Factors Influencing Compliance with the Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Among Healthcare Workers: A Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53089/medula.v16i3.1812Keywords:
Compliance, healthcare workers, infection prevention, personal protective equipment, occupational safetyAbstract
Abstract
The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a key component of infection prevention and control in healthcare facilities. Compliance among healthcare workers determines the effectiveness of protection against biological, chemical, and physical hazards in the workplace. However, PPE compliance remains a challenge in many healthcare settings. This literature review aims to identify factors influencing PPE compliance among healthcare workers based on recent studies. The review was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect databases with the keywords “personal protective equipment,” “compliance,” and “healthcare workers.” Articles published between 2015 and 2025 were included. Of the 62 articles identified, 13 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in depth. The analysis focused on synthesizing findings related to individual, organizational, and work environment factors affecting PPE compliance. The results show that individual factors such as knowledge, attitude, risk perception, and work experience significantly influence compliance behavior. Organizational factors, including PPE availability, institutional policies, supervision, safety culture, and continuous training, also play an important role in shaping compliance. In addition, work environment factors such as workload, comfort of PPE, and physical conditions of care areas contribute to compliance levels. Understanding these factors is essential for improving patient and healthcare worker safety through comprehensive intervention strategies. Improving education, strengthening institutional policies, and ensuring adequate PPE supply systems are expected to enhance compliance. In Indonesia, integrated studies examining factors influencing PPE compliance remain limited, highlighting the need for further research to support policy development and occupational safety practices for healthcare workers.
References
World Health Organization. Rational use of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and considerations during severe shortages. Geneva: WHO; 2020.
Park SH, Lee SY, Lim S, Kim JY, Son JS. Personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Infect Chemother. 2020;52(2):165-82. doi:10.3947/ic.2020.52.2.165.
George J, Joseph L, Melvin J, Nivin R, Abraham B. Factors influencing compliance with personal protective equipment use among healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study. Cureus. 2023;15(3):e35689. doi:10.7759/cureus.35689.
Zhang M, Wu J, Yang Y, Zhang J, Wang N. Barriers and facilitators to PPE use among healthcare workers: a systematic review. J Hosp Infect. 2023;131:124-34. doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2023.01.006.
Ndejjo R, Musinguzi G, Yu X, Buregyeya E, Musoke D, Wang JS, et al. Occupational health hazards among healthcare workers in Kampala, Uganda. J Environ Public Health. 2015;2015:913741. doi:10.1155/2015/913741.
Mossburg S, Agore A, Nkimbeng M, Commodore-Mensah Y. Occupational hazards among healthcare workers in Africa: a systematic review. Ann Glob Health. 2019;85(1):78. doi:10.5334/aogh.2433.
Istigfari SN, Fathimah S. Kepatuhan penggunaan alat pelindung diri pada petugas kesehatan: sebuah review. Jurnal HNH&S. 2022;5(1):7-15.
Fadilah SZ, Hadi I. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PPE among hospital health workers: a systematic review. J Public Health Res. 2021;10(3):2232. doi:10.4081/jphr.2021.2232.
Ningsih AS, Nurhayati L. Factors influencing nurses’ adherence to PPE at inpatient units: a cross-sectional study. Indones J Health Sci. 2024;9(1):45-52. doi:10.20884/ijhs.2024.9.1.1123.
Ulfa M, Widodo A, Prasetyo W. Effect of PPE use on reducing COVID-19 incidence among healthcare workers in a hospital setting. J Med Med Res. 2021;5(2):169-78.
Oktavera AT, Handayani D. Compliance with personal protective equipment among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Occup Saf Health. 2023;13(1):29-36. doi:10.3126/ijosh.v13i1.43501.
Australian College of Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC). Effectiveness of PPE observers on healthcare worker compliance: rapid systematic review. Melbourne: ACIPC; 2022.
Woolley K, Smith D, Armitage R. Personal protective equipment adaptations for COVID-19: guidance for health professionals. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020;26(7):1003-8. doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2020.05.020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PPE for healthcare personnel: COVID-19 guidance. Atlanta: CDC; 2020.
Bouchoucha SL, Hutchinson AF. Physiological and psychological impacts of prolonged PPE use among healthcare workers: a mixed-methods study. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(1):66. doi:10.3390/healthcare12010066.
Situmeang L, Br Sitorus J, Manalu R. Factors affecting compliance of healthcare workers toward PPE usage in inpatient wards. J Midwifery Health Sci. 2023;6(4):251-9. doi:10.36727/jmhs.v6i4.2331.
George J, Patel R, Ahmed L. Factors influencing compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) use among healthcare workers. J Occup Health Saf. 2023.
Hasina SN, Haris V, Panggabean S. Analysis of factors related to health personnel compliance with the use of personal protection equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Int J Public Health Sci. 2022;11(4):1450–8.
Angga DP, Indasah I. Compliance of health workers using personal protective equipment (PPE) in inpatient installation during COVID-19 pandemic. Healthc Nurs J. 2021;5(2):101–9.
Situmeang L, Siregar N, Hutabarat J. Analysis of factors affecting compliance of health workers using personal protective equipment. J Health Sci Res. 2023;14(1):23–31.
Yasmin R, Khalid A, Hassan M. Assessment of healthcare workers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding PPE usage, including barriers and facilitators to compliance. Infect Prev Pract. 2024.
Mulyawati EH, Koesyanto H. Kepatuhan penggunaan alat pelindung diri pada tenaga kesehatan di Puskesmas Mondokan Sragen. J Kesehat Masy. 2023;18(2):215–22.
Subeo N, Rahayu S, Yulianto D. Factors related to compliance with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) among hospital cleaning service officers. J Environ Health. 2023.
Fajrianti G. Kepatuhan penggunaan APD pada tenaga kesehatan di Puskesmas Melintang selama pandemi COVID-19. J Kesehat Lingkung. 2021;13(1):45–53.
Sembiring WA, Wasliati B. Determinants of nurse compliance in the use of personal protective equipment in Grandmed Hospital. J Nurs Pract. 2021;4(3):500–7.
Halimatu AR, Rahma A. Personal protective equipment compliance in hospital nutrition installation staff. J Hosp Admin. 2024.
Mahyuddin M, Karim S, Abdullah H. Environmental and organizational influences on PPE compliance in hospital workers. Occup Environ Med J. 2023.
Williams T, Carter P, Johnson L. Safety culture and PPE compliance among healthcare staff: a cross-sectional study. J Patient Saf. 2024.
Saheri F, Hutama R. Knowledge and attitude as determinants of PPE compliance among laboratory staff at RSUD Bangil. Indones J Clin Health. 2025.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Medical Profession Journal of Lampung
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
