Assessment of Perceived Compliance and Barriers to Personal Protective Equipment Use Among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic's Second Wave Surge: "Walk to Talk" Cross-Sectional Correlational Study

Objective:This study aimed at investigating HCWs' perceptions of PPE compliance and barriers, as well as influencing factors, in order to develop methods to combat the rise in their infection rates. Methods:During the 'second wave' surge, a cross-sectional correlational analysis was conducted over a 1-month period. It consists of HCWs from various hospital sectors that admit COVID-19 patients using an online self-administered predesigned tool. Results:Out of the 285 recruited participants, 36.1% had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. Around 71% received training on PPE use. The perceived compliance was good for (PPE) usage (mean 2.60 +/- 1.10). A significant higher compliance level was correlated with previous diagnosis with COVID-19, working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and having a direct contact with a family member older than 45 years old (P < 0.01). The main perceived barriers to the use of PPEs were unavailability of full PPEs (35%), interference with their ability to provide patient care (29%), not enough time to comply with the rigors of PPEs (23.2%) and working in emergency situations (22.5%). With regards to perceived barriers, those working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who reported having a direct contact with a family member older than 45 years old showed significantly higher level of barriers. Conclusion:A series of measures, including prioritization of PPE acquisition, training, and monitoring to guarantee appropriate resources for IPC, are necessary to reduce transmission.