A Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge regarding Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Final-Year Basic B.Sc. Nursing students at selected College of Nursing, Dharwad District Karnataka, India

Background: Novel Coronavirus19 disease was a people health emergency concerned internationally. The Coronavirus19 disease has been identified as an outbreak of respiratory illness, a many of cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China, starting in 2019 December. COVID-19 has been declared as a pandemic on March 12, 2020. This type of global health problem, the role of healthcare providers and healthcare students is very important. The study is designed to assess the knowledge of student nurses studying in Govt. College of Nursing KIMS-Hubballi. Methodology: Descriptive design is used in this study which was conducted among 70 nursing students studying at Govt. College of Nursing KIMS-Hubballi. A structured knowledge questionnaire was designed to assess the knowledge of nursing students about Coronavirus disease. After the knowledge assessment information booklet was distributed to the students to enhance their knowledge about Coronavirus disease. Results: The present study found that almost all subjects got vaccinated against COVID-19. The majority 54(77.14%) of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge and 16(22.86%) of the respondents possessed an adequate level of knowledge about Coronavirus disease-2019. Conclusion: Present study made the following conclusions, 22.86% of the nursing students possessed an adequate level of knowledge and 77.14% of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge about Coronavirus disease-2019. No one had inadequate knowledge. The association was found non-significant with socio-demographic variables except only with the area of residence and knowledge regarding COVID-19. In order to enhance the knowledge about COVID-19, different awareness campaigns, publicity through mass media, and inclusion of COVID-19 in the nursing curriculum may be helpful.