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. 2021 Jan 14;30(1):16-22.
doi: 10.12968/bjon.2021.30.1.16.

Personal protective equipment: knowledge of the guidance

Navdeep Bhamra  1 , Keshav Gupta  1 , Jonathan Lee  2 , Shams Al-Hity  1 , Karan Jolly  3 , Adnan Darr  3
Affiliations

Personal protective equipment: knowledge of the guidance

Navdeep Bhamra et al. Br J Nurs. .

Abstract

Background: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The unpredictable nature of transmission of COVID-19 requires a meticulous understanding of guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) as published by WHO and Public Health England (PHE).

Aim: To assess perceived confidence and knowledge of PHE guidance relating to PPE by nursing staff.

Methods: A nationwide survey was disseminated between May and June 2020 through social media platforms as well as internal mail via regulatory bodies and individual hospital trusts.

Results: Data were collated from 339 nurses. Perceived confidence as measured on a Likert scale was a mode score of 3/5, with the average score for knowledge-based questions being 5/10. Of the respondents, 47% cited insufficient training on PPE guidance, and 84% advocated further training. Conclusions: Unifying published PPE guidance and ensuring consistency in training can improve awareness, confidence, and knowledge among nursing staff.

Keywords: COVID-19; Education; Personal protective equipment; Training.

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