COVID-19: Knowledge and Precautionary Measures among Nursing Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 B. Cs in Nursing- Sohag University.

2 Professor of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing- Ain Shams University

3 Assistant professor. of Community Health Nursing Faculty of Nursing- Ain Shams University

4 lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing- Sohag University

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 pandemic is considered as the most crucial global health calamity of
the century and the greatest challenge that the humankind faced since the 2nd World War. Egypt is
one of the five African countries with the largest number of cases, with 415,468 confirmed cases of
COVID-19 and 22,460 deaths. Aim: this study aimed to assess the nursing students' knowledge
regarding COVID-19 & precautionary measures regarding COVID-19. Design: A descriptive
analytical study was used. Sample: A stratified simple random sample of 334 nursing students.
Setting: faculty of nursing, Sohag university. Tools: two tools were used for data collection. 1st tool
was electronic questionnaire to assess the nursing students' knowledge regarding COVID-19 &
precautionary measures regarding COVID-19. part Ι: demographic data of nursing students, part ΙΙ:
(A) assessment of nursing students' knowledge regarding COVID-19, (B) Source of information
regarding COVID-19. part ΙΙΙ: Assessment of nursing student's knowledge regarding precautionary
measures toward COVID-19.2ed tool was observational checklist for the precautionary measures
implemented by the nursing students. Results: results of this study indicated that 53.9% of them were
male. 67.7% of them were living in rural area.31.1% at first academic year. Total nursing students'
knowledge regarding COVID-19 was 64%, precautionary measures was 95%, and their total practice
was 80%. Conclusion: Slightly less than two-third of nursing students had a satisfactory knowledge
about COVID-19 and majority of them had a satisfactory knowledge about precautionary measures,
also most of them had satisfactory practice related to precautionary measures toward COVID-19, and
there is a highly statistical correlation between total knowledge of nursing students and their total
practice. Recommendation: Instructions about proper use of face mask should be written on the
packages.

Keywords