Awareness of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic among interns of a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease officially called as COVID-19, which was noticed during December 2019 (Wuhan) China, later became a major public health problem leading to pandemic affecting worldwide and causing morbidity and mortality, despite various control measures. This research was undertaken to assess the level of awareness of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among interns of a tertiary care hospital. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess awareness of coronavirus (COVID-19) among interns of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 97 interns of a tertiary care hospital in Dharwad district, Karnataka, India. An online pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was developed using Google forms, with a consent form attached to it for voluntary participation, through which data were collected and the distributions of responses were presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: Awareness regarding coronavirus among 97 interns were assessed. Of which 41 (42.3%) were male and 56 (57.7%) were female. Newspaper and television were the primary reliable source of information about coronavirus. Cough (95.87%) and fever (90.72%) were the most common symptoms. The majority of the interns (90%) agreed that coronavirus could lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, and renal failure. About 90% considered that it can be prevented by handwashing, wearing masks, and by maintaining distance. However, with respect to curability of the disease, the awareness was on a dismal note. Conclusion: Awareness of acquiring and transmitting coronavirus was found to be adequate, except for the curability aspects. Thus, it is the need of the hour to have timely updates about the disease and newer guidelines to restraint the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19.