Health care worker knowledge and attitudes towards uniform laundering during the COVID-19 pandemic

Source avec lien : American Journal of Infection Control, 50(5). 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.12.017

La pandémie de COVID-19 a suscité des inquiétudes quant au lavage à domicile des uniformes des travailleurs de la santé (TS), une pratique courante dans des pays comme le Royaume-Uni (RU) et les États-Unis. Des recherches antérieures ont suggéré que 4 à 32% des infirmières n’adhéraient pas aux politiques de lavage, ce qui pourrait constituer un risque de contrôle des infections. Cette étude avait pour but d’examiner les connaissances et les attitudes des travailleurs de la santé du Royaume-Uni concernant le lavage à domicile des uniformes pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Conclusions : La plupart des travailleurs de la santé lavent leurs uniformes à domicile, malgré une préférence pour le lavage professionnel. Un cinquième des travailleurs de la santé s’écartent des directives du NHS britannique en matière d’uniformes ; l’absence de vestiaires sur place constituent l’obstacle le plus important à l’adhésion.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic raised concerns towards domestic laundering of healthcare worker (HCW) uniforms; this is common practice in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States. Previous research suggested 4-32% of nurses did not adhere to laundry policies, which could be an infection control risk. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of UK healthcare workers towards domestic laundering of uniforms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Online and paper questionnaires were distributed to HCWs and nursing students who regularly wear uniforms. Differences in knowledge between HCWs were analyzed by Chi-squared tests and attitudes were examined using exploratory factor analysis. Results About 86% of participants (n = 1099 of 1277) laundered their uniforms domestically. Respondents were confident in laundering their uniforms appropriately (71%), however 17% failed to launder at the recommended temperature (60°C). Most participants (68%) would prefer their employer launder their uniforms, with mixed negative emotions towards domestic laundering. Limited provision of uniforms and changing and/or storage facilities were a barrier to following guidelines. Conclusion Most HCWs domestically launder their uniforms, despite a preference for professional laundering. One-fifth of HCWs deviated from the UK National Health Service uniform guidelines; onsite changing facilities were the most significant barrier towards adherence.

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