Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Nurses Regarding the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 at a Selected Regional Hospital in Namibia.

INTRODUCTION: As the threat of COVID-19 continues, new evidence and knowledge of the disease is coming to light, thus it is critical to evaluate nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding the control and prevention of COVID-19 infections.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the KAP of nurses regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19 at a selected regional hospital in Namibia .

METHODS: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study was used to quantify and measure the relationships between the demographic variables and the key variables of KAP regarding the prevention and control of COVID-19. A total of 101 respondents were conveniently sampled. Data were collected online and analyzed using SPSS version 27.

RESULTS: The mean scores were: knowledge 26.8 (83.8%), attitude 44.8 (70%), and practice 46.8 (78%). The Pearson's correlation showed that the practice score was positively correlated to the attitude score (r = 0.556, p < 0.01), while the independent samples t-test showed that gender, COVID-19 status, and nurse status had no effect on knowledge, attitude, or practices (p > 0.05). There was a significant mean difference in the attitude scores between the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated nurses: t (86.251) = 2.974, p ≤ 0.05, as well as in the practice scores: t (98.956) = 1.989, p < -0.05. Multiple linear regression indicated that the regression model was statistically significant (F = 2.536, p < 0.001, adjusted R2  = 0.145).

CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed that some of the nurses had inadequate KAP related to the prevention and control of COVID-19. Consequently, these nurses need more intensive training to ensure that they display a high level of knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practices regarding the virus. This will both safeguard the nurses and reduce the transmission of COVID-19.