“As protective gear began to run low, guidance on protection became looser” - Healthcare workers' perspectives on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic

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dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.authorAulanko, Idaen_US
dc.contributor.authorNikuri, Petraen_US
dc.contributor.authorOksanen, Lottaen_US
dc.contributor.authorOksanen, Sampoen_US
dc.contributor.authorLahdentausta, Lauraen_US
dc.contributor.authorPietiäinen, Millaen_US
dc.contributor.authorPaju, Susannaen_US
dc.contributor.authorKivimäki, Anneen_US
dc.contributor.authorPussinen, Pirkkoen_US
dc.contributor.authorGeneid, Ahmeden_US
dc.contributor.authorSanmark, Ennien_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Accountingen
dc.contributor.organizationUniversity of Helsinkien_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-22T09:43:06Z
dc.date.available2022-12-22T09:43:06Z
dc.date.issued2022-11-10en_US
dc.descriptionFunding Information: IA has received funding from the Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation, the Medical Society of Finland, the Väinö and Laina Kivi Foundation, and the Helsinki University Hospital Research Fund and also supported by the City of Helsinki. LL has received funding from Finnish Dental Society Apollonia and the Finnish Women Dentists' Association. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Aulanko, Nikuri, Oksanen, Oksanen, Lahdentausta, Pietiäinen, Paju, Kivimäki, Pussinen, Geneid and Sanmark.
dc.description.abstractObjectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several risk factors to healthcare workers' (HCWs') emotional distress. The purpose of the study was to enhance understanding of the experiences and feelings of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with specific reference to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and guidance, focusing on the quality and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), guidelines, and management. With a qualitative approach, we aimed to enable a wider narrative; to gain a more detailed understanding related to PPE use and identify experiences that can be overlooked in forced-choice questionnaires. Methods: An online questionnaire was conducted among HCWs of the City of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital between 12.6.2020 and 5.4.2021. Altogether 1,580 HCWs participated in the study, from whom 579 shared 1,666 free-text responses. These responses were analyzed qualitatively, and the results were combined with statistical data on the participants' working conditions and backgrounds. Results: We identified problems in PPE availability and changing guidelines as factors causing the most distress in the participants. Regarding availability, running out of masks and respirators emerged as the most worrying issue, and inadequate PPE was associated with the excessive workload (OR 1.51, CI 95% 1.01–2.25). The results also highlight the importance of transparent and clear communication regarding IPC instructions and guidance, and clear IPC guidance was associated with better levels of reported recovery from work (OR 1.51, CI 95% 1.06–2.14). Conclusions: Our study highlights the importance of adequate PPE provision, transparent communication, clear guidance, and supportive supervisory work in this ongoing pandemic and potential new ones. We suggest more rigorous preparation, with crisis communication planning and emergency storage of PPE.en
dc.description.versionPeer revieweden
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationAulanko, I, Nikuri, P, Oksanen, L, Oksanen, S, Lahdentausta, L, Pietiäinen, M, Paju, S, Kivimäki, A, Pussinen, P, Geneid, A & Sanmark, E 2022, ' “As protective gear began to run low, guidance on protection became looser” - Healthcare workers' perspectives on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic ', Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 10, 982738 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.982738en
dc.identifier.doi10.3389/fpubh.2022.982738en_US
dc.identifier.issn2296-2565
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: 2f22e3b4-74f0-4f41-8b63-fffccd6a18cden_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE ITEMURL: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/2f22e3b4-74f0-4f41-8b63-fffccd6a18cden_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE LINK: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142603995&partnerID=8YFLogxKen_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE FILEURL: https://research.aalto.fi/files/95032941/fpubh_10_982738.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/118477
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-202212227215
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherFrontiers Research Foundation
dc.relation.ispartofseriesFrontiers in Public Healthen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 10en
dc.rightsopenAccessen
dc.subject.keywordcommunicationen_US
dc.subject.keywordexperiencesen_US
dc.subject.keywordhealth personnelen_US
dc.subject.keywordpersonal protective equipmenten_US
dc.subject.keywordsurveys and questionnairesen_US
dc.title“As protective gear began to run low, guidance on protection became looser” - Healthcare workers' perspectives on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemicen
dc.typeA1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessäfi
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
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