An exploratory study of nurses' ideas on how to improve compliance with the use of personal protective equipment when caring for patients on additional precautions.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) present a significant risk to patients globally and they are listed as one of the most frequent adverse events in healthcare. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is one method of reducing transmission, yet despite the benefits of appropriate PPE being well documented, compliance by healthcare workers is poor. The aim of this study was to assess nurses' ideas to improve compliance with PPE when caring for patients on additional precautions. Methods: The study took place at a 148-bed acute care hospital in British Columbia, Canada. A total of eight nurses, both licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and registered nurses (RNs) were selected from across the different wards based on their ability to provide the information required for the research study. Data was collected using qualitative semi-structured interviews to the point of data saturation, and consensus was obtained following the Delphi technique. Results: Eight themes emerged from the coding: risk assessment, knowledge/education, time/staffing, visible leadership, COVID-19 pandemic, patients, ward culture and PPE audits. The results were separated into two groups, influences on compliance and ideas for improving compliance. Conclusion: All eight themes contributed to the perception of risk which was identified as having the greatest influence on PPE compliance. These findings highlight the need for further research into the multifactorial approach to improving PPE compliance drawing from healthcare workers perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]