Understanding the Efficacy of Personal Protective Equipment During the Covid-19 Pandemic Through the Eyes of Hospital Nursing Staff in Eastern North Carolina

Abstract

In late 2019, a respiratory virus swept across Asia and quickly made its way to North America, seemingly halting everyday activities in its place. With the uptick of hospitalizations, diagnoses, and fatalities, healthcare workers were more vital than ever before. To keep the healthcare workers as safe as possible, they were required to wear various forms of PPE, personal protective equipment, even if there wasn't enough PPE to go around or it meant sacrificing their comfort. This study was created to see how the registered nurses at two separate, yet similar, hospitals perceived the comfort and availability of the PPE given to them. This information displays how nurses in rural communities were affected and allows researchers to receive personal responses from employees that were in the thick of the pandemic. It was found that their comfort levels were similar, but their perceived availability was over all lower at one hospital. The researcher also considered the years of experience the nurses had and if the employee had contracted COVID-19 at all.