Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic in March 2020. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a higher risk of infection with the virus than other individuals. Therefore, among the recommended protective methods is the wearing of a surgical mask. There is limited information regarding the knowledge, practices, and attitude of HCWs in Saudi Arabia towards the use of face masks. To our knowledge, only one single-center study has investigated this subject. Objective: To investigate knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning the use of face masks among HCWs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. We surveyed HCWs using a self-administered online questionnaire. The respondents provided information regarding their demographic characteristics and answered questions on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding face mask use during the pandemic. Results: A total of 506 HCWs (men, 202; women, 304) were included. Of them, 273 (54.0%) participants had good knowledge, 304 (60.1%) had good practice, and 475 (93.3%) had a positive attitude towards using face masks. When knowledge was assessed, 463 (91.5%) had the knowledge to wear a face mask properly. Regarding attitude, 475 (93.9%) was confident that they knew the correct way to wear a face mask. Conclusions: The level of knowledge and the practice of using surgical masks were poor among HCWs. HCWs exhibited a favorable attitude but possessed low levels of knowledge and good practice. We highly recommend awareness campaigns and training programs on the proper use of surgical masks.