemic: Assessment of Health Workers Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guinea

Ibrahima Camara (1) , Abdoulaye Touré (2, 3, 4) , Alioune Camara (1) , Frédéric Le Marcis (5, 2) , Salifou Talassone Bangoura , Cécé Kpamou (6, 1) , Mamadou Saliou Sow (6, 1, 7) , Alpha Kabinet Keita (2, 1)

1 Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry
2 TransVIHMI - Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les maladies infectieuses endémiques et émergentes
3 CERFIG - Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée [Conakry, Guinée]
4 INSP - Institut National de Santé Publique [Conakry, Guinée]
5 TRIANGLE - Triangle : action, discours, pensée politique et économique
6 CERFIG - Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée
7 Hôpital National Donka

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization designated the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Scope (USPPI). The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of medical personnel on the prevention of Covid-2019. A cross-sectional study among front-line health workers in the health facilities in the city of Conakry was carried out. The knowledge and attitude score were performed and categorized in 2: Good if ≥ at the average score and bad if < 50%. Logistic regression models were conducted to identify factors associated with knowledge and attitude. Among 548 health workers surveyed, 70.6% had a good knowledge of Covid-19. Among the health personnel interviewed, 57.7% had a good attitude towards a suspected case of Covid-19. Independent factors associated with poor knowledge of Covid-19 prevention were sex, health facility, and staff grade. As for poor attitude, the associated factors were knowledge of Ebola cases reported in the facility and the rank of the health staff. The health personnel have good knowledge of the virus but the attitudes are not related to knowledge. This study could serve as a basis for reorienting interventions involving front-line staff.

Mots clés: Guinea; professional practice; attitudes; knowledge; health facilities; COVID-19

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Ibrahima Camara, Abdoulaye Touré, Alioune Camara, Frédéric Le Marcis, Salifou Talassone Bangoura, et al.. Preparing for the COVID-19 Pandemic Response in a Country Emerging from an Ebola Epidemic: Assessment of Health Workers Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guinea. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 2020, 12 (4), pp.318-328. ⟨10.21203/rs.3.rs-25099/v1⟩. ⟨halshs-03091475⟩