The Practice of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Protection against Infectious Diseases

Objective: The aim of this study is to demonstrate the attitudes and practices regarding the use of personal protective equipment among emergency medicine residents. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional survey study, emergency medicine residents who had attended the 6th Emergency Medicine Resident’s Symposium were included. In the first part of the survey, demographic characteristics, duration of residency and medical career and the institutions were investigated. In the second part, the attitudes of using personal protective equipment and also the physical status of the emergency rooms were assessed. Results: Sixty-seven emergency medicine residents were surveyed. 83.6% of them was working at education and research hospitals and 16.4% was working at university hospitals. The question about the existence of personal pro-tective equipment was affirmed by only 28.4% of the participants. 26.9% of the participants took lessons about protection from infectious diseases during their residency training. The statistical comparisons between the presence of isolation rooms and the type of the institution and being trained about personal protection against infectious diseases were not significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: Emergency medicine residents, who make the first medical intervention with most patients, do not use personal protective methods effectively. There are also some deficiencies in medical institutions with regard to preparing the physical conditions of the emergency rooms and resident education programs. (JAEM 2014; 13: 176-80)