Personal Protective Equipment: A Cross-Sectional Study in Frontline Healthcare Workers During COVID-19 Outbreak in Tunisia.

BACKGROUND

For frontline healthcare workers (FHW) who are working with Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) patients, PPE is currently considered as one of the most discussed topics. Recommendation from international organizations concerning the use of PPE are broadly consistent but equipment use is not. No previous studies examined the use of PPE in Tunisia.

AIM

Evaluate the availability of personal protective equipment(PPE) in addition to the reality and perception regarding personal safety in workplace.

METHODS

We carried out a cross-sectional survey from 15th April to 5th May 2020 across public and private institutions in Tunisia. A 33-item structured questionnaire was developed and administered to FHWs.

RESULTS

We received 723 responses. We found that there was a likely overuse of PPE in addition to a high rate of side effects caused by PPE.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional training in PPE use might be useful, and sessional work should be considered to decrease the side effects associated with PPE use.