Through Their Eyes: Health Care Worker Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a critical role in protecting health care workers (HCWs). During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, shortages of PPE supplies drastically changed the way PPE was obtained and used by HCWs.

Purpose

The objective was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and patient isolation type on PPE compliance.

Methods

This investigation was a survey of HCWs at a level 1 trauma teaching hospital regarding PPE compliance patterns prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

HCWs reported an increase in PPE compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly half (48.6%) of respondents reported that isolation type impacted the decision to wear PPE, of which most were likely to forgo PPE with contact precautions.

Conclusions

HCWs identified multiple barriers to compliance. The underutilization of PPE with contact precautions suggests that the risk of exposure is interpreted as low, and this could be a future target of education.

SUBMITTER: Moore R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8378415 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature