Early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health providers towards COVID-19 suspected cases

Introduction: This study aimed to analyze healthcare providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices on suspected COVID-19 cases at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Guinea. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted nationwide from April 10 to April 25, 2020, with health personnel from 169 health facilities. Results: Among the 1058 healthcare providers (HCPs), 44.9% lived in Conakry and 55.1% in the countryside. The transmission modes between humans (80.9%) and through the direct respiratory tract (80.6%) were well-known by HCPs. The correct definition of suspected COVID-19 cases was known by 54.8%. Regarding HCPs reported adherence to key preventive practices measures: consistent hand washing after medical procedures (81.7%), use of gloves (70%), and always using masks (48.5%). The age groups of 25-39 years (AOR= 3.68, 95% CI: 1.99-6.83), 40-59 years (AOR= 3.49, 95% CI: 1.66-7.36), and 60+ years (AOR=3.10, 95%CI: 1.01-9.61); good knowledge of the signs of COVID-19 (AOR= 2.57; 95% CI: 1.31-5.06), good knowledge of preventive measures (AOR= 5.75, 95%CI: 1.94-17.11), good attitude towards a suspected case of COVID-19 (AOR= 2.60; 95% CI: 1.61-4.18), infection prevention and control training (AOR=1.94, 95%CI: 1.01-3.72), nurses/midwives compared to medical doctors (AOR=0.41, 95%CI: 0.29-0.57) and pharmacies compared to teaching hospitals (AOR=0.03, 95%CI: 0.01-0.82) were statistically significantly associated with knowledge of the correct definition of a suspected case. The age groups of 25-39 years (AOR= 2.36; IC95%: 1.28-4.36) and 60 years and over (AOR= 4.03; 95% CI: 1.33-12.28) and being a pharmacist compared to medical doctor (AOR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.07-0.98) were associated with the good preventive practices of the healthcare professional in COVID-19 suspected cases management. Conclusions: Our study found significant knowledge and practice gaps among healthcare providers in Guinea during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than a quarter could correctly define a suspected case, and adherence to mask-wearing was low despite strong hand hygiene. These findings were consistent with those of other low-income countries. We also found that older providers had better knowledge and practices, while a professional disparity was identified with pharmacists demonstrating poor preventive practices. Therefore, future interventions should target younger healthcare providers and pharmacists with tailored training, PPE fact sheets, and clear guidelines to improve preparedness for future health crises.