%0 Journal Article
%@ 2369-2960
%I JMIR Publications
%V 6
%N 2
%P e19160
%T Knowledge and Perceptions of COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers: Cross-Sectional Study
%A Bhagavathula,Akshaya Srikanth
%A Aldhaleei,Wafa Ali
%A Rahmani,Jamal
%A Mahabadi,Mohammadjavad Ashrafi
%A Bandari,Deepak Kumar
%+ Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, 17666, United Arab Emirates, 971 543226187, akshaypharmd@gmail.com
%K coronavirus
%K outbreak
%K COVID-19
%K knowledge
%K perception
%K health care
%K questionnaire
%K health care worker
%D 2020
%7 30.4.2020
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Public Health Surveill
%G English
%X Background: During the first week of March, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak reached more than 100 countries with over 100,000 cases. Health care authorities have already initiated awareness and preparedness activities worldwide. A poor understanding of the disease among health care workers (HCWs) may result in delayed treatment and result in the rapid spread of the infection. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs about COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based study was conducted among HCWs about COVID-19 during the first week of March 2020. A 23-item survey instrument was developed and distributed randomly to HCWs using social media; it required 5 minutes to complete. A chi-square test was used to investigate the level of association among variables, with significance set to P<.05. Results: Of 529 participants, a total of 453 HCWs completed the survey (response rate: 85.6%); 51.6% (n=234) were male, 32.1% (n=147) were aged 25-34 years, and most were doctors (n=137, 30.2%) and medical students (n=134, 29.6%). Most participants (n=276, 61.0%) used social media to obtain information on COVID-19. A significant proportion of HCWs had poor knowledge of its transmission (n=276, 61.0%) and symptom onset (n=288, 63.6%) and showed positive perceptions of COVID-19. Factors such as age and profession were associated with inadequate knowledge and a poor perception of COVID-19. Conclusions: As the global threat of COVID-19 continues to emerge, it is critical to improve the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs. Educational interventions are urgently needed to reach HCWs worldwide, and further studies are warranted. 
%M 32320381
%R 10.2196/19160
%U http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e19160/
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/19160
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32320381