Journal of Basic Research in Medical Sciences
J Basic Res Med Sci
Volume 12, Issue 4 (9-2025)
jbrms 2025, 12(4): 52-63 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Heidarzadeh H, Kafashian , M R, Kazembeigi K, Mohammadnejad S, Zakariaee S S, Taghinezhad F et al . Knowledge, Attitude, and Anxiety Regarding COVID-19 among Pharmacy Staff in Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study. jbrms 2025; 12 (4) :52-63
URL: http://jbrms.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-946-en.html
URL: http://jbrms.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-946-en.html
Hamid Heidarzadeh 
, , Mohammad Reza Kafashian , Kamyar Kazembeigi , Sara Mohammadnejad , Seyed Salman Zakariaee , Fakhredin Taghinezhad , Younes Parvaz
, , Mohammad Reza Kafashian , Kamyar Kazembeigi , Sara Mohammadnejad , Seyed Salman Zakariaee , Fakhredin Taghinezhad , Younes Parvaz
Psychosocial Injuries Research Center, Department of Clinical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran , parvaz.younes21@gmail.com
Abstract: (12 Views)
Introduction: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019, various global measures have been adopted to curb its spread. Pharmacy staff are at the forefront of disseminating health information to the public. This study evaluates the knowledge, attitude, and anxiety levels regarding COVID-19 among pharmacy staff in Iran.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 10, 2021, and September 20, 2021, involving pharmacy staff from the Ilam province in Western Iran. A semi-structured questionnaire, including sections on knowledge, attitude, and anxiety related to COVID-19, was used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS V.26, with a significance level of P<0.05.
Results: Most of the pharmacy personnel (94.67%) knew a lot about the symptoms and (84.46%) how COVID-19 spreads. Also, 86.7% of the people who took part said they would be prepared to stay in quarantine if they showed signs of illness. 20.4% of the pharmacy personnel said that anxiety over COVID-19 got in the way of their everyday tasks.
Conclusion: The findings show that pharmacy staff in Iran have adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward COVID-19, with low levels of anxiety. Ongoing education and mental health support are essential to further improve their role in pandemic response.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between May 10, 2021, and September 20, 2021, involving pharmacy staff from the Ilam province in Western Iran. A semi-structured questionnaire, including sections on knowledge, attitude, and anxiety related to COVID-19, was used to collect data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS V.26, with a significance level of P<0.05.
Results: Most of the pharmacy personnel (94.67%) knew a lot about the symptoms and (84.46%) how COVID-19 spreads. Also, 86.7% of the people who took part said they would be prepared to stay in quarantine if they showed signs of illness. 20.4% of the pharmacy personnel said that anxiety over COVID-19 got in the way of their everyday tasks.
Conclusion: The findings show that pharmacy staff in Iran have adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward COVID-19, with low levels of anxiety. Ongoing education and mental health support are essential to further improve their role in pandemic response.
Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2025/01/13 | Accepted: 2025/08/10 | Published: 2025/10/5
Received: 2025/01/13 | Accepted: 2025/08/10 | Published: 2025/10/5
References
1. Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, Liang WH, Ou CQ, He JX, et al. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(18): 1708-20. [DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2002032 PMID:32109013]
2. Cucinotta D, Vanelli M. WHO Declares COVID-19 a Pandemic. Acta Biomed. 2020;91(1): 157-60. [DOI:10.23750/abm.v91i1.9397 PMID: 32191675]
3. Worldometer's Covid-19 data 2021 [Available from: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/.
4. Ayouni I, Maatoug J, Dhouib W, Zammit N, Fredj SB, Ghammam R, et al. Effective public health measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19: a systematic review. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1): 1015. [DOI:10.1186/s12889-021-11111-1 PMID: 34051769]
5. AlRasheed MM, AlShahrani AH, AlMuhaini SA, AlKofide HA, Alhawassi TM, Aldemerdash A, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 among pharmacists: a cross-sectional study. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021;14: 3079-90. [DOI:10.2147/RMHP.S317779 PMID: 34326673]
6. Kambayashi D, Manabe T, Kawade Y, Hirohara M. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists partnering with community residents: A national survey in Japan. PLoS One. 2021;16(10): 1-19. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0258805 PMID: 34699545]
7. Hussain I, Majeed A, Saeed H, Hashmi FK, Imran I, Akbar M, et al. A national study to assess pharmacists’ preparedness against COVID-19 during its rapid rise period in Pakistan. PLoS One. 2020;15(11): 1-10. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0241467 PMID: 33151984]
8. Zeenny RM, Dimassi A, Sacre H, El Khoury G, Hajj A, Farah R, et al. A cross-sectional survey on community pharmacists readiness to fight COVID-19 in a developing country: knowledge, attitude, and practice in Lebanon. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2021;14(1): 1-13. [DOI:10.1186/s40545-021-00327-6 PMID: 34116719]
9. Federation IP. Coronavirus sars-cov-2/Covid-19 Pandemic: Information and interim guidelines for pharmacists and the pharmacy workforce 2020 The Netherlands. 2020. Available from: https://www.fip.org/files/content/priority-areas/coronavirus/Coronavirus-guidance-update-ENGLISH.pdf.
10. Al-Amin G. Announcement to pharmacies about Coronavirus. Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon.; 2020. Available from: https://opl.org.lb/newsdetails.php?newsId=%20165.
11. Communications WHODo. Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. 2019. Available from: https://www.who.int/internal-publications-detail/updated-country-preparedness-and-response-statusfor-covid-19-as-of-19-march-2020.
12. Prevention CfDCa. Implementation of mitigation strategies for communities with local COVID-19 transmission. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf.
13. Federation TIP. FIP guidance on COVID-19 2020 [Available from: https://www.fip.org/file/4723.
14. Roy D, Tripathy S, Kar SK, Sharma N, Verma SK, Kaushal V. Study of knowledge, attitude, anxiety & perceived mental healthcare need in Indian population during COVID-19 pandemic. Asian J Psychiatr. 2020;51: 1-7. [DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102083 PMID: 32283510]
15. Alipour A, Ghadami A, Alipour Z, Abdollahzadeh H. Preliminary validation of the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) in the Iranian sample. J Health Psychol. 2020;8(32): 163-75. [DOI:10.30473/hpj.2020.52023.4756]
16. Ung COL. Community pharmacist in public health emergencies: Quick to action against the coronavirus 2019-nCoV outbreak. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2020;16(4): 583-6. [DOI:10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.02.003 PMID: 32081569]
17. Huynh G, Nguyen TNH, Vo KN, Pham LA. Knowledge and attitude toward COVID-19 among healthcare workers at District 2 Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City. Asian Pac J Trop Med. 2020;13(6): 260-5. [DOI:10.2147/RMHP.S268876 PMID: 32982515]
18. Zhong B-L, Luo W, Li H-M, Zhang Q-Q, Liu X-G, Li W-T, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among Chinese residents during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak: a quick online cross-sectional survey. Int J Biol Sci. 2020;16(10): 1745-52. [DOI:10.7150/ijbs.45221 PMID: 32226294]
19. Nguyen HTT, Dinh DX, Nguyen VM. Knowledge, attitude and practices of community pharmacists regarding COVID-19: A paper-based survey in Vietnam. PLoS One. 2021;16(7): 1-14. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0255420 PMID: 34324597]
20. Zeenny RM, Ramia E, Akiki Y, Hallit S, Salameh P. Assessing knowledge, attitude, practice, and preparedness of hospital pharmacists in Lebanon towards COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2020;13(1): 1-12. [DOI:10.1186/s40545-020-00266-8 PMID: 32959004]
21. Gohel KH, Patel PB, Shah PM, Patel JR, Pandit N, Raut A. Knowledge and perceptions about COVID-19 among the medical and allied health science students in India: an online cross-sectional survey. Clin Epidemiol Glob Health. 2021;9: 104-9. [DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2020.07.008 PMID: 32838066]
22. Emre K, Demirkan K, Serhat Ü. Knowledge and attitudes among hospital pharmacists about COVID-19. Turk J Pharm Sci. 2020;17(3): 242-8. [DOI:10.4274/tjps.galenos.2020.72325 PMID: 32636699]
23. Hamza MS, Badary OA, Elmazar MM. Cross-sectional study on awareness and knowledge of COVID-19 among senior pharmacy students. J Community Health. 2021;46(1): 139-46. [DOI:10.1007/s10900-020-00859-z PMID: 32542552]
24. Tesfaye ZT, Yismaw MB, Negash Z, Ayele AG. COVID-19-related knowledge, attitude and practice among hospital and community pharmacists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Integr Pharm Res Pract. 2020;9: 105-12. [DOI:10.2147/IPRP.S261275 PMID: 32904494]
25. Yimenu DK, Demeke CA, Kasahun AE, Asrade S, Mekuria AB. COVID-19: What should health professionals know? Assessment of Knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists in a developing country. SAGE open Med. 2020;8: 1-10. [DOI:10.1177/2050312120973498 PMID: 33240499]
26. Cacodcar J, Rataboli P, Naik S, Santos K, Sanil M, Mardolker A, et al. Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists in Goa. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020;7(12): 5081-7. [DOI:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20205188]
27. Bhagavathula AS, Aldhaleei WA, Rahmani J, Mahabadi MA, Bandari DK. Knowledge and perceptions of COVID-19 among health care workers: cross-sectional study. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2020;6(2): 1-9. [DOI:10.2196/19160 PMID: 32320381]
28. Wolf MS, Serper M, Opsasnick L, O'Conor RM, Curtis L, Benavente JY, et al. Awareness, attitudes, and actions related to COVID-19 among adults with chronic conditions at the onset of the US outbreak: a cross-sectional survey. Ann Intern Med. 2020;173(2): 100-9. [DOI:10.7326/M20-1239 PMID: 32271861]
29. Hossain MM, Tasnim S, Sultana A, Faizah F, Mazumder H, Zou L, et al. Epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19: a review. F1000Res. 2020;9: 636. [DOI:10.12688/f1000research.24457.1 PMID: 33093946]
30. Johnson EJ, Hariharan S. Public health awareness: knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the general public on health risks during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. J Public Health. 2017;25(3): 333-7. [DOI:10.1007/s10389-017-0790-7]
31. Mishra P, Bhadauria US, Dasar PL, Kumar S, Lalani A, Sarkar P, et al. Knowledge, attitude and anxiety towards pandemic flu a potential bio weapon among health professionals in Indore City. Przegl Epidemiol. 2016;70(1): 41-5, 125-7.
32. Schwartz J, King C, Yen M. Protecting health care workers during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak: lessons from Taiwan’s SARS response [manuscript published online ahead of print 12 March 2020]. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;71: 858-60. [DOI:10.1093/cid/ciaa255 PMID: 32166318]
33. Yao H, Chen J-H, Xu Y-F. Rethinking online mental health services in China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Asian J psychiatr. 2020;50: 102015. [DOI:10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102015 PMID: 32247261]
34. Muhammad K, Saqlain M, Hamdard A, Naveed M, Umer MF, Khan S, et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practices of Community pharmacists about COVID-19: A cross-sectional survey in two provinces of Pakistan. medRxiv. 2020: 1-9. [DOI:10.1101/2020.05.22.20108290]
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |