• Muhammad Hakim, Farhad Ali Khattak, Shahzad Muhammad, Muhammad Ismail, Naeem Ullah, Muhammad Atiq Orakzai, Siraj Ulislam, and Zia Ul-Haq.
• Muhammad Hakim, MBBS, MS, and Muhammad Ismail, MBBS, MPH, are PhD Scholars; Shahzad Muhammad, PhD, is an Assistant Professor; and Zia Ul-Haq, MBBS, PhD, is Vice Chancellor, Professor, and Dean of Faculty; all at the Institute of Public Health and Social Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan. Zia Ul-Haq is also a Visiting Professor, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, UK. Farhad Ali Khattak, MS, is an Assistant Professor and PhD Scholar, Khyber College of Dentistry; Muhammad Atiq Orakzai, is Chief Executive Officer, Softy Logics; and Siraj Ulislam, MBBS, is a Resident, MTI Lady Reading Hospital; all also in Peshawar, Pakistan. Naeem Ullah, MBBS, MPH, is an Associate Professor, Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals, Swat, Pakistan.
• Health Secur. 2021 Mar 1; 19 (2): 140-149.

AbstractHealthcare workers are at the highest risk of contracting novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and, therefore, require constant protection. This study assesses access to personal protective equipment (PPE), availability of adequate information about PPE use, self-reported ability to correctly wear and remove (donning and doffing) PPE, and risk perceptions associated with COVID-19 among frontline healthcare workers in Pakistan. Using a structured and validated questionnaire, an online survey was conducted from May 9 to June 5, 2020. Responses were received from 453 healthcare workers. Of these, 218 (48.12%) were doctors, 183 (40.40%) were nurses, and 52 (11.48%) were paramedical staff. Only 129 (28.48%) healthcare workers reported having adequate access to PPE at all times, whereas 156 (34.44%) never had access to PPE and 168 (37.09%) had access to PPE occasionally. Lack of access to PPE led the majority (71.74%) of healthcare workers to use coping strategies such as reuse of N95 and surgical masks. A total of 312 (68.87%) respondents believed that the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the work environment was high and the majority (62.69%) adopted precautionary measures at home to keep their families safe. A significantly high (n = 233, 51.43%, P = .03) number of respondents reported self-medicating. Of all the respondents, only 136 (30.02%) were tested for COVID-19 at least once, of which 32 (23.53%) ever tested positive. These findings suggest that healthcare workers in Pakistan had limited access to PPE. Adequate provision and training is vital to protect the healthcare workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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