Title : Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding monkey pox among medical doctors at Ibrahim Malik teaching hospital, Khartoum, Sudan 2022
Abstract:
Background: Viruses are potential biological weapons with the ability to destroy health and economic systems; COVID-19 is a living example of this, and we are all too familiar with the disasters that have resulted from it. In the shadow of this pandemic, shedding light on new emerging diseases like monkeypox virus (MPV) will help us control it early on, avoiding future obstacles and possible disease evolution.
Objective: This study aims to assess the awareness of Sudanese doctors at Ibrahim Malik Teaching Hospital about the Monkeypox virus in terms of knowledge, attitude, and practice.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study that took place at Ibrahim Malik Teaching Hospital in Khartoum state from October to November 2022. A purposive sample was chosen to cover the 168 sample size, and a three-part questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic data, knowledge about monkeypox, and attitude and practice questions was used. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data and to establish the relationship between the various variables. Moreover, Khartoum University and the Ministry of Health both granted ethical approval.
Results: 168 medical doctors took part in this study. No significant association was found between doctors' knowledge about MPV and their recent practice during this outbreak (p=0.83). In contrast to that, doctors' knowledge and attitude showed a significant correlation (p= 0.00).
Conclusion: Medical doctors’ knowledge about MPV was good but there is knowledge gap in the area of treatment and prevention. We should dedicate our efforts in the part of evidence-based medicine and continuous knowledge assessment of the doctors should be applied. As well, we recommend establishing clinical guidelines and treatment protocol regarding MPV.
