Perception, preparedness and response of health care personals towards COVID-19 pandemic in Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan: A cross sectional interview based study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the state of knowledge, perception, preparedness and satisfaction level of health care personals (HCPs) in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) towards COVID-19. STUDY DESIGN: It was cross sectional survey conducted by personal interviews. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted by interviewing 302 HCPs from 7 major district headquarter hospitals of AJK from May to September 2020. The questionnaire included 29 questions about demography, perception, training, preparedness, knowledge and awareness of HCPs about COVID-19. The data was encoded and analyzed statistically. RESULTS: Majority of the respondents (78.5%) believed that corona-virus is a serious health threat. However, 10.6% perceived it as a bio-weapon and 4.3% as not dangerous. About 10% of doctors were not considering it very dangerous compared to 1% of paramedics and 2.5% of the supporting staff (P = 0.003). About 55% of the respondents showed confidence of the steps taken by government for prevention of COVID-19 while 45% had an opposite view. More than 70% of the participants had no formal training and the ratio of trained personals was significantly higher (0.018) in paramedical staff (33%) than doctors (15%). About 53% of the respondents were not satisfied with the provision of PPEs and 64% were not satisfied with their work and wages situation. Majority of the respondents (97%) were observed to follow the protocols for personal protection. CONCLUSION: Majority of HCPs perceive covid-19 as a serious health concern. However, most of the HCPs are neither well trained for the current pandemic nor fully satisfied about personal protection, work load, and wages.