Online ISSN: 2515-8260

EVALUATION OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ATTITUDE OF JUNIOR RESIDENTS IN TERTIARY CARE INSTITUTION, TOWARDS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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Harish Chandra Paliwal1 , Narendra Pratap Singh2 , Chitra Rani Chauhan 3 *

Abstract

Introduction: The present study evaluated the knowledge, skill and attitude of junior residents (JR), towards the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The JRs in the academic hospital are the front liner, and they play a most important role in clinical diagnosis, primary treatment, in patient care and in the proper evaluation of treatment outcome. This study alerts the JRs to the basics of medical profession and work to improve their interest and passion in medical profession and in public health. It also informs the JRs on responses of the disease, especially pandemic situations like COVID-19 response, in our country. Methods: The cluster sampling method was used in the survey with each batch of JRs to form a cluster. The preformed questionnaires were given among JRs in the 150 MBBS JRs at the Rama Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Kanpur, UP. Questionnaires were administered to evaluate the JRs’ demographic information and to obtain information on their ages, gender, and marital status, religion, and study levels. JRs were inquired about their knowledge of Corona virus, their practices on the disease and attitude during patient’s care. The data obtained was entered into a Microsoft-Excel sheet and analyzed by Microsoft Excel statistical tools. Results: Female respondents were more than the male. Among 150 JRs 134 (89.3%) had sufficient knowledge about COVID-19 sign, symptoms, mode of spread, prevention, the drugs for the treatment and the most prone population’s age group affected by the disease. Out of 150 respondents JRs, 145 (96.7%) know that the disease started in Wuhan city of China. All of them know that the coronavirus is the causative agent of the disease and that the adults were more prone to the disease. All of the JRs had well know the importance of following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations, such as proper hand hygiene and social distanc maintenance, quarantine incase of infection for 15 days and immediate reporting to the State or National Centre for registration for evaluation of the spread of the disease. Only 6 (4%) respondent JRs had knowledge about critical care management. More than half (85, 56.7%) of them had knowledge about new drugs for the treatment of the disease. Less than one fourth (28, 18.6%) had knowledge before the COVID-19 pandemic. The JRs were asked to provide information on the suportive drugs and their use in other clinical condition. More than one third of respondent JRs (132, 88%) explained the drug delivery system. Most of them (120, 80%), explained that Chloroquine is used which is an antimalarial agent, 92 (61.3%) stated that the Favipiravir, an antiviral agent, 99 (66%) stated that Tocilizumab, an immunomodulatory drug. The respondents JRs stated some of the preventive measures that Indian government should take to combat corona virus disease as, providing basic requirements for private medical college frontline workers, increasing public awareness programs on the disease and increasing laboratory testing facilities. Conclusion: The pandemic of COVID-19 has realized the apex healthcare system to make strategies and maintain the workforce to tackle such panic situation. JRs played a most important role in control the burden of the disease during such pandemic condition in their hospital by ensuring the administration of the right drug, rite dose and rite duration were followed to patients care. JRs speeded the awareness on the disease, cleared the misconcept on the disease, informed the people on the prevention of the disease. As the disease still had not controlled, as different variants are introduce, it is desirable to stimulate the JRs, early in their profession, on the future performance that they will play in the management of such pandemic situations and in the impose the effort towards the elimination of the COVID-19.

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