Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare (Feb 2021)

Healthcare Workers’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Regarding Personal Protective Equipment for the Prevention of COVID-19

  • Hossain MA,
  • Rashid MUB,
  • Khan MAS,
  • Sayeed S,
  • Kader MA,
  • Hawlader MDH

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 229 – 238

Abstract

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Mohammad Ali Hossain,1 Md Utba Bin Rashid,2 Md Abdullah Saeed Khan,3 Sabrina Sayeed,4 Md Abdul Kader,5 Mohammad Delwer Hossain Hawlader6 1Ibn Sina Medical College Hospital, Dhaka, 1216, Bangladesh; 2Nutrition and Clinical Services Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; 3Infectious Disease Hospital, Dhaka, 1212, Bangladesh; 4Eminence Associates for Social Development, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh; 5International Organization for Migration, Cox’s Bazar, 4700, Bangladesh; 6Department of Public Health, North South University, Dhaka, 1229, BangladeshCorrespondence: Md Utba Bin RashidNutrition and Clinical Service Division (NCSD), International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh, Mohakhali, Dhaka, 1212, BangladeshTel +8801673306380Email [email protected]: Adequate knowledge, positive attitude, and proper practice of personal protective equipment by healthcare workers are necessary to get protection from COVID-19 infection. But this area is yet to be explored. Hence, we aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) among healthcare workers, along with a survey of the possible determinants.Subjects and Methods: For this cross-sectional study, online and offline surveys were conducted among a sample of 393 healthcare workers from five different districts of Bangladesh. A validated self-administered questionnaire comprising five sections (socio-demography, work-related information, knowledge, attitude, and practice) was used for data collection. Multivariate stepwise forward logistic regression was applied to find significant factors associated with good attitude, and practice using SPSS version 25.Results: The average age of the 393 participants was 28.9± 5.2 years with a male-female ratio of one. Of them, 99.5% (n=391) had good knowledge, 88.8% (n=349) had positive attitude and 51.7% (n=203) had good practice regarding PPE. Results revealed that being a physician and living at home were significantly associated with a positive attitude. While being a non-physician, having lower education, working in private hospitals, and using office transport were associated with good practice regarding PPE.Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that the healthcare workers had an overall good knowledge and a positive attitude but a poor practice regarding PPE. This study also highlighted the factors influencing KAP towards PPE that must be addressed in future education, awareness, and counseling programs.Keywords: knowledge, attitude, practice, personal protective equipment, health personnel

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