scholarly journals Risk of COVID-19-related bullying, harassment and stigma among healthcare workers: an analytical cross-sectional global study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e046620
Author(s):  
Timothy D Dye ◽  
Lisette Alcantara ◽  
Shazia Siddiqi ◽  
Monica Barbosu ◽  
Saloni Sharma ◽  
...  

ObjectivesEssential healthcare workers (HCW) uniquely serve as both COVID-19 healers and, potentially, as carriers of SARS-CoV-2. We assessed COVID-19-related stigma and bullying against HCW controlling for social, psychological, medical and community variables.DesignWe nested an analytical cross-sectional study of COVID-19-related stigma and bullying among HCW within a larger mixed-methods effort assessing COVID-19-related lived experience and impact. Adjusted OR (aOR) and 95% CIs evaluated the association between working in healthcare settings and experience of COVID-19-related bullying and stigma, controlling for confounders. Thematic qualitative analysis provided insight into lived experience of COVID-19-related bullying.SettingWe recruited potential participants in four languages (English, Spanish, French, Italian) through Amazon Mechanical Turk’s online workforce and Facebook.ParticipantsOur sample included 7411 people from 173 countries who were aged 18 years or over.FindingsHCW significantly experienced more COVID-19-related bullying after controlling for the confounding effects of job-related, personal, geographic and sociocultural variables (aOR: 1.5; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.0). HCW more frequently believed that people gossip about others with COVID-19 (OR: 2.2; 95% CI 1.9 to 2.6) and that people with COVID-19 lose respect in the community (OR: 2.3; 95% CI 2.0 to 2.7), both which elevate bullying risk (OR: 2.7; 95% CI 2.3 to 3.2, and OR: 3.5; 95% CI 2.9 to 4.2, respectively). The lived experience of COVID-19-related bullying relates frequently to public identities as HCW traverse through the community, intersecting with other domains (eg, police, racism, violence).InterpretationAfter controlling for a range of confounding factors, HCW are significantly more likely to experience COVID-19-related stigma and bullying, often in the intersectional context of racism, violence and police involvement in community settings.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-31
Author(s):  
Salah H. Ali ◽  
Peshtewan T. Majeed ◽  
Umed A. Huwiezy

Needlestick injury in healthcare settings is a global issue. Despite being recognized for many years, needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) continue to present a risk of occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens for health care works (HCWs). The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of needlestick injuries among HCWs in Rizgary Teaching Hospital and to identify the causes of needlestick injuries. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 76 healthcare workers in Rizgary Teaching hospital; there were a total of 45 males, 31 females. The data collections were administrated using face-to-face interviews to ensure a good response rate and to ensure all questions were answered. Most (52.6%) needlestick injuries occurred in wards with syringe needles being the most common causative tool; surgery ward was the most prevalent site of needlestick injuries occurrence (42.1%). The percentage of acupuncture was high and needles were the most common cause, and most injuries occurred during the re-use of the needles. The study recommends several measures to prevent and reduce acute injuries among HCWs; these measures include health education, behavior change, safer devices, and an educational program to educate these HCWs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Arturo Cassiani-Miranda ◽  
Isabel Álvarez-Solorza ◽  
Adalberto Campo-Arias ◽  
Yinneth Andrea Arismendy-López ◽  
Andrés Felipe Tirado-Otálvaro ◽  
...  

AbstractThe COVID-19-related stigma towards healthcare workers negatively influences their performance and job satisfaction, and well-being. The frequency of COVID-19-related stigma towards healthcare workers and its associated factors has not been sufficiently investigated. The objective was to determine the frequency and variables associated with COVID-19-related stigmatisation towards health workers in emerging-age university adults in Mexico. Analytical and cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire in 1,054 students between 18 and 29 years of age. Demographic variables, religiosity, fear of COVID-19 and stigma-discrimination related to COVID-19 towards healthcare workers were analysed. The latter was set as the dependent variable, while demographic variables, religiosity and high fear of COVID-19 were the independent variables. For the association between the variables, a binomial and logarithmic generalised linear model was designed to calculate the adjusted prevalence ratios. The proportion of high stigma-discrimination was 12.4%, and this was associated with a high fear of COVID-19 (APR 1.51, 95% CI 1.06 to 2.23). The main limitations were the cross-sectional nature, social desirability bias, non-probabilistic sampling. The results highlight the importance of establishing programmes to reduce COVID-19-related stigmatisation towards healthcare workers.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244172
Author(s):  
Aya Mostafa ◽  
Walaa Sabry ◽  
Nayera S. Mostafa

Objectives To explore coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related stigma and its associated factors among Egyptian physicians. Methods A cross-sectional study using an anonymous online questionnaire was conducted from 7 to 21 June 2020. The survey was distributed via social media and email to physicians working in Egypt through convenience sampling. Results 509 physicians participated in the study (mean age: 41.5±10.2). 138 (27.1%) participants were directly involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. 159 (31.2%) participants reported severe level of COVID-19-related stigma. Participants’ mean overall COVID-19-related stigma score was 40.6±8.0. The mean subscale scores were: personalized stigma 26.0±5.7, disclosure concerns 9.3±2.2, negative self-image 6.9±1.6, and concern with public attitudes 24.4±4.9. In the multivariable regression analyses, the overall COVID-19-related stigma score was higher in participants with lower qualifications (β = -0.19, 95% CI: 2.32, -0.64, p = 0.001), and in those working in a quarantine hospital (β = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.01, 7.14, p = 0.050). Conclusions A considerable proportion of Egyptian physicians in this exploratory study experienced COVID-19-related stigmatization. These preliminary findings highlight the need for specific research and targeted interventions particularly addressing COVID-19-related stigmatization among healthcare workers.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259893
Author(s):  
Inaamul Haq ◽  
Mariya Amin Qurieshi ◽  
Muhammad Salim Khan ◽  
Sabhiya Majid ◽  
Arif Akbar Bhat ◽  
...  

SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has greatly affected healthcare workers because of the high risk of getting infected. The present cross-sectional study measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody in healthcare workers of Kashmir, India. Methods: Serological testing to detect antibodies against nucleocapsid protein of SARS-CoV-2 was performed in 2003 healthcare workers who voluntarily participated in the study. Results: We report relatively high seropositivity of 26.8% (95% CI 24.8–28.8) for SARS-CoV-2in healthcare workers, nine months after the first case was detected in Kashmir. Most of the healthcare workers (71.7%) attributed infection to the workplace environment. Among healthcare workers who neither reported any prior symptom nor were they ever tested for infection by nasopharyngeal swab test, 25.5% were seropositive. Conclusion: We advocate interval testing by nasopharyngeal swab test of all healthcare workers regardless of symptoms to limit the transmission of infection within healthcare settings.


GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 359-370
Author(s):  
Dr. Ravi S. Dalawai

Indian population is in growing trend from 942.2 million in 1994 to 1.36 billion in 2019.Among this six per cent of India's population was of the age 65 and above (UNFPA, 2019). Today the work culture is totally changed. Both husband and wife are forced to work in the current scenario and unable to take care of their parents. The changing structure created increased problems for old age people leads to loneliness, psychological, physical health and financial insecurity. The study paper provides insight into the social and demographic factor and health related sickness of the oldest people. This research explained the cross-sectional study included a representative sample (n=116) of adults aged ≥60 years. The sample was chosen using a four-stage stratified random-cluster survey sampling method .The Chi Square test and ANOVA test was analyzed using SPSS20.


Author(s):  
Quratul-Ain Zafar

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline healthcare workers in Pakistan in terms of psychological factors emotional distress, insomnia, and burnout. Study Design: Observational cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at different hospitals across Pakistan and data collection was carried out from 15th June 2020 till 15th August 2020. Material and Methods: This was a questionnaire-based study aiming to compare the levels of burnout and emotional distress between frontline COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 healthcare workers. Any physician, nurse, and other healthcare workers were recruited from emergency care units and Covid-19 care units (target group), and non-COVID-19 care units (control group). Participation was voluntary and participants had to complete self-reported questionnaires and scales. A mixed-mode data collection was carried out, either in paper or web-based form to ensure maximum participation. Results: The independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding depression, stress, and insomnia. The study group showed higher scores for these factors than the control group. Chi-square test of association revealed significant scores of burnout and professional fulfillment in both groups. There was a higher prevalence of burnout in the study group than in the control group. Conclusion: This study concludes that there was a significant psychosocial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the frontline healthcare workers measured in terms of emotional distress, insomnia, and burnout.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 803-808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Vimercati ◽  
Luigi De Maria ◽  
Francesca Mansi ◽  
Antonio Caputi ◽  
Giovanni M. Ferri ◽  
...  

Background: Thyroid diseases occur more frequently in people exposed to ionizing radiation, but the relationship between occupational exposure to ionizing radiation and thyroid pathologies still remains unclear. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of thyroid diseases in healthcare workers exposed to low-level ionizing radiation compared with a control group working at the University Hospital of Bari, Southern Italy, and living in the same geographical area, characterized by mild iodine deficiency. Methods: We ran a cross-sectional study to investigate whether healthcare workers exposed to ionizing radiation had a higher prevalence of thyroid diseases. Four hundred and forty-four exposed healthcare workers (241 more exposed, or “A Category”, and 203 less exposed, or “B Category”) and 614 nonexposed healthcare workers were enrolled during a routine examination at the Occupational Health Unit. They were asked to fill in an anamnestic questionnaire and undergo a physical examination, serum determination of fT3, fT4 and TSH, anti-TPO ab and anti-TG ab and ultrasound neck scan. Thyroid nodules were submitted to fine needle aspiration biopsy when indicated. Results: The prevalence of thyroid diseases was statistically higher in the exposed workers compared to controls (40% vs 29%, adPR 1.65; IC95% 1.34-2.07). In particular, the thyroid nodularity prevalence in the exposed group was approximately twice as high as that in the controls (29% vs 13%; adPR 2.83; IC95% 2.12-3.8). No statistically significant association was found between exposure to ionizing radiation and other thyroid diseases. Conclusion: In our study, mild ionizing radiation-exposed healthcare workers had a statistically higher prevalence of thyroid diseases than the control group. The results are likely due to a closer and more meticulous health surveillance programme carried out in the ionising radiation-exposed workers, allowing them to identify thyroid alterations earlier than non-exposed health staff.


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