Table 5.
Bivariate comparisons with 2-sample mean and proportion differences in healthcare workers’ perceptions and behaviors before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Phase I∗ N = 582 Mean (SD) | Phase II N = 957 Mean (SD) | Test statistic | P value† | |
| Anxiety over various viral outbreaks | ||||
| MERS-CoV (11-point Likert scale) | 4.44 (2.48) | 6.40 (2.35) | t = 15.54, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| Current COVID-19 pandemic (11-point Likert scale) | 4.91 (2.84) | 8.6 (2.27) | t = 28.070, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| Seasonal flu (11-point Likert scale) | 3.22 (2.57) | 4.94 (2.65) | t = 12.50, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| Worry about contracting COVID-19 (5-point Likert scale) | 2.57 (1.071) | 3.44 (1.1) | t = 15.20, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| Knowledge of COVID-19 score | 79.7 (13.7) | 82.50 (16.54) | t = 33.32, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| HCW hygiene practice improvement score (4-point Likert scale) | 2.82 (0.88) | 3.82 (0.32) | t = 31.90, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| HCW attitudes toward importance of hygiene (5-point Likert scale) | 4.10 (1.02) | 4.42 (1.10) | t = 5.69, df = 1537 | <.0001 |
| Received annual flu immunization/vaccination: yes, n (%) | 411 (70.6%) | 807 (84.3%) | Z = −6.4183. | <.0001 |
| Leave rescheduling: yes, n (%) | 89 (15.3%) | 437 (45.7%) | Z = −12.1816 | <.0001 |
COVID-19 = coronavirus disease 2019; HCW = healthcare worker; MERS-CoV = Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus; SD = standard deviation.
∗
First survey was conducted before any cases were reported in Saudi Arabia.
†
Two tailed.