Cochrane corner: factors that influence compliance by healthcare workers with infection prevention and control guidelines for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections

As rates of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue rising in Africa, usage of infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies by healthcare workers (HCW) is critical. We highlight a Cochrane review of qualitative evidence that explored barriers and facilitators to HCW compliance with IPC recommendations for COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases. The review found various individual- and organizational- level barriers and facilitators. The findings suggest that healthcare system constraints that make it difficult for healthcare workers to implement IPC guidelines require urgent prioritisation. This will help lay the foundation for addressing the more individual-level barriers potentially discouraging HCW from implementing IPC guidelines. We draw attention to pan-African initiatives for enhancing healthcare workers’ capacity to undertake IPC measures at such a critical time.