Knowledge of medical students on epidemiological notification and death certificates for COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged public health systems worldwide, and inadequate recording of epidemiological information delayed the identification and decision-making of epidemiological surveillance. Objective: The objective of this study is to describe and correlate data about the knowledge of medical school students of public and private institutions in Paraná, on the Records of Notifiable Diseases and Death Certificates (OD). Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, with characterization of the sample regarding age, training institution and knowledge on the subject in question, using the Google forms questionnaire, which included 10 true or false questions. The statistical analyses used Pearson's Chi-Square Test with significance if p-value <0.05. Results: It was observed that, of 10 questions, being the average 7, 31% scored above the average, 37.7% on average and 31.3% below the average; 50.9% of the students had never filled out an epidemiological form, and 56.3% reported being prepared to fill out the forms in practical life. Conclusion: The present study showed a lack of basic knowledge of medical students regarding the notification of cases of COVID-19 and death certificate.