Assessment of the Awareness, Perception, Attitudes, and Preparedness of Health-care Professionals Potentially Exposed to COVID-19 in the United Arab Emirates

Figures & data

Table 1 Participants’ Demographics (n=941)

Variables	n (%)
Gender
Male	187 (19.9)
Female	754 (80.1)
Age
<30 years old	105 (11.2)
31–39 years old	420 (44.6)
40–49 years old	281 (29.9)
≥50 years old	135 (14.3)
Years of practice
<5 years	145 (15.4)
6–10 years	245 (26)
>10 years	551 (58.6)
Region of practice
Abu Dhabi	3 (0.3)
Ajman	4 (0.4)
Dubai	117 (12.4)
Fujairah	151 (16)
Ras Al-Khaimah	114 (12.1)
Sharjah	525 (55.8)
Umm al-Quwain	27 (2.9)
Working department
Emergency room	113 (12)
Intensive care unit	156 (16.6)
Ward	168 (17.9)
Infectious disease clinic	54 (5.7)
Respiratory disease clinic	7 (0.7)
Others	443 (47.1)
Completed a postgraduate study/residency program
Yes	472 (50.2)
No	469 (49.8)
Training in infection control
Yes	761 (80.9)
No	180 (19.1)
Training regarding COVID-19
Yes	785 (83.4)
No	156 (16.6)
Received Rapid Response Team training (RRT)
Yes	402 (42.7)
No	539 (57.3)
Participated in response to disease outbreaks
Yes	469 (49.8)
No	472 (50.2)

Table 2 Participants’ Knowledge About COVID-19 (n=941)

Question	n (%)
Which of the following are symptoms of the COVID-19 infection?
Fever	934 (99.2)
Cough	927 (98.5)
Runny nose	656 (69.7)
Sore throat	882 (93.7)
Shortness of breath	911 (96.8)
Joint/muscle pain	670 (71.2)
Red eyes	322 (34.2)
Rash	274 (29.1)
Diarrhea	799 (84.9)
May present with no symptoms	852 (90.5)
How can COVID-19 be transmitted?
Via coughing and sneezing	931 (98.9)
Hand shaking	891 (94.6)
Touching surfaces as doorknobs and tables	886 (94.1)
Which of the following tests should be performed for the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection?
Real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with respiratory material (nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab/sputum/endotracheal aspirate or bronchoalveolar lavage)	922 (97.9)
Real-time PCR with serum sample	446 (47.3)
Chest X-ray	547 (58.1)
Which of the following should be considered at high risk of having COVID-19?
The presence of symptoms of diarrhea	304 (32.3)
The presence of symptoms of a respiratory infection	834 (88.6)
History of travel to areas experiencing transmission of COVID-19	821 (87.2)
History of contact with possible infected patients	48 (5.1)
Which of the following measures should be taken to prevent transmission from suspected COVID-19 patients?
Clean hands frequently by using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water	932 (99)
Eat boiled and cooked food	494 (52.4)
Put face mask on known or suspected patients	905 (96.1)
Place known or suspected patients in adequately ventilated single rooms	759 (80.6)
Wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for all health-care providers	910 (96.7)
Avoid moving and transporting patients out of their area unless necessary	840 (89.2)
Clean and disinfect surfaces in contact with known or suspected patients routinely	907 (96.3)
High-risk groups include:
Healthcare providers	716 (76.1)
Elderly	917 (97.4)
Male gender	200 (21.2)
Children	588 (62.4)
People with immune system deficiency	922 (97.9)
Travelers	630 (66.9)
People with chronic diseases	913 (97)
There is a vaccine available for COVID-19
Yes	14 (1.5)
No	927 (98.5)
Antibiotics are useful for the treatment of COVID-19
Yes	319 (33.9)
No	622 (66.1)
In case of contact with suspected COVID-19 patients, do you know how to use personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Yes	910 (96.7)
No	31 (3.3)
In case of contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, do you know how to perform isolation procedures on the patients to minimize chances for exposure?
Yes	851 (90.4)
No	90 (9.6)

Table 3 Participants’ Source of Information About COVID-19 (n=941)

Question	n (%)
Are you up to date on the latest information of case definitions for COVID-19?
Yes	901 (95.7)
No	40 (4.3)
What are your sources of information about the COVID-19?
Media (newspaper, television, radio, etc)	634 (67.3)
Social network (Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc)	434 (46.1)
Family members and friends	229 (24.3)
Medical doctors or routinely visited physicians	388 (41.2)
Academic training courses	604 (64.1)
Colleagues	354 (37.6)
Government organization such as Ministry of Health and Prevention	919 (97.6)
To what extent do you have confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients?
Not at all	49 (5.3)
To a little extent	68 (7.2)
To some extent	103 (10.9)
To a considerable extent	319 (33.9)
To a great extent	402 (42.7)
Personal protective equipment such as face shields, goggles, masks, and gloves are useful in protecting myself from a patient suspected to have COVID-19 patients.
Yes	914 (97.1)
No	27 (2.9)
How important is changing both masks and gloves in decreasing the possibility of transmitting infections to myself and to patients?
Very important	883 (93.8)
Important	52 (5.5)
Little important	3 (0.3)
Not important	3 (0.3)

Table 4 Participants’ Risk Perception and Attitude Toward COVID-19 (n=941)

Question	n (%)
How do you perceive COVID-19?
Very dangerous	604 (64.2)
Moderately dangerous	323 (34.3)
Not dangerous	14 (1.5)
How do you perceive COVID-19 compared to SARS?
Less dangerous	154 (16.4)
More dangerous	637 (67.7)
The same	150 (15.9)
How do you perceive COVID-19 compared to MERS?
Less dangerous	158 (16.8)
More dangerous	634 (67.4)
The same	149 (15.8)
I believe COVID-19 is not currently a serious public health issue.
Yes	104 (11.1)
No	837 (88.9)
COVID-19 symptoms often resolve with time and do not require any special treatment.
Yes	392 (41.7)
No	549 (58.3)
Educating people about COVID-19 is important to prevent the spread of the disease
Yes	929 (98.7)
No	12 (1.3)
I prefer to avoid working with a patient who is a suspect of COVID-19
Yes	291 (30.9)
No	650 (69.1)
In case a patient was sneezing or coughing, what would you do?
Refuse treating the patient and ask him/her to leave the clinic	8 (0.8)
Treat the patient and ask him/her to go to the hospital	473 (50.2)
Refer the patient to the hospital without treating him/her	93 (9.8)
Refer the patient to the attending physician and report symptoms	739 (78.5)
I believe that asking patients to sit from a distance, wear mask while in the waiting room, and wash hands are:
Necessary to help decreasing disease transmission	938 (99.7)
Not necessary and could cause panic	12 (1.3)
Would you allow a healthcare staff to work with patients if they have flu-like symptoms?
Yes	225 (23.9)
No	716 (76.1)
The role of healthcare staff in teaching others about COVID-19 is:
Very significant	896 (95.2)
Moderately significant	41 (4.4)
Mildly significant	2 (0.2)
Not significant at all	2 (0.2)

Table 5 Participants’ Preparedness to COVID-19 (n=941)

Question	n (%)
Do you consider yourself prepared for the COVID-19 outbreak?
Yes	827 (87.9)
No	114 (12.1)
Do you consider United Arab Emirates prepared for the management of the COVID-19 outbreak?
Yes	898 (95.4)
No	43 (4.6)
Please rate how satisfied you are with the preparedness of United Arab Emirates to deal with COVID-19 outbreak:
Very unsatisfied	133 (14.1)
Unsatisfied	20 (2.1)
Neutral	56 (6)
Satisfied	391 (41.6)
Very satisfied	341 (36.2)
Do you know whom to contact in case there has been an unprotected exposure to a suspected COVID-19 patient?
Yes	877 (93.2)
No	64 (6.8)
Do you know what to do if you have signs and/or symptoms of COVID-19 infection?
Yes	914 (97.1)
No	27 (2.9)

Table 6 Differences in Frequency of Participants’ Preparedness Based on Their Demographics (n=941)

Question	Do You Consider Yourself Prepared for the COVID-19 Outbreak?			Do You Consider United Arab Emirates Prepared for the Management of the COVID-19 Outbreak?			How Satisfied You are with the Preparedness of UAE to Deal with COVID-19 Outbreak?				Do You Know Whom to Contact in Case There Has Been an Unprotected Exposure to a Suspected COVID-19 Patient?
Variables	Yes	No	P	Yes	No	P	Very Unsatisfied and Unsatisfied	Neutral	Satisfied and Very Satisfied	P	Yes	No	P
Gender			0.096			0.831				0.011*			0.678
Male	171	16		179	8		31	5	151		173	14
Female	656	98		719	35		122	51	581		704	50
Age			0.014*			0.04*				0.001*			0.616
<30 years old	83	22		95	10		16	13	76		95	10
31–39 years old	371	49		400	20		70	28	322		392	28
40–49 years old	248	33		271	10		44	10	227		262	19
≥50 years old	125	10		132	3		23	5	107		128	7
Years of practice			0.041*			0.133				0.491			0.062
<5 years	119	26		134	11		18	14	113		129	16
6–10 years	222	23		237	8		44	11	190		233	12
>10 years	486	65		527	24		91	31	429		515	36
Region of practice			<0.001*			0.201				0.153			<0.001*
Abu Dhabi	1	2		2	1		2	0	1		1	2
Ajman	4	0		4	0		2	0	2		4	0
Dubai	100	17		112	5		22	7	88		110	7
Fujairah	119	32		141	10		22	14	115		135	16
Ras Al-Khaimah	104	10		110	4		22	2	90		111	3
Sharjah	477	48		504	21		81	33	411		492	33
Umm al-Quwain	22	5		25	2		2	0	25		24	3
Completed a postgraduate study/residency program			0.173			0.284				0.013*			0.010*
Yes	408	64		447	25		90	30	352		430	42
No	419	50		451	18		63	26	380		447	22
Training in infection control			<0.001*			0.758				0.446			0.117
Yes	694	67		727	28		118	47	596		714	47
No	133	47		171	15		35	9	136		163	17
Training about COVID-19			<0.001*			0.001*				0.471			0.010*
Yes	704	81		757	28		124	45	616		739	46
No	123	33		141	15		29	11	116		138	18
Received Rapid Response Team training (RRT)			<0.001*			0.044*				0.241			0.055
Yes	337	25		390	12		69	16	317		382	20
No	450	89		508	31		84	40	415		495	44
Participated in response to disease outbreaks			<0.001*			0.859				0.7			0.041*
Yes	439	30		447	22		73	27	369		445	24
No	388	84		451	21		80	29	363		432	40

Note: *P value is significant at ≤0.05 using chi-squared test.