OHW 109 - Which Topics Matter in the Use of Personal Protective Equipment Among Healthcare Personnel Since the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Background: The significance of personal protective equipment (PPE) in protecting healthcare personnel (HCP) has been reaffirmed since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to examine various topics on PPE use among HCP in healthcare settings for comprehensive understanding.

Methods: From five web-based academic databases (Ovid, Embase, Cochrane, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and PsycINFO), 17,323 studies published between January 2020 and November 2023 were retrieved using PPE-related search terms. After removing duplicates, the authors assessed titles and abstracts with the inclusion criteria. Using the NetMiner 4.4 software program, semantic morphemes from the 761 selected abstracts were extracted and refined, then text network analysis and topic modeling were applied. A text network was structured based on the keywords and analyzed to identify the main keywords. Through topic modeling using the latent Dirichlet allocation algorithm, latent topics in the research abstracts were extracted. The authors verified the keywords composing each topic, chose the best topic model from among the results options, and named the topics.

Results: From the text network analysis, the following main keywords were identified based on frequency of use, degree centrality, and betweenness centrality: “Masks”, “HCP”, “COVID-19”, “Use”, “Hospital”, “Employees”, and “Infection”. Based on topic modeling in the research abstracts, eight topics were derived and named as follows: “Mask protection and fit testing,” “PPE use problems,” “Training employees on guideline compliance,” “Hospital strategy for a lack of PPE,” “Risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission,” “PPE protection and contamination,” “HCP's knowledge, attitudes, and practice,” and “Impact of change on performance.”

Conclusions: By adopting text network analysis and topic modeling methods, our study provides insights into PPE use issues and research trends. Prominent topics emerged, such as respiratory protection, interventions for compliance, and strategies for addressing challenges in PPE use or shortages.