Adherence To Covid-19 Protocols: A Comparative Study Of Public And Private Hospitals In Ghana

Abstract

In hospitals around the world, the high incidence of reported infection of COVID-19 is attributed to lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE's), insufficient knowledge of already defined guidelines, and inability to adhere to the safety protocols at the workplace. Adherence to COVID-19 protocols is influenced by several dimensions dependent on the health facilities. As there is wide variation in factors associated with adherence to protocols, it is likely that adherence levels also vary between public and private facilities. The objective of the research was to comparatively examine how public and private hospitals adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols and factors associated with adherence in Ghana. A case study design, using the mixed-method approach was employed. Quantitatively, 283 staff of public and private hospitals were sampled whereas 5 respondents were interviewed. Data were analyzed using frequencies, independent t-test analysis to compare the level of adherence between public and private hospitals, and a logistic regression model to identify the factors associated with COVID-19 adherence to protocols. The logistic regression analysis established that the main factors that influenced adherence to COVID-19 protocols in public and private hospitals were: training of staff on adherence in public (OR=2.08; p < 0.01) and private (OR=1.44; p < 0.05) hospitals, and knowledge on adherence in public (OR=3.12; p < 0.01) and private (OR=11.45; p < 0.01) hospitals. Adherence to protocols significantly varied between public and private hospitals (0.001 > p < 0.05) with an effect size ranging from small to large. The study findings indicate that public hospitals adhered more to the COVID-19 protocols than private hospitals. The study recommends concerted efforts from government and stakeholders to assist private hospitals with health equipment and PPEs to aid them in the fight against the virus and any other infectious disease