The novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: Knowledge, attitude, practice, and perceived stress among health care workers in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created chaos across the globe. Health care workers having close contact with infected individuals play a decisive role in infection control. This study assessed the level of knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) and perceived stress among health care workers of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cross sectional study was performed between March 11, 2020 and March 25, 2020 among health care workers of Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected through an online, self-administered questionnaire. The level of KAP was categorized using modified Bloom’s cut off point. Chi-square test, independent sample t test, and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze the data with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. Results: A total of 304 health care workers responded to the survey. The most popular source of information was found to be TV/radio/newspaper. Although 54.3%, 75%, and 58.9% respondents had good knowledge, good attitude, and good practice, respectively, more than 40% of respondents did not use gloves during patient interaction. Most of participants rated their level of knowledge as moderate and were inclined towards the need for more training. Around 80% of participants had either moderate stress or severe perceived stress. Conclusion: Our study revealed a relatively good level of KAP among respondents, but there is a need for further training programs. This study yielded high stress levels among respondents, with personal and family safety being the main concerns. The government should, therefore, take proper measures to alleviate the stress levels to provide a strong frontline force.