Knowledge, attitude and behaviour of general practitioners in Shanghai during the pandemic of COVID-19: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo understand the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of general practitioners (GPs) towards COVID-19 and to provide evidence for improved prevention and control measures against the pandemic.Study designA cross-sectional study was conducted with 1018 GPs in Shanghai from 21 February to 2 March 2020 using the WeChat platform.MethodsStratified random cluster sampling was performed according to the regional division of urban, urban–rural fringe and rural areas. This study used a self-designed mobile questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information on knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding COVID-19 prevention and control.ResultsA total of 989 questionnaires were declared valid. The average scores of GPs’ knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards COVID-19 were 6.14±1.42 (range 0–10), 13.59±4.42 (range 0–25) and 7.82±1.53 (range 0–10), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the knowledge score of male GPs was lower than that of female GPs (p=0.002). In addition, the ‘attitude’ score of female GPs was higher than that of male GPs (p=0.004). The ‘behaviour’ score of GPs in urban areas was lower than that of GPs in urban–rural fringe areas (p<0.001). The higher the knowledge score, the higher the behavioural score was observed to be (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe scores of knowledge, attitude and behaviour of Shanghai GPs towards COVID-19 were limited at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a hopeful measure, the early implementation of proper training programmes for GPs in times of crisis will contribute to disease control and prevention. Lessons learnt from the current pandemic will hopefully help GPs handle similar future challenges and potential novel pandemics.

The Attitudes and Practices Regarding COVID-19 among General Practitioners from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…A study from Nigeria, however, discovered that older healthcare workers had more negative attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control [39]. While studies from Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, and Jordan also discovered that male healthcare workers, like the male GPs from Bosnia and Herzegovina in this study, had more positive attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control [15,32,38], another study from Saudi Arabia, and studies from India and China, contrary to the results among the Bosnian GPs in this study, showed that females had more positive attitudes than males [19,34,43]. Finally, a study that included GPs from the United States, Turkey, and Greece and another study that included only GPs from Greece found no connection between gender and attitudes toward COVID-19 prevention and control [7,29].…”

“…Considering age, a study conducted in India showed that, like the Croatian GPs in this study, older healthcare workers from this country more frequently displayed positive practices regarding COVID-19 prevention and control in comparison to their younger colleagues [19]. Furthermore, like the Croatian GPs in this study, a study from China showed that female GPs expressed more positive practices regarding COVID-19 prevention and control [43], while a study in Saudi Arabia discovered that male GPs from Saudi Arabia were more likely to comply with appropriate practices regarding COVID-19 prevention and control in comparison to their female colleagues [34]. Unlike the Croatian GPs in this study, studies in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and India revealed that single healthcare workers more frequently displayed positive practices regarding COVID-19 prevention and control in comparison to their married colleagues [19,23].…”

Attitudes and behaviors on prevention and control of COVID-19 in a less developed village of Southwest China: a cross-sectional survey

“…At present, the COVID-19 prevention and control situation is improving on the whole, but we should not be complacent. There have been studies on COVID-19 related groups such as students and medical staffs ( 7 , 8 ), Wu’s study on in-hospital patients, and the research shows that in-hospital patients’ awareness of prevention and control is positively correlated with their knowledge and attitude ( 9 ), Tang et al ’s survey of general practitioners suggests that effective knowledge training can improve the prevention and control of COVID-19 ( 10 ). However, people living in remote mountainous areas are less concerned.…”