Patients' attitude and practice toward reporting potential COVID-19 symptoms among the Al-Ahsa population in Saudi Arabia

Background. The new coronavirus pandemic, which appeared at the end of the year 2019, was the greatest in recent decades, and it affected almost all countries and economies, causing a highly significant number of deaths. Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate patients' knowledge and attitude when experiencing potential COVID-19 symptoms toward reporting their illness and following viral preventive precautions. Material and methods. A cross-sectional study conducted among the general population in Al-Ahsa, Eastern region, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire distributed among the general population, divided into three parts: socio-demographic characteristics, previous COVID-19 infection and attitude toward experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. A total of 504 responses collected in this study from December 15, 2020 to January 15, 2021. Results. We found that 31.7% were positive among the participants who did COVID-19 testing (48.8%). The level of knowledge showed that more than half (52.2%) were classified at a low knowledge level, while the rest were classified as good (47.8%). Regarding attitude, nearly two-thirds (64.1%) showed a negative attitude, while 35.9% showed a positive attitude. The workplace during the pandemic and family history of COVID-19 were the factors associated with both good knowledge and a positive attitude. Conclusions. The knowledge and attitude toward reporting potential COVID-19 symptoms were generally suboptimal. Male participants, holders of a university degree in the medical field, health practitioners or having a family member working in the medical field demonstrated better knowledge, while those who had a COVID-19 test and those with a family history of the disease positively influenced the attitude.