Paradigms about the COVID-19 pandemic: knowledge, attitudes and practices from medical students
Open Access
- 23 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in BMC Medical Education
- Vol. 21 (1), 1-10
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02559-1
Abstract
Background As the disease caused by the novel coronavirus has spread globally, there has been significant economic instability in the healthcare systems. This reality was especially accentuated in Ecuador where, the shortage of healthcare workers combined with cultural and macroeconomic factors has led Ecuador to face the most aggressive outbreak in Latin America. In this context, the participation of final-year medical students on the front line is indispensable. Appropriate training on COVID-19 is an urgent requirement that universities and health systems must guarantee. We aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Ecuadorian final-year medical students that could potentially guide the design of better medical education curricula regarding COVID-19. Methods This was a cross-sectional 33-item online survey conducted between April 6 to April 2020 assessing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and prognosis toward COVID-19 in Ecuadorian final-year medical students. It was sent by email, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Results A total of 309 students responded to the survey. Out of which 88% of students scored high (>= 70% correct) for knowledge of the disease. The majority of students were pessimistic about possible government actions, which is reflected in the negative attitude towards the control of COVID-19 and volunteering during the outbreak in Ecuador (77%, and 58% of the students, respectively). Moreover, 91% of students said they did not have adequate protective equipment. The latter finding was significantly associated with negative attitudes. Conclusions Although a large number of students displayed negative attitudes, the non-depreciable percentage of students who were willing to volunteer and the coexisting high level of knowledge displayed by students, suggests that Ecuador has a capable upcoming workforce that could benefit from an opportunity to strengthen, improve and advance their training in preparation for COVID-19. Not having personal protective equipment was significantly associated to negative attitudes. Providing the necessary tools and creating a national curriculum may be one of the most effective ways to ensure all students are trained, whilst simultaneously focusing on the students' most pressing concerns. With this additional training, negative attitudes will improve and students will be better qualified.This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Role of Medical Students During the COVID-19 PandemicAnnals of Internal Medicine, 2020
- Critical Supply Shortages — The Need for Ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment during the Covid-19 PandemicThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2020
- Senior Medical Students in the COVID4 9 Response: An Opportunity to Be ProactiveAcademic Emergency Medicine, 2020
- Perspective from Ecuador, the Second Country with More Confirmed Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in South America: A ReviewCureus, 2020
- COVID-19: protecting health-care workersThe Lancet, 2020
- Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Knowledge and Perceptions: A Survey of Healthcare WorkersPublished by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory ,2020
- Covid-19: UK could delay non-urgent care and call doctors back from leave and retirementPublished by BMJ ,2020
- Attitudes and perceptions of medical doctors towards the local health system: a questionnaire survey in EcuadorBMC Health Services Research, 2019
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices about the Oropouche, in medical students of Latin America, 2017Revista del Instituto de Medicina Tropical, 2017
- How Can Medical Students Add Value? Identifying Roles, Barriers, and Strategies to Advance the Value of Undergraduate Medical Education to Patient Care and the Health SystemAcademic Medicine, 2017