Radiographers’ knowledge, attitude and adherence to standard COVID-19 precautions and the policy implications: a national cross-sectional study in Nigeria
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Date
2023
Authors
Ezema, Charles I.
Erondu, Okechukwu F.
Onyeso, Ogochukwu K.
Alumona, Chiedozie J.
Ijever, Andrew W.
Amarachukwu, Charity N.
Amaeze, Amaeze A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Abstract
Background: We investigated the knowledge of COVID-19 pathogenesis and prevention, attitude,
and adherence to safe clinical practices among radiographers during the pandemic and made
some informed policy recommendations.
Materials and methods: The study was an online cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire
captured data on respondents’ demographics, knowledge of COVID-19, attitudes, practices, and
standard precaution adherence during the pandemic. Data were analysed using descriptive
statistics, Pearson’s correlation and one-way ANOVA tests.
Results: Of the 255 respondents, 17.3% were actively involved in the management of COVID-19
cases. Participants had high scores regarding their knowledge of COVID-19 pathology
(82.46 ± 8.67%), prevention (93.43 ± 7.11%) and attitude (74.11 ± 11.61%), but low compliance to
safety precautions (56.08 ± 18.56%). Knowledge about COVID-19 prevention strategies differed
significantly across educational qualifications, F(3, 251) = 4.62, p = .004. Similarly, levels of
compliance with safety precautions differed across educational qualification (F[3, 251] = 4.53,
p = .004) and years-in-practice (F[4, 250] = 4.17, p = .003).
Conclusion: Participants’ adherence to standard COVID-19 precautions was low. The level of
professional qualification influenced participants’ knowledge and safe practices during the
pandemic. Upgrading the aseptic techniques and amenities in practice settings and broadening
the infectious diseases modules in the entry-level and continuous professional education may
improve radiographers’ response to COVID-19 and future pandemics.
Description
Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0) applies
Keywords
Coronavirus , Nigeria , Personal protective equipment , Radiographer , Standard precautions , COVID-19
Citation
Ezema, C. I., Erondu, O. F., Onyeso, O. K., Alumona, C. J., Ijever, A. W., Amarachukwu, C. N., & Amaeze, A. A. (2023). Radiographers’ knowledge, attitude and adherence to standard COVID-19 precautions and the policy implications: a national cross-sectional study in Nigeria. Annals of Medicine, 55(1), Article 2210844. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2023.2210844