Arikpo Dachi I, Oku Afiong O, Onyema Okwu A, Odey Edward O, Hamilton-Hurwitz Hannah, Toledo João P, Dunn Kathleen, Baller April, Smith Helen J, Meremikwu Martin M
Cochrane Nigeria, Institute of Tropical Diseases Research and Prevention, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.
Department of Community Medicine, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.
J Public Health Afr. 2025 Apr 17;16(2):621. doi: 10.4102/jphia.v16i2.621. eCollection 2025.
Despite the effectiveness of personal protective equipment (PPE) and physical distancing interventions for COVID-19 infection prevention and control (IPC), low uptake among health and care workers persists.
To synthesise evidence from primary qualitative research exploring the perceptions and experiences of health and care workers on the use of PPE and physical distancing in the context of COVID-19.
Healthcare settings including care homes.
An electronic database search was conducted using search terms based on the inclusion criteria, and the search strategy was peer-reviewed by a team of information scientists. Thirty qualitative studies were sampled after eligibility screening independently by two review authors. Synthesis was performed using the thematic synthesis approach. The confidence in each review finding was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations; Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research (GRADE-CERQual) approach.
Fifteen analytical themes were identified. Health and care workers valued the use of PPE in patient care. The sense of value was heightened by perceived susceptibility to infection with COVID-19, the need to deliver optimal patient care and the desire to protect family members. Service delivery, clinical workflows, the absence of visual cues for spatial separation and physical infrastructure hindered adherence to physical distancing guidelines.
The gap between IPC guidelines and their implementation is an important health system barrier to PPE use and physical distancing in healthcare settings.
This review provides useful insights on key considerations for planning and implementing IPC in healthcare settings.
尽管个人防护装备（PPE）和保持身体距离干预措施在预防和控制2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）感染方面行之有效，但医护人员对其的采用率仍然较低。
综合来自质性研究的证据，以探究医护人员在COVID-19背景下对使用PPE和保持身体距离的认知与体验。
包括疗养院在内的医疗保健机构。
根据纳入标准使用检索词进行电子数据库检索，检索策略由一组信息科学家进行同行评审。两名综述作者独立进行资格筛选后，抽取了30项质性研究。采用主题综合法进行综合分析。使用推荐分级、评估、制定与评价；质性研究综述证据的可信度（GRADE-CERQual）方法评估每项综述结果的可信度。
确定了15个分析主题。医护人员重视在患者护理中使用PPE。对感染COVID-19易感性的认知、提供最佳患者护理的需求以及保护家庭成员的愿望增强了这种价值感。服务提供、临床工作流程、缺乏空间分隔的视觉提示和物理基础设施阻碍了对保持身体距离指南的遵守。
感染预防与控制（IPC）指南与其实施之间的差距是医疗保健机构中使用PPE和保持身体距离的一个重要卫生系统障碍。
本综述为医疗保健机构规划和实施IPC的关键考虑因素提供了有用的见解。
