Hindawi BioMed Research International Volume 2021, Article ID 6627430, 8 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6627430 Research Article Level of Preparedness for COVID-19 and Its Associated Factors among Frontline Healthcare Providers in South Gondar Public Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020: A Multicenter Cross- Sectional Study Ermias Sisay Chanie ,1 Dejen Getaneh Feleke,1 Sheganew Fetene,2 Agimasie Tigabu,3 Sintayehu Asnakew,4 Tegenaw Tiruneh,5 Maru Mekie ,6 Gashaw Walle Ayehu,7 and Wubet Alebachew Bayih8 1Department of Pediatrics and Child Health Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 2Department of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 3Department of Adult Health Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 4Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 5Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 6Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 7Department of Biomedical Science (Human Anatomy), College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia 8Department of Maternal and Neonatal Health Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia Correspondence should be addressed to Ermias Sisay Chanie; [email protected] Received 6 October 2020; Revised 30 December 2020; Accepted 19 February 2021; Published 2 March 2021 Academic Editor: Solomon Yimer Copyright © 2021 Ermias Sisay Chanie et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Introduction. Although the efforts at global and national levels have attempted to decrease the COVID-19 pandemic, the low level of preparedness among healthcare providers is a challenge mainly in developing countries. Hence, this study is aimed at assessing the level of preparedness for COVID-19 and its associated factors among frontline healthcare providers in South Gondar public hospitals, northwest Ethiopia. Methods and Materials. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 207 selected healthcare providers who were working in South Gondar public hospital from July 08 to August 29, 2020. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The healthcare providers were selected through simple random sampling techniques. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions with a 95% confidence interval were fitted with 95% CI to establish the associated factors with a low level of preparedness. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The overall level of preparedness among healthcare providers for COVID-19 was found to be 41.3% (95% CI: 37.4, 44.7). Only 81 (40.1%) healthcare providers had prepared for telling their family and friends if they are infected with COVID-19. Besides, only 23.8% of healthcare providers obtained alcohol-based hand sanitizer in every patient room. Factors associated with a low level of preparedness include being male (AOR = 2:5, 95% CI: 1.22–4.94), unmarried (AOR = 3:4, 95% CI: 1.44–8.00), and working experience less than five years (AOR = 3:4, 95% CI: 1.29-9.09). Conclusion. The level of preparedness among frontline healthcare providers towards COVID-19 was found to be very low. In the future, more emphasis should be placed on healthcare providers who are male, unmarried, and had working experience of lower than five years to decrease the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2 BioMed Research International 1. Background COVID-19 and its associated factors among frontline healthcare providers in South Gondar public hospitals, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging northwest Ethiopia, to provide information to medical respiratory disease that is caused by a novel coronavirus, heroes, health institutions, policymakers, and different first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China [1]. stakeholders to decide and to take an action. On 30 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 has been an outbreak and inter- 2. Methodology national concern [2]. Besides, on 04 March 2020, seventy-seven international locations had pronounced 2.1. Study Area. The study was carried out in South Gon- cases of COVID-19 [3]. dar zone public hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Debre Tabor Although early detection and prevention of onward is the capital town of the South Gondar zone, which is transmission significantly reduce the burden of COVID-19 found 666 km far from Addis Ababa and 105 km away [2, 4], most African countries are much less prepared for from Bahir Dar city. The South Gondar zone comprises the effective point of entry, screening, monitoring of vaca- one referral hospital and seven district hospitals. The hos- tioners, and treatment in the case of the contagious virus pitals serve more than 4.5 million of the residents and the [5, 6]. According to the WHO report, the number of nearest zonal population [17]. According to the South COVID-19 cases will be increasing in the coming era, if not Gondar health office report, 429 healthcare providers work improving the level of preparedness of healthcare providers in South Gondar public hospitals (i.e., Debre Tabor refer- [5]. ral hospital and district hospitals were 245 and 184, Although efforts at global and national levels have respectively). Moreover, the healthcare providers were attempted to improve the level of preparedness of healthcare working in the emergency, outpatient, and inpatient providers worldwide to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the wards. burden is unacceptably high [5, 7]. The updated data on the COVID-19 pandemic are essential for healthcare providers 2.2. Study Design and Period. A hospital-based cross- to protect the welfare of patients and themselves [5]. How- sectional study was conducted from July 08 to August 29, ever, data are limited mainly in resource-limited settings [8]. 2020. The WHO suggested that recognizing the control mea- sures of COVID-19 like normal hand-washing, preserving 2.3. Study Population. All healthcare providers (i.e., nurses, physical distance, and wearing facemasks was the only choice midwives, physicians, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, to prevent onward transmission [8, 9]. As a result, several psychiatric specialists, and anesthesiologists) who are countries are attempting to implement preventive actions to working in selected South Gondar public hospitals were reduce the crisis of COVID-19 [3, 9]. eligible for the study. Healthcare providers who were seri- Globally, the healthcare providers are fallen on the ously ill and on annual leave were excluded from the COVID-19 battle [10]. On average, 7% of all cases of study. COVID-19 worldwide are in healthcare providers [11], around 2041 health professionals have died due to 2.4. Sample Size and Sampling Technique. The sample size COVID-19 [12]. According to the International Council was calculated by considering the assumptions for single of Nurses report in Geneva, more than 450,000 nurses population proportion formula: the level of preparedness of were infected with COVID-19 globally. Of these, 600 died healthcare providers from a previous study regarding access [11, 13]. Moreover, data from more than 30 countries to the apron was 14.2% [1], Z = standard normal distribution showed that death due to the COVID-19 pandemic has value at 95% confidence level of Za/2 = 1:96, 5% of absolute more than doubled in the past months among frontline precision, and 10% nonresponse rate. Hence, the total sample nurses [11, 14]. size was 207. In Ethiopia, the number of patients infected by COVID-19 has increased recently, with a very low number 3. Sampling Technique and Procedure of healthcare providers (medical doctors, health officers, nurses, and midwives) to patient ratio. It is about There are a total of 8 hospitals that provide case detection, 0.96/1000 in the population, and 5 times less than the treatment, and prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic in minimum threshold of 4.45 per 1000 population set by the South Gondar zone. The hospitals were categorized into the WHO [7, 15], which is a double burden for the coun- referral and district strata. Then, from the district hospital try. Moreover, due to the mass use of public transporta- stratum, Addis Zemen and Mekan Eyesus district hospitals tion, shortage of sanitation, and lack of personal were selected randomly. From the referral hospital stratum, protective equipment, overwhelming COVID-19 cases Debre Tabor referral hospital was selected since it is the only have occurred in the health institutions [7, 16]. Although referral hospital in South Gondar zone. Moreover, the num- COVID-19-infected patients are increasing in Ethiopia, ber of study participants was proportionally allocated in the the level of preparedness among frontline healthcare pro- selected hospitals. Then, the final study participants were viders is not well investigated in the country in general selected through simple random sampling techniques by and in the study area in particular. Therefore, this study using their monthly payroll as the sampling frame in each is aimed at assessing the level of preparedness for selected hospital (Figure 1). BioMed Research International 3 All healthcare