Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Regarding COVID-19 among Patients with Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic Diseases in
Binit Vaidya1, Manisha Bhochhibhoya1, Rikesh Baral1
1Department of Rheumatology, National Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Insights
Patients with rheumatic diseases in Nepal showed good awareness of COVID-19 symptoms and prevention. Despite concerns about susceptibility, they maintained their treatment practices and positive attitudes toward disease control.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges for rheumatology patients due to misinformation.
- Understanding patient knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 is crucial for effective health communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rheumatology patients in Nepal concerning COVID-19.
- To identify factors influencing patient understanding and behaviors during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- A web-based cross-sectional study utilizing a 29-question Nepali questionnaire.
- Data collected via Google Forms from 380 literate participants with rheumatic diseases.
- Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyzed knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
Main Results:
- High awareness of COVID-19 clinical features (91.6%) and positive attitudes towards control (71.5%).
- A notable percentage believed they were at higher risk (31.5%) or that medications increased susceptibility (18.9%).
- Over 94.7% adhered to preventive measures, with no significant changes in treatment practices.
Conclusions:
- Rheumatology patients demonstrated awareness of COVID-19 transmission and preventive strategies.
- Patient knowledge and attitudes were generally positive, with consistent practice of preventive measures.
- Treatment adherence remained stable, indicating resilience despite pandemic-related concerns.
Purpose:
The global health crisis created by coronavirus disease in 2019, ie, COVID-19, is of serious concern to rheumatologists. The relationship of rheumatic diseases, their therapies, and COVID-19 with multiple genuine and malicious information available online can influence the knowledge and attitudes of rheumatic patients. This Google Forms study was conducted to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of rheumatology patients with regard to COVID-19 in Nepal.
Methods:
A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with rheumatic diseases. A modified version of a questionnaire was used after consent had been obtained. It was then translated into Nepali for comprehensibility. The final questionnaire contained a total of 29 questions: six on demographic parameters and twelve, five, and six on knowledge, attitudes and practice, respectively. Simple descriptive statistics were used to describe the positive responses in each domain. Logistic regression analysis was done to observe demographic variables associated with knowledge, attitudes, and practice.
Results:
Among 380 participants, 63.2% were female, the majority (42.1%) aged 18-29 years, and all were literate. Most were aware of the clinical features of COVID-19 (91.6%), 71.5% had positive attitudes toward its control, some (31.5%) thought that they had a greater chance of contracting COVID-19 than others, and 18.9% believed that antirheumatic medications could increase their susceptibility to infection. A majority (>94.7%) of them practiced preventive measures.
Conclusion:
Patients with rheumatic diseases were aware of the general clinical features, routes of transmission, and general preventive measures regarding COVID-19 and did not significantly change their treatment practices.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Rheumatic Heart Disease III: Medical Management
01:20Rheumatic Heart Disease IV: Nursing Management
01:23Rheumatic Heart Disease I: Introduction
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...