Knowledge and Perceptions about COVID-19 among Health Care Workers: Evidence from COVID-19 Hospitals during the Second Pandemic Wave.
Petros Ioannou, Stamatis Karakonstantis, Anna Mathioudaki, Angelos Sourris, Vasiliki Papakosta, Periklis Panagopoulos, Vasilis Petrakis, Dimitrios Papazoglou, Kostoula Arvaniti, Christina Maria Trakatelli, Evgenia Christodoulou, Garyfallia Poulakou, Konstantinos N Syrigos, Vasiliki Rapti, Konstantinos Leontis, Dimitrios Karapiperis, Diamantis P Kofteridis
Author Information
Petros Ioannou: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece. ORCID
Stamatis Karakonstantis: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece. ORCID
Anna Mathioudaki: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
Angelos Sourris: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
Vasiliki Papakosta: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
Periklis Panagopoulos: Department of Infectious Diseases, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupoli, 68100 Alexandroupoli, Greece.
Vasilis Petrakis: Department of Infectious Diseases, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupoli, 68100 Alexandroupoli, Greece. ORCID
Dimitrios Papazoglou: Department of Infectious Diseases, Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupoli, 68100 Alexandroupoli, Greece.
Kostoula Arvaniti: Infection Control Unit, COVID-19 Coordinating Team, General Hospital Papageorgiou, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Christina Maria Trakatelli: Infection Control Unit, COVID-19 Coordinating Team, General Hospital Papageorgiou, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Evgenia Christodoulou: Infection Control Unit, COVID-19 Coordinating Team, General Hospital Papageorgiou, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Garyfallia Poulakou: Third Department of Medicine, Thoracic Diseases General Hospital Sotiria, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos N Syrigos: Third Department of Medicine, Thoracic Diseases General Hospital Sotiria, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Vasiliki Rapti: Third Department of Medicine, Thoracic Diseases General Hospital Sotiria, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Konstantinos Leontis: Third Department of Medicine, Thoracic Diseases General Hospital Sotiria, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios Karapiperis: Department of Infectious Diseases, 424 General Military Teaching Hospital, 56429 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Diamantis P Kofteridis: Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece.
Health care workers (HCWs) face a higher risk of infection, since they work at the front line of COVID-19 patients' management. Misinterpretations of current scientific evidence among HCWs may impact the delivery of appropriate care to COVID-19 patients and increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the hospital setting. Moreover, knowledge may affect HCWs perceptions depending on their broad beliefs and past experiences. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge and perceptions of HCWs regarding COVID-19 issues during the second wave of the pandemic. A cross-sectional survey, involving a printed questionnaire, was conducted from 21 October 2020 to 31 January 2021 in four tertiary care hospitals located at four distant geographical regions in Greece. In total, 294 HCWs participated in this study. The majority of HCWs provided precise responses regarding general knowledge, perceptions, and practices concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. However, responses on hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in HCWs with COVID-19 were mistaken. This study reveals a certain degree of misconceptions and knowledge gaps in HCWs everyday practice, especially regarding hand hygiene and antimicrobial use in COVID-19 patients.
