Investigation of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Clinical and Basic Science Students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Regarding the COVID-19 Crisis

At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the lack of sufficient knowledge about the nature of the disease, the ways of transmission and the factors affecting the severity of the disease, had caused great concern and anxiety. Considering that medical students are in close contact with people, it is necessary to measure their level of knowledge, attitude and behavior in the face of covid-19 so that, if necessary, appropriate measures can be taken in order to improve their awareness and attitude. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the knowledge, attitude and performance of clinical and basic science students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences regarding Covid-19.

This cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 310 clinical and basic science students at Shahid Beheshti University during the academic year 2021-2022. The sampling was categorized, and data were collected using the Baniyas study questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS-26 statistical software through descriptive tests and Chi-Square analysis.

Among the study participants, 231(74.8%) were female and the rest were male. The clinical and basic science students had good knowledge about the disease factor, animal-to-human transmission, human-to-human transmission routes, COVID-19 symptoms, the best diagnostic test, treatment, disease prevalence reduction methods, asymptomatic positive individual care, disease transmission in symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, and disease transmission in children and young adults. The students expressed concerns about their own and their family members' susceptibility to the disease.

 The students showed a high level of knowledge, positive attitude, and good actions towards COVID-19 prevention. However, they were concerned about their own and their family members' susceptibility to the disease.