Introduction:

Adherence to biosecurity measures by healthcare workers is a strict necessity in times of pandemic of COVID-19.

Objective:

Evaluate the impact of two instructional strategies on Individual Protection Measures for workers of nine hospitals in Paraguay during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology:

Quasi-experimental study, before / after model, carried out during the months of March and April 2020, two didactic strategies have been compared, on individual protection measures in workers of nine hospitals in Paraguay, grouped in three conglomerates selected for convenience (doctors , nursing and support staff). Instruction and supervision was carried out by pulmonologists belonging to the hospitals through the application of a uniform protocol. All data analyzes were carried out using JASP software, version 0.9.01.

Results:

792 individuals were included in the study. The hand washing competence (81% vs 79%) after both didactic approaches, however, the performance in putting on and taking off PPE showed a significant difference (60% vs 73% and 56% vs 66%, respectively). There was a disparity in the rate of practices performed after the training meeting (76% vs 89%), and although the role of chance in this analysis was less than 5%, it is important to take this variable into consideration when analyzing the outcomes.

Conclusion:

It was possible to optimize the uniform learning of individual protection protocols with accessible measures in some groups studied here. The removal of personal protective equipment was the weakest link in the competencies addressed in this trial. The fact that this project was led by specialists from each hospital highlights the importance of teamwork and sense of commitment.

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