Attitudes and Practices toward Droplet and Airborne Universal Precaution among Nurses during the COVID-19 Outbreak in Indonesia

Purpose: Nurses are at the forefront of the battle against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nurses ’ expertise, attitude, and practice of prevention and control are important to provide a good quality of care for patients and to protect themselves from COVID-19 infection. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes and practices toward droplet and airborne universal precaution among nurses during the COVID-19 outbreak and to identify factors associated with nursing practices. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among nurses who had been involved in COVID-19 prevention and control and were able to join in the research from referral hospitals from Bandung, West Java, Indonesia from May 1 to 20, 2020. The questionnaire comprised three parts: demographic characteristics, attitude toward droplet and airborne universal precaution, and practice toward droplet and airborne universal precaution. Results: The response rate was 91.7% (550 of 600 nurses). The majority were women (75.5%), aged 31.26 ± 7.19 years (range: 22~55). Attitude ( β =.51, p =.036) and perception of risk of contracting COVID-19 ( β =.66, p =.045) were factors found to be associated with practices toward droplet and airborne universal precaution during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusion: The Indonesian government needs to improve health services by enhancing and expanding tailored training programs for nurses on routine infection prevention and provide policies to better control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.