Knowledge, attitude and perceptions of students at Lusaka Apex Medical University on the role of Physiotherapy in COVID-19 Management

Abstract

TITLE: Knowledge, attitude and perceptions of Lusaka Apex Medical University students on the role of Physiotherapy in COVID-19 management Background: COVID-19 is a great threat to the world population; patients require a very strong immune system to fight against the disease. To improve the functional immune system response, they are required to be exposed to not only medications but also physical exercises. Physical exercises, according to XU et al. (2020) reduces the incidence, duration, and severity of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, a physiotherapist is needed in the prescription of these moderate-intensity exercises depending on the severity of the disease. Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and perceptions of students at Lusaka Apex Medical University regarding the role of physiotherapy in COVID-19 management. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing a quantitative research method. After ethical approval, data collection was conducted between 6 May 2021 and 31 July 2021 using an online questionnaire through Google forms. The study was conducted on 374 students at Lusaka Apex Medical University using a validated, structured, self-administered, online questionnaire. Results: In this study, 364 students answered the questions thoroughly. A total of 51% (n=185) of the participants were female, the majority of the study participants (97.8%, n=358) agreed that COVID-19 is contagious. Likewise, a positive attitude was also observed in following guidelines from the Ministry of Health as 83% (n=302) of participants agreed to avoid traveling when they are presenting with COVID-19 symptoms. A negative perception of the inclusion of physiotherapy in the management of COVID-19 was evident as the majority of study participants 30.5% (n=111) disagreed of physiotherapy been relevant in the management of COVID-19. A positive perception however was evident among physiotherapy students (n=10) that agreed that physiotherapy is relevant in the management of COVID-19 Conclusion: Students at this institution revealed an acceptable level of knowledge and attitude on COVID-19 and following guidelines. However, with a poor level of perception on the inclusion of physiotherapy in COVID-19 management, it is therefore recommended that students have to sensitize on the importance of physiotherapy in the management of COVID-19.