Lohiniva Anna-Leena, Lehtinen Jaana Marija, Arifulla Dinah, Ollgren Jukka, Nuorti Pekka, Lyytikäinen Outi
Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
University of Tampere, Faculty of Social Sciences, Health Sciences Unit, Tampere, Finland.
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 29;20(4):e0321851. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321851. eCollection 2025.
Residents and healthcare workers in long-term care facilities are at increased risk of infection during respiratory epidemics. Proper compliance with infection prevention and control measures is therefore paramount. Our study aimed to uncover and understand factors influencing compliance with personal protective equipment guidelines among healthcare workers in long-term care facilities in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We conducted a mixed-methods study by using the methods and framework of behavioral insights, specifically the Theoretical Domains Framework. Data were collected through a web-based survey and qualitative in-depth telephone interviews using convenience sampling. Participants for the anonymous survey were recruited through regional infection control experts during May-June 2022. Survey data were analyzed by using logistic regression; difficulties in complying with personal protective equipment guidelines were the outcome. Volunteer survey respondents were interviewed, and the data were analyzed thematically.
A total of 373 healthcare workers participated in the survey; 56% had received personal protective equipment training. Two domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework were associated with experiencing difficulties in compliance with the personal protective barriers: organization linked with insufficient human resources and the presence of negative emotions linked with stress. Twenty-two healthcare workers participated in the interviews which resulted in the identification of several themes, suggesting how insufficient human resources and negative emotions affected personal protective equipment use and the type of coping mechanism that healthcare workers used to overcome these barriers.
The behavioral insights derived from our study can contribute to enhanced healthcare worker compliance with personal protective equipment use. These findings underscore the importance of access to training, interventions addressing stress and ensuring sufficient workforce.
长期护理机构中的居民和医护人员在呼吸道传染病流行期间感染风险增加。因此，正确遵守感染预防和控制措施至关重要。我们的研究旨在揭示和理解在新冠疫情期间影响芬兰长期护理机构医护人员遵守个人防护装备指南的因素。
我们采用行为洞察的方法和框架，特别是理论领域框架，进行了一项混合方法研究。通过基于网络的调查和定性深入电话访谈，采用便利抽样收集数据。2022年5月至6月期间，通过地区感染控制专家招募了参与匿名调查的参与者。使用逻辑回归分析调查数据；遵守个人防护装备指南的困难是结果变量。对自愿参与调查的受访者进行访谈，并对数据进行主题分析。
共有373名医护人员参与了调查；56%的人接受过个人防护装备培训。理论领域框架的两个领域与遵守个人防护屏障方面遇到的困难相关：与人力资源不足相关的组织因素以及与压力相关的负面情绪的存在。22名医护人员参与了访谈，结果确定了几个主题，表明人力资源不足和负面情绪如何影响个人防护装备的使用，以及医护人员用来克服这些障碍的应对机制类型。
我们研究得出的行为洞察有助于提高医护人员对个人防护装备使用的依从性。这些发现强调了获得培训、应对压力的干预措施以及确保充足劳动力的重要性。
