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Factors Affecting the Decontamination Process in Hospitals in Saudi Arabia
Authors Felemban EM, Youssef HAM, Al Thobaity A
Received 4 December 2020
Accepted for publication 18 January 2021
Published 28 January 2021 Volume 2021:14 Pages 357—363
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S295262
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Editor who approved publication: Professor Marco Carotenuto
Ebaa M Felemban, Hanan AM Youssef, Abdulellah Al Thobaity
Nursing Department, Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence: Abdulellah Al Thobaity
Nursing Department, Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia
Email a.thobaity@tu.edu.sa
Introduction: Hospitals face various types of disasters that require either decontamination or disinfection interventions. These contaminants can be chemical, biological, radioactive, or infectious, such as COVID-19. Further, there are few studies in the literature on factors affecting decontamination in hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: Approximately 157 healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, and other specialists) participated in this study. Principle component analysis was used to explore three factors in Saudi Arabia that affect the ability of healthcare providers to decontaminate appropriately.
Results: Three factors were extracted: (1) having adequate skills to perform decontamination, (2) being adequately prepared for decontamination before a disaster occurs, and (3) organizational barriers to decontamination. There was a positive correlation between the skills and preparedness and a negative correlation between barriers and both skills and preparedness.
Discussion: It is essential to prepare for decontamination during disasters more effectively and to ensure that all healthcare providers have the requisite skills. Moreover, barriers to decontamination must be investigated thoroughly to improve implementation.
Keywords: risk, disaster, COVID-19, healthcare providers
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