A cross-sectional survey of knowledge and practices toward COVID-19 among medical students in Northern Sri Lanka

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a significant threat to global health, economy and psycho- social life. It is a highly contagious disease transmitted mainly via human to human interactions. As such, control of the pandemic mainly depends on preventive strategies and safe practices. This study is aimed at assessing the knowledge and practices of medical students of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna, towards the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross sectional study was conducted among the medical students using a self-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge and practices. Analysis was done using SPSS 26. Of 431 students, the majority (81.4%:95%CI:77.6-84.8%) answered more than 80% of the questions correctly. The most popular source for information on COVID-19 was social media (86.3%) followed by news media (63.8%). The majority of the participants (85.4%) reported they adhered to more than 80% of correct practices assessed in this study. However, only35.5% of students attended any of the lectures/discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic held at the university and only 37.1% reported they had infection control training during their career.

Organized usage of resources and infection control training, specific to COVID-19 pandemic could be used to fill the gaps in knowledge and practices further.