Knowledge and Source of Information of COVID-19 among Students of Health Informatics, Qassim Univers
Background: Strong steps have been undertaken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Several steps have been taken to connect with the public about how the virus spreads and about how to take different precautionary measures to prevent the disease. The awareness and understanding of COVID-19 influences the design and execution of preventive measures and virus spread prevention campaigns. Objectives: This research aims to test students' awareness and expectations of the COVID-19 pandemic health informatics programme. Methods: This descriptive study used a web-based COVID-19 pandemic survey distributed in the first week of April 2020 to 320 students (222 females and 98 males) at the Bachelor of Health Informatics Program, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The survey instrument was created and distributed using social media networks to all students in the programme. It took 10 minutes for the survey to complete. Results: The study showed that only 20% of respondents had sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 signs and symptoms, with 22.5% having knowledge of the proper modes of virus transmission. 55.6 percent of them however, had sufficient knowledge of ways of defending themselves against COVID-19. The results of the study show that there is a substantial awareness gap among students of health informatics about COVID-19 regardless of the amount of information available about the pandemic. The major source of information for the majority (79 percent of respondents was social media. Conclusion: As COVID-19 threatens to devastate health systems and presents a significant threat to human well-being, enhancing the awareness and attitudes of Saudi Arabia's university students is imperative. To reach all students in the country, an effective health promotion platform is recommended. Please see the Link :- https://www.journaljpri.com/index.php/JPRI/article/view/30806