Awareness, Knowledge, and Perceptions of COVID-19 Precautions among Employees of Al-Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, KSA

Background The global pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early 2020. The consequences of the pandemic were vast, where healthcare systems, education, and the economy of many countries were greatly affected. As such, extraordinary precautions and measures were implemented to the public as well as to the healthcare systems in order to counter the spread of the disease. However, the success of these measures depends largely on the individual's adherence to them as well as their awareness about COVID-19. Indeed, healthcare workers and their non-medical coworkers play a crucial role in that, as they are considered the front line in fighting the infection. Objectives To assess the knowledge, awareness and perceptions of the healthcare workers (HCWs) regarding COVID-19 in Al-Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, a previously validated questionnaire was used as an online survey to assess the knowledge, awareness and perceptions (KAP) of HCWs regarding COVID-19. The targeted population of this study was all the healthcare workers in Al-Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital, including their non-medical co-workers. Results The study included 274 respondents consisting of 53.65% males and 46.45% females with an average age between 30-39 years. The majority of the respondents were paramedics with a percentage of 30.66%. The governmental references were the main source of information regarding COVID-19 for 69% of the respondents. Questions with accurate responses that exceeded 90% were about the COVID-19 complications, transmission, and measures to reduce its transmission. In this study, overall knowledge was significantly associated with the gender of the participants (P=0.01). Conclusion There was a good level of knowledge and perception in health care professionals and co-workers regarding SARS-CoV-2.