Eye Health Workers’ Knowledge and Perception of Corona Virus Disease in a Nigerian Eye Hospital

Abstract

Background: The novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) is a severe highly infectious viral disease. Health workers, including eye health workers, are expected to take measures to prevent disease spread within the health care facility. Satisfactory performance of the risky duties depends on the workers’ knowledge and perception of the disease. Objectives: To determine the knowledge and perception of COVID-19 pandemic, and any change in these parameters between the first and second waves of the pandemic, among eye health workers at a tertiary eye centre in Nigeria. Methodology: This study was conducted in two phases in March and December 2020. Eye health workers responded to pre-tested questionnaire on knowledge and perception of COVID-19: disease type, aetiology, disease nature, symptoms, transmission, prevention and fears. Results: In the first phase, 72 workers participated; 69 in the second phase. All the participants heard of COVID-19 pandemic from multiple sources. Mass media was the commonest source; half of the workers obtained information from the workplace and this did not improve with time; friends, family and the market place as information sources significantly improved with time (p<0.05).
Some workers (7%) did not know the type or mode of spread of COVID-19; 25.0% were ignorant of ophthalmic symptoms. Workers knew that hand washing (93.1%) and equipment disinfection (77.8%) were preventive measures but 38.0% were ignorant of universal precautions concept. All participants expressed fear about contracting COVID-19; fear of nosocomial infections (88.9%) and worry about lack of personal protective equipment [PPE] (50.7%) were most important. Procedures participants mostly wanted suspended were direct ophthalmoscopy (47.5%), slit-lamp examination (30.0%) and tonometry (22.5%). Conclusion: The knowledge and perception of eye health workers on COVID-19 were suboptimal and these remained essentially unchanged 9 months after. Hospitals should conduct continuing education programmes to deliver accurate information on COVID-19 to the workers.