Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 and its prevention among medical and dental students in an educational institution in Telangana

Preeti U Deshpande; Anuradha Basavaraju; Nagapraveen Veerapu; Ashish Akula

doi:10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_582_23

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 and its prevention among medical and dental students in an educational institution in Telangana

Indian J Pathol Microbiol. 2024 Feb 19. doi: 10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_582_23. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Preeti U Deshpande¹, Anuradha Basavaraju¹, Nagapraveen Veerapu², Ashish Akula¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Mamata Medical College and Hospital, Khammam, Telangana, India.
² Department of Community Medicine, Government Medical College, Anantapuramu, Andhra Pradesh, India.

PMID: 38427767
DOI: 10.4103/ijpm.ijpm_582_23

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged as a global pandemic, threatening millions of lives worldwide. Everyone was overwhelmed by the plethora of information from different sources, creating confusion, misconceptions, and panic in the community.

Aims: This study aimed to estimate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among medical and dental students toward COVID-19 and to identify factors influencing them.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students enrolled in MBBS and BDS courses, and KAP scores were calculated using a self-administered questionnaire. The statistical analysis was done by unpaired t test and one-way analysis of variance.

Results: MBBS students had higher KAP scores when compared with BDS students. Knowledge gaps were discovered in the areas of COVID-19 transmission through blood, World Health Organization (WHO)-designated variants of concern, disinfectant usage, and mandatory vaccination. A majority (91.33%) of the students had a positive attitude toward COVID-19. Better knowledge and practice scores were significantly associated with vaccinated students and those who trusted government website resources.

Conclusion: Curriculum modifications and creative teaching strategies can fill the lacunae in the KAP scores. Medical and dental students, as torchbearers of the healthcare fraternity, can play a critical role in raising awareness during public health emergencies.