The medical and biochemical knowledge of health care professionals regarding the management of MERS-CoV: lessons from 2019 pilgrimage season in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Alanzi, Mariam Eid; Albalawi, Mona Ali H.; Kabrah, Saeed; Aljehani, Yasmeen Talal; Okashah, Ahmed M.; Yenbaawi, Ayman M; Alrehaily, Sami Saleem; Aljumaidi, Areej Meshal; Alkabli, Bandar; Almutairi, Mohamed Hamed; Alghamdi, Riyadh; Alsharif, Manal Ali; Aljohani, Zohoor Dahie; Alribyawi, Rehab Ismail H.; Alluqmany, Sultan Ahmed H.; Aljohani, Ahlam Awad; Aljehani, Suzan Talal; Alghamdi, Zain Jaber; Aljermaawi, Ahmad Mohsen; Aldebeesi, Amir Gadhyan; Almutairi, May Mohamed; Alanzi, Khalid Eid; Alanzi, Nusaybah Eid; Umar, Saud Idris; Almutari, Fahad Majed; Altorgmi, Hamza Bakeet; Abdel-Mageed, Osama; Donkol, Abdel-Raheem; Abdel-Haleem, Mohamed; Baghdadi, Hussam H.; El Sayed, Salah Mohamed

doi:10.21608/svuijm.2023.249457.1739

The medical and biochemical knowledge of health care professionals regarding the management of MERS-CoV: lessons from 2019 pilgrimage season in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Document Type : Original research articles

Authors

¹ Diabetologist Consultant, King Salman Bin Abdul-Aziz Medical City, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

² Family Medicine Consultant, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

³ Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

⁴ Family Medicine Consultant & Chief of academic and training Affairs, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia.

⁵ Consultant Clinical Immunology, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

⁶ Department of Hajj and Umrah, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

⁷ Family Medicine Consultant, Ministry of Health, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

⁸ Consultant Diabetes Management & Family Medicine, Diabetes Fellowship Program Director at Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital & Chairperson of diabetes mellitus initiative in NGHA Madinah sector & Head of the research unit in family medicine program at PMBAH & Trainer in family medicine joint program at PMBAH, MBBS, SBFM, ABFM, DM Fellowship

⁹ Pediatric Consultant, and VP healthcare delivery, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹⁰ Otolaryngology consultant, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹¹ Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹² Health Control Center, Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

¹³ King Salman Bin Abdel-Aziz Medical city, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

¹⁴ Endocrinology consultant, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹⁵ Taibah University Internship, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹⁶ MBBS program, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt.

¹⁷ MBBS program, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Rayyan Medical Colleges, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

¹⁸ Pediatrics resident, Maternity & Children Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

¹⁹ Consultant of Anesthesia, National Guards Health Affairs, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia

²⁰ Department of Surgery, King Fahad Hospital, Al-Madinah Health Cluster, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia & Department of Surgery, Aswan Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Egypt.

²¹ Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, Taibah Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

²² Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Taibah Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.

²³ Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Taibah Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia & Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Sohag Faculty of Medicine, Sohag, Egypt.

10.21608/svuijm.2023.249457.1739

Abstract

Background: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) epidemic was a serious healthcare concern not responding to conventional anti-viral therapies between 2012 and 2017 with high fatality rates. Saudi Arabia is still among the best world examples in combating both MERS-CoV and COVID-19 pandemics.
Objectives: Investigating the medical and biochemical knowledge of healthcare professionals in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia on preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic measures against MERS-CoV epidemic.
Subjects and methods: In 2019, this cross-sectional study included 416 healthcare personnel of which 402 participants answered the questions with a response rate of 96.7%. Specialties of participants were medical students (1.4%), physicians (64.4%), nurses (23.6%) and others (10.7%).
Results: The vast majority of the investigated healthcare personnel gave the right answers. 96.7% of the participants answered that washing hands using water helps prevent MERS-CoV. 90.8% of the participants answered that wearing a clean non-sterile long-sleeved gown and gloves does helps prevent MERS-CoV infection. 94.7% of participants answered that using alcohol-based hand rub helps prevent MERS-CoV infection. 92.03% of the participants thought that wearing protective equipment does help preventing MERS-CoV infection. 86.1% answered that there is no vaccine available against MERS-CoV infection and 86.1% answered that taking vaccines is suitable for preventing MERS-CoV infection. 90.04% of the participants answered that MERS-CoV patients should be diagnosed using PCR and 84.3% thought that the highest levels of anti-CoV antibodies are in abattoir workers while 87.8% thought that isolation of suspected cases helps preventing MERS-CoV infection.
Conclusion: The investigated healthcare workers had a satisfactory knowledge on the preventive and therapeutic measures and biochemical knowledge against MERS-CoV epidemic at mass gatherings as pilgrimage season.

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