Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID‑19 is a contagious disease without any treatment, vaccine, or immunity,
which the only way out is the practice of preventive measures. This article assessed the perception
and factors influencing the practice of preventive measures to COVID‑19 among nurses in Anambra
State, Nigeria. The study objectives include to determine the perception of nurses toward COVID‑19
and to determine factors that influence the practice of preventive measures to COVID‑19 among
nurses in tertiary hospitals in Anambra State.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The design for the study was descriptive cross‑sectional survey
conducted among 344 nurses in the two tertiary institutions.
RESULTS: Three hundred and three (88.1%) nurses had no formal training on COVID‑19 protocol.
They have a good perception of the disease as, among others, they (165 [48.0%]) see it to be highly
contagious, 207 (60.2%) can recognize symptoms easily, 168 (48.8%) believed that COVID‑19 could
be handled professionally based on their experience, 155 (45.1%) responded that there is no vaccine
yet for the disease, and 200 (58.1%) responded that patients should not hide their symptoms and travel
history to avoid infecting other people. The result on the false benefits has 323 (93.9%) who responded
that COVID‑19 preventive measures will predispose one to the disease, 319 (92.7%) who responded
that the preventive measures will not slow the spread of the disease, 288 (83.7) who responded
that it is independent of normalcy returning to areas affected, and 327 (95.1%) who responded that
COVID‑19 preventive measures are among the effective ways to mitigate the disease and enhance
life sustainability. Some work‑related/institutional and disease‑specific factors influence their practice
of preventive measures to COVID‑19. Such factors include the time to use personal protective
equipment (PPE) in an emergency (170 [49.4%]), remembering to use PPE (158 [45.9%]), insufficient
nursing staff during a shift (158 [43.0%]), and too many responsibilities during a shift (178 [51.7%]).
CONCLUSION: With the increasing death as a result of COVID‑19, of which health workers are not
immune to, it is essential to annihilate all negative factors that may impede the accurate practices
of the preventive measures and also support the nurses with the necessary tools and knowledge to
mitigate their exposure to the disease.
Keywords
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