Adherence to Personal Protective Equipment Against Infectious Diseases Among Healthcare Workers in Arak-Iran

Abstract

Background: Occupational exposure to blood and body secretions poses a significant risk of COVID-19, HIV, HCV, and HBV among healthcare workers (HCWs). Assessment of this exposure is necessary for optimized planning and policy-making measures. This study aimed to assess the exposure to occupational risk factors among emergency HCWs. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on HCWs working in 3 educational hospitals affiliated with Arak University of Medical Sciences. The study sample included all HCWs working in emergency wards who met inclusion criteria. The data were collected using a valid and reliable researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed through analytical tests in SPSS software. Results: The 116 studied HCWs included 97 nurses and 19 physicians and medical specialties. The mean age was 31.06 with 4.7 years of work experience (207.8 hours per month) in working at the patient bedside. The results indicated that needlestick injuries have a significant positive and negative relationship with job history (p=0.001) and month-averaged working hours (p=0.012), respectively. 96.6% stated that wearing gloves is not necessary, 59.9% stated that they do not use protective glasses due to a decrease in their vision, while 50% did not use gowns due to the lack of gowns in the ward. 63.8%, 57.8%, 50%, 63.8%, 56% and 54.3% of the participants expressed shift work, a high number of hospitalized patients in the crowded ward, the need for high-speed working, high working load, an increase in working hours, and low working consent as the most important factors leading to an increment in blood transmitted diseases, respectively. Conclusion: It is necessary to design national surveillance systems to report exposed cases and develop measures and strategic plans considering the high effects of exposure to blood and body secretions.