COVID -19 Pandemic Induced Anxiety, Knowledge, and Preventive Measures Practices among Non-medical Healthcare Workers in Quarantine Hospitals

Ali El-Nagar, Samia; A. El-Abbassy, Amal; M. Atia, Merfat.; Badr Abdelaty Elsaid, Nehad; E. Sallam, Lobna; S.Elzyen, Elham

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2022.247644

COVID -19 Pandemic Induced Anxiety, Knowledge, and Preventive Measures Practices among Non-medical Healthcare Workers in Quarantine Hospitals

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Family and Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt

² Psychiatric& Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Egypt.

³ Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt.

10.21608/ejhc.2022.247644

Abstract

Background: Healthcare workers are the most vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the
nature of their work, which exposes them to COVID-19-infected people on a daily basis. Because
anxiety affects everyone, whether they are frontline health workers or hospital administrative and
support staff. The aim of this study was to assess COVID- 19 pandemic induced anxiety,
knowledge, and preventive measures practices among non-medical healthcare workers in quarantine
hospitals. Methods:-Cross-sectional descriptive design was used to attain the aim of the study.
Setting: This study was carried out at four quarantine hospitals in Shebin El-Kom and Elshohadaa
city, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. Three out of four quarantine hospitals were selected from
Shebin El-Kom city, and one out of two quarantine hospitals were selected from Elshohadaa city,
using a simple random sample technique. Subjects: A simple random sample of 340 non-medical
healthcare workers from quarantine hospitals was chosen from four different profession categories
including patient affairs office, security officer, receptionists, and accountants. Tools for data
collection: A constructed interview questionnaire involved socio-demographic information;
COVID-19 pandemic induced anxiety scale, COVID-19 pandemic knowledge questionnaire and
preventive measures practices toward COVID-19 pandemic questionnaire. Results:-The current
study's findings found that 51.8% of the studied non-medical healthcare workers had COVID-19
pandemic induced anxiety, 62.4% had better knowledge about COVID-19 pandemic, and more than
half (58.8%) had good preventive measures practices about COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore,
there was a significant positive correlation between non-medical healthcare workers knowledge and
preventive measures practices, while there was no significant correlation between anxiety and
COVID-19 pandemic knowledge and preventive measures practices among non-medical healthcare
workers. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic induced anxiety was experienced by more than half of
the non-medical healthcare workers in the study. Good preventive measures practices were
associated with increased knowledge toward COVID-19 pandemic. All non-medical healthcare
workers in health facilities should receive educational as well as psychological intervention to raise
their awareness of COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in overcoming anxiety.

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