Perspective of Medical Students on the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey of Nine Medical Schools in Uganda
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
JMIR public health and surveillance
Abstract
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global public health concern affecting over 5 million people
and posing a great burden on health care systems worldwide.
Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of medical students in Uganda on the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: We conducted an online, descriptive cross-sectional study in mid-April 2020, using WhatsApp Messenger. Medical
students in 9 of the 10 medical schools in Uganda were approached through convenience sampling. Bloom’s cut-off of 80% was
used to determine good knowledge (≥12 out of 15), positive attitude (≥20 out of 25), and good practice (≥12 out of 15).
Results: The data of 741 first- to fifth-year medical students, consisting of 468 (63%) males with a mean age of 24 (SD 4) years,
were analyzed. The majority (n=626, 84%) were pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees. Overall, 671
(91%) had good knowledge, 550 (74%) had a positive attitude, and 426 (57%) had good practices. Knowledge was associated
with the 4th year of study (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.1, 95% CI 1.6-10.3; P<.001). Attitude was associated with the female sex
(aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-1; P=.04) and TV or radio shows (aOR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6-2.1; P=.01). Practices were associated with the
≥24 years age category (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.1; P=.02) and online courses (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1-3.2; P=.03). In total, 592
(80%) medical students were willing to participate in frontline care if called upon.
Conclusions: Medical students in Uganda have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 and will be a large reservoir for health care
response when the need arises.
Description
Keywords
Medical Students, COVID-19 Pandemic, Survey, Medical Schools
Citation
Olum, R., Kajjimu, J., Kanyike, A. M., Chekwech, G., Wekha, G., Nassozi, D. R., ... & Bongomin, F. (2020). Perspective of medical students on the COVID-19 pandemic: survey of nine medical schools in Uganda. JMIR public health and surveillance, 6(2), e19847. http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e19847/