Compliance of Health Care Workers with infection prevention and control practices in COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Protecting Health Care Workers (HCWs) from infection with SARS-CoV2 is a crucial element and that depends on rational use of PPE and adherence to IPC practices. Early targeted training will reduce the infection rate in HCWS. Objectives: To determine adherence/compliance of HCWs to IPC practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and methods: Prospective observational study, conducted at atertiary care centre, from July to December 2020. HCWs in theCOVID ward were constantly observed for adherence to IPC practices separately in donning area, doffing area and inside the ward and ICU by trained infection control nurses. Results: There were a total of 792 HCWs involved in COVID duty, including doctors (44%), nurses (29%), cleaning staff (17%) and supporting staff (10%).In donning area adherence to standard precautions for hand hygiene was 89.4%, following steps of donning was 90.7%, appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was 98.2% and to environmental disinfection was 94.6%. In the COVID ward, rational use of PPE was done 100% by doctors and nurses, 93.8% by cleaning staff, 92.7% by supporting staff and overall 98.2%. In doffing area overall adherence to standard precaution for hand hygiene was 95.1%, following steps of doffing was 93.4%, biomedical waste (BMW) segregation was 92.4% and to environmental disinfection was 90.7%. Conclusion: Compliance of HCWs to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices is critical in limiting transmission of not only COVID-19 infection but also other infectious diseases. Change in attitude of HCWs can be brought in by regular training sessions as evidenced by the present study.

Keywords

• covid-19; health care worker; infection control practices; personal protective equipment; sars-cov2