Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working environment for general practitioners (GPs). GPs had to adapt quickly when care mitigation for mild COVID-19 in the community began. We assessed Malaysian GPs’ knowledge and preparedness to manage COVID-19. Method A cross-sectional online su...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2024
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| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/1/119386.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848867950695546880 |
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| author | Abd Malek, Khasnur Ariffin, Farnaza Taher, Sri Wahyu Abd Aziz, Noor Azah Chew, Boon How Wong, Ping Foo Shariff Ghazali, Sazlina Abdullah, Adina Abdul Samad, Azah Sufian, Ziti Akthar Han, Yung Wen Lai, Wei Jie Selvaraj, Christine Shamala |
| author_facet | Abd Malek, Khasnur Ariffin, Farnaza Taher, Sri Wahyu Abd Aziz, Noor Azah Chew, Boon How Wong, Ping Foo Shariff Ghazali, Sazlina Abdullah, Adina Abdul Samad, Azah Sufian, Ziti Akthar Han, Yung Wen Lai, Wei Jie Selvaraj, Christine Shamala |
| author_sort | Abd Malek, Khasnur |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working environment for general practitioners (GPs). GPs had to adapt quickly when care mitigation for mild COVID-19 in the community began. We assessed Malaysian GPs’ knowledge and preparedness to manage COVID-19. Method A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between May and October 2022 among the GPs. Emails were sent to GPs affiliated with the main GP organizations in Malaysia, such as the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM). Additionally, participation was sought through social media groups, including the Association of Malaysian Islamic Doctors, the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia, and the Primary Care Network. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire on items related to knowledge and preparedness to manage COVID-19. The content was validated by six experts. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors for preparedness. Results A total of 178 GPs participated in this study. The mean age of the GPs was 41.8 (SD 12.37) years, 54.5% were males, 47.8% had a postgraduate qualification, and 68% had up to 10 years of general practice experience. Their practices are commonly solo (55.1%), located within an urban area (56.2%) and 47.2% operate 7 days a week. A majority of GPs (n = 124, 69.7%) had a good level of knowledge of COVID-19. In contrast, about a third (n = 60, 33.7%) had a good level of preparedness to manage COVID-19. GPs with a good level of knowledge of COVID-19 had 1.96 times the odds of having a good level of preparedness as compared to GPs with lower knowledge (OR = 2.11 (95% CI: 1.06, 4.18, p = 0.03)). Conclusion A good level of knowledge is a predictor for preparedness to manage COVID-19. Relevant and targeted measures to enhance knowledge for better preparedness among the GPs to respond to future pandemics are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:44:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-119386 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T14:44:38Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-1193862025-08-19T01:36:47Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/ Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia Abd Malek, Khasnur Ariffin, Farnaza Taher, Sri Wahyu Abd Aziz, Noor Azah Chew, Boon How Wong, Ping Foo Shariff Ghazali, Sazlina Abdullah, Adina Abdul Samad, Azah Sufian, Ziti Akthar Han, Yung Wen Lai, Wei Jie Selvaraj, Christine Shamala Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working environment for general practitioners (GPs). GPs had to adapt quickly when care mitigation for mild COVID-19 in the community began. We assessed Malaysian GPs’ knowledge and preparedness to manage COVID-19. Method A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between May and October 2022 among the GPs. Emails were sent to GPs affiliated with the main GP organizations in Malaysia, such as the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM). Additionally, participation was sought through social media groups, including the Association of Malaysian Islamic Doctors, the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations Malaysia, and the Primary Care Network. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire on items related to knowledge and preparedness to manage COVID-19. The content was validated by six experts. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the predictors for preparedness. Results A total of 178 GPs participated in this study. The mean age of the GPs was 41.8 (SD 12.37) years, 54.5% were males, 47.8% had a postgraduate qualification, and 68% had up to 10 years of general practice experience. Their practices are commonly solo (55.1%), located within an urban area (56.2%) and 47.2% operate 7 days a week. A majority of GPs (n = 124, 69.7%) had a good level of knowledge of COVID-19. In contrast, about a third (n = 60, 33.7%) had a good level of preparedness to manage COVID-19. GPs with a good level of knowledge of COVID-19 had 1.96 times the odds of having a good level of preparedness as compared to GPs with lower knowledge (OR = 2.11 (95% CI: 1.06, 4.18, p = 0.03)). Conclusion A good level of knowledge is a predictor for preparedness to manage COVID-19. Relevant and targeted measures to enhance knowledge for better preparedness among the GPs to respond to future pandemics are needed. Springer Nature 2024-06-25 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_4 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/1/119386.pdf Abd Malek, Khasnur and Ariffin, Farnaza and Taher, Sri Wahyu and Abd Aziz, Noor Azah and Chew, Boon How and Wong, Ping Foo and Shariff Ghazali, Sazlina and Abdullah, Adina and Abdul Samad, Azah and Sufian, Ziti Akthar and Han, Yung Wen and Lai, Wei Jie and Selvaraj, Christine Shamala (2024) Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia. Cureus, 16 (6). art. no. e63147. pp. 1-13. ISSN 2168-8184 https://www.cureus.com/articles/263025-knowledge-as-a-predictor-for-preparedness-in-managing-covid-19-among-general-practitioners-in-malaysia 10.7759/cureus.63147 |
| spellingShingle | Abd Malek, Khasnur Ariffin, Farnaza Taher, Sri Wahyu Abd Aziz, Noor Azah Chew, Boon How Wong, Ping Foo Shariff Ghazali, Sazlina Abdullah, Adina Abdul Samad, Azah Sufian, Ziti Akthar Han, Yung Wen Lai, Wei Jie Selvaraj, Christine Shamala Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title | Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title_full | Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title_short | Knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing COVID-19 among general practitioners in Malaysia |
| title_sort | knowledge as a predictor for preparedness in managing covid-19 among general practitioners in malaysia |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/119386/1/119386.pdf |