Survey data of COVID-19 related Knowledge, Attitude and Practice and the Impact on Dentistry among Nepalese Dentists.
Description
To assess the knowledge, awareness, and practice (KAP) of the Dentists to combat the pandemic which could help shape future guidelines and policies to be implemented in dental settings. The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted solely online with series of multiple-choice questionnaires collecting responses till the determined sample size was reached. The ethical approval for the study was obtained from Nepal Health Research Council. Electronic informed consent was provided on the initial page of the survey. The positive response was considered as implied consent. The NMC registered Dentists who responded to all the questions of the survey were included while incomplete responses were excluded from the survey. An online structured survey composed of 26 questions created using the free-access Google Forms application. Pretesting of the survey instrument was done and refinements were made as required to facilitate better comprehension and to organize the questions before the final survey instrument was formed. The questionnaire was pretested among ten dental surgeons in Bharatpur. Inter responder reliability was tested among five responders and was found to have high reliability. It was sent to dental practitioners with the link to the online survey sent through an anonymous mailing and social media messaging list to currently practicing dentists across the country regardless of their place of work either in private clinics, hospitals, or health centers. Confidentiality was maintained throughout the study by making participants' information anonymous and not asking to enter their personal details at any point. Eligible dentists’ participation in this survey was completely voluntary. Filled pro forma was collected via e-survey and after completion of the assigned sample size of participants; it was recorded in spreadsheet software as a master chart for statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed by the primary and secondary authors themselves using SPSS version 20 for mac OS. Descriptive statistics was performed, and frequencies of responses were reported in proportion. Nonparametric tests of independence and Chi-square test was performed to see the association between categorical variables. Around 84% of the respondents accurately answered mode of transmission, 68% inquired about the travel history while only 49% measured the body temperature. Also, only 42% were receiving salary. A statistically significant difference concerning impact and practice during the COVID-19 was observed between general practitioner and specialist working at different workplaces.