Knowledge of health professionals about personal protective equipment in the context of the pandemic

Abstract

Objective: to know the profile of health professionals in a hospital in the state of Rio de Janeiro and analyze knowledge about adherence to the use of PPE. Method: Qualitative, descriptive and exploratory research. For data collection, semi-structured interviews were used, and for the organization and analysis of the material, Bardin's content analysis. The study participants were health professionals from a hospital in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro / Brazil. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: Two categories emerged: the use of PPE as the main protection against contamination in Covid-19, and changes in the routine of the care practice at work and facing the pandemic. Conclusions: In this study, it was found that the health professionals interviewed know the importance of using PPE, but also highlight that they were strongly impacted by the care demands of the pandemic.