25% of healthcare workers report poor access to protective gear, survey shows

Anuja Vaidya -

About a quarter of healthcare workers rated their access to personal protective equipment as "poor," a new survey shows.

The survey, conducted by MedPage Today, includes responses from 1,182 healthcare workers submitted April 2-6. About 72 percent of respondents are physicians and 14 percent are nurses. Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported working in a hospital.

Of the healthcare workers surveyed, 128 said they were practicing in New York City.

Five survey findings:

1. Twenty-five percent of respondents rated their access to personal protective equipment as "poor," while 27 percent rated their current access as "good" and 7 percent rated it as "excellent."

2. Forty-one percent of respondents rated their current access to COVID-19 testing as "poor." In addition, 44 percent of the 128 respondents practicing in New York City said their access to COVID-19 was poor.

3. Nineteen percent of the respondents said that 1 percent to 5 percent of the workforce at their facility is out sick with COVID-19 or may have been exposed.

4. Nationally, 7 percent of respondents said that 1 percent to 5 percent of the workforce at their facility has been hospitalized with COVID-19.

5. Among New York City respondents, 17 percent said that 1 percent to 5 percent of the clinical workforce at their facility has been hospitalized with COVID-19.

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