Abstract
Introduction: Infection prevention and control measures are required to minimise COVID-19 transmission in the healthcare setting, with PPE being one of the essential components. Adequate healthcare workers (HCWs) knowledge of rational PPE use is necessary to protect them from getting an infection. The evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to rapid guideline updates, may further impact their knowledge of the appropriate and rational use of PPE. Therefore, this study aimed to assess HCWs' knowledge of PPE use and its association with socio-demographic characteristics.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2021 among HCWs in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia. An online, self-administered questionnaire was used as a study tool and disseminated through various communication channels, including the official MOH e-mail and social media. The validated questionnaire contained a socio-demographic component (7 items) and the knowledge component (8 items), which consisted of identifying PPE components, the purpose of wearing PPE, criteria of PPE use according to MOH guidelines, and general questions on PPE use with a yes/no answer. A cut-off level higher than the mean score indicated adequate knowledge. HCWs who were directly in contact with patients/specimens/close contacts were included in this study. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 26.0. Results: 3132 out of 3699 respondents were included in the analysis after the exclusion criteria. Most respondents were female (78.2%), aged 31 to 40 (44.6%). The nursing profession made up 41.5% of the total respondents. 52.5% of the respondents were hospital-based, 27.9% hailed from the Northern region, 51.1% had been in the service for 1-10 years, and 52.8% had received their last formal PPE training within the last six months. Overall, 87.7% of HCWs possessed adequate knowledge on PPE use, out of which 82.9% correctly identified all the criteria for PPE use based on the MOH guidelines. A significant association was observed between the knowledge level and HCWs' designation (p=0.001) as well as the last duration of formal PPE training received by the HCWs (p<0.001). A higher percentage of nurses (36.0%), dental staff (15.5%), medical assistants (9.7%), and medical officers (8.4%) had adequate PPE knowledge in PPE compared to other HCWs. HCWs with formal training of fewer than six months (52.8%) were more knowledgeable. Discussion: The majority of HCWs had adequate knowledge and could identify the appropriate criteria for using PPE according to the MOH guidelines. Most Malaysian frontline HCWs had adequate PPE knowledge, which is reassuring since they are at most risk for the COVID-19 infection. However, cautions may be exercised in interpreting these findings as this study used non-probability sampling. Formal training plays a vital role in shaping the knowledge received about PPE, as evidenced by the higher percentage of knowledge among HCWs who had formal training in the last six months. Therefore, regular and concise training targeting all HCWs should be routinely conducted to improve awareness, confidence, and knowledge of PPE use.
Links
- https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-P-67.pdf
- https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/wpforms/1176-1e04940bb5d885bf8711ed1909[...]
BibTeX (Download)
@proceedings{APCPH2022-P-67,
title = {Knowledge of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia: an online survey study},
author = {Khalidah Maruan and Divya Nair Narayanan and Samsiah Awang and Nurhayati Shaharuddin and Izzatur Rahmi Mohd Ujang and Normaizira Hamidi and Roslina Supadi and Mariyah Mohamad and Noraini Mohd Yusoff and Shantini Thevendran and Muslisah Musa},
url = {https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-P-67.pdf
https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/wpforms/1176-1e04940bb5d885bf8711ed19095a89ed/APCPH_Knowledge-PPE_v4-69d2ebe04996bc22e087288323c7becb.pdf},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-08-02},
urldate = {2022-08-02},
issue = {7},
abstract = {Introduction: Infection prevention and control measures are required to minimise COVID-19 transmission in the healthcare setting, with PPE being one of the essential components. Adequate healthcare workers (HCWs) knowledge of rational PPE use is necessary to protect them from getting an infection. The evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to rapid guideline updates, may further impact their knowledge of the appropriate and rational use of PPE. Therefore, this study aimed to assess HCWs' knowledge of PPE use and its association with socio-demographic characteristics.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2021 among HCWs in the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia. An online, self-administered questionnaire was used as a study tool and disseminated through various communication channels, including the official MOH e-mail and social media. The validated questionnaire contained a socio-demographic component (7 items) and the knowledge component (8 items), which consisted of identifying PPE components, the purpose of wearing PPE, criteria of PPE use according to MOH guidelines, and general questions on PPE use with a yes/no answer. A cut-off level higher than the mean score indicated adequate knowledge. HCWs who were directly in contact with patients/specimens/close contacts were included in this study. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 26.0. Results: 3132 out of 3699 respondents were included in the analysis after the exclusion criteria. Most respondents were female (78.2%), aged 31 to 40 (44.6%). The nursing profession made up 41.5% of the total respondents. 52.5% of the respondents were hospital-based, 27.9% hailed from the Northern region, 51.1% had been in the service for 1-10 years, and 52.8% had received their last formal PPE training within the last six months. Overall, 87.7% of HCWs possessed adequate knowledge on PPE use, out of which 82.9% correctly identified all the criteria for PPE use based on the MOH guidelines. A significant association was observed between the knowledge level and HCWs' designation (p=0.001) as well as the last duration of formal PPE training received by the HCWs (p\<0.001). A higher percentage of nurses (36.0%), dental staff (15.5%), medical assistants (9.7%), and medical officers (8.4%) had adequate PPE knowledge in PPE compared to other HCWs. HCWs with formal training of fewer than six months (52.8%) were more knowledgeable. Discussion: The majority of HCWs had adequate knowledge and could identify the appropriate criteria for using PPE according to the MOH guidelines. Most Malaysian frontline HCWs had adequate PPE knowledge, which is reassuring since they are at most risk for the COVID-19 infection. However, cautions may be exercised in interpreting these findings as this study used non-probability sampling. Formal training plays a vital role in shaping the knowledge received about PPE, as evidenced by the higher percentage of knowledge among HCWs who had formal training in the last six months. Therefore, regular and concise training targeting all HCWs should be routinely conducted to improve awareness, confidence, and knowledge of PPE use.},
howpublished = {published online at https://apcph.cphm.my},
note = {Type: POSTER PRESENTATION; Organisation: Institute for Health Systems Research, National Institutes of Health, MOH; Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia; Public Health Development Division, Ministry of Health, Malaysia},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}