Willingness of Health Care Workers to Respond to Covid-19 Pandemic in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Background: During a pandemic a health personnel may be unwilling to work due to a number of perceived risks. The aim of this study was to identify the various factors that can influence the health workers willingness to discharge their duties during a pandemic and to suggest options for changing the attitude of those who might be unwilling to work to facilitate evidence-based disaster planning. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey targeting healthcare workers in Nigeria was conducted using structured and self-completion questionnaire. Both the printed and an electronic version of the questionnaire were administered to the respondents. Results: Out of 243 respondents, majority 46.5%, (n=113) were within the age group of 30-39 years. The respondents were made up of 46.1% (n=112) males and 53.9 % (n=131) females. A majority of the respondents 77.78% (n=189) agreed that they are bound by the ethics of their profession to attend to the sick despite risk. The majority 53.91% (n=131) of respondents strongly agreed that they were at risk of infection by going to work during the pandemic. Also, 56.79% (n=138) of the respondents agreed that covid-19 pandemic have greatly affect their willingness to go to work. Conclusion: The study revealed a strong sense of duty among the HCWs in time of a pandemic even with threat to their lives. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be found useful by the government and relevant agencies to design and implement policies that will focus on and promote HCWs willingness to work during a pandemic like covid-19.