She-Coronavirus: How cartoonists reflected women health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Emergency situations have been associated with negative psychological adjustment outcomes in healthcare professionals, although studies on the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic amongst Italian health workers are limited. The main aim of this study was to investigate the psychological adjustment of healthcare professionals during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating differences according to working or not with patients affected by COVID-19 and in areas with a more severe spread of this pandemic. Healthcare professionals’ attitudes toward psychological support were analyzed. The levels of anxiety, depression, psychological stress, and professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, burnout, and compassion fatigue) and attitudes toward psychological support were measured among 627 Italian healthcare workers (mean age = 40.55 years; SD = 11.49; range: 27–72). Significantly higher levels of stress, burnout, secondary trauma, anxiety, and depression were observed among professionals working with COVID-19 patients. Higher levels of stress and burnout and lower levels of compassion satisfaction were detected in professionals working in areas with higher rates of contagion. No interaction effects were found between working (or not) with patients affected by COVID-19 and working (or not) in areas with a more severe diffusion of this pandemic. Finally, in the group of professionals who worked with COVID-19 patients, the percentage of professionals who thought to ask for psychological support was twice that of the group that did not work with COVID-19 patients. The overall findings indicate that the mental health of frontline healthcare workers requires further consideration and that targeted prevention and intervention programs are necessary.

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Anxiety Levels of Healthcare Professionals’ Relatives During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study

Eurasian Journal of Family Medicine ◽

10.33880/ejfm.2021100102 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 7-13

Author(s):

Giray Kolcu ◽

Gokmen Ozceylan

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Quantitative Research ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Health Workers ◽

Risk Groups ◽

Anxiety Level ◽

Moderate Correlation ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Anxiety Levels

Aim: Health workers are the most important risk groups in the last century outbreaks. This situation creates anxiety in the relatives of healthcare workers as well as in healthcare workers. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the anxiety levels of the relatives of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: The study was designed as a longitudinal study in quantitative research design. In the study, data were collected regularly every day for 20 days between 20.03.2020-08.04.2020, when the coronavirus pandemic continued, and these data were associated with the data of the Ministry of Health. Results: One thousand one hundres and eighty participants' opinions were collected for the study. In the study process, it was observed that the anxiety level at 20.03.2020 was 8.25±5.36 and it increased to 17.21±17.07 on 08.04.2020. The relationship between the anxiety level of the participants and the total number of cases the total number of deaths were weak. There was a moderate correlation between the number of deaths per day and the number of patients recovering per day. In the study, it was shown that there is a moderate correlation between the anxiety levels and the level of knowledge of the opinion makers. In this upward trend, it has been observed that there are 3 breaking points: 23-24.03.2020, 28-29.03.2020 and 05-06.04.2020. Conclusion: In our study described the first cases of anxiety in the vicinity of 20 health workers in Turkey after the first day (twenty) were found to correlate with increased number of deaths in days. It was observed that anxiety level correlated weakly with the total number of cases / deaths, but moderately with the number of daily deaths / recovered patients in the relatives of the health studies. This situation was interpreted as that although the anxiety of healthcare workers was affected by the process, it was more affected by daily changes. Relatives as well as healthcare professionals also experienced a manageable anxiety during the COVID-19 outbreak. We believe that information and rehabilitation programs should be developed for the relatives of healthcare professionals in order to maintain the resilience / resiliency of healthcare professionals. Keywords: anxiety, coronavirus, pandemics, Family Medicine

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Burnout among Healthcare Professionals in Ghana: A Critical Assessment

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2020/1614968 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Stephen T. Odonkor ◽

Kwasi Frimpong

Keyword(s):

Health Worker ◽

Work Experience ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Health Workers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Percentage Score ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Acute Crisis

Health workers are prone to burnout, which can have an adverse effect on their person and the patients to whom care is offered. The goal of this paper was to assess the levels of burnout experienced by healthcare workers in Accra, Ghana. The study was conducted using the cross-sectional study design. Questionnaires were used to obtain data from 365 respondents who worked in 12 major healthcare facilities. Data obtained were analyzed with SPSS version 23. Majority of the respondents were females (56.7%) as against males (43.3%). The total score for all burnout variables among health worker groups ranged from good (71.50%), alarming (12.60%), acute crisis (6.02%), and burnout (9.90%). Among the health worker groups, nurses had the highest percentage score values for all burnout variables. There was an association between burnout and these sociodemographic characteristics: age (p<0.001), gender (p=0.003), educational qualification (p<0.001), occupation (p<0.001), years of work experience (p<0.001), marital status (p<0.001), and parenthood (having children) (p<0.001). It is recommended that measures should be put in place in Ghanaian hospitals to assess stress and burnout levels to ensure people who are going through such situations are properly cared and supported.

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Risk perceptions and preventive practices of COVID-19 among healthcare professionals in public hospitals in Ethiopia

10.1101/2020.11.04.367896 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wakgari Deressa ◽

Alemayehu Worku ◽

Workeabeba Abebe ◽

Muluken Gizaw ◽

Wondwosson Amogne

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Health Workers ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Preventive Practices

AbstractHealthcare professionals are at higher risk of contracting the novel coronavirus due to their work exposure in the healthcare settings. Practicing appropriate preventive measures to control COVID-19 infection is one of the most important interventions that healthcare workers are expected to use. The aim of this study was to assess the level of risk perception and practices of preventive measures of COVID-19 among health workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 9th to 26th June 2020 among healthcare professionals working at six public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used to summarize the data. A binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with risk perception about COVID-19. A total of 1,134 participants were surveyed. Wearing facemask (93%), hand washing for at least 20 seconds (93%), covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing (91%), and avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth (91%) were the commonly self-reported preventive practices. About 88% perceived that they were worried about the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus, and majority (91%) worried about the risk of infection to their family. The mean score of overall fear and worry of COVID-19 was 2.37 on a scale of 1 to 3. Respondents who ever provided clinical care to COVID-19 patients were more likely to report fear and worry (adjusted OR=1.34, 95% CI:1.02-1.91), however those who ever participated in Ebola or SARS outbreaks were less likely to report fear and worry due to COVID-19 crisis (adjusted OR=0.66, 95% CI:0.48-0.90). This study has revealed widespread practices of preventive measures and the highest perceived risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Therefore, an effective risk communication intervention should be implemented to ensure the maintenance of appropriate practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah-Saudi Arabia

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences ◽

10.12669/pjms.35.4.605 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aalia Akhtar Hayat ◽

Areej Habib Meny ◽

Nabila Salahuddin ◽

Faisal M. Alnemary ◽

Kumar-Ricky Ahuja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Health Workers ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Childhood Autism ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

P Value ◽

The Mean

Objective: To measure the knowledge of healthcare professionals about increasingly prevalent Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) along with perceptions around its management and prognosis and comparison across various specialties. Methods: This Cross sectional survey based comparative analysis took place at Maternity and Children Hospital and King Faisal Hospital Makkah from December 2017 to May 2018. The validated self-administered “Knowledge about childhood autism among health workers” questionnaire was used along with additional questions regarding perceptions about ASD. The mean and mean percent scores were calculated. Chi squared test and ANOVA were applied to find the association between quantitative and qualitative variables respectively. Results: Out of 162 participants, 153 returned the questionnaire and 147 were included in final analysis. Physicians constituted 81.6% (120) of participants. The mean score for participants was 9.80(S.E.M ±0.32) where non-physicians yielded higher mean score (11.2±4.41) as compared to physicians (9.6±3.28) (p=0.113). Psychiatrists had highest score of 16/19 while general physicians had lowest (6/19). Participants with more years of experience had higher mean scores (p-value = 0.01). About 72.10% (106) of participants opted for medication as a treatment option. Nearly 38.1% (56) of participants were skeptical about improvement of ASD with early interventions. Conclusion: There is a lack of knowledge about ASD amongst healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Experienced professionals working with ASD children can be utilized to deliver targeted trainings nationwide. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.4.605 How to cite this:Hayat AA, Meny AH, Salahuddin N, Alnemary FM, Ahuja KR, Azeem MW. Assessment of knowledge about childhood autism spectrum disorder among healthcare workers in Makkah- Saudi Arabia. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.4.605 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.

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Risk perceptions and preventive practices of COVID-19 among healthcare professionals in public hospitals in Ethiopia

10.1101/2020.10.30.20223180 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Wakgari Deressa ◽

Alemayehu Worku ◽

Workeabeba Abebe ◽

Muluken Gizaw ◽

Wondwosson Amogne

Keyword(s):

Risk Perception ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Health Workers ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Public Hospitals ◽

Preventive Practices

AbstractHealthcare professionals are at higher risk of contracting the novel coronavirus due to their work exposure in the healthcare settings. Practicing appropriate preventive measures to control COVID-19 infection is one of the most important interventions that healthcare workers are expected to use. The aim of this study was to assess the level of risk perception and practices of preventive measures of COVID-19 among health workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 9th to 26th June 2020 among healthcare professionals working at six public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used to summarize the data. A binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with risk perception about COVID-19. A total of 1,134 participants were surveyed. Wearing facemask (93%), hand washing for at least 20 seconds (93%), covering mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing (91%), and avoiding touching eyes, nose, and mouth (91%) were the commonly self-reported preventive practices. About 88% perceived that they were worried about the risk of becoming infected with coronavirus, and majority (91%) worried about the risk of infection to their family. The mean score of overall fear and worry of COVID-19 was 2.37 on a scale of 1 to 3. Respondents who ever provided clinical care to COVID-19 patients were more likely to report fear and worry (adjusted OR=1.34, 95% CI:1.02-1.91), however those who ever participated in Ebola or SARS outbreaks were less likely to report fear and worry due to COVID-19 crisis (adjusted OR=0.66, 95% CI:0.48-0.90). This study has revealed widespread practices of preventive measures and the highest perceived risk of COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Therefore, an effective risk communication intervention should be implemented to ensure the maintenance of appropriate practices during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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The effect of moral foundations and personality dimensions of health workers on patient satisfaction with healthcare services

Vojnosanitetski pregled ◽

10.2298/vsp180802195t ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 77 (11) ◽

pp. 1169-1174

Author(s):

Neda Terzic ◽

Mladen Pecujlija ◽

Sreten Cvetkovic ◽

Mirka Lukic-Sarkanovic

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Healthcare Service ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Health Workers ◽

Healthcare Services ◽

Moral Foundations ◽

Personality Dimensions ◽

Patients Satisfaction

Background/Aim. Working with people in medical practice requires knowledge of the basic principles of personality psychology. The aim of this research was to examine the influence of moral foundations and personality dimensions of health workers on patient satisfaction with health service, as well as determining the factors influencing their satisfaction. Methods. The research was conducted using the Big Five Inventory (BFI), the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ) and the Questionnaire of patient satisfaction with healthcare service, from October 2014 to March 2016. The survey involved 693 respondents: 329 healthcare workers (44 males and 285 females) and 364 patients (154 males and 210 females). Results. With the increase of the openness of healthcare professionals, the patients' satisfaction was also growing. Regarding moral foundations of healthcare workers, there was an opposite trend ? with lower authoritativeness of healthcare workers, patient satisfaction was greater. Finally, with more pronounced purity of healthcare workers there was a decrease in the level of patients? satisfaction with the received healthcare service. Conclusion. There is a direct association between the moral foundations and personality dimensions of health workers, and patients? satisfaction with healthcare service. Thus, any strategy for improving the quality of healthcare service should take into account personal characteristics of healthcare workers. Healthcare professionals are expected to fulfill their life and professional tasks in as a human way as possible, since preservation of the health and helping to overcome an illness, in case it develops, are the basic values of every human being. It should result in more clearly defined priorities for improvement of the quality of work of healthcare workers.

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Knowledge, awareness and perceptions of diabetes mellitus among the Saudi population

Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research ◽

10.2217/cer-2019-0137 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 413-422

Author(s):

Muhammad H Mujammami ◽

Abdulaziz A Alodhayani ◽

Mohammad Ibrahim AlJabri ◽

Ahmad Alhumaidi Alanazi ◽

Sultan Sayyaf Alanazi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Social Media ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Saudi Population ◽

Limited Data ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Associated Risk Factors

Background: High prevalence of undiagnosed cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) has increased over the last two decades, most patients with DM only become aware of their condition once they develop a complication. Limited data are available regarding the knowledge and awareness about DM and the associated risk factors, complications and management in Saudi society. Aim: This study aimed to assess knowledge of DM in general Saudi society and among Saudi healthcare workers. Results: Only 37.3% of the participants were aware of the current DM prevalence. Obesity was the most frequently identified risk factor for DM. Most comparisons indicated better awareness among health workers. Conclusion: A significant lack of knowledge about DM in Saudi society was identified. Social media and educational curriculum can improve knowledge and awareness of DM.

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A great inspiration for today's vaccination efforts: Biographical sketch of Francisco Xavier Balmis (1753–1819)

Journal of Medical Biography ◽

10.1177/09677720211034765 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096777202110347

Author(s):

Gabriel E Andrade

Keyword(s):

History Of Medicine ◽

19Th Century ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Western Hemisphere ◽

Biographical Sketch ◽

Spanish Colonial ◽

Remote Areas ◽

History Of ◽

The 19Th Century

The management of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic will require huge worldwide vaccination efforts. In this endeavour, healthcare workers face the twofold challenge of reaching remote areas, and persuading people to take the vaccine shots. As it happens, this is nothing new in the history of medicine. Health workers can take inspiration from Francisco Xavier Balmis, a Spanish physician of the 19th century who realised the importance of Jenner's vaccine against smallpox, and led a big successful expedition to administer the vaccines in the Spanish colonial possessions of the Western hemisphere and Asia. This article presents a biographical sketch of Balmis, focusing on his expedition.

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Pandora’s box in the dental clinic

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2021.176 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Debby Ben-David ◽

Azza Vaturi ◽

Ester Solter ◽

Bina Rubinovitch ◽

Jonathan Lellouche ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Dental Procedure ◽

Dental Clinics ◽

Intravenous Drugs ◽

Environmental Surfaces ◽

Outpatient Procedures ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

And Control ◽

Element Sequence

Abstract Background: In June 2018, the Ministry of Health received notification from 2 hospitals about 2 patients who presented with overwhelming Enterobacter kobei sepsis that developed within 24 hours after a dental procedure. We describe the investigation of this outbreak. Methods: The epidemiologic investigation included site visits in 2 dental clinics and interviews with all involved healthcare workers. Chart reviews were conducted for case and control subjects. Samples were taken from medications and antiseptics, environmental surfaces, dental water systems, and from the involved healthcare professionals. Isolate similarity was assessed using repetitive element sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (REP-PCR). Results: The 2 procedures were conducted in different dental clinics by different surgeons and dental technicians. A single anesthesiologist administered the systemic anesthetic in both cases. Cultures from medications, fluids and healthcare workers’ hands were negative, but E. kobei was detected from the anesthesiologist’s portable medication cart. The 2 human isolates and the environmental isolate shared the same REP-PCR fingerprinting profile. None of the 21 patients treated by the anesthesiologist in a general hospital during the same period, using the hospital’s medications, developed infection following surgery. Conclusions: An outbreak of post–dental-procedure sepsis was linked to a contaminated medication cart, emphasizing the importance of medication storage standards and strict aseptic technique when preparing intravenous drugs during anesthesia. Immediate reporting of sepsis following these outpatient procedures enabled early identification and termination of the outbreak.

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