Investigation on the knowledge-attitude-practice of medical students in controlling emerging infectious diseases: A case study of COVID-19
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Multiplex Detection of Respiratory Viruses
Published on: November 10, 2023
Yizhe Yang1, Ruifeng Liang1,2,3, Yan Luo1
1Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Objective:
Investigate the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) of students from Medical College towards emerging infectious diseases, and assess their impact, can provide a scientific basis and practical guidance for enhancing medico's prevention and control capabilities.
Methods:
A total of 2,395 participants from various grades and majors at Medical University were randomly selected using a stratified cluster sampling method. This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 25 and May 31, 2020, using a self-administered questionnaire developed on the Wenjuanxing platform to assess COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among medical students.
Results:
A total of 2,245 participants (aged 16-28 years) were included in the study, coming from five medical disciplines: Clinical Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Nursing, Clinical Pharmacy, Health Inspection and Quarantine. The average scores for the COVID-19 epidemiological knowledge and the control measures for the epidemic were 4.92 ± 1.03 and 4.50 ± 0.78, respectively. Among them, the scores of epidemiological knowledge exhibited significant differences in sex, nation, type of dwelling place, major, grade, annual per capita household income, and age. The scores of preventive knowledge significantly differed by sex, major, grade, physical condition, and age. Further, behavioral data indicated that 96.0% of the students thought the pandemic had severely affected their daily life, while >90% maintained consistent mask usage and >80% insisted on health-protective practices. Practice scores finally varied significantly by sex, family structure, and ethnicity.
Conclusions:
Altogether, medical students possess certain basic knowledge in controlling emerging infectious diseases, but some still generally suffer from insufficient cognitive depth and anxiety. Colleges can systematically enhance students' rational cognitive level which include offering specialized courses as well as promoting cutting-edge research achievements, and through standardized operations stabilize their psychological states.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:18Steps in Outbreak Investigation
01:20Infection
The chain begins with pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungi, prions, or parasites such as protozoa helminths. These can be present on the skin as transient or resident flora, or they can be acquired from the environment. Identifying and treating the type of infection and...
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...
01:13Controls in Experiments
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...