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Adherence to Infection Prevention and Control Measures Among Health-Care Workers Serving in COVID-19 Treatment Centers in Punjab, Pakistan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2023

Zia Ul Mustafa ,
Hafiza Kiran Majeed ,
Shaiza Latif ,
Muhammad Salman Open the ORCID record for Muhammad Salman [Opens in a new window] ,
Khezar Hayat ,
Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi ,
Yusra Habib Khan ,
Amer Hayat Khan ,
Usman Abubakar  and
Kishwar Sultana
...Show all authors
Zia Ul Mustafa
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia Department of Pharmacy Services, District Headquarter (DHQ) Hospital, Pakpattan, Pakistan
Hafiza Kiran Majeed
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Shaiza Latif
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Salman*
Affiliation:
Institute of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Allied Health Sciences, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Pakistan
Khezar Hayat
Affiliation:
Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Al-Jouf, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Yusra Habib Khan
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Al-Jouf, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Amer Hayat Khan
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia
Usman Abubakar
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia
Kishwar Sultana
Affiliation:
Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Brian Godman
Affiliation:
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde Glasgow, United Kingdom Division of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman United Arab Emirates
*
Corresponding authors: Muhammad Salman, Email: msk5012@gmail.com; Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi, Email: tauqeer.hussain.mallhi@hotmail.com.
Corresponding authors: Muhammad Salman, Email: msk5012@gmail.com; Tauqeer Hussain Mallhi, Email: tauqeer.hussain.mallhi@hotmail.com.
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Abstract

Objective:

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are easily adoptable activities to prevent the spread of infection to patients as well as among health-care workers (HCWs).

Methods:

This cross-sectional study evaluated the adherence to IPC measures among HCWs working at coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment centers in Punjab, Pakistan. HCWs were recruited by means of convenient sampling through Google Form® using the World Health Organization risk assessment tool. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20.

Results:

A total of 414 HCWs completed the survey (response rate = 67.8%), and majority of them were males (56.3%). Most of the HCWs were nurses (39.6%) followed by medical doctors (27.3%). Approximately 53% reported insufficiency of personal protective equipment (PPE), 58.2% did not receive IPC training and 40.8% did not have functional IPC team at their health facilities. The majority of HCWs (90%) used disposable gloves and N95 facemasks while interacting with COVID-19 patients. Nearly 45% used protective face shields and gowns before providing care to their patients. Hand hygiene practices while touching, and performing any aseptic procedure was adopted by 70.5% and 74.1% of HCWs, respectively.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, the adherence to IPC measures among Pakistani HCWs working in COVID-19 treatment centers is good despite the limited availability of PPEs. Their practices can be optimized by establishing institutional IPC teams, periodic provision of IPC training, and necessary PPE.

Keywords

COVID-19disease outbreaksinfection controlpandemicsPakistan
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 17 , 2023 , e298
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.

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