COVID-19: Knowledge, Perception of Risk, Preparedness and Vaccine Acceptability among Healthcare Workers in Kenya

Abdulle, H. M.; Masika, M. M.; Oyugi, J. O.

Abstract Background COVID-19 is highly contagious and healthcare workers are at a higher risk of contracting the disease since they are at the frontline in an effort to control and manage it. Inadequate knowledge on COVID-19 and poor practices and preventive measures among healthcare workers may lead to the rapid spread of the disease thereby limiting the ability to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, risk perception, preparedness for COVID-19 and vaccine acceptability among healthcare workers in Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 to assess the level of knowledge of health workers, perception of risk and preparedness to handle COVID-19 in Kenya. A link to an online self-administered questionnaire hosted on the Research Electronic Data Capture application (REDCap) was disseminated to health workers across the country via text messages, emails and social media. We collected data on demographics, knowledge, perception of risk and preparedness for COVID-19 and vaccine acceptance. Data collected in REDCap was then transferred to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariate correlation analyses were used to determine associations between variables. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 997 participants including doctors (34%), nurses (26%), clinical officers (21%) and lab technologists (12%) were enrolled in the study. About half (53%) of the participants were female. The mean age was 36.54 years (SD = 8.31) and 46% of the participants were aged between 31-40 years. About half (55%) of participants worked in county facilities and 64% of the respondents had at least a bachelors degree. The overall knowledge score of health workers for COVID-19 was 80%. Most of the health workers (89%) perceived that they were at high risk of infection. Seventy-two percent of the participants felt that they were either partially or fully prepared to handle patients with COVID-19. Overall, 71% of all health workers would take a vaccine if provided free by the government. Conclusion Knowledge of health workers on transmission, clinical manifestations and risk factors for development of severe COVID-19 was good. Majority of the health workers perceived the risk of infection with COVID-19 as high and a significant number felt that they were not fully prepared to handle the pandemic. Majority of health workers would take a COVID-19 vaccine. Keywords: Kenya, knowledge, risk perception, preparedness, vaccine acceptability, COVID-19, health workers