COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and precautionary practices among health professional students in Oman*

Assessing knowledge, attitude, and practices of healthcare students regarding any infectious outbreak became a fundamental step to set an effective plan related to their preparedness. The purpose of this study was to assess COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and precautionary practices among health professional students in Oman. Data were collected using the Web-based survey method. The sample was recruited from the largest college of Medicine in Oman, while the nursing sample was recruited from two different nursing colleges in Oman. The study tool was developed based on the most recent advisory COVID-19 recommendations from the WHO and the CDC. A total of 222 students filled the survey, of which 55% were medical students and 59.9% were females. The mean knowledge score was 16.5 (SD = 4.2), which represents 66% of the highest possible score, with 25.7% were classified as 'excellent knowledge'. Participants reported a high level of public precautionary practices (M = 44.1, SD = 5.0), which represents 84.6% of the highest score, with 61.3% were classified as 'high compliance. The mean attitude score was 40.3 (SD = 5.9), which represents 67% of the highest possible score. According to the classification categories, most students (81%, n = 180) expressed a positive attitude toward COVID-19. More efforts should be done toward preparing the healthcare students to deal with the outbreak. Preparing healthcare students with the right knowledge, attitude, and precautionary practices during the COVID-19 outbreak is very essential to patient and public safety. Healthcare students can play a major role in increasing public awareness about COVID-19 precautionary practices.