Knowledge and Attitude of Nurses Employed in Teaching Hospitals of Tabriz about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Infection (MERS-Cov) and its Relationship with the Hospital and Nurses Preparedness to Manage this Disease

Abstract

Abstract Background: It is essential for nurses to be aware of Middle East Respiratory Syndrom (MERS-CoV) due to the spreading of this disease in neighboring Arab countries and traveling of people for pilgrimage and business purposes. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitude of nurses working in educational hospitals of Tabriz about MERS-CoV and the hospital and nurses' preparedness for management of this disease. Research Methodology: In this descriptive-correlational study, 155 of nursing staff working at 12 departments in two teaching hospitals (Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and referral center for infectious diseases) were selected by stratified random sampling method. The data were collected using a reliable questionnaire with the focus on assessing the knowledge and attitude of nurses and preparedness of nurses and selected hospitals towards MERS-CoV. In this study, SPSS 21 software was used to analyze the data at a significant level of less than 0.05. Findings: Mean score of nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and preparedness was found65.66%, 65.34%, and 54.94%, respectively. It should be noted that only 39.35% of nurses had been trained regarding MERS-CoV disease. The average preparedness of the hospital was found 79.77%. In addition, only one department among selected sections of two selected hospitals had a negative pressure isolation room. In this study, it is found that the nurses' knowledge with their attitude toward MERS-CoV (r = 0.261, p = 0.001) and nurses' knowledge with their preparedness to deal with Middle East respiratory syndrome (r = 0.426, p = 0.001) and nurses' attitude with their preparedness (r = 0.167, p = 0.037) had a significant relationship (p <0.05). However, there was no significant relationship found between knowledge and attitude of nurses with the hospital preparation. Conclusion: The average knowledge and attitude of nurses about MERS-CoV and less trained nurses indicate that training nurses regarding MERS-CoV with a proper program is substantial. Furthermore, the hospitals dealing with this type of diseases should be equipped with negative pressure isolation rooms to enhance their preparedness.