Resumen de Adhesion to use individual protection equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic: A phenomenological study with nurse managers

Elisabete Maria das Neves Borges, Ana Paula Macedo Camilo, Leticia de Lima Trindade

• Objective: To understand, according to the perception of Nurse Managers of a hospital, the adhesion to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health professionals during the Covid-19 pandemic.

  Methods: Qualitative phenomenological study, involving 17 Nurse Managers of a hospital in the North of Portugal, during the first wave of the pandemic. A semi-structured interview and content analysis were used to process the data.

  Results: Facilitators of adherence to the use of PPE; hinderers of adherence to the use of PPE and strategies that promote adherence were the resulting categories.

  Conclusion: Fear and the perception of risk were the facilitators that most impacted on changing behaviors, while compromised use of PPE was the biggest hinderer. Supervision of the team and care delivered stands out as a central strategy of Nurse Managers.

  The Nurse Manager must implement strategies that promote behavioral changes and enhance adherence.