IPROC iproc Iproceedings 2369-6893 JMIR Publications Toronto, Canada v8i1e36491 10.2196/36491 Abstract Abstract Public Health Workers’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding COVID-19: The Impact of the Field Epidemiology Training Program in the Eastern Mediterranean Region Khader Yousef Sami Sahar MPH, MD 1
Ministry of Health and Population 3a Magles Elshaab street Cairo Egypt 20 01001541035 sahar_mohp@yahoo.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4137-0273 Lami Faris PhD 2 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3673-3818 Rashak Hiba Abdulrahman MSc 3 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8670-4364 Al Nsour Mohannad MD, MSc, PhD 4 Eid Alaa MD 1 Khader Yousef SCD 5 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7830-6857 Afifi Sr Salma MD, MPH 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7705-5999 Elfadul Maisa MD 6 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2976-2642 Ghaleb Yasser MSc 7 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6697-0753 Letaief Hajer MD 8 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3418-1853 Ben Alaya Nissaf PhD 9 Ikram Aamer PhD 10 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6440-750X Akhtar Hashaam PhD 11 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1913-831X Barkia Sr Abdelaziz MPH 12 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3132-2155 Taha Hana Ahmad PhD 4 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8710-8249 Adam Reema MAES 13 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0896-9911 Islam Saeed Sr Khwaja Mir PhD 14 Almudarra Sami MD, PhD 15 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6653-9592 Hassany Mohamed MD 1 Abu El Sood Hanaa MD, MSc 1 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8042-414X ur Rahman Fazal FCPS 16 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4374-511X Saaed Falah Abdul-kader MD 17 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1167-3844 Hlaiwah Mohammed Sameer MD 17 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5908-602X Ministry of Health and Population Cairo Egypt University of Baghdad Baghdad Iraq Ministry of Health Baghdad Iraq Global Health Development|The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network Amman Jordan Jordan University of Science & Technology Irbid Jordan Public Health Institute Federal Ministry of Health Khartoum Sudan Ministry of Public Health and Population Sanaa Yemen National Observatory of New and Emerging Diseases Tunis Tunisia Tunisia Field Epidemiology Training Program Tunis Tunisia National Institute of Health Islamabad Pakistan Yusra Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences Islamabad Pakistan Ministry of Health Rabat Morocco Federal Ministry of Health Khartoum Sudan Afghanistan Field Epidemiology Training Program Kabol Afghanistan Ministry of Health Riyadh Saudi Arabia Medical Unit 1 Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi Pakistan Al-Rusafa Health Directorate Department of Public Health Ministry of Health Baghdad Baghdad Iraq Corresponding Author: Sahar Sami sahar_mohp@yahoo.com Jan-Dec 2022 4 2 2022 8 1 e36491 16 1 2022 18 1 2022 ©Sahar Sami, Faris Lami, Hiba Abdulrahman Rashak, Mohannad Al Nsour, Alaa Eid, Yousef Khader, Salma Afifi Sr, Maisa Elfadul, Yasser Ghaleb, Hajer Letaief, Nissaf Ben Alaya, Aamer Ikram, Hashaam Akhtar, Abdelaziz Barkia Sr, Hana Ahmad Taha, Reema Adam, Khwaja Mir Islam Saeed Sr, Sami Almudarra, Mohamed Hassany, Hanaa Abu El Sood, Fazal ur Rahman, Falah Abdul-kader Saaed, Mohammed Sameer Hlaiwah. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 04.02.2022. 2022

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 Background

Globally, there is a growing need for public health professionals skilled in preventing and responding to the surge of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This is particularly important to the Eastern Mediterranean countries that are facing emergencies in addition to the increased public health risks of unprecedented scale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health professionals are instrumental in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of detecting and monitoring new cases, conducting investigations, tracing contacts, ensuring patients are being tested, applying isolation and quarantine protocols, providing up-to-date information, educating the community, and producing statistics and models to track disease progression.

 Objective

This study aims to compare knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding COVID-19 between public health workers (PHWs) that attended the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP trained) and those who did not attend FETP (non-FETP trained).

 Methods

A multicountry cross-sectional survey was conducted among PHWs who participated in the COVID-19 pandemic in 10 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. An online questionnaire that included demographic information and KAP regarding the COVID-19 pandemic was distributed among PHWs. The scoring system was used to quantify the answers; bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare FETP-trained with non-FETP–trained PHWs.

 Results

Overall, 1337 PHWs participated, with 835 (62.4%) <40 years of age and 851 (63.6%) male participants. Of them, 423 (31.6%) were FETP trained, including 189 (44.7%) at an advanced level, 155 (36.6%) at an intermediate level, and 79 (18.7%) had basic level training. Compared to non-FETP–trained participants, FETP-trained participants were older and had higher KAP scores. FETP participation was low in infection control and public health laboratories. KAP mean scores for intermediate-level attendees were comparable to the advanced level.

 Conclusions

FETP-trained participants had better KAP than non-FETP–trained PHWs. Expanding the intermediate level, maintaining the rapid response training, and introducing the laboratory component are recommended to maximize the benefit from the FETP. Infection control, antimicrobial resistance, and coordination are areas where training should be included.

 knowledge attitude practice COVID-19 Field Epidemiology Training Program