A study of nurses' knowledge, attitude and practice towards Coronavirus disease in hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2020

Introduction: Health care providers are the first line of defense in direct and long-term contact with patients with coronavirus disease. Lack of sufficient knowledge and inappropriate attitude and practice of nurses toward coronavirus disease can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment, poor adherence to infection control principles, and ultimately the rapid spread of infections. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of nurses working at Tehran University of Medical Sciences regarding coronavirus disease. Method: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 on 175 nurses working at Tehran University of Medical Sciences who were selected by convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire of demographic variables and the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Bao-Liang Zhong. Data analysis was performed by SPSS-V24 software using descriptive, inferential, and correlational statistical tests. Results: 80.6% of the participants in the present study were women and 64.4% of them were in the age range of 22-40 years. The mean score for nurses' knowledge was 9.30 ± 1.116 and the mean score of attitude and practice was 0.851 ± 1.24 and 0.506 ± 1.42, respectively. There was a statistically significant relationship between age and knowledge (P = 0.038) while between other demographic variables (gender, marital status, level of education, work experience, workplace department, and care of a person with or suspected of coronavirus disease) with knowledge, attitude and There was no statistically significant relationship between nurses' performance. Conclusion: The knowledge level of the vast majority of nurses regarding coronavirus disease was good and more than half of them had a positive attitude and good performance. Continuation of more educational strategies is necessary for all nurses to better understand and have a positive view of the epidemic.