Increased risk of COVID-19 in haemodialysis healthcare workers in a tertiary centre in the North West of England

ObjectivesSince its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic that has significantly challenged healthcare systems. Healthcare workers have previously been shown to have experienced higher rates of infection than the general population. We aimed to assess the extent of infection in staff working in our healthcare setting.DesignA retrospective analysis of antibody results, compared with staff demographic data, and exposure to patients with COVID-19 infection.SettingA large teaching hospital in the North West of England.Participants4474 staff in diverse clinical and non-patient facing roles who volunteered for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing by the Roche Elecsys assay between 29 May and 4 July 2020.ResultsSeroprevalence was 17.4%. Higher rates were seen in Asian/Asian British (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.27 to 2.04) and Black/Black British (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.45) staff. Staff working in any clinical location were more likely to be seropositive (OR 2.68, 95% 2.27 to 3.15). Staff were at an increased risk of seropositivity as the ‘per 100 COVID-19 bed-days change’ increased in the clinical area in which they worked (OR 1.12, 95% 1.10 to 1.14). Staff working in critical care were no more likely to have detectable antibodies than staff working in non-clinical areas. Symptoms compatible with COVID-19 were reported in 41.8% and antibodies were detected in 30.7% of these individuals. In staff who reported no symptoms, antibodies were detected in 7.7%. In all staff who had detectable antibodies, 25.2% reported no symptoms.ConclusionsStaff working in clinical areas where patients with COVID-19 were nursed were more likely to have detectable antibodies. The relationship between seropositivity in healthcare workers and the increase in ‘per 100 COVID-19 bed-days’ of the area in which they worked, although statistically significant, was weak, suggesting other contributing factors to the risk profile. Of staff with detectable antibodies and therefore evidence of prior infection, a quarter self-reported that they had experienced no compatible symptoms. This has implications for potential unrecorded transmission in both staff and patients.

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Occupational exposure to blood and bodily fluids among healthcare workers in Serbian general hospitals

Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology ◽

10.2478/aiht-2018-69-3047 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 61-68

Author(s):

Bojana Mandić ◽

Stefan Mandić-Rajčević ◽

Ljiljana Marković-Denić ◽

Petar Bulat

Keyword(s):

Occupational Exposure ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

General Hospitals ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Skin Contact ◽

Entire Career ◽

Bloodborne Infections

Abstract The risk of occupational bloodborne infections (HBV, HCV, and HIV) among healthcare workers remains a serious issue in developing countries. The aim of this study was to estimate occupational exposure to bloodborne infections among general hospital workers in Serbia. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the spring of 2013 and included 5,247 healthcare workers from 17 general hospitals. The questionnaire was anonymous, self-completed, and included sociodemographic information with details of blood and bodily fluid exposure over the career and in the previous year (2012). Significant predictors of sharps injuries were determined with multiple logistic regressions. The distribution of accidents in 2012 was equal between the genders (39 %), but in entire career it was more prevalent in women (67 %). The most vulnerable group were nurses. Most medical doctors, nurses, and laboratory technicians reported stabs or skin contact with patients’ blood/other bodily fluid/tissue as their last accident. Healthcare workers from the north/west part of the country reported a significantly lower number of accidents over the entire career than the rest of the country (p<0.001). The south of Serbia stood out as the most accident-prone in 2012 (p=0.042).

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SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening in healthcare workers in a tertiary centre in North West England

Journal of Clinical Virology ◽

10.1016/j.jcv.2020.104545 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 129 ◽

pp. 104545 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dimitrios Poulikakos ◽

Smeeta Sinha ◽

Philip A. Kalra

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Antibody Screening ◽

North West ◽

Tertiary Centre

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402 - An audit of Lithium Prescribing Practices in an Old Age PsychiatryService highlighting renal impairment in this cohort

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610221001617 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. 29-30

Author(s):

L. Valentine ◽

J. Cannon ◽

S. Marmion ◽

M. Corcoran ◽

M. Cryan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Renal Function ◽

Renal Impairment ◽

Old Age ◽

Best Practice ◽

Bipolar Affective Disorder ◽

Prescribing Practices ◽

Lithium Level ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Increased Risk

AbstractAims:To compare Lithium prescribing practices in a Psychiatry of Old Age (POA) Service in the North-West ofIreland among adults aged 65 years and over with best practice guidelines.Methods:Review of the literature informed development of audit standards for Lithium prescribing. These included National Institute for Clinical Excellent (NICE) 2014 guidelines, The British National Formulary(2019) and Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines (2018). Data was collected retrospectively, using an audit-specific data collection tool, from clinical files of POA team caseload, aged 65 years or more and prescribed Lithium over the past year.Results:At the time of audit in February 2020, 18 patients were prescribed lithium, 67% female, average age 74.6 years. Of those prescribed Lithium; 50% (n=9) had depression, 44% (n=8) had bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) and 6% (n=1) schizoaffective disorder.78% (n= 14) of patients met the NICE standard of 3-monthly lithium level. Lithium levels were checkedon average 4.5 times in past year, average lithium level was 0.61mmol/L across the group and 39% (n=7) had lithium level within recommended therapeutic range (0.6-0.8mmol/L).83% of patients (n=15) met the NICE standards of 3 monthly renal tests. Taking into consideration mostrecent blood test results, 100% (n=18) had abnormal renal function.Half (n=9) were initiated on lithium by POA service and of these, 56% (n=5) had documented renal impairment prior to initiation. Of patients on long term lithium at time of referral (n=9), almost half (n=4) had a documented history of lithium toxicity.Conclusions:The results of this audit highlight room for improvement in lithium monitoring of older adults attending POA service. Furthermore, all patients prescribed lithium had impaired renal function. This is an important finding given the associations between those admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and co- morbid kidney disease and increased risk of inpatient death.Our findings highlight the need for three monthly renal function monitoring in elderly prescribed lithiumgiven the additive adverse effects of increasing age and lithium on the kidney. Close working with specialised renal services to provide timely advice on renal management for those with renal impairment prescribed lithium is important to minimise adverse patient outcomes.

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Therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest: Evidence from a tertiary centre in the North West of England

Resuscitation ◽

10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.08.206 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 84 ◽

pp. S81

Author(s):

Vera Nina Gotz

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Therapeutic Hypothermia ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Tertiary Centre

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Dentists deployed: an insider’s perspective of life on the NHS front line

Primary Dental Journal ◽

10.1177/20501684211034013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 21-29

Author(s):

Harriet E. Powell

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Secondary Care ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Major Trauma ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Front Line ◽

North West ◽

National Crisis ◽

The North ◽

The Uk

The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched and overburdened healthcare services within the UK. This national crisis has led to the widespread redeployment of healthcare workers and reorganization of services throughout the NHS in the UK. The flexible and altruistic nature of healthcare workers has been inspiring, and central in the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes the ‘first-hand’ experience of a secondary care dentist, highlighting the redeployment journey to the emergency department (ED) of a major trauma hospital in the North-West of England during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Pulmonary tuberculosis in healthcare workers of the North-West Federal District

Russian Pulmonology ◽

10.18093/0869-0189-2019-29-5-590-595 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 590-595 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

N. N. Petrukhin ◽

N. N. Loginova ◽

O. N. Andreyenko ◽

S. V. Greben’kov ◽

I. V. Boyko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Tuberculosis ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Federal District ◽

North West ◽

The North

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How do Muslim community members perceive Covid-19 risk reduction recommendations - a UK qualitative study?

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10506-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Shaima M. Hassan ◽

Adele Ring ◽

Naheed Tahir ◽

Mark Gabbay

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Interviews ◽

Information Provision ◽

Working Environment ◽

Muslim Community ◽

Social Distancing ◽

North West ◽

Perceptions Of Risk ◽

The North ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Uk

Abstract Introduction The evidence is now unequivocal that people from Black and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds (BAME) living in the UK are disproportionately affected by covid-19. There is growing evidence that the reasons for this difference are multi-factorial and need further exploration. Aim The aim of this study was to understand better, perceptions of risk and responses to covid-19 of members of the Muslim community living in the North West of England, and to understand the facilitators and barriers to adherence to restrictions and guidance measures. Method A total of 47 participants took part in 25 in-depth qualitative interviews and four focus groups (n=22) that explored perceptions of risk and responses to risk from covid-19. Data were analysed thematically. Findings Participants were aware of the mechanism of transmission of covid-19 and took steps to mitigate risk of transmission including, observing a range of hygiene practices and following social distancing guidance. Increased risk of covid-19 for BAME populations was explained largely in terms of exposure to the virus due to the types of employment people from BAME populations are employed in. Limitations both within the working environment and more generally in public spaces, was identified as problematic for effective social distancing. The closure of mosques sent out a strong message about the seriousness of the virus and religious teachings reinforced hygiene and social distancing guidelines. Conclusion Across society there are people that adhere to restrictions and guidelines and those that do not. Improving local information provision and communication pathways during times of the pandemic, could aid understanding of risk and promote adherence to social distancing restrictions.

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Congestive heart failure is the leading cause of pleural effusion in the north-west of Iran

Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research ◽

10.15171/jcvtr.2019.40 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 244-247

Author(s):

Masoud Nazemiyeh ◽

Amirhossein Dorraji ◽

Masoud Nouri-Vaskeh ◽

Akbar Sharifi

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Congestive Heart Failure ◽

Pleural Effusion ◽

Clinical Findings ◽

Pulmonary Diseases ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Tertiary Referral Hospital ◽

North West ◽

The North ◽

Tertiary Centre

Introduction: Pleural effusion (PE) is a common manifestation of pulmonary and non–pulmonary diseases, and the first step for diagnosing the etiology is analysis of pleural fluid. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of PE in a tertiary referral hospital in the North-West of Iran. Methods: All patients with PE who referred to the department of pulmonary diseases in tertiary centre of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences between 2015 and 2016 were enrolled. Complete enumeration method used for selection of patients. Required information including clinical findings, PE location, fluid appearance, and biochemical characteristics were recorded using a checklist and analyzed via appropriate statistical methods. Results: A total of 223 patients were included in this study. Congestive heart failure (CHF) was the most common cause of PE (n=67), followed by pulmonary thromboembolism and malignant diseases. PE fluid in all patients with CHF was transudative. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, CHF was the most prevalent cause of PE.

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Stakeholder Attitudes towards Donating and Utilizing Donated Human Breastmilk

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16101838 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (10) ◽

pp. 1838 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Welma Lubbe ◽

Charlene S. Oosthuizen ◽

Robin C. Dolman ◽

Namukolo Covic

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Hiv Transmission ◽

Cultural Beliefs ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Sufficient Information ◽

North West ◽

Human Immuno Deficiency Virus ◽

The North ◽

Milk Banks ◽

Insufficient Milk

The promotion and support of human milk banks (HMBs) can enhance exclusive breastfeeding rates. The success and sustainability of HMBs depend on the support from relevant healthcare workers and related communities. This study aimed to determine attitudes of key stakeholders, including mothers, healthcare workers and grandmothers, regarding the donation and receipt of human breastmilk. This study was conducted at a public hospital and clinics in the North West Province, South Africa. Eight focus group discussions explored the attitudes regarding donating and receiving human breastmilk: three groups with mothers of infants (n = 13), three with grandmothers (>60 years old) (n = 17) and two with healthcare professionals working with infants (n = 11). Four main themes emerged: perception regarding breast and formula feeding; exposure to the concept of “wet nursing”; breastmilk donation; and utilization and opinions of community members and traditional healers. Specific barriers identified included the processes for donating and receiving milk, safety, human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) screening and cultural beliefs. Mothers’ fears included having insufficient milk for their own infants, changes in the quality of donated milk during pasteurization and transportation and HIV transmission. Despite barriers towards donations to and the use of HMBs, sufficient information could enhance donations by mothers and breastmilk utilization.

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