Factors Affecting Nurses’ Use of Personal Protective Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: A critical preventive measure during the rapid global spread of COVID-19 was the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by healthcare professionals, especially nurses. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the factors that influenced nurses' use of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021 and 2022. A convenience sample of 423 nurses was selected from those working in teaching hospitals affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS software version 26. Descriptive statistical tests, such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyze the data. Additionally, inferential tests such as the independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Results: Females constituted 70.20% of the sample. The means and standard deviations for individual and organizational factors were 3.41 ± 0.65 and 3.64 ± 0.83, respectively. The relationships between gender and individual factors, as well as education and organizational factors, were found to be statistically significant. There was also a statistically significant relationship between departments and both individual and organizational factors, and between marital status and organizational factors (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Organizational factors, including the provision of adequate PPE, were the most significant contributors to nurses' use of PPE. Conversely, the non-use of PPE was partly influenced by physical complications, such as skin issues, associated with PPE usage. Managers and policymakers can use the results of this study as a guide for future policy and decision-making to reduce or eliminate the factors inhibiting and to strengthen the factors contributing to the proper use of PPE.