Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand.
Influenza Program, Thailand Ministry of Public Health-U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Collaboration, Nonthaburi 11000, Thailand.
Ann Work Expo Health. 2023 Jun 6;67(5):637-649. doi: 10.1093/annweh/wxad015.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) use is associated with reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare personnel (HCP). There are limited data on the impact of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the PPE use of HCP. We describe the changes in PPE use from just before the widespread of community outbreaks ('pre-pandemic') to intra-pandemic time points, and examine factors associated with not changing in PPE use behavior among HCP in four Thai hospitals.
We performed a retrospective cohort evaluation using two-time points: (i) February-March 2020 (pre-pandemic period); and (ii) January-March 2021 (intra-pandemic period). Self-reported frequency of appropriate PPE use was measured by a Likert scale. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with no increase in self-reported PPE use.
Of 343 HCP, the proportion of participants reporting 'always' using PPE rose from 66% during the pre-pandemic period to 80% during the pandemic. Factors associated with HCP who did not increase in PPE use included having high baseline reported PPE, being a non-registered HCP (e.g. nurse assistants, dental assistants, porters), being male, and having a low perceived risk of becoming infected with any respiratory virus while working in the hospital.
PPE education, training, and risk communication content should target all cadres of HCP, regardless of registered/non-registered status, with a focus on behavior change for improved prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in healthcare settings.
个人防护装备（PPE）的使用与降低医护人员（HCP）感染 SARS-CoV-2 的风险有关。关于新型冠状病毒病 2019（COVID-19）大流行对 HCP 的 PPE 使用的影响，数据有限。我们描述了从社区爆发前（“大流行前”）到大流行期间，HCP 的 PPE 使用变化，并检查了在泰国的四家医院中，HCP 的 PPE 使用行为不变的相关因素。
我们使用两个时间点进行回顾性队列评估：（i）2020 年 2 月至 3 月（大流行前）；和（ii）2021 年 1 月至 3 月（大流行期间）。通过李克特量表测量适当 PPE 使用的频率。我们使用多变量逻辑回归来确定与自我报告的 PPE 使用无增加相关的因素。
在 343 名 HCP 中，报告“始终”使用 PPE 的参与者比例从大流行前的 66%上升到大流行期间的 80%。与 PPE 使用未增加相关的因素包括基线报告 PPE 高、非注册 HCP（例如护士助理、牙科助理、搬运工）、男性以及在医院工作时感染任何呼吸道病毒的风险低。
PPE 教育、培训和风险沟通内容应针对所有 HCP 人员，无论注册/非注册状态如何，重点是改变行为，以改善医院环境中 SARS-CoV-2 和其他呼吸道病毒的预防和控制。
