COVID-19 Precautions in Eswatini: A Study on Healthcare Workers' Compliance

In a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Public Health in Africa, researchers from the University of Johannesburg investigated the compliance of healthcare workers in Eswatini with COVID-19 standard precautions. The study aimed to assess knowledge and compliance among healthcare workers in two major regional referral hospitals. The findings suggest that despite adequate knowledge, there may be suboptimal compliance with standard precautions among healthcare workers.

Key Takeaways:

• The study consisted of 146 participants, with a response rate of 68.9% (146/212), where the majority (61%) were nurses.
• Nurses were more knowledgeable of COVID-19 standard precautions (82.9%), while cleaners and/or orderlies were more compliant with the standard precautions (83.88%).
• There was no significant correlation between knowledge of and compliance with standard precautions.
• Healthcare workers showed adequate knowledge of and compliance with COVID-19 standard precautions, but suboptimal compliance was observed, particularly among nurses.
• The study recommends revising the National IPC program's policies, guidelines, and training curricula to improve compliance.
• Interventions aimed at maximizing compliance with COVID-19 standard precautions should be informed by the findings of the study.

Statistics:

• 146 participants were recruited for the study.
• A response rate of 68.9% (146/212) was achieved.
• 61% of the participants were nurses.
• 82.9% of nurses were knowledgeable of COVID-19 standard precautions.
• 83.88% of cleaners and/or orderlies were compliant with COVID-19 standard precautions.

Sources:

• Low impact of knowledge on compliance with COVID-19 precautions: Healthcare workers in Eswatini. Journal of Public Health in Africa, 2025,16(1):e1-e6.
• Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA. June 22, 2025.