Public Health Workers’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding COVID-19: The Impact of the Field Epidemiology Training Program in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Background Globally, there is a growing need for public health professionals skilled in preventing and responding to the surge of emerging re-emerging infectious diseases. This particularly important Eastern Mediterranean countries that are facing emergencies addition increased risks unprecedented scale during COVID-19 pandemic. Public instrumental pandemic terms detecting monitoring new cases, conducting investigations, tracing contacts, ensuring patients being tested, applying isolation quarantine protocols, providing up-to-date information, educating community, producing statistics models track disease progression. Objective study aims compare knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) regarding between workers (PHWs) attended Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP trained) those who did not attend FETP (non-FETP trained). Methods A multicountry cross-sectional survey was conducted among PHWs participated 10 Region. An online questionnaire included demographic information KAP distributed PHWs. The scoring system used quantify answers; bivariate multivariate analyses were performed FETP-trained with non-FETP–trained Results Overall, 1337 participated, 835 (62.4%) <40 years age 851 (63.6%) male participants. Of them, 423 (31.6%) trained, including 189 (44.7%) at an advanced level, 155 (36.6%) intermediate 79 (18.7%) had basic level training. Compared participants, participants older higher scores. participation low infection control laboratories. mean scores intermediate-level attendees comparable level. Conclusions better than Expanding maintaining rapid response training, introducing laboratory component recommended maximize benefit from FETP. Infection control, antimicrobial resistance, coordination areas where training should be included.