Assessment of the use of personal protective clothing among health workers in selected hospitals of Vhembe District in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

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.