Knowledge, Attitude and Skills of Nurses/Midwives Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Public Health Facilities in Selected Counties in Kenya

Background: Nurses and midwives are the backbone in the provision of health care globally and in Kenya. The COVID-19 pandemic led to several negative impacts in the health sector. Knowledge and skills in the prevention of COVID-19 are key in the control of infection. Objective: This study sought to establish the knowledge, attitude and skills of nurses/midwives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 331 nurses/midwives in Kenya. The counties were purposively selected; cluster sampling was employed to proportionate the sample size and simple random sampling was used to select the facilities and the respondents per facility. Data was analysed using STATA 23 and presented in the form of figures, tables and narrative texts. Ethical approval was sought from Kenyatta National Hospital – University of Nairobi Ethics and Review Committee. Results: Most respondents were aged between 21 and 30 years, the majority being females. Information was mostly received from government sources. Generally, the nurses and midwives were knowledgeable about COVID-19, with 94.1% agreeing that wearing PPEs appropriately could prevent infection and 91.8% agreeing that isolation and management of an infected patient is the recommended treatment. Only 37.7% felt confident in managing a COVID-19 patient. On infection-prevention practices, 86.1% washed their hands before and after coming into contact with a patient and 52.4% of them spent the shortest time possible in isolation rooms with COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Nurses and midwives were knowledgeable and had positive attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention practices; however, there were poor practices related to prevention of COVID-19. There is a need to enhance infection-prevention practices to protect nurses/midwives during pandemics.