Infection control practices of medical practitioners at a large urban public hospital in South Africa during the SARS-COV-2 Pandemic

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) preparation and how it relates to the use and reuse of personal protective Equipment (PPE), as well as behavioural changes among doctors has been an area of interest for researchers since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreaks. The aim of this study is to describe the role of IPC practices of doctors at a large urban public hospital in South Africa during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic of 2020. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed on doctors from the general medical and surgical disciplines of the hospital. All levels of staff were interviewed using an anonymous voluntary self-administered questionnaire administered over a 4-week period. Results: We determined that the majority of the participants (87.5%) were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. Internal Medicine participants were more likely to work in a respiratory ward compared to their surgical counterparts. Of the surveyed sample, 90.4% indicated that they received formal IPC training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrasting this, only half (52.9%) felt prepared to apply these principles when working with COVID-19 patients. Almost all respondents (90.0%) surveyed reported using PPE. Of the respondents using PPE, 94.4% were reusing their PPE. From the total sample population, 95.2% reported implementing behavioural changes. Conclusion: Although the majority of doctors surveyed were involved in the care of COVID-19 patients, almost half did not feel prepared to deal with COVID-19 patients despite training being made available. The study also showed a disparity in behavioural changes by health professionals in the medical and surgical departments. The study highlights the importance of targeted ongoing IPC training across departments.