Risk of Exposure, Impact and Bio Safety Measure among Healthcare Workers in Covid19 Infection, In a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Kolkata

Healthcare workers are the front liners in war against COVID 19 pandemic. Since this fight against the pandemic started, thousands of heath care workers have been infected with many paying the ultimate price with their lives in a bid to provide health care service to COVID 19 patients. Currently many are either in quarantine or in isolation. Still many are working with fear of virus and in under poor conditions without adequate protections. The potential for high exposure is generally higher in health care workers due to increased hospitalization, longer time exposure, failure to implement effective personal health protection, lack of training, monitoring of infection control protection mechanism. This has led to shortage of workforce in the health sector. Exposure to COVID 19 in the health care setting depends on the health care worker’s understanding of the infectious nature of the virus, the routes by which the virus is acquired, the techniques that are most hazardous and the safe working environment and practice. This work is therefore aimed at providing relevant information on the risk of exposure, the impact of virus on the health care workers and the required bio safety measures needed to keep the workers safe in the organization. Broad Academic area of work: Service Quality Excellence in Health care Keywords-: PPE (Personal protective equipments), BMW (Bio medical waste), donning and doffing (process of using and discarding PPEs), HCW (Health care workers), Nosocomial infection (Hospital acquired infection), Covid 19.

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The impact of novel COVID-19 initial pandemic on orthopedic healthcare: an experience from a single institution of South Korea

Journal of Korean Medical Association ◽

10.5124/jkma.2021.64.11.778 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 64 (11) ◽

pp. 778-787

Author(s):

Gun Woo Lee ◽

Gi Beom Kim ◽

In Jun Lee

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Medical Staff ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

The Novel ◽

Preventive Surgery ◽

Care Workers ◽

Cancellation Rate ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Impact

Background: This study was to investigate the cancellation rate and trend of orthopedic surgeries during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Moreover, we assessed the psychologic status of orthopedic healthcare workers, and investigated the details of the preventive surgeries underwent in COVID-19-positive patients.Methods: For 3 months after January 20, 2020, cancellation rates of elective surgeries were investigated, and the number of elective surgeries conducted in the same period over the last two years was compared. Four different questionnaires were used to investigate psychologic status among the orthopedic health care workers. We compared the outcomes according to occupation (physician or nurse), and type of work (faculty staff or resident physician). Outcomes according to occupation and type of work were compared. Preventive surgeries underwent in patients who could not wait for the results of the COVID-19 diagnosis were investigated.Results: Spine and hip surgery had relatively lower cancellation rates, and elective surgeries were significantly reduced. During the initial pandemic, the cancellation rate of orthopedic elective surgeries was significantly higher than in the same period of the previous year and was different for each subdivision depending on the degree of pain or disability. The psychological outcomes were within the normal range and there were no significant differences between groups. After preventive surgery, all medical staff involved in the operation tested negative.Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the cancellation rate of orthopedic elective surgeries was significantly higher than in the same period of the previous year. Orthopedic health care workers did not seem to have significant psychological distress. As a result of the preventive surgery in specialized facilities, all the medical staff who participated in the operation tested negative.

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

10.36106/ijsr/7532029 ◽

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.

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Seroprevalence of Antibodies against SARS COV- 2 among Health Care Workers at Tertiary Care Hospital, Uttarakhand: A Retrospective study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-783686/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Amit K Saini ◽

Prasan Kumar Panda ◽

Yogesh Arvind Bahurupi ◽

Balram Omar ◽

Akhil T ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Retrospective Study ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Igg Antibodies ◽

Care Institute ◽

Care Workers ◽

Low Prevalence

Abstract Background: The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections is vastly underestimated. In this context, Seroprevalence surveys are of utmost importance to assess the proportion of the population that has already developed antibodies against the virus and might potentially be protected against subsequent infection. Health care workers face greater risk of developing SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, present retrospective study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers at tertiary care institute, Uttarakhand. Material and Methods : Data was gathered from Hospital records of 704 healthcare workers admitted at COVID 19 Unit and attended Covid-OPD of tertiary care institute, Uttarakhand in-between 15th July to 14th Aug 2020. Result: Out of the 704 recruited participants, 14 (1.99%) were seropositive for IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The cumulative prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (presence of antibodies or past or current positive RT-PCR) was 4.40%. Conclusion: The present study shows a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among health care workers. In addition, posting in COVID-19-positive areas was not associated with increased seropositivity. More studies are warranted to assess IgG/IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among those HCW who are exposed to COVID-19 patients.

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The Impact and Outcome of Training Programme of Health Care Workers with Reference to Sample Collection in Microbiology Laboratory

Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences ◽

10.14260/jemds/2021/657 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (37) ◽

pp. 3237-3241

Author(s):

Ruby Naz ◽

Naveen Saxena ◽

Sameena Khan

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Correct Diagnosis ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Training Programme ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Microbiology Laboratory ◽

Sample Collection ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Sample collection of blood, urine, stool, sputum and swab collection for various tests in a microbiology laboratory is a very important and crucial part of laboratory investigations. All samples should be properly labelled, and the requisition form should be filled properly. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the training programme to improve the quality of sample collection in the microbiology laboratory. METHODS It is an observation based cross-sectional study which was conducted among the health care workers of a tertiary care hospital in Rajasthan to assess their knowledge regarding safe and proper sample collection and transportation. RESULTS In pre-session a lot of loopholes were found among the healthcare workers regarding proper sample collection techniques, handling of sample, transportation and storage of the sample, dealing with blood spillage and in general disinfection. After the orientation session, there was a significant increase in knowledge of how & when to take a sample that is 63 % & 54 % respectively which is almost more than double presession. CONCLUSIONS Proper sample collection and transportation are key steps to patient care and very useful for correct diagnosis. Most of the errors happen in the pre-analytical phase. In our study, we observed that the knowledge of participants improved significantly after continuous training sessions. This indicates that such a type of knowledge session is essential for improving sample collection practices. It is therefore important to train health care workers (HCW), who form the root of the health care system at regular intervals, to enhance knowledge significantly. KEY WORDS Sample Collection, Training, Laboratory, Sample Collection

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Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Nepali Health Care Workers during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Cross-sectional Survey

Journal of Nepal Medical Association ◽

10.31729/jnma.6747 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 59 (238) ◽

Author(s):

Ishwor Sharma ◽

Anurag Misra ◽

Bipin Kumar Shrestha ◽

Arun Kumar Koirala ◽

Anita Banjade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Substantial Impact ◽

Care Workers ◽

The World ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Studies among health care workers from different part of world during the coronavirus disease 19 pandemic have reported substantial impact on their physical, mental and emotional well-being. This study measured the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on the mental health of Nepali healthcare workers in different parts of the world during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out from December 25, 2020 to Jan 25, 2021. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (reference number: 372). Online questionnaire including demographic profiles and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21 instrument were sent to Nepali healthcare workers around the world through social media apps using convenience sampling. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel for Mac version 16.49 and analysed. Results: Among 208 who participated in the study, 62 (30%) participants were positive for anxiety, 47 (22.5%) for depression and 25 (12%) for stress. Higher prevalence of depression 18 (30%) and stress 10 (17%) was found in nurses compared to paramedics, among whom depression was seen in 5 (20%) and stress in 4 (16%). Among doctors, depression was found in 24 (19%) and stress in 11 (9%). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a high proportion of healthcare workers were suffering from depression, anxiety and stress. Our findings are similar to the data from other national and international studies.

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Is Covid-19 seroprevalence different in health care workers as per their risk of exposure? A study from a tertiary care hospital in National Capital Region of India

10.1101/2021.02.10.21251543 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sushila Kataria ◽

Rashmi Phogat ◽

Pooja Sharma ◽

Vikas Deswal ◽

Sazid Alam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Health Care Facilities ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Care Workers ◽

History Of ◽

Doctors And Nurses

AbstractBackgroundSARS-CoV-2 infection has severely ravaged health systems, economic and social progress globally in 2020. Seroprevalence studies can provide relevant information on the target populations for vaccination. They are relevant not only in the community, but also for critical population subgroups such as nursing homes or health care facilities. They will assist in strategizing the vaccination policy especially since there is limited availability of the vaccine and vaccine hesitancyObjectiveTo evaluate the seroprevalence in Health Care Workers (HCW) at our hospital and to identify parameters which may affect it.MethodologyThe Baseline profiling and seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was assessed among 3258 healthcare workers (HCWs) of Medanta-The Medicity, Gurugram, Haryana, India, as a part of an ongoing cohort study.The fully automated LIAISON® SARS-CoV-2 S1/S2 IgG test using the chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for the quantitative determination of anti-S1 and anti-S2 specific IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 was used to test serum samples collected before the receipt of the vaccine. Seroprevalence was evaluated as per gender, age, association with previous Covid-19 diagnosis, use of supplements, and role in the hospital and type of exposure.ResultsOf the 3258 participants tested for IgG serology (S1 and S2 proteins) 46.2% (CI 44.4 – 47.9%) were positive (i.e. had an antibody titre more than 15 Au/ml). Higher seroprevalence was seen in the ‘others’ ie non clinical health care workers (including management, research personnel, pharmacists, technicians, general duty staff, housekeeping, security, food and beverage, and facility maintenance teams) (50.2 Au/ml) than that in clinical HCW (ie doctors and nurses)where it was significantly lower (41.4 Au/ml, p= 0.0001). Also, people with history of Covid-19 were found to have significantly higher antibody levels (p = 0.0001). Amongst the healthcare workers, doctors and nurses had higher relative risk of acquiring Covid-19 infection (RR = 1.21; 95% C.I.: 1.12 - 1.31).ConclusionSeroprevalence in healthcare workers at our hospital is high at 46.2%. It is higher in non-clinical HCW than in clinical HCW. The risk of acquiring Covid-19 infection was higher in clinical HCW and thus, this subgroup may benefit most from vaccination. History of Covid-19 may provide double the protection, in particular in those who had it recently.

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Perceptions of the Health Care Workers about the Guideline Implemented for Safe Surgical Practice during COVID-19 Pandemic in a University Teaching Hospital

The Surgery Journal ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1726130 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 07 (02) ◽

pp. e73-e82

Author(s):

Subramania Iyer ◽

Sobha Subramaniam ◽

Krishnakumar Thankappan ◽

Nageswara Rao ◽

Dipu Satyapalan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Teaching Hospital ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Asymptomatic Carrier ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

University Teaching ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

AbstractOne area of health care delivery that has been affected badly in most of the institutions is the running of the surgical services. This is due to various factors such as the presence of asymptomatic carrier stage, increased morbidity and mortality in surgical procedures in a COVID-19 patient, and possible transmission of disease to the health care workers (HCWs). A guideline was formulated in our institution, which is a tertiary care university teaching hospital to resume the surgical activities in full. Following its implementation, a questionnaire-based study was conducted to understand the perception of the HCWs about the guidelines. The questionnaire had four domains with questions related to the impact of the epidemic on the practices, composition of the guidelines, its implementation, and effects. There were 217 responders which included doctors and the supportive staff. Majority of the responders welcomed the introduction of the guidelines, and felt that it ensured patient's safety and helped streamline the services. Quarantine and preoperative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing were found to be appropriate measures by the respondents. In some areas, there was a difference in the responses from the doctors to that from the supportive group which assumed statistical significance. These included the reason for drop in patient numbers was the reduced patient accessibility which was felt mainly by the doctors. The doctors perceived a delay in carrying out the work, increased workload, and mental agony due to the presence of the guidelines.

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Perception and Psychological Help Seeking Behaviour Among Hematology Healthcare Workers during the COVID19 Pandemic in India

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2020-138688 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽

pp. 28-29

Author(s):

Lakshmi Prabha ◽

Kishore Kumar

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Help ◽

Care Workers ◽

Help Seeking Behaviour ◽

The Impact

Introduction: The current pandemic of COVID 19 had come as guest this new year and has lingered on like an unwelcome rude guest. The greatest stress during this season is the fear of getting infected. Naturally, the ones facing the most stress are the frontline health care workers. India has been under lockdown since March'2020. Lockdown itself has also taken a toll on the mental health of people owing to inability to socialize and go the work.The main stress among the Hematology health care workers is the fear of infection, passing on the virus to family members and death. This study aims at assessing the perception and psychological help seeking behaviour among Hematology healthcare workers during the COVID19 pandemic in India. This study was conducted among 177 hematology related healthcare workers in India and it exposes a significant stress these people are undergoing in this pandemic. This area is one of the least talked during this pandemic but the impact it is going to have in future is humongous. Materials and Methods: We conducted a survey from the month of April'2020 till July 2020 among some of these hematology services related health care workers from different parts of India via electronic media [Survey Monkey]. A simple questionnaire of total thirteen questions was formulated. Questions were framed in simple english language for easy understanding of all participants. Social media was used for distributing this questionnaire. Our target population was hematology service related health care workers. Results and Discussion: We got a total of 177 responses and all the answers were analysed on per question basis. 60% of those who participated were doctors, followed by nurses (32%) and rest were lab personnel and other health care workers. 66% of participants belonged to the age group 31-45 years, followed by 22% belonging to 20-30 years, 11% belonged to 46-60 years and none were above 60 years of age.56% were males and rest were females. 73% were married and rest were single. Among all those who participated in this survey two thirds were not diverted to frontline Covid 19 patient care. Only one third (33.9%) were actually redirected to direct care of Covid 19 patients in their respective set-ups. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 being minimal to 10 being extremely high needing help, anxiety was scored. 48% of all scored themselves with an anxiety level of 4-6. 15% each scored for 1-3 and 7-9. 5% faced extreme anxiety needing help. 36% had moderate fear of infecting their family members. 30% and 18% had mild and severe fear, respectively. When enquired about the type of symptoms experienced by them, the most common reply was that they felt low and were depressed. Many experience sleep disturbances with increase in irritability, restlessness and health anxiety for Covid. Surprisingly, 40% denied any such symptoms at all. Adjustment and adaptability with the changing environment are a deciding factor on the mental well-being of everyone. Most popular method was avoiding frequent news updates (52.5%), followed by learning new skills and connecting with family and friends (47.5%). Least popular modality was resorting to healthy distraction (28%). 17% of all participants felt a need for psychological consultation for themselves, 3.4% wanted consultation for their family members and 3.4% wanted such consultation for both themselves and their family members too. Among those who wanted professional help 58% preferred tele-consultation and rest aspired for personal consultation. Conclusion: The above responses show that work place stress has increased among hematology health care workers in the current pandemic situation which in broad terms is true for any specialty. A mental burnout and fatigue is setting among healthcare workers in this part of the country as COVID19 seems like a chronic story now. It is advisable to keep psychological help ready for all those involved in frontline Covid 19 health care. Its high time hospital administrators start taking notice this aspect of healthcare workers and start working on creating a positive work environment. Figure Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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A Study On Impact Of Work Life Related Factors On Employee Engagement In Health Care Sector Workers In Dindigul District.

Restaurant Business ◽

10.26643/rb.v118i7.7242 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 118 (7) ◽

pp. 20-26

Author(s):

S. JAYARAMAN ◽

R. Sindhya ◽

P. Vijiyalakshmi

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Path Analysis ◽

Employee Engagement ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Care Sector ◽

Work Life ◽

Primary Data ◽

Related Factors ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

this research aims to find out the intensity of Employee Engagement of the health care sector workers and the relationship between the Work life factors and Employee Engagement of Health care sector workers in Dindigul District. Primary data were used in this research, were collected from 298 Health care workers from Dindigul District. Questionnaire was the major tool used to gather the primary data from the selected sample respondents. For this purpose, a well structured questionnaire was constructed with the help of professionals and the practiced employees of various health care units in Dindigul District. The health care employees were chosen by simple random sampling method. The investigative measures of regression Path analysis, and simple percentage analysis were utilized to find the impact of work life related factors with the Employee Engagement. The maximum Health care workers were generally satisfied with their jobs. The analytical procedure of path analysis multiple regressions was utilized to determine the predicting strength among Work life factors and the employee engagement. This study provides an another view about the importance of Work life factors and Employee engagement for organizational effectiveness and performance .

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COVID-19 Psychological Impact on Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18116076 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 6076

Author(s):

Hasan S. Alamri ◽

Wesam F. Mousa ◽

Abdullah Algarni ◽

Shehata F. Megahid ◽

Ali Al Bshabshe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Psychological Impact ◽

Psychological Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers ◽

The Impact

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.

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