Table 3. Responses of doctors related to remaining questions regarding the lack of personal protective equipment and their explanations.
PPE: Personal protective equipment; HCW: Healthcare worker; WHO: World Health Organization; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease; US: United States.
Chi-squared test and Independent sample T-test were used to find statistical significance between the variables.
| Questions | Pakistan (n = 348) | United States (n = 226) | P-value | Comments | ||
| Yes (%) | No (%) | Yes (%) | No (%) | |||
| Are you currently working on the frontline with COVID-19 patients? | 222 (63.8) | 126 (36.2) | 176 (77.9) | 50 (22.1) | 0.011 | - |
| Have you recently (within the past three days) been in contact with positive/suspected COVID-19 patients? | 332 (95.4) | 16 (4.6) | 210 (92.9) | 16 (7.1) | 0.371 | No significant difference. |
| Do you have access to all forms of PPEs (masks/N95 respirators, gloves, full-suit, hair caps, and eye protection) in your hospital? | Access to all = 44 (12.6) | Access to all = 120 (53.1) | <0.001 | In our study, doctors in the US reported to have better access to PPEs compared to Pakistan, where 14.4% of doctors had no access to any PPE. | ||
| Access to some = 254 (73) | Access to some = 106 (46.9) | |||||
| Access to none = 50 (14.4) | Access to none = 0 (0.0) | |||||
| Are you getting proper PPE according to WHO guidelines? | 62 (17.8) | 286 (82.2) | 156 (69.0) | 70 (31.0) | <0.001 | Based on the responses we received, the availability of PPE is more in the US as compared to Pakistan. |
| Do you have mask/N95 respirators available for use when needed? | 130 (37.4) | 218 (62.6) | 198 (87.6) | 28 (12.4) | <0.001 | |
| If you use N95 respirator, were you size fitted for it? | 90 (25.9) | 196 (56.3) | 132 (58.4) | 90 (39.8) | <0.001 | |
| Do you have gloves for use when needed? | 120 (34.5) | 228 (65.5) | 180 (79.6) | 46 (20.4) | <0.001 | |
| Do you have a full-suit available for use when needed? | 44 (12.9) | 304 (87.4) | 114 (50.4) | 112(49.6) | <0.001 | |
| Do you have face shields or goggles for use when needed? | 48 (13.8) | 300 (86.2) | 176 (77.9) | 50 (22.1) | <0.001 | |
| Do you have access to hand sanitizer/disinfectants readily? | 224 (64.4) | 124 (35.6) | 222 (98.2) | 4 (1.8) | <0.001 | |
| Is there discrimination in the distribution of PPE among your department or hospital staff? | 262 (75.3) | 86 (24.7) | 18 (8.0) | 208 (92.0) | <0.001 | They are discussed in Table 2 with reported reasons. |
| Have you bought any PPE from your pocket? | 172 (49.4) | 176 (50.6) | 80 (35.4) | 146 (64.6) | 0.019 | In our study, more Pakistani doctors reported to have bought PPE compared to doctors in the US. |
| In some instances in the past, if there were no PPE, did you continue working without any protective equipment? | 282 (81.0) | 66 (19.0) | 32 (14.2) | 194 (85.8) | <0.001 | In our study, a significantly higher number of doctors from Pakistan reported that they kept working without PPE. |
| Does the lack of PPE make you feel like quitting your job? | Yes = 160 (46.0) | Yes = 72 (31.9) | 0.006 | Based on responses, a significantly higher number of doctors in Pakistan reported that lack of PPE makes them feel like quitting their job. | ||
| No = 72 (20.7) | No = 84 (37.2) | |||||
| Maybe = 116 (33.3) | Maybe = 70 (31.0) | |||||
| Have you ever been bullied into working without PPE? | 172 (49.4) | 176 (50.6) | 16 (7.1) | 210 (92.9) | <0.001 | Doctors in Pakistan reported a significantly higher incidence of bullying compared to the US. |
| Has any HCW in your hospital infected with COVID-19? | 254 (73.0) | 94 (27.0) | 132 (58.4) | 94 (41.6) | 0.10 | No significant difference. |
| Does the lack of PPE make you feel scared for your loved ones as you might carry the infection to your home? | 344 (98.9) | 4 (1.1) | 220 (97.3) | 6 (2.7) | 0.341 | No significant difference. |