The Use of Personal Protective Equipment in a Biosafety Level 2 Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Adequate safety precautions and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in hospitalized patients with health care-associated infections (HAIs) are the most effective preventions in their spread. Observational study was conducted in one inpatient facility in the Czech Republic before the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2019 to February 2020). Data were analyzed using Minitab at a significance level of .05. The execution of preventative measures in patients hospitalized with a HAI (n = 44) and the use of PPE by health care workers (n = 514) have been observed. The presence of defined PPE items usage differs on the basis of the department type (P = .0004). The correctness of PPE use differs on the basis of profession (P < .001), hand disinfection before PPE use (P < .001), use of all PPE (P < .001), and hand hygiene after PPE use (P < .001). General nurses had a higher observed frequency of hand hygiene (53.3%) than physicians (42.4%). The correct order of operations when using PPE differs on the basis of the department type (P < .001) and their architecture arrangement (open, semiopen, box) (P < .001). Critical preventative measures shortage was found at all units. Insufficient execution of the correct procedure of actions in the use of PPE was observed among health care workers. The best results have been observed among nurses.

Personal Protective Equipment in Hospital Nursing Care: A Scoping Review

“…In the literature there are studies that address biosafety prevention measures 15 , as well as PPE use during the care provided by health professionals [16][17][18] . Currently, a large part of the literature addresses the COVID-19 context and much has been seen in the media about shortage of materials for the professionals during this pandemic, including Brazil.…”

Equipamentos De Proteção Individual Na Assistência Hospitalar De Enfermagem: Revisão De Escopo

“…Na literatura, há estudos que abordam as medidas de biossegurança para prevenção 15 , assim como o uso dos EPIs durante o atendimento pelos profissionais de saúde [16][17][18] . Na atualidade, grande parte da literatura aborda sobre o contexto da COVID-19 e muito se observou na mídia o enfrentamento da escassez de materiais para os profissionais durante esta pandemia, inclusive no Brasil.…”