Objectives: Investigate the knowledge and attitudes of family physicians
towards coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: Data were collected from
family medicine residents at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
using an online questionnaire that assessed demographics, knowledge about
COVID-19, and attitudes towards the disease. Data were analyzed using Stata
software version 14. Results: A total of 179 participants (median age: 28 years)
responded; 94 (52.5%) were female. Average knowledge score on a scale of 0–
10 was 8.64 ± 0.97. Knowledge scores were similar between males and females
(mean deviation *MD+ = −0.14, p = 0.3). Fourth-year residents had higher
knowledge scores compared to those in their first (MD = 1.2, p < .001), second
(MD = 0.82, p = 0.001), or third (MD = 0.69, p = 0.02) years. Mean attitude score
on a scale of 0–18 was 15.6 ± 1.3. Females exhibited slightly higher positive
attitude scores (MD = 0.44, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Residents demonstrated high
knowledge and positive attitudes towards COVID-19. More experienced
physicians exhibited higher knowledge scores; attitude scores were
independent of experience
Keywords: COVID-19, family physicians, knowledge, attitudes