scholarly journals Evaluating the Need for Routine COVID-19 Testing of Emergency Department Staff: Quantitative Analysis

10.2196/20260 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. e20260
Author(s):  
Yuemei Zhang ◽  
Sheng-Ru Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Emergency Department Staff ◽  
Department Staff ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

Background As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase and hospitals experience shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), health care workers have been disproportionately affected. However, since COVID-19 testing is now easily available, there is a need to evaluate whether routine testing should be performed for asymptomatic health care workers. Objective This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of the predicted impact that regular testing of health care workers for COVID-19 may have on the prevention of the disease among emergency department patients and staff. Methods Using publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we developed a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic staff members of the emergency department in COVID-19–affected regions. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and developed a Markov model based on the average incubation period for COVID-19. Results Our model predicts that after 180 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections/person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of health care workers would reduce new health care worker and patient infections by approximately 3%-5.9%, and biweekly testing would reduce infections in both by 1%-2.1%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections/person2, weekly testing would reduce infections by 11%-23% and biweekly testing would reduce infections by 5.5%-13%. At a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections/person2, weekly and biweekly COVID-19 testing for health care workers would result in an approximately 1% and 0.5%-0.8% reduction in infections, respectively. Conclusions Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily affected by COVID-19 or are facing resource constraints may significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission among health care workers and previously uninfected patients.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Need for Routine COVID-19 Testing of Emergency Department Staff: Quantitative Analysis (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuemei Zhang ◽  
Sheng-Ru Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Emergency Department Staff ◽  
Department Staff ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase and hospitals experience shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), health care workers have been disproportionately affected. However, since COVID-19 testing is now easily available, there is a need to evaluate whether routine testing should be performed for asymptomatic health care workers. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of the predicted impact that regular testing of health care workers for COVID-19 may have on the prevention of the disease among emergency department patients and staff. METHODS Using publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we developed a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic staff members of the emergency department in COVID-19–affected regions. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and developed a Markov model based on the average incubation period for COVID-19. RESULTS Our model predicts that after 180 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections/person<sup>2</sup>, weekly COVID-19 testing of health care workers would reduce new health care worker and patient infections by approximately 3%-5.9%, and biweekly testing would reduce infections in both by 1%-2.1%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections/person<sup>2</sup>, weekly testing would reduce infections by 11%-23% and biweekly testing would reduce infections by 5.5%-13%. At a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections/person<sup>2</sup>, weekly and biweekly COVID-19 testing for health care workers would result in an approximately 1% and 0.5%-0.8% reduction in infections, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily affected by COVID-19 or are facing resource constraints may significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission among health care workers and previously uninfected patients.

scholarly journals Periodic COVID-19 Testing in Emergency Department Staff

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuemei Zhang ◽  
Sheng-Ru Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Emergency Department Staff ◽  
Department Staff ◽  
The Us ◽  
Lower Transmission ◽  
Hospital Staffing ◽  
The Impact

Background: As the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to rise and hospitals are experiencing personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, healthcare workers have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 infection. Since COVID-19 testing is now available, some have raised the question of whether we should be routinely testing asymptomatic healthcare workers. Methods: Using publicly available data on COVID-19 infections and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we generated a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing in asymptomatic members of the emergency department staff in regions affected by COVID-19 infection. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and we created a Markov model according to average COVID-19 incubation time. Results: Our model predicts that after 30 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections per person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of healthcare workers (HCW) would reduce new HCW and patient infections by 5.1% and bi-weekly testing would reduce both by 2.3%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections per person,2 weekly testing would reduce infections by 21.1% and bi-weekly testing would reduce infections by 9.7-9.8%. For a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections per person2, weekly and biweekly HCW testing would result in a 1.54% and 0.7% reduction in infections respectively. Conclusion: Periodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily-affected by COVID-19 and/or facing resource constraints may reduce COVID-19 transmission significantly among healthcare workers and previously-uninfected patients.

scholarly journals Influenza vaccination rate among emergency department personnel: a survey of four teaching hospitals

CJEM ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (01) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inderpal Saluja ◽  
Karl D. Theakston ◽  
Janusz Kaczorowski
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Teaching Hospitals ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Emergency Department Staff ◽  
Department Staff ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Increased Risk

ABSTRACT Objectives: To determine influenza vaccination rates and attitudes toward vaccination among emergency department health care workers at 4 Ontario teaching hospitals. Methods: During the influenza season of 1999–2000 a confidential 28-item survey was distributed to emergency physicians and residents, nurses, respiratory therapists, and other allied health care workers at the emergency departments of 4 London, Ontario teaching hospitals. Results: Of 426 surveys distributed, 343 were returned, for an overall response rate of 80.5%. The mean age of respondents was 38.5 years (standard deviation = 8.3), 74.3% were female, and 86.6% were non-smokers. The overall vaccination rate was 37.0% (95% confidence interval, 31.9%–42.4%). Vaccination rates were 45.9% for respiratory therapists, 35.3% for emergency physicians and residents, 34.5% for nurses and 27.1% for other allied health care workers (p = 0.083). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age ≥41 and a chronic medical condition were positively associated with influenza vaccination (p &lt; 0.05). Close to one-third of respondents (28.3%) believed that adverse affects were common, 51.6% believed vaccination was effective, 52% would support a program to improve vaccination rates among emergency department staff, and 24.4% would support mandatory vaccination for this population. Only 26.8% believed that patients were at increased risk of contracting influenza from emergency department staff, but 58.3% perceived that emergency department staff were at increased risk of contracting influenza through exposure to patients. Conclusions: In this study, only 37% of emergency department health care workers were immunized against influenza, with chronic illness and older age being the only 2 significant correlates. Strategies to improve emergency department health care worker attitudes toward influenza vaccination for themselves and to increase vaccination rates for this population should be developed.

scholarly journals The impact of a sterile processing program in Northwest Tanzania: a mixed-methods study

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olive Fast ◽  
Faith-Michael Uzoka ◽  
Alexander Cuncannon ◽  
Christina Fast ◽  
Aliyah Dosani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Sterile Processing ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Inadequate training of health care workers responsible for the sterilization of surgical instruments in low- and middle-income countries compromises the safety of workers and patients alike. Methods A mixed methods research study was initiated in the Lake Zone areas of Northwestern Tanzania in the summer of 2018. The goal was to identify the impact of education and training on sterile processing practices at ten hospitals. Quantitative data analyzed included hospital assessments of sterile processing practices prior to and 4 months after training, as well as participant test scores collected at the beginning of training, after 5 days of classes, and 4 months after mentorship was completed. Thematic analysis of interviews with participants 4 months post-training was completed to identify associated impact of training. Results Improvement in test scores were found to be directly related to sterile processing training. The greatest sterile processing practice changes identified through hospital assessments involved how instruments were cleaned, both at point of use and during the cleaning process, resulting in rusted and discoloured instruments appearing as new again. Themes identified in participant interviews included: changes in practice, challenges in implementing practice changes, resource constraints, personal and professional growth, and increased motivation, confidence and responsibility. Conclusions Providing education and follow up support for workers in sterile processing resulted in increased knowledge of best practices, application of knowledge in practice settings, and awareness of issues that need to be overcome to decrease risks for patients and health care workers alike. Further research is needed to identify the impact of mentorship on hospital sterile processing practices in order to provide clear direction for future spending on training courses.

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

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 .

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

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.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Australasian emergency department staff of the impact of alcohol‐related presentations

2016 ◽  
Vol 204 (4) ◽  
pp. 155-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Egerton‐Warburton ◽  
Andrew Gosbell ◽  
Angela Wadsworth ◽  
Katie Moore ◽  
Drew B Richardson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Department Staff ◽  
Department Staff ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Smoking behavior and beliefs about the impact of smoking on anti-tuberculosis treatment among health care workers

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1049-1055 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Magee ◽  
L. Darchia ◽  
M. Kipiani ◽  
T. Chakhaia ◽  
R. R. Kempker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Tuberculosis Treatment ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals The experience of European hospital-based health care workers on following infection prevention and control procedures for COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise van Hout ◽  
Paul Hutchinson ◽  
Marta Wanat ◽  
Caitlin Pilbeam ◽  
Herman Goossens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Infection Prevention And Control ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackgroundWorking under pandemic conditions exposes health care workers (HCWs) to infection risk and psychological strain. Protecting the physical and psychological health of HCWs is a key priority. This study assessed the perceptions of European hospital HCWs of local infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on their emotional wellbeing.MethodsWe performed two rounds of an international cross-sectional survey, between 31 March and 17 April 2020 via existing research networks (round 1), and between 14 May and 31 August 2020 via online convenience sampling (round 2). Main outcome measures were (1) behavioural determinants of HCW adherence with IPC procedures, (2) WHO-5 Well-Being Index, a validated scale of 0-100 reflecting emotional wellbeing. The WHO-5 was interpreted as a score below or above 50 points, a cut-off score used in previous literature to screen for depression.Results2,289 HCWs (round 1: n=190, round 2: n=2,099) from 40 countries in Europe participated. Mean age of respondents was 42 (±11) years, 66% were female, 47% and 39% were medical doctors and nurses, respectively. 74% (n=1699) of HCWs were directly treating patients with COVID-19, of which 32% (n=527) reported they were fearful of caring for these patients. HCWs reported high levels of concern about COVID-19 infection risk to themselves (71%) and their family (82%) as a result of their job. 40% of HCWs considered that getting infected with COVID-19 was not within their control. This was more common among junior than senior HCWs (46% versus 38%, P value <.01). Sufficient COVID-19-specific IPC training, confidence in PPE use and institutional trust were positively associated with the feeling that becoming infected with COVID-19 was within their control. Female HCWs were more likely than males to report a WHO-5 score below 50 points (aOR 1.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-1.8).ConclusionsIn Europe, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a differential impact on those providing direct COVID-19 patient care, junior staff and women. Health facilities must be aware of these differential impacts, build trust and provide tailored support for this vital workforce during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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