Abstract:
This study was carried out to assess the use of protective clothing among health care
workers in selected hospitals of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Protective clothing is the corner stone of health care facilities and it remains the most
cost effective measure which is currently available in public health intervention.
Although personal protective clothing is one of the best lines of protection against
hazardous exposures, many healthcare workers either shun this protective apparel or
do not wear it in an appropriate manner at the appropriate time. The purpose of the
study was to assess the use of protective clothing of health care workers in selected
hospitals of the Vhembe District, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study
followed a quantitative approach using a cross-sectional design. The population
comprised of all health care workers in purposefully selected hospitals and the sample
was 205 health care workers who were 21 years and older. A questionnaire was selfdesigned in English, translated into Tshi-Venda, Se-Sotho and Xi-Tsonga languages.
Data was collected by the researcher in selected hospitals of Vhembe District. The
statistical package for social sciences (SPSS version 25) was used to analyse the
collected data. Validity and reliability were ensured. Permission to conduct research
was obtained from the University of Venda Higher Degree Committee, Department of
Health in Limpopo Province for Ethical Clearance, and the institutions where the study
was conducted. The use of protective clothing among health care workers was found to
be relatively low (8, 3%) probably due to unavailability of protective clothing in the
hospitals, allergic reactions and ignorance. Lack of knowledge regarding the use of
protective clothing could also explain the low yield of the detected cases for not using
protective clothing while on duty in this study. Based on the findings, the study
conclusions and recommendations were that all health care workers should follow the
stipulated policy on protective clothing and periodic awareness campaigns to be held to
conscientise workers on the importance of wearing personal protective clothing.
