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Out and about: Factors associated with nurses' use of COVID‐19 personal protective behaviors when not at work
Author(s) -
Huffman Carolyn,
O'Connell Nathaniel,
Burns Melina,
Blakely Michele,
Gilliland William
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/nuf.12669
Subject(s) - personal protective equipment , covid-19 , pandemic , work engagement , nursing , health care , work (physics) , medicine , occupational safety and health , psychology , cross sectional study , family medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , mechanical engineering , pathology , engineering , economics , economic growth , virology , outbreak
Abstract Aim To characterize nurses' engagement in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promoted personal protective behaviors (PPBs) outside the work setting during the COVID‐19 pandemic and factors that inform engagement in these behaviors. Background Nurses' health is of vital importance to the functioning of the healthcare system. Little is known as to what informs nurses' use of PPBs outside the work setting. Design Cross‐sectional survey study. Settings A large healthcare system in the southeastern region of the United States. Participants Nine hundred fifty eight registered nurses. Methods Participants surveyed during the week of September 14th. Survey contained questions regarding factors that may be linked to nurses' compliance with PPBs. Results The most frequently reported behavior practiced outside work was “cover mouth with cough or sneeze.” Concern for COVID‐19 infection and confidence in masks to control the spread of COVID‐19 were positively related to both frequency and number of protective behaviors engaged in ( p < .01), while fatigue was inversely related to engagement with PPBs ( p = .01). There was some evidence that viewing self as role model may predict behavior. Conclusions Personal factors drive engagement with protective behaviors outside the work setting. Implications for nursing management and education are explored.