Factors influencing nursing professionals’ adherence to facial protective equipment usage: A comprehensive review

Background Facial protective equipment (FPE) adherence is necessary for the health and safety of nursing professionals. This review was conducted to synthesize predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that influence FPE adherence, and thus inform efforts to promote adherence. Methods Articles were collected using CINAHL and MEDLINE and screened for inclusion. Included articles were original studies focused on FPE adherence by nurses to prevent respiratory infection which contained occupation-specific data from at least 10 individuals, and were published in English between January 2005 and February 2022. Results Thirty articles were included, 21 of which reported adherence rates. Adherence ranged from 33-100% for respiratory protection and 22-100% for eye protection. Predisposing demographic factors influencing adherence included tenure and occupation, while modifiable predisposing factors included knowledge and perception of FPE, infection transmission, and risk. Enabling factors included geography, care settings, and FPE availability. Reinforcing factors included organizational support for health and safety, clear policies, and training. Conclusions The identified demographic factors suggest populations that may benefit from targeted interventions, while modifiable factors suggest opportunities to enhance education as well as operational processes and supports. Interventions that target these areas have the potential to promote adherence and thereby improve the occupational safety of nurses.