scholarly journals Prospective Observational Study of Screening Asymptomatic Healthcare Workers for SARS-CoV-2 at a Canadian Tertiary Care Center

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deepali Kumar ◽  
Victor H Ferreira ◽  
Andrzej Chruscinski ◽  
Vathany Kulasingam ◽  
Trevor J Pugh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Protein Microarray ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Protein Microarray Analysis ◽  
Care Worker

We screened three separate cohorts of healthcare workers for SARS-CoV-2 via nasopharyngeal swab PCR. A seroprevalence analysis using multiple assays was performed in a subgroup. The asymptomatic health care worker cohorts had a combined positivity rate of 29/5776 (0.50%, 95%CI 0.32-0.75) compared to the symptomatic cohort rate of 54/1597 (3.4%) (ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic 6.8:1). Sequencing demonstrated several variants. The seroprevalence (n=996) was 1.4-3.4% depending on assay. Protein microarray analysis showed differing SARS-CoV-2 protein reactivities and helped define likely true positives vs. suspected false positives. Routine screening of asymptomatic health care workers helps identify a significant proportion of infections.

scholarly journals Prospective observational study and serosurvey of SARS-CoV-2 infection in asymptomatic healthcare workers at a Canadian tertiary care center

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0247258
Author(s):  
Victor H. Ferreira ◽  
Andrzej Chruscinski ◽  
Vathany Kulasingam ◽  
Trevor J. Pugh ◽  
Tamara Dus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Protein Microarray ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vulnerable Patients ◽  
Care Worker

Health care workers (HCWs) are at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and may play a role in transmitting the infection to vulnerable patients and members of the community. This is particularly worrisome in the context of asymptomatic infection. We performed a cross-sectional study looking at asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCWs. We screened asymptomatic HCWs for SARS-CoV-2 via PCR. Complementary viral genome sequencing was performed on positive swab specimens. A seroprevalence analysis was also performed using multiple assays. Asymptomatic health care worker cohorts had a combined swab positivity rate of 29/5776 (0.50%, 95%CI 0.32–0.75) relative to a comparative cohort of symptomatic HCWs, where 54/1597 (3.4%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic 6.8:1). SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among 996 asymptomatic HCWs with no prior known exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was 1.4–3.4%, depending on assay. A novel in-house Coronavirus protein microarray showed differing SARS-CoV-2 protein reactivities and helped define likely true positives vs. suspected false positives. Our study demonstrates the utility of routine screening of asymptomatic HCWs, which may help to identify a significant proportion of infections.

scholarly journals Attitudes towards preventive tuberculosis treatment among hospital staff

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidya Pathak ◽  
Zinta Harrington ◽  
Claudia C. Dobler
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Tb Treatment ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Latent Tb

Background.Healthcare workers have an increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), but previous studies suggested that they might be reluctant to accept preventive tuberculosis (TB) treatment. We aimed to examine doctors’ and nurses’ experience of TB screening and to explore their attitudes towards preventive TB treatment.Methods.We conducted a survey among randomly selected healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, using a paper-based questionnaire.Results.A total of 1,304 questionnaires were distributed and 311 (24%) responses were received. The majority of hospital staff supported preventive TB treatment in health care workers with evidence of latent TB infection (LTBI) in general (74%, 164/223) and for them personally (81%, 198/244) while 80 and 53 healthcare workers respectively had no opinion on the topic. Staff working in respiratory medicine were significantly less likely to support preventive TB treatment in health care workers in general or for them personally if they would have evidence of LTBI compared to other specialties (p= 0.001). Only 13% (14/106) of respondents with evidence of LTBI indicated that they had been offered preventive TB treatment. Twenty-one percent (64/306) of respondents indicated that they did not know the difference between active and latent TB. Among staff who had undergone testing for LTBI, only 33% (75/230) felt adequately informed about the meaning of their test results.Discussion.Hospital staff in general had positive attitudes towards preventive TB treatment, but actual treatment rates were low and perceived knowledge about LTBI was insufficient among a significant proportion of staff. The gap between high support for preventive TB treatment among staff and low treatment rates needs to be addressed. Better education on the concept of LTBI and the meaning of screening test results is required.

scholarly journals 1182Vaccine hesitancy among health care workers: A study amidst COVID-19 vaccine drive in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Medha Mathur ◽  
Navgeet Mathur
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vaccination Site ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Government

Abstract Background After the launch of COVID-19 vaccine by the government of India in 2021, the current study was conducted to assess the vaccine hesitancy among health care workers regarding COVID-19 vaccination and its safety, efficacy, rolling out strategy and undesirable effects. Methods This cross-sectional study, conducted on health care workers vaccinated at a tertiary care center of southern Rajasthan using a pre-designed and pre-validated questionnaire to collect data through the ‘Exit Interview’ technique after consent and ethical approval. Results Out of 3102, 56.8% were male and 43.2% were female health care workers. Out of total 80.7% and 73.2% of study participants perceived the vaccine as safe and effective respectively. The vaccine hesitancy was contributed due to apprehension for undesirable effects following immunization (19.3%). The commonest undesirable effect was pain at the injection site. The perception regarding the timing of rolling out of vaccine and readiness for COVID appropriate behavior after vaccination was significant (p < 0.001). The mean time spent at vaccination site was 33.90 (±11.34) minutes ranging 5-120 minutes (median = 35; interquartile range (IQR) = 10; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 33.50-34.30). Conclusions The study concludes that the apprehension of undesirable effects contributed to vaccine hesitancy, but it was perceived safe and effective by health care workers. Key messages The vaccine hesitancy among general population and vaccine acceptance will be affected directly by instance shown by health care workers who presented themselves at the forefront both for battling the pandemic and accepting the vaccine.

scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF NOVEL CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19) AWARENESS AMONG MEDICAL LABORATORY TECHNOLOGIST IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN DELHI: A QUESTIONANAIRE BASED SURVEY

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Anjali Sharma ◽  
Manju Kumari ◽  
Heena Heena ◽  
Mukul Singh ◽  
Sunil Ranga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Medical Laboratory ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Major Health Problem ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Care Workers

Introduction: COVID-19 is rapidly spreading all over the world and is a major health problem in the current scenario. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness of related to COVID-19 disease among the health care workers. Material and methods: This is an online questionnaire based study comprising of 24 questions related to COVID-19 and included 89 health care workers. The responses were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: There were 50 females and 39 males. Among these 35 were trained and 54 were untrained. On analysis we found that females (96.0%) were more aware than males (92.3%). The response of trained persons were more accurate than those of untrained but was not significant (p=0.98). The most aware age group was 51-60 and most aware department was blood bank followed by microbiology. Conclusion: Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers is low regarding the coronavirus infection. There is need of urgent effective interventions and training programs for various healthcare workers.

scholarly journals Pre exposure Hydroxychloroquine Prophylaxis for COVID-19 in healthcare workers: a retrospective cohort

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Bhattacharya ◽  
Sampurna Chowdhury ◽  
Rishav Mukherjee ◽  
Manish Kulshrestha ◽  
Rohini Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Primary Outcome ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Larger Sample

AbstractBackgroundWhile several trials are ongoing for treatment of COVID-19, scientific research on chemoprophylaxis is still lacking even though it has potential to delay the pandemic allowing us time to complete research on vaccines.MethodsWe have conducted a cohort study amongst Health Care Workers (HCW) exposed to COVID-19 patients, at a tertiary care center in India where there was an abrupt cluster outbreak within on duty personnel. HCWs who had voluntarily taken hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) prior to exposure were considered one cohort while those who had not were considered to be another. All participants with a verifiable contact history were tested for COVID-19 by rtPCR. The two cohorts were comparable in terms of age, gender, comorbidities and exposure. The primary outcome was incidence rates of rtPCR positive COVID-19 infection amongst HCQ users and non users.Results106 healthcare workers were examined in this cohort study of whom 54 were HCQ users and rest were not. The comparative analysis of incidence of infection between the two groups demonstrated that voluntary HCQ usage was associated with lesser likelihood of developing SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to those who were not on it, X2=14.59, p<0.001. None of the HCQ users noted any serious adverse effects.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that voluntary HCQ consumption as pre-exposure prophylaxis by HCWs is associated with a statistically significant reduction in risk of SARS-CoV-2. These promising findings therefore highlight the need to examine this association in greater detail among a larger sample using Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT).

scholarly journals Occupational transmission and prevention of HBV among health care workers in a tertiary care center

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravikumar Mantri ◽  
Febe Ranjitha Suman ◽  
R Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Vinodkumar Panicker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Tertiary Care Center ◽  
Care Workers
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