Volume 8, Issue 2 (February 2021), Pages: 101-105
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Original Research Paper
Title: Perspective of healthcare workers regarding self-protection during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia
Author(s): Sultan M. Alshahrani 1, *, Najim Z. Alshahrani 2, Saud Dhafer Mohammed 3, Hamed Ali Mohammed 3, Yazeed Fahad 3, Abdulmohsen Nasser Hamed 3
Affiliation(s):
1Clinical Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
2Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
3College of Medicine, Bishah University, Bishah, Saudi Arabia
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* Corresponding Author.
Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6194-7092
Digital Object Identifier:
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2021.02.014
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to assess the perception of healthcare workers regarding self-protection during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. The novel COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the dynamic of governments, social lives, global economy, and health care systems priorities. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are one of the most group of people at risk of acquiring the infection, especially those who are taking care of COVID-19 patients. This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted among HCWs during the period between May to July 2020 in Saudi Arabia. More than 70% of participating HCWs were able to access the personal safety policies and procedures in the workplace and COVID-19 treatment algorithm. In addition, the presence of an infection control team was also present in most of the institutes. The most common accessible personal protective equipment was hand gel sanitizer (89.9%), followed by disposable gloves (82.5%) and disposable masks (78.9%). More than 75% of participants reported that their institute has a special infection control team during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the respondents (~75%) believe that their institute would take all necessary measurements to protect their personal integrity at work. Several precautionary measures were undertaken appropriately by the Saudi Government to overcome the COVID-19 immediate and futuristic consequences. Personal protective equipment and protective measures would be crucial for public health if implemented appropriately during highly spreading infections (e.g., COVID-19) to minimize the transmission and preserve health.
© 2020 The Authors. Published by IASE.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Keywords: Healthcare workers, Protective, COVID-19, Saudi Arabia
Article History: Received 17 August 2020, Received in revised form 16 October 2020, Accepted 17 October 2020
Acknowledgment:
The authors would like to thank all healthcare workers around the world who have been battling the new Coronavirus with their sacrifices, time, and efforts.
Compliance with ethical standards
Ethical consideration:
The survey was anonymous, and all participants’ data were kept confidential during all steps of the study. The purpose of the study was elicited in the introductory paragraph of the survey. Participants were able to complete the survey only once and were allowed to terminate the survey at any time they desired. In addition, they were not asked about their names nor the institution’s name.
Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Citation:
Alshahrani SM, Alshahrani NZ, and Mohammed SD et al. (2021). Perspective of healthcare workers regarding self-protection during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study from Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 8(2): 101-105
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