Cardiopulmonary resuscitation practices amid COVID-19 in four Gauteng public hospitals

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenged healthcare systems worldwide. Owing to the transmission with aerosol-generating procedures, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practices were changed. Little is known about the adherence and/or uptake of these guidelines by healthcare workers (HCWs) in lower-middle income countries. This study seeks to describe the CPR practices among HCWs in South Africa. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study used purposeful and snowball sampling to recruit 131 participants. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 131 responses were received. Of the respondents, 72.9% reported performing CPR on COVID-19-positive patients. Frequent breaches in personal protective equipment (PPE) (p < 0.001) and reuse of PPE (p < 0.001) were reported. Most respondents reported being aware of specific guidelines for CPR in COVID-19. Among the 53.4% of respondents who had tested positive for COVID-19, 79.7% reported occupational exposure. Of these respondents, 47.3% reported symptom onset within 5 days of performing CPR on a COVID-19-positive patient. Conclusion: HCWs often put the needs of patients above their own. The study found that despite respondents being aware of guidelines for CPR in COVID-19, compliance with guidelines was reported to be poor. Of particular concern is that a high number of respondents who tested positive for COVID-19 reported symptom onset within 5 days of performing CPR on COVID-19-positive patients. Contribution: This research will assist in the training of HCWs on appropriate CPR practices to prevent transmission of respiratory infections transmitted via droplet and airborne route