tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
. 2021 May 3;1-22.
doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.205. Online ahead of print.
Increasing Facemask Compliance among Healthcare Personnel during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rupak Datta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Keith Glenn[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anthony Pellegrino[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jessica Tuan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Brian Linde[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Jehanzeb Kayani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kavin Patel[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lisbeysi Calo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Louise Marie Dembry[SUP] 1 2 6 [/SUP], Ann Fisher[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Objective: Prior studies of universal masking have not measured facemask compliance. We performed a quality improvement study to monitor and improve facemask compliance among healthcare personnel (HCP) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Design: Mixed-methods study.
Setting: Tertiary care center in West Haven, Connecticut.
Patients: HCP including physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff.
Methods: Facemask compliance was measured through direct observations during a 4-week baseline period after universal masking was mandated. Frontline and management HCP completed semi-structured interviews from which a multimodal intervention was developed. Direct observations were repeated during a 14-week period following implementation of the multimodal intervention. Differences between units were evaluated with chi-squared testing using the Bonferroni correction. Facemask compliance between baseline and intervention periods was compared using time series regression.
Results: Among 1,561 observations during the baseline period, median weekly facemask compliance was 82.2% (range, 80.8%-84.4%). Semi-structured interviews were performed with 16 HCP. Qualitative analysis informed the development of a multimodal intervention consisting of audit and passive feedback, active discussion, and increased communication from leadership. Among 2,651 observations during the intervention period, median weekly facemask compliance was 92.6% (range, 84.6%-97.9%). There was no difference in weekly facemask compliance between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units. The multimodal intervention was associated with an increase in facemask compliance (?=0.023, p=0.002).
Conclusions: Facemask compliance remained suboptimal among HCP despite a facility-wide mandate for universal masking. A multimodal intervention consisting of audit and passive feedback, active discussion, and increased communication from leadership was effective in increasing facemask compliance among HCP.
. 2021 May 3;1-22.
doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.205. Online ahead of print.
Increasing Facemask Compliance among Healthcare Personnel during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Rupak Datta[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Keith Glenn[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Anthony Pellegrino[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jessica Tuan[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Brian Linde[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Jehanzeb Kayani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Kavin Patel[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Lisbeysi Calo[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Louise Marie Dembry[SUP] 1 2 6 [/SUP], Ann Fisher[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33938417
- DOI: 10.1017/ice.2021.205
Abstract
Objective: Prior studies of universal masking have not measured facemask compliance. We performed a quality improvement study to monitor and improve facemask compliance among healthcare personnel (HCP) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Design: Mixed-methods study.
Setting: Tertiary care center in West Haven, Connecticut.
Patients: HCP including physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff.
Methods: Facemask compliance was measured through direct observations during a 4-week baseline period after universal masking was mandated. Frontline and management HCP completed semi-structured interviews from which a multimodal intervention was developed. Direct observations were repeated during a 14-week period following implementation of the multimodal intervention. Differences between units were evaluated with chi-squared testing using the Bonferroni correction. Facemask compliance between baseline and intervention periods was compared using time series regression.
Results: Among 1,561 observations during the baseline period, median weekly facemask compliance was 82.2% (range, 80.8%-84.4%). Semi-structured interviews were performed with 16 HCP. Qualitative analysis informed the development of a multimodal intervention consisting of audit and passive feedback, active discussion, and increased communication from leadership. Among 2,651 observations during the intervention period, median weekly facemask compliance was 92.6% (range, 84.6%-97.9%). There was no difference in weekly facemask compliance between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 units. The multimodal intervention was associated with an increase in facemask compliance (?=0.023, p=0.002).
Conclusions: Facemask compliance remained suboptimal among HCP despite a facility-wide mandate for universal masking. A multimodal intervention consisting of audit and passive feedback, active discussion, and increased communication from leadership was effective in increasing facemask compliance among HCP.