In Their Own Words: A Qualitative Survey of Healthcare Providers’ Experiences with Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Details

• Personal Author:
  Becene I ; Berrill J ; Borba C ; Nguyen K ; Rich-Edwards J ; Shah A ; Stuart J ; West M
• Description:
  Background: At the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare personnel (HCP) faced a dire shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). This shortage has been identified as a major source of distress among HCP during the early COVID-19 pandemic, though the specific consequences of this shortage have not been identified in the qualitative literature. Methods: We sought to fill this gap by conducting a qualitative analysis of PPE related free-text comments from online surveys completed by 923 HCP during Spring 2020. Results: We found that HCP used words such as "required" and "had" to describe how their use of non-standard PPE was imposed on them by their workplace, suggesting that they felt little control over their protection at work. HCP described cleaning PPE with novel methods, such as bleach, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and UV light, in addition to creating their own PPE out of materials such as garbage bags, sheets, and cloth. Furthermore, HCP expressed frustration with PPE policies at their workplaces, which continued throughout the early pandemic due to the rapidly changing guidelines and the inability to express their opinions to their institutions. The combination of these concerns left HCP scared of being infected with COVID-19 while at work and subsequently infecting their loved ones at home. Conclusion: It is critical that healthcare institutions understand HCP's experiences with and feelings towards PPE, as providing the proper protection is vital in ensuring an adequate HCP workforce. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Communicable Diseases Health Personnel Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Content Analysis COVID-19 Health Care Personnel Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Pandemic Personal Protective Equipment PPE Qualitative Analysis Questionnaires
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069598
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2024 Jun; 68(5):535-549
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr. Janet W. Rich-Edwards, Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 1 Brigham Circle, Boston, MA 02115
• Email:
  jr33@partners.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6eec3307a86c3f5e78143c198947f7258fd5885bdfa7bf41d1ffbf8875c32d104e99c36ac4176461e53888cfdcfa6174de653fd521f85769f4cfdf69a315e9d9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207998/cdc_207998_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 613.79 KB ]