US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce
This study aimed to describe nurses’ experiences with personal protective equipment while providing patient care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. From May 2020 to September 2020, 100 individual interviews were conducted with nurses from diverse backgrounds and practice setti...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Psych |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8611/4/2/19 |
| _version_ | 1797482906788036608 |
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| author | Shannon D. Simonovich Elizabeth Aquino Christina Lattner Cheryl Soco Tiffany N. Ponder Lily Amer Stephanie Howard Gilliane Nwafor Payal Shah Donna Badowski Susan Krawczyk Lucy Mueller Wiesemann Roxanne S. Spurlark Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey Young-Me Lee |
| author_facet | Shannon D. Simonovich Elizabeth Aquino Christina Lattner Cheryl Soco Tiffany N. Ponder Lily Amer Stephanie Howard Gilliane Nwafor Payal Shah Donna Badowski Susan Krawczyk Lucy Mueller Wiesemann Roxanne S. Spurlark Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey Young-Me Lee |
| author_sort | Shannon D. Simonovich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aimed to describe nurses’ experiences with personal protective equipment while providing patient care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. From May 2020 to September 2020, 100 individual interviews were conducted with nurses from diverse backgrounds and practice settings. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and verified for thematic analysis. Three key themes emerged related to personal protective equipment during COVID-19: (1) concerns with safety, (2) concerns with personal protective equipment supply, and (3) concerns with health care systems changing personal protective equipment policies. These findings support the importance of transparent and equitable institution-wide PPE standards in creating safe working environments. Clear communication around personal protective equipment policies and procedures, personal protective equipment education, and assurance of equitable access to equipment that can mitigate risk and disability while also reducing fear, confusion, and frustration among nurses. Maintaining clear and consistent personal protective equipment guidelines and communication regarding supplies and procedures enhances transparency during both routine and critical times de-escalating the inevitable strain concomitant with providing patient care during a global pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:40:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb817368bfbe44f2a464ec6652913193 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-8611 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:40:13Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psych |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb817368bfbe44f2a464ec66529131932023-11-23T18:43:00ZengMDPI AGPsych2624-86112022-04-014222623710.3390/psych4020019US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline WorkforceShannon D. Simonovich0Elizabeth Aquino1Christina Lattner2Cheryl Soco3Tiffany N. Ponder4Lily Amer5Stephanie Howard6Gilliane Nwafor7Payal Shah8Donna Badowski9Susan Krawczyk10Lucy Mueller Wiesemann11Roxanne S. Spurlark12Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey13Young-Me Lee14School of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USASchool of Nursing, College of Science & Health, DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton, Suite 4400, Chicago, IL 60614, USAThis study aimed to describe nurses’ experiences with personal protective equipment while providing patient care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. From May 2020 to September 2020, 100 individual interviews were conducted with nurses from diverse backgrounds and practice settings. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and verified for thematic analysis. Three key themes emerged related to personal protective equipment during COVID-19: (1) concerns with safety, (2) concerns with personal protective equipment supply, and (3) concerns with health care systems changing personal protective equipment policies. These findings support the importance of transparent and equitable institution-wide PPE standards in creating safe working environments. Clear communication around personal protective equipment policies and procedures, personal protective equipment education, and assurance of equitable access to equipment that can mitigate risk and disability while also reducing fear, confusion, and frustration among nurses. Maintaining clear and consistent personal protective equipment guidelines and communication regarding supplies and procedures enhances transparency during both routine and critical times de-escalating the inevitable strain concomitant with providing patient care during a global pandemic.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8611/4/2/19personal protective equipmentCOVID-19nursessafetypolicyequity |
| spellingShingle | Shannon D. Simonovich Elizabeth Aquino Christina Lattner Cheryl Soco Tiffany N. Ponder Lily Amer Stephanie Howard Gilliane Nwafor Payal Shah Donna Badowski Susan Krawczyk Lucy Mueller Wiesemann Roxanne S. Spurlark Kashica J. Webber-Ritchey Young-Me Lee US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce Psych personal protective equipment COVID-19 nurses safety policy equity |
| title | US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce |
| title_full | US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce |
| title_fullStr | US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce |
| title_full_unstemmed | US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce |
| title_short | US Nurses’ Challenges with Personal Protective Equipment during COVID-19: Interview Findings from the Frontline Workforce |
| title_sort | us nurses challenges with personal protective equipment during covid 19 interview findings from the frontline workforce |
| topic | personal protective equipment COVID-19 nurses safety policy equity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-8611/4/2/19 |
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