Periodic COVID-19 Testing in Emergency Department Staff

Background: As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to rise and hospitals are experiencing personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, healthcare workers have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infection. Since COVID-19 testing is now available, some have raised the question of whether we should be routinely testing asymptomatic healthcare workers. Methods: Using publicly available data on COVID-19 infections and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we generated a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing in asymptomatic members of the emergency department staff in regions affected by COVID-19 infection. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and we created a Markov model according to average COVID-19 incubation time. Results: Our model predicts that after 30 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections per person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of healthcare workers (HCW) would reduce new HCW and patient infections by 5.1% and bi-weekly testing would reduce both by 2.3%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections per person,2 weekly testing would reduce infections by 21.1% and bi-weekly testing would reduce infections by 9.7-9.8%. For a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections per person2, weekly and biweekly HCW testing would result in a 1.54% and 0.7% reduction in infections respectively. Conclusion: Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily-affected by COVID-19 and/or facing resource constraints may reduce COVID-19 transmission significantly among healthcare workers and previously-uninfected patients.

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Evaluating the Need for Routine COVID-19 Testing of Emergency Department Staff: Quantitative Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20260 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yuemei Zhang ◽

Sheng-Ru Cheng

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Resource Constraints ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Emergency Department Staff ◽

Department Staff ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase and hospitals experience shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), health care workers have been disproportionately affected. However, since COVID-19 testing is now easily available, there is a need to evaluate whether routine testing should be performed for asymptomatic health care workers. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of the predicted impact that regular testing of health care workers for COVID-19 may have on the prevention of the disease among emergency department patients and staff. METHODS Using publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we developed a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic staff members of the emergency department in COVID-19–affected regions. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and developed a Markov model based on the average incubation period for COVID-19. RESULTS Our model predicts that after 180 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections/person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of health care workers would reduce new health care worker and patient infections by approximately 3%-5.9%, and biweekly testing would reduce infections in both by 1%-2.1%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections/person2, weekly testing would reduce infections by 11%-23% and biweekly testing would reduce infections by 5.5%-13%. At a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections/person2, weekly and biweekly COVID-19 testing for health care workers would result in an approximately 1% and 0.5%-0.8% reduction in infections, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily affected by COVID-19 or are facing resource constraints may significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission among health care workers and previously uninfected patients.

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Evaluating the Need for Routine COVID-19 Testing of Emergency Department Staff: Quantitative Analysis

JMIR Public Health and Surveillance ◽

10.2196/20260 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. e20260

Author(s):

Yuemei Zhang ◽

Sheng-Ru Cheng

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Emergency Department ◽

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Resource Constraints ◽

Emergency Department Visits ◽

Emergency Department Staff ◽

Department Staff ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

Background As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase and hospitals experience shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), health care workers have been disproportionately affected. However, since COVID-19 testing is now easily available, there is a need to evaluate whether routine testing should be performed for asymptomatic health care workers. Objective This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of the predicted impact that regular testing of health care workers for COVID-19 may have on the prevention of the disease among emergency department patients and staff. Methods Using publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we developed a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic staff members of the emergency department in COVID-19–affected regions. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and developed a Markov model based on the average incubation period for COVID-19. Results Our model predicts that after 180 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections/person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of health care workers would reduce new health care worker and patient infections by approximately 3%-5.9%, and biweekly testing would reduce infections in both by 1%-2.1%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections/person2, weekly testing would reduce infections by 11%-23% and biweekly testing would reduce infections by 5.5%-13%. At a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections/person2, weekly and biweekly COVID-19 testing for health care workers would result in an approximately 1% and 0.5%-0.8% reduction in infections, respectively. Conclusions Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily affected by COVID-19 or are facing resource constraints may significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission among health care workers and previously uninfected patients.

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Accidental Organophosphate Insecticide Poisoning: a Fatal Child case with Hazards to Emergency Department Staff

Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine ◽

10.1177/102490790301000407 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 248-252

Author(s):

CL Lau ◽

KL Chung ◽

CW Kam

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Spontaneous Circulation ◽

Organophosphate Poisoning ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Organophosphate Insecticide ◽

Secondary Poisoning ◽

Initial Resuscitation ◽

Emergency Department Staff ◽

Department Staff

A 2-year-old boy was accidentally poisoned by one spoonful of organophosphate insecticide and presented in cardiac arrest. Spontaneous circulation was restored after initial resuscitation and antidote therapy (atropine and pralidoxime) but the boy finally succumbed with multiple complications. We reviewed the literature on the clinical features and management of acute organophosphate poisoning, and the appropriate protective equipment for preventing secondary poisoning of healthcare workers.

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