Compliance to COVID-19 Preventive Measures and Associated Factors among Healthcare Workers in Public Health Hospitals of East Shoa Zone, Ethiopia

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the respiratory infection known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Healthcare workers (HCWs) who provide COVID-19 patient care run the risk of experiencing psychological and physical effects. HCWs' adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures has not significantly improved, despite these measures being the most important intervention for shielding them from infections like COVID-19. The study aims to assess Compliance to COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors among health professionals in public hospitals, in the East Shewa zone, Ethiopia. Methods A descriptive hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 324 health professionals in public hospitals of southeast Ethiopia from February to March 2024. A simple random sampling method was used to select the study's participants. Pretested and structured self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data. The data was entered using Epi Info version 7.2, and the analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26. Binary logistic regression was used to identify potential determinants of outcome variables at p-value < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval. Results A total of 324 health professionals have participated, making the response rate 99.4%. Of which, 51.9% were males and the median age of the participant was 32 (IQR: 7) years. Health professionals' overall good compliance and knowledge of COVID-19 preventative measures were 38% and 56.8%, respectively. Not having received the Covid19 vaccination [AOR = 0.52; 95% CI (0.27, 0.99)], having good knowledge [AOR = 1.93; 95% CI (1.13, 3.29)], being a nurse [AOR = 4.39; 95% CI (2.01, 9.60)], and not having any functional handwashing [AOR = 0.29; 95% CI (0.13,0.66)] were found to be significantly associated with COVID-19 preventive measures. Conclusions This study shows that there was low compliance with COVID-19 prevention practices, with nearly two-fifths of health professionals exhibiting good compliance. Therefore, it is essential to have a steady supply of COVID-19 prevention supplies and facilities, as well as to increase health professionals' knowledge through in- and outside-of-the-workplace training.