Perception of Risk and Compliance With COVID-19 Safety Guidelines: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among Healthcare Workers in Ghana

Abstract

Although healthcare professionals are on the “frontline” of providing effective and quality healthcare delivery, they face several occupational risks when giving care, particularly during a global health crisis. This study examines healthcare workers’ compliance with COVID 19 safety protocols and identifies factors associated with their perceived risk of COVID-19. Between October and December 2020, this cross sectional survey utilized online and paper-type questionnaires in data collection. Non-probability sampling techniques were used in selecting clinical and non-clinical healthcare workers in various health facilities within 4 regions of Ghana. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with the perceived risk of COVID-19. The results showed that healthcare workers are highly compliant with hand hygiene practices and wearing PPE. The category of health professional, number of working years, type of health facility, region of work, fre quency of COVID-19 test, and compliance with hand hygiene practices were significantly associated with healthcare workers’ perception of risk of COVID-19 at P<.05. Findings suggest that both individual and health system factors are significant in increasing the risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Efforts at enforcing strict compliance with infection prevention should be implemented to protect all healthcare personnel.