scholarly journals Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory workers in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jahidur Rahman Khan ◽  
Samshad Jahan Shumu ◽  
Ruksana Raihan ◽  
Nusrat Mannan ◽  
Md. Selim Reza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Group ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Test Methods ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Personal Protection Equipment ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Institutional Ethics ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
Medical Technologists

AbstractBackgroundHealth care workers (HCWs) at the frontline are confronting a substantial risk of infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This emerging virus created specific hazards to researchers and laboratory staff in a clinical setting, underlined by rapid and extensive worldwide transmission. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory health workers in Bangladesh.Materials & MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted between October 2 to December 2, 2020. A total of 508 participants, including doctors, scientific officers, medical technologists, and cleaners working in several COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratories, were included in this study. Data were collected from each participant using a semi-structured questionnaire prepared in the format of an anonymous Google form. All participants provided informed consent. The Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Review Committee of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 25.0 software (SPSS, Inc).ResultsOut of the 508 participants, 295 tested positive for SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR. Among the positive cases, 202 were men, 93 were women, with the median age of 30 years. The most positive cases were medical technologists (53.22%) followed by doctors (28.8%). Out of the 271 symptomatic positive cases, the most typical symptoms were fever (78.5%), fatigue (70%), loss of smell and taste (65%), cough (64%), and others. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes were found in 8.8%, 8.8%, and 7.1% positive cases. A + blood group was present in 37% of the positive cases, followed by the B+ blood group (27%) and O+ blood group (25%). Inadequate supply of personal protection equipment (PPE), absence of negative pressure ventilation, laboratory contamination, and no training on molecular test methods were found in 13.8%, 67.8%, 44.7%, and 40.6% of positive cases, respectively.ConclusionEvaluating the infection status of laboratory health workers is crucial for drawing attention from the public, providing practical suggestions for government agencies, and increasing protective measures for laboratory health workers.

scholarly journals Lower mortality rate in health workers and their families infected with COVID-19 associated pneumonia in Quetta, Baluchistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Momina Aslam ◽  
Muhammad Tahir Zehri ◽  
HabibUllah Mandoklel ◽  
Rehana Kamal ◽  
Mohammad Din
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Ferritin Level ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Objectives: A bunch of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, was caused by a novel beta-corona virus, (COVID-19) in December 2019 from where it spread rapidly across the globe. The aim of the study was to find out relevant reasons and offered suggestions to reduce the risk of infection and check clinical outcomes of the infected healthcare workers. Methods: This study was conducted in COVID-19 Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) laboratory, Bolan Medical Complex Hospital Quetta, Baluchistan from May to June 2020. Eight hundred (n=800) health workers and their families were included in this study. Data were obtained with standardized data collection forms shared by the WHO. Nasopharyngeal samples were collected following the WHO protocols. RNA was extracted and amplified using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum ferritin level, C-reactive protein, D-dimer and radiological results of the RT-PCR confirmed individuals were also recorded and analyzed. Results: Among (n=800) health workers and their families 457 (57.1%) were COVID-19 PCR negative, 332 (41.5%) positive and 11 (1.4%) individuals were PCR positive but asymptomatic carriers, 234 (29.5%) were male and 103 (12.9%) were female. Mortality rate in our study was very low, only three patients (0.87%) died of this COVID-19 pneumonia. Conclusion: Our results showed increased rate of positive cases with fortunately lower mortality rate, although this novel pneumonia was associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Timely decisions, risk awareness knowledge and supply of necessary equipments are inevitable for the control of such epidemics. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4060 How to cite this:Aslam M, Zehri MT, Mandoklel H, Kamal R, Din M. Lower mortality rate in health workers and their families infected with COVID-19 associated pneumonia in Quetta, Baluchistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(7):---------.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4060 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals Over view for the truth of COVID -19 pandemic: A guide for the Pathologists, Health care workers and community’

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (COVID19-S4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mulazim Hussain Bukhari ◽  
Khalid Mahmood ◽  
Syeda Ailia Zahra
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Personal Protection Equipment ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Creative Commons ◽  
Balanced Diet ◽  
Care Workers

Pakistan is in the grip of COVID-19, due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) since 26 February 2020, and the number of infected people and mortality is rising gradually. The health workers, doctors, pathologists and laboratory staff are front line fighters who are facing the risk. Few things are important for public and health workers, human behavior is at the core of preparedness and response i.e, personal protective measures, (handwashing, face masks, respiratory etiquette, surface and objects cleansing), social distancing and travel measures because the virus spreads through the  respiratory channels, eyes, nose and mouth. While working in the Pathology labs, use the personal protection equipment (PPE), during the work in the duty. Avoiding the over duties and long shifts. It is good to keep the immune system healthy by taking a healthy balanced diet, vitamin supplements, and a night of proper sleep. It is also important to avoid taking food during duties and avoid making close contact without wearing safety dress. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2519 How to cite this:Bukhari MH, Mahmood K, Zahra SA. Over view for the truth of COVID-19 pandemic: A guide for the Pathologists, Health care workers and community’. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2519 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

scholarly journals Prevalence of obesity and diabetes in older people with sarcopenia defined according to EWGSOP2 and FNHI criteria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Remelli ◽  
Elisa Maietti ◽  
Pasquale Abete ◽  
Giuseppe Bellelli ◽  
Mario Bo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Data ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Pharmacological Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Status ◽  
Sarcopenic Obesity ◽  
Diabetic Patients ◽  
Functional Abilities ◽  
Prevalence Data ◽  
Obesity And Diabetes ◽  
Prevalence Of Obesity

Abstract Background Although the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity is increasing, nowadays a universally accepted definition still does not exist. Because, this clinical entity is defined as the combination of obesity and sarcopenia, the diagnosis appears to be strictly linked to criteria used for sarcopenia and the available prevalence data are not uniform. To investigate the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity in older persons according to EWGSOP2 and FNIH criteria. Second, to evaluate the prevalence of diabetes in patients with sarcopenia diagnosed by the two definitions. Methods Observational multicenter study performed in 2014 on older patients admitted to 12 Italian hospitals (GLISTEN Study). Data were collected through standardized questionnaires, which assessed: socio-demographic data, cognitive status, functional abilities, pharmacological therapy, comorbidities, and blood tests. Moreover, muscle mass and strength and physical performance were evaluated. Results Six hundred and ten were included in the analyses. Among sarcopenic patients, the prevalence of sarcopenic obesity was 30.8% with FNIH and 0% with EWGSOP2 criteria. According to EWGSOP2 criteria, 23.7% of sarcopenic and 30.8% of non-sarcopenic patients were affected by diabetes (p = 0.101); otherwise, using FNIH criteria, 36.3% of sarcopenic and 26.9% of non-sarcopenic patients were diabetic (p = 0.030). After adjustment for potential confounders, diabetic patients had a 73% higher probability of being sarcopenic according to FNIH criteria (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.13–2.64). Conclusions The EWGSOP2 and FNIH sarcopenia criteria are differently related to the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. The EWGSOP2 criteria seem to be not suitable to identify people with sarcopenic obesity.

scholarly journals Survival analysis of time to SARS-CoV-2 PCR negativisation to optimise PCR prescription in health workers: the Henares COVID-19 healthcare workers cohort study

2021 ◽  
pp. oemed-2020-106903
Author(s):  
Julio González Martin-Moro ◽  
Marta Chamorro Gómez ◽  
Galicia Dávila Fernández ◽  
Ana Elices Apellaniz ◽  
Ana Fernández Hortelano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Cox Regression ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Associated Variables

ObjectivesReverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) is considered the gold standard in diagnosing COVID-19. Infected healthcare workers do not go back to work until RT-PCR has demonstrated that the virus is no longer present in the upper respiratory tract. The aim of this study is to determine the most efficient time to perform RT-PCR prior to healthcare workers’ reincorporation.Materials and methodsThis is a cohort study of healthcare workers with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19. Data were collected using the medical charts of healthcare workers and completed with a telephone interview. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to determine the influence of several variables on the time to RT-PCR negativisation. The impact of the variables on survival was assessed using the Breslow test. A Cox regression model was developed including the associated variables.Results159 subjects with a positive RT-PCR out of 374 workers with suspected COVID-19 were included. The median time to negativisation was 25 days from symptom onset (IQR 20–35 days). Presence of IgG, dyspnoea, cough and throat pain were associated with significant longer time to negativisation. Cox logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding variables. Only dyspnoea and cough remained in the model as significant determinants of prolonged negativisation time. Adjusted HRs were 0.68 (0.48–096) for dyspnoea and 0.61 (0.42–0.88) for dry cough.ConclusionsRT-PCR during the first 3 weeks leads to a high percentage of positive results. In the presence of respiratory symptoms, negativisation took nearly 1 week more. Those who developed antibodies needed longer time to negativisate.

Midwives' perceptions of disrespect and abuse of women during labour and childbirth in Lusaka, Zambia

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Namayipo Stella Wamukankamba Nankamba ◽  
Catherine Mubita Ngoma ◽  
Maureen Masumo Makoleka
Keyword(s):  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Maternity Care ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Respectful Maternity Care ◽  
Disrespect And Abuse ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽  
Abuse Of Women ◽  
And Training

Background/Aims Disrespect and abuse is a frequent occurrence in labour wards around the world. Disrespect and abuse during care by health workers can prevent pregnant women from seeking care during labour and childbirth, which can lead to increased maternal and neonatal mortality rates. This study aimed to explore midwives' perceptions of disrespect and abuse of women during labour and childbirth in Lusaka. Methods A concurrent convergent mixed-method approach was used for this study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire given to 217 midwives actively practicing in maternal health services across Lusaka randomly sampled for the quantitative arm of the study. The data were analysed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression, with P<0.05 used to indicate significance. For the qualitative component of the study, 13 purposively selected key informants were interviewed with an interview guide. Results Most of the respondents (88.5%) perceived disrespect and abuse of women during labour and childbirth as a negative phenomenon. However, almost half (40.1%) had provided care which was disrespectful and abusive during their practice and the majority (68.7%) had observed disrespect and abuse by other midwives. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis found an association between midwives' perception of disrespect and abuse and witnessing or participating in disrespectful and abusive behaviour during practice. In the qualitative arm of the study, midwives reported that disrespect and abuse occurred in labour wards across Lusaka, demonstrating an urgent need to prevent such practices. Midwives suggested actions such as increased sensitisation and training of midwives on respectful maternity care and improved staffing levels as ways to prevent this practice Conclusions Disrespect and abuse of women during labour and childbirth should be prevented. Increasing health education and training for both the public and midwives on respectful maternity care can help to achieve this goal. Midwives need to be motivated through good working environments, increased wages and increased time to rest while working, as the heavy workload was found to contribute to disrespect and abuse in labour wards.

scholarly journals Predictors of Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests’ Utilisation Among Healthcare Workers in Zamfara State

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Rabi ◽  
Ahmad A. Umar ◽  
Saheed Gidado ◽  
A.A Gobir ◽  
Izuchukwu F. Obi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Good Knowledge ◽  
Health Extension Workers ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Influencing

AbstractIntroductionEarly diagnosis and prompt and effective treatment is one of the pillars of malaria control Malaria case management guidelines recommend diagnostic testing before treatment using malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test (mRDT) or microscopy and this was adopted in Nigeria in 2010. However, despite the deployment of mRDT, the use of mRDTs by health workers varies by settings. This study set out to assess factors influencing utilisation of mRDT among healthcare workers in Zamfara State, Nigeria.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out among 306 healthcare workers selected using multistage sampling from six Local Government Areas between January and February 2017. Mixed method was used for data collection. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on knowledge, use of mRDT and factors influencing utilization. An observational checklist was used to assess the availability of mRDT in the six months prior to this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means and proportions. Association between mRDT use and independent variables was tested using Chi square while multiple regression was used to determine predictors of use at 5% level of significance.ResultsMean age of respondents was 36.0 ± 9.4years. Overall, 198 (64.7%) of health workers had good knowledge of mRDT; malaria RDT was available in 33 (61.1%) facilities. Routine use of mRDT was reported by 253 (82.7%) healthcare workers. This comprised 89 (35.2%) laboratory scientists/technicians, 89 (35.2%) community health extension workers/community health officers; 59 (23.3%) nurses and 16 (6.3%) doctors. Predictors of mRDT utilisation were good knowledge of mRDT (adjusted OR (aOR):3.3, CI: 1.6-6.7), trust in mRDT results (aOR: 4.0, CI: 1.9 - 8.2), having being trained on mRDT (aOR: 2.7, CI: 1.2 - 6.6), and provision of free mRDT (aOR: 2.3, CI: 1.0 - 5.0).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that healthcare worker utilisation of mRDT was associated with health worker and health system-related factors that are potentially modifiable. There is need to sustain training of healthcare workers on benefits of using mRDT and provision of free mRDT in health facilities.

scholarly journals Blood Group Detection using Matlab

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 3089-3093
Author(s):  
Sujatha C. N
Keyword(s):  
Image Processing ◽  
Blood Group ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Group Identification ◽  
Group Testing ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
Blood Type ◽  
Morphological Operations ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Emergency Situations

Blood group testing is one of the vital tasks in the area of medicine, in which it is very important during emergency situation before victim requires blood transfusion. Presently, the blood tests are conducted manually by laboratory staff members, which is time consuming process in the emergency situations. Blood group identification within shortest possible time without any human error is an important factor and very much essential. Image processing paves a way in determining blood type without human intervention. Images which are captured using high resolution microscopic camera during the blood slide test in the laboratory which are used for blood type evaluation. The image processing techniques which include thresholding and morphological operations are used. The blood image is separated into sample wise and blood type is decided based on the agglutination effects in those sample images. This project facilitates the identification of blood group even by common people who are unaware of the blood typing procedure.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Pregnant Women's Participation in Prenatal Classes in Magetan Regency, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rofiatul Uzza ◽  
Sapto Adi ◽  
Suci Puspita Ratih
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Infant Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Health Promotion Program ◽  
P Value ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Women's Participation

Prenatal classes in Indonesia are government’s effort to improve the knowledge and skills of pregnant women. Several factors influence the participation of pregnant women in these classes. This research aimed to identify the factors that correlate with pregnant women’s participation in prenatal classes in several rural villages of Magetan Regency, Indonesia. This observational analytical research was performed quantitatively using a cross-sectional design. Seventy-eight pregnant women meeting the research criteria were included in this study. Data were collected through a questionnaire that has been tested through validity and reliability tests. A binary logistic regression was employed to conduct a statistical analysis. Results showed that supports from family (OR 32.40, p-value < 0.01, 95% CI 4.55–230.64) and from health workers (OR 22.53, p-value < 0.001, 95% CI 3.96–128.19) were significantly associated with the respondent’s participation in prenatal classes after controlling the potential confounding factors such as knowledge, attitudes and information availability. Keywords: maternal health, health promotion program, pregnancy, infant health

scholarly journals Accidental and Deliberate Self-Poisoning with Medications and Medication Errors among Children in Rural Sri Lanka

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavinda Dayasiri ◽  
S. F. Jayamanne ◽  
C. Y. Jayasinghe
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Medication Errors ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
First Aid ◽  
Acute Poisoning ◽  
Pharmaceutical Products ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Accidental Poisoning ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Medicinal Drug

Context. Pharmaceutical products are the leading cause accidental poisoning in middle- and high-income countries. Patterns of poisoning with medicinal drugs change across different geographic regions and over decades owing to variability in prescription practice, sociocultural factors, safe storage of medicines, and free availability of over the counter medications. Methods. This multicentre descriptive study was conducted over a seven-year period (February 2007 to January 2014) to assess patterns and trends of medicinal drug-related poisoning among children less than 12 years of age in thirty-six hospitals across rural Sri Lanka. Children with both accidental and deliberate medication poisonings and medication errors were recruited to the study. Data on poisoning events and medication errors were gathered via patient/parent interviews using multistructured questionnaires that assessed demographic factors, first aid measures, location and circumstances of poisoning, clinical management, and complications. In addition, focus group discussions were performed on all children and their families who had deliberate poisoning events and medication errors. Results and Conclusions. Among 1621 children presented with acute poisoning over seven years of age, 410 children had acute poisoning with medications. Male children (225, 54.9%) outnumbered female children. Paracetomol (137, 35.6%), salbutamol (55, 14.3%), and chlorpheniramine (35, 9.1%) were the most commonly poisoned medications. Prospective data at Anuradhapura teaching hospital (n = 112) revealed that unsafe first aid measures were practiced on 22 (19.6%) children. Although the majority of children remained asymptomatic (61, 54.5%), neurological symptoms (34, 67%) were predominantly seen in symptomatic children. The majority of poisonings took place within home premises (76, 67.9%). There were 16 reports of medication errors (14.2% of acute poisoning events) either due to erroneous administration by caregivers or erroneous issue of medicines by health workers. The current study did not observe mortality following medication poisonings. This study brings to light the burden of medicinal drug-related poisoning morbidity among children in rural Sri Lanka. Potentially, interventions such as community educational initiatives, written safety warnings, increased use of child resistant containers, and enforcement of laws to bring down accidental medication poisonings need to be implemented, and their effectiveness should be evaluated.

Preanalytical errors: a preliminary approach to the point of view of primary health care givers

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Gómez-Salgado ◽  
Adolfo Romero ◽  
Isabel S. Caparrós ◽  
M. Carmen Barba ◽  
Margarita Reina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Phenomenological Approach ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Organizational Capability ◽  
Laboratory Staff ◽  
Care Givers ◽  
Preanalytical Phase ◽  
On Line

AbstractThe presence of errors in the preanalytical phase is a widely studied topic. However, information regarding the perspective of those professionals involved is rather scant.Two focus groups of professionals from Primary Care involved in the preanalytical phase (general practitioners [GP], community nurses [CN], and other auxiliary health workers, including administrative personnel [AHW]) were convened. A qualitative analysis with a phenomenological approach was performed by using the structure of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis as a guide, and results were categorized by grouping the resultant dimensions according to this structure.Overall, 12 professionals (3 GP, 6 CN, and 3 AHW) were distributed in two groups. Age and gender distribution were similar between groups. The most commented strengths were organizational capability and teamwork. The main weakness was the workload increase (compared to the short time spent on sample collection). Opportunities were related to workload optimization through on-line analytical requests. Threats were related to the long time elapsed between sample drawing at Primary Care and delivery to the Central Laboratory.The phenomenological approach allows revealing those aspects that cannot be entirely elucidated by objective data measurement. Attitudes considered as positive can be exploited by the institution, whereas those considered as negative alert us to possible future problems. Primary Care professionals offered a different point of view to laboratory staff, but both recognized high workload as the main threat and on-line analytical request as the best opportunity. These perspectives may help to improve detection and decrease the number of errors.

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