Knowledge, Practices and Attitude of Health Care Support Personnel on COVID-19: A Comparative Study Bhutan and Sri Lanka

Background: Health care support personnel are more vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the nature of their work. Their comparatively lower education qualifications, the important service they provide and associated risks of infection to themselves and others are high. This study attempts to explore and compare the knowledge, practices, and attitude of health care support personnel in Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study using a purposive stratified sampling method with a questionnaire administered on knowledge, practices, and attitude was conducted from September 2020 to June 2021. The analysis was run using SPSS 21.

Results: There were 775 (383 Sri Lankans, 392 Bhutanese) respondents. They consist of attendants (204), health care assistants (labourers) (355), cleaners (140), ambulance drivers (35) and security guards (41). Their levels of education were Grade 12 (24.5%), Grade 10 (41.2%), Grade 8-5(22.2%), and no formal education (12.1%). The majority (66.3%) had a ‘good’ knowledge level of COVID-19. Sri Lankan and Bhutanese mean knowledge score is 7.55 and 7.44 respectively (p<0.05). Overall, not much difference is observed in Practice related to COIVD-19 in both countries. Sri Lankans reported less fear of contact with COVID patients than Bhutanese (p<0.05), but more Bhutanese feel safe at work than Sri Lankans (p<0.05). More Bhutanese (90.8%) report satisfaction with measures taken by their hospital compared to Sri Lankans (49.3%).

Conclusion: Sri Lanka reports slightly higher knowledge test means compared to Bhutan. While more Bhutanese report fear of contact with COVID-19 patients, more Bhutanese report satisfaction with measures taken by their hospitals for their safety, comparatively. It is important to explore the low levels of appreciation perceived, fears reported, and study ways to improve the psychological well-being of healthcare support staff.