Knowledge, attitudes, and adherence to preventive measures of medical
students regarding COVID-19
Abstract
Background Medical students are at the core of pandemic response as
prospective health professionals. This study aimed to assess medical
students’ knowledge, attitude, and practices toward the COVID-19
pandemic and measure their level of adaptation to infection control
measures. Methods In this descriptive study, data was collected via an
internet-based questionnaire delivered to students through e-mail
between 19 August-14 September 2020. Participants were students enrolled
in medical school in Istanbul, Turkey. Descriptive statistics and
Chi-Square test were used to analyze data. Results Among 245 subjects
enrolled in the study, the mean age was 21.8±1.7, and 58.0% were
female, 49.0% were preclinical (1-2-3rd) grades. Most of the
respondents (85.3%) thought they have enough knowledge; 97.6% knew
about transmission routes. 31.8% of students used the World Health
Organization website, 22% of the students used official government
websites, and 20.0% of students used the news as a primary source for
covid-related information. More than half of the students (60.8%) felt
more anxious and nervous than usual due to pandemic, with female
predominance. Over 85.0% of students fulfill infection control and
preventive measures, such as wearing masks, washing hands, maintaining
social distancing, and avoiding being in crowds. 68.2% of the students
were following current guidelines prepared for COVID-19. We observed
more frequent behaviors in students who report more anxiety and
nervousness than usual. Most of the students (84.9%) expressed that
they would be vaccinated when the vaccine is developed. Conclusions
Mostly, medical students were well-informed with expected levels of
knowledge, attitude, and preventive measures towards COVID-19.
Anxiety-reducing interventions are urgently needed for medical students.
Furthermore, pandemic management should be included in the medical
school curriculum to increase knowledge, awareness, and protective
behavior.