Exploring the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and training needs of obstetric and gynecological nurses regarding COVID-19 during the peak period of the pandemic in middle-risk areas of China: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, which necessitates that health workers be capable of protecting themselves and their patients. This article aimed to describe knowledge levels, attitudes, behaviors and training needs regarding COVID-19 among obstetric and gynecological nurses in medium-risk areas during the pandemic. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of obstetric and gynecological nurses in medium-risk areas was performed during the peak period of the pandemic in China. The main survey tool was the self-designed COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior and Training Needs Questionnaire. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the relationships among knowledge, attitudes, behaviors and training needs. RESULTS: A total of 599 nurses were recruited, of whom 27.7% failed the knowledge part of the questionnaire. Positive correlations were found between knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.100, P = 0.015) and between attitudes and behaviors (r = 0.352, P = 0.000) regarding occupational protection against COVID-19. A total of 88.5% of nurses preferred online training to traditional training, and more than 70% believed that demonstration of and training in operations by their own department were effective ways to learn about how to protect themselves against COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The higher the level of knowledge about the disease was, the more positive the attitude toward occupational protection, and consequently, the more actively protective behaviors were adopted. Training affected nurses' knowledge of COVID-19 occupational protection and promoted positive attitudes, which further facilitated the effective prevention and control of the disease. Online training with demonstrations are recommended for COVID-19 training of nurses.