Features of the Course of COVID-19 in Health Care Workers of a Non-infectious Hospital

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Leonova ◽  
Oleg Gaisenok
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Contamination Factor ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Strict Adherence ◽  
Routine Medical Care ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk of SARS-COV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease, not only in the chain of care for COVID-19 patients but also in non-infectious health care organizations that provide routine medical care to the population. Objective: To analyze features of the course of COVID-19 in HCWs of a non-infectious hospital (non-IH). Materials: A retrospective analysis of COVID-19 cases of HCWs of a non-infectious hospital (non-IH) due to a local outbreak during the "second wave" of the pandemic, despite the use of PPE. Results: 7 HCWs out of 23 employees were infected and had a confirmed COVID-19 infection. All pointed to the presence of contact at work (patients, colleagues) as the main possible contamination factor. The development of COVID-pneumonia was observed in 4 persons; 2 of them were hospitalized. The most common symptoms were fever with a maximum temperature rise of 37.8-39 ° C, weakness, chest pain, cough, and loss of smell. The duration of the persistence of symptoms of the disease was up to 16 days. The elimination of coronavirus in most patients was noted after the 10th day. Conclusion: HCWs in non-IH providing routine medical care are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to contact with infected patients or colleagues. The development of COVID-19 disease in HCWs leads to long-term disability, which creates tension in the work of non-IH. To reduce the risk of infection for non-IH HCWs, stated precautions are necessary: strict adherence to PPE use, mandatory testing of SARS-COV-2, and planning observational wards for unexamined patients hospitalized for medical care for other indications.

scholarly journals Harmonization of European and Russian standards of evaluation of the quality of delivery of health care in educational organizations

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-162
Author(s):  
V. R. Kuchma ◽  
Svetlana B. Sokolova
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
School Health ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Medical Aid ◽  
Care Workers

Harmonization of European and Russian standards of the quality of the delivery of school health services and competencies for school health professionals allowed to justify the concept of the evaluation of the quality of the delivery of medical help to students in educational institutions. The concept does not prescribe a concrete methodfor the organizing school health services, unified process of the activity of health professionals. The concept consists of 7 groups of indices of quality and competences of health care workers. Quality criteria include the presence of a regulatory framework, indices of benevolence towards children, social equity and access to health care for students, requirements for premises, equipment of medical rooms in schools, cooperation with the administration and teachers of schools, parents and children, the medical community, the requirements for health care workers, a minimum list of services, covering both population and individual needs of students, the secure storage, the management and use ofpersonal medical data of children and adolescents. The competences of the staff of medical units are determined by provided medical services and technologies of the work. Properly medical competences of workers of medical care units for the delivery of medical aid to students are contributed by willingness to ensure the rights of children in the process of health care delivery in the educational organization, skills in the field of communication, sharing of information with children, parents and teachers, cooperation with colleagues, planning and coordination of the organization of medical care, the provision of sanitary epidemiological well-being of students, informational-elucidative activity for shaping of healthy lifestyle, research activity. Concept is the basis of the algorithm of the evaluation of the quality of the delivery of medical aid to students and quality assessment technology as well by medical organizations and institutions, as in the form of an independent audit of the quality of the delivery of medical aid to students in educational institutions.

scholarly journals Evaluating Safe Patient Handling Systems: Is There a Better Way?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Heidi Elizabeth Borner
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Workplace Culture ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Handling ◽  
Safe Patient Handling ◽  
Care Workers

<p>The literature presented here shows that injuries suffered by staff and patients due to patient handling are preventable but patient handling injuries to health care workers and patients remain a costly problem to health care  organizations in many countries. "No Lifting" patient handling policies have been adopted yet health care organizations currently sit amongst the top three worst performing industries in terms of disabling injuries to their employees. A factor that contributes to this situation is the lack of tools for evaluating patient handling systems including workplace culture and climate. This observational study analyzes the responses of 38 nurses from two similar units that use different patient handling systems to test the reliability and validity of the Safe Patient Handling Survey (TM) SPH Survey(TM), a perception survey and improvement tool for employees and employers. The survey contains 55 questions divided into 6 clusters, staff and patient injury and violence questions, and picture questions depicting unsafe techniques. The data were analyzed to see how the SPH Survey(TM) scores correlate with incidents, and its ability to detect differences between the two units. The results of the Pearson and Cronbach(TM) alpha tests show strong reliability, validity and consistency of the SPH Survey(TM). ANOVA comparison of means and Spearman(TM) rho tests shows that higher (better) scores on the SPH Survey(TM) clusters correlate with lower numbers of patient injuries, lower reports of verbal and physical violence episodes, and lower staff injuries. Differences were detected between the units with Unit 2 scoring higher than Unit 1 in all SPH Survey(TM) clusters and scoring lower in staff and patient injuries and violence incidents. Although the analysis was limited by the small sample size, the study has created a sound basis for further investigation. Health care organizations, unions, government bodies, insurers, educational institutions, and researchers must continue to reduce patient handling risk for both health care workers and for patients. The SPH Survey(TM) is shown to be an easy way to reliably evaluate patient handling systems and workplace culture, target improvement initiatives, and continually monitor the level of patient handling risk in the workplace. Low-risk patient handling gives health care providers the means to focus on delivering high quality patient care, without endangering their own health and well-being.</p>

scholarly journals Evaluating Safe Patient Handling Systems: Is There a Better Way?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Heidi Elizabeth Borner
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Organizations ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Workplace Culture ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Handling ◽  
Safe Patient Handling ◽  
Care Workers

<p>The literature presented here shows that injuries suffered by staff and patients due to patient handling are preventable but patient handling injuries to health care workers and patients remain a costly problem to health care  organizations in many countries. "No Lifting" patient handling policies have been adopted yet health care organizations currently sit amongst the top three worst performing industries in terms of disabling injuries to their employees. A factor that contributes to this situation is the lack of tools for evaluating patient handling systems including workplace culture and climate. This observational study analyzes the responses of 38 nurses from two similar units that use different patient handling systems to test the reliability and validity of the Safe Patient Handling Survey (TM) SPH Survey(TM), a perception survey and improvement tool for employees and employers. The survey contains 55 questions divided into 6 clusters, staff and patient injury and violence questions, and picture questions depicting unsafe techniques. The data were analyzed to see how the SPH Survey(TM) scores correlate with incidents, and its ability to detect differences between the two units. The results of the Pearson and Cronbach(TM) alpha tests show strong reliability, validity and consistency of the SPH Survey(TM). ANOVA comparison of means and Spearman(TM) rho tests shows that higher (better) scores on the SPH Survey(TM) clusters correlate with lower numbers of patient injuries, lower reports of verbal and physical violence episodes, and lower staff injuries. Differences were detected between the units with Unit 2 scoring higher than Unit 1 in all SPH Survey(TM) clusters and scoring lower in staff and patient injuries and violence incidents. Although the analysis was limited by the small sample size, the study has created a sound basis for further investigation. Health care organizations, unions, government bodies, insurers, educational institutions, and researchers must continue to reduce patient handling risk for both health care workers and for patients. The SPH Survey(TM) is shown to be an easy way to reliably evaluate patient handling systems and workplace culture, target improvement initiatives, and continually monitor the level of patient handling risk in the workplace. Low-risk patient handling gives health care providers the means to focus on delivering high quality patient care, without endangering their own health and well-being.</p>

scholarly journals PREVALENCE OF LATENT TB INFECTION AMONG HEALTH CARE WORKERS, ALJAZEERA STATE TB CENTERS, SUDAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. 465-470
Author(s):  
Juhaina Abdulraiem AL Mosharaf ◽  
Adam Abdalla Mater
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Skin Test ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Treatment Center ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk

Health care workers (HCW) are at increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) from occupational exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The objective was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for LTBI among primary HCW in Aljazeera state Sudan. We conducted an analytical study, among HCW in TB treatment center using a structured questionnaire and an evaluated for LTBI using the tuberculin skin test among 367 HCW, the LTBI prevalence was 35.7%. (64.5%), We found that the following factors associated with LTBI in HCW were in age group 30-40 years was 63% ,75.2% of the participants didn't do the skin test for TB, and the high risk among the  lab technician represented 41.2%. Our study recommended implementation of sound TB infection control measures in all health care facilities with patients suspected of having infectious.

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 Development of an Objective Risk Stratification Tool to facilitate workplace assessments of healthcare workers when dealing with the CoViD-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
W David Strain ◽  
Janusz Jankowski ◽  
Angharad Davies ◽  
Peter MB English ◽  
Ellis Friedman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Risk Stratification ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
List Type ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Objective Risk ◽  
Risk Stratification Tool

SummaryHealthcare workers have a greater exposure to individuals with confirmed SARS-novel coronavirus 2, and thus a higher probability of contracting coronavirus disease (CoViD)-19, than the general population. Employers have a duty of care to minimise the risk for their employees. Several bodies including the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, NHS Employers, and Public Health England have published a requirement to perform risk assessments for all health care workers, however, with the absence of an objective risk stratification tool, comparing assessments between individuals is difficult if not impossible. Using published data, we explored the predictive role of basic demographics such as age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidities in order to establish an objective risk stratification tool that could help risk allocate duties to health care workers. We developed an objective risk stratification tool using a Caucasian female <50years of age with no comorbidities as a reference. Each point allocated to risk factors was associated with an approximate doubling in risk. This tool was then validated against the primary care-based analysis. This tool provides objective support for employers when determining which healthcare workers should be allocated to high-risk vs. lower risk patient facing clinical duties or to remote supportive roles.Strengths and limitations of this studyThere is an increased risk of mortality in the clinical workforce due to the effects of CoViD-19.This manuscript outlines a simple risk stratification tool that helps to quantify an individual’s biological riskThis will assist team leaders when allocating roles within clinical departments.This tool does not incorporate other external factors, such as high-risk household members or those at higher risk of mental health issues, that may require additional consideration when allocating clinical duties in an appropriate clinical domain.This population-based analysis did not explain for the very high risk observed in BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing. BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing.

scholarly journals Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk factors in health care workers

2020 ◽  
pp. 606-619
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Medical Doctors ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
The People ◽  
Reliable Assessment ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Gender Knowledge ◽  
Reporting Method

The COVID-19 pandemic verifies the preparation of medical care in individual countries in terms of the fluent of guaranteed medical services provided to the people in need. Due to the easy spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus when in direct contact with the patients, health care workers are at an increased risk of infection. Nurses and auxiliary staff, as well as medical doctors, were most frequently infected. The prevalence of infection depends on the adopted reporting method, including the diagnostic test used to recognize the infection, the nature of the work performed, but also on the gender, knowledge, and individual behavior of employees while performing their professional duties. It ranges from 5-30% depending on the country and the occupational group, and the highest rates were recorded in the initial phase of the pandemic. A review of the literature shows the lack of a uniform, transparent system of reporting infections in health care workers, which makes a reliable assessment of the epidemiological situation in this area difficult.

scholarly journals COVID-19: A 2020 update

2020 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 88-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nadir Bhuiyan ◽  
Ravindra Ganesh ◽  
Amit K. Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Global Health Care ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The 2019 COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the global health-care system into a chaotic flux. Consolidating and reviewing all available knowledge will be crucial to combating the spread of this novel coronavirus. Prevention is paramount, but health care workers are at increased risk, and protective supplies are being limited and being rationed. Common symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Hospitalizations are estimated to occur in about 20% of cases and are mostly due to pneumonia.[1] While multiple promising treatments are being reported in the medical literature; there is limited, reliable clinical data are available. To minimize exposure of medical staff to contagious patients and to provide rapid escalation of care to these patients, a telehealth strategy could be leveraged. Such a strategy would entail the use of both telemedicine visits for communication and digital health platforms for monitoring.

scholarly journals Community health care workers in South Africa are at increased risk for tuberculosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Kranzer ◽  
L-G Bekker ◽  
N Van Schaik ◽  
L Thebus ◽  
M Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Community Health Care ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Community Health Care Workers
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