Abstract
BACKGROUND: Frontline healthcare workers are at higher risk for COVID-19 infection and due to lack of availability of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), lack of knowledge and good practices results in more deaths each year due to occupational accidents and diseases. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the awareness of personal safety, the association between the level of awareness with selected socio-demographic variables and to identify the correlation between knowledge and practice of personal safety. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted among 106 Frontline Healthcare workers who have worked in the COVID ward. The study was conducted between 7 August 2022 and June 2023. A convenient sampling technique was used for sample selection. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the awareness of personal safety. Descriptive statistics (mean, SD frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (χ(2) and Spearman's correlation rank) were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: Among the respondents, there were 38 doctors and 68 nurses. The majority of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge (79.2%) and practice (52.8%) with a mean score of 13.52±2.10 and 14.51± 2.35, respectively. Doctors have slightly higher levels of knowledge (14.01±1.62) and practice (14.57±2.07) as compared to Nurses (13.19±2.27, 14.48±2.5), respectively. Knowledge was found to be associated with the education level and age of the respondents, and practice has a significant association with training/demonstration with a P value of less than 0.05. Knowledge and practice were found to have a partial positive correlation (r value of 0.27). CONCLUSION: This study concluded that those having higher levels of education had good levels of knowledge and those who have attended formal or informal training or demonstrations regarding personal safety had good practices regarding personal safety.