Knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy students about COVID-19

The level of knowledge about COVID-19 varies among students in the field of healthcare. In this study, it was aimed to compare pharmacy students’ level of knowledge about COVID-19 before and after an educational seminar. This study was conducted in the first wave of COVID-19 and just at the beginning of the pandemic. A seminar on COVID-19 and protection ways was presented by an infectious disease physician to the pharmacy students in a faculty of pharmacy from Ankara. Before and after the seminar, a questionnaire about COVID-19 consisting of 17 multiple-choice or open-ended questions was applied to the students. A total of 114 pharmacy students (46.5% female) attended the seminar and all of them participated in the study. The most common information resources in terms of COVID-19 that were used by the participants was internet (non-scientific resources) (n=90, 78.9%), classical media (TV, newspaper) (n=79, 69.3%) and social media (n=77, 67.5%). The rates of knowing that the coronavirus is a zoonotic virus (p<0.001) and awareness of cough and dyspnea, which are symptoms of COVID-19, showed a statistically significant increase after the seminar (p=0.039 and p<0.001, respectively). The students’ knowledge of protection from the disease such as covering the nose and mouth with tissue paper, using eyeglasses, and wearing protective clothing was significantly improved after the seminar (p=0.043, p<0.001, p<0.004, respectively). Although the knowledge of pharmacy students about the new pandemic was not insufficient, it had also increased significantly after the seminar. It is thought that determining and improving their knowledge about the pandemic will contribute to pandemic management.