scholarly journals SAFETY OF HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE FOR COVID-19 PROPHYLAXIS AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

2020 ◽  
pp. 55-57
Author(s):  
SANGEETA KHANNA ◽  
NITUL M BEWAL ◽  
AMIT ARORA ◽  
KRISHNA PRASAD G V
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Systemic Examination ◽  
Harmful Effects

Objective: Indian Council of Medical Research recommended hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for prophylaxis of COVID‐19 for healthcare workers and the Food and Drug Administration approved its use in the treatment and prophylaxis of COVID‐19 disease. Even though HCQ is adequately tolerated in usual circumstances, still questions about the harmful effects of the drug remain a cause for concern in adults treated with HCQ. The objective of this study was to evaluate the major and minor adverse effects of prophylactic HCQ for COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Methods: Our analysis was intended to analyze HCQ’s adverse drug reaction profile for COVID‐19 prophylaxis in prophylactic doses in health-care staff. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among healthcare workers taking HCQ prophylaxis for COVID‑19. The study was carried out over 08 weeks period from April to May 2020. The data were obtained regarding age, sex, comorbidities, and possible adverse effects. A pretested and validated online questionnaire was provided to the participants to assess the harmful effects that they experienced when taking HCQ. Furthermore, pre and post 8 weeks prophylaxis, individuals underwent general and systemic examination, along with ECG and blood sugar level monitoring. Results: The research group comprised 70 previously healthy and health-care staff. In 70 patients, 27 minor adverse effects were reported (18.9%). Headache was the most frequently reported symptoms followed by nausea and vomiting, itching, and skin rashes. There was no statistically relevant variation in harmful effects due to age or number of doses administered. However, none of the adverse effects was serious or debilitating. Conclusion: With adequate pre-prophylaxis evaluation, health education, and regular monitoring, HCQ prophylaxis is safe and devoid of any serious adverse effects in previously healthy individuals.

SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among the Health Care Staff of an Ophthalmological Reference Centre, a Cross Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Fátima Sofía Magaña-Guerrero ◽  
Diana Hinojosa Trujillo ◽  
Beatriz Buentello-Volante ◽  
José Eduardo Aguayo-Flores ◽  
Edgar Alonso Melgoza-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Reference Centre

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards COVID-19 among hospital staff of West Bengal during COVID-19 outbreak: A hospital based cross sectional study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Amitava Acharyya ◽  
Susmita Ghosh ◽  
Manas Ghosh ◽  
Kalyan Sarkar ◽  
Sonali Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Background: COVID-19 disease is a highly contagious and totally unknown disease which is caused by SARS-CoV-2. This disease spread throughout the world irrespective of social, economical and political variation. Health care staff are the frontline COVID-19 worrier and their understanding of this disease is very important. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 disease among the healthcare staff of a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal. Materials and Methods: An analytic cross-sectional study was conducted at Murshidabad Medical College, Murshidabad from 25th April, 2020 to 2nd May, 2020. A total of 214 health care staff (83 nurses, 75 doctors, 20 para-medical staff, 24 administrative staff, and 12 sweepers) participated in this questionnaire based KAP study. The questionnaire was prepared according to the World Health Organization’ on Corona virus disease (COVID-19) “advice for the public”. The Systematic random sampling procedure was employed for data collection. The data was analysed using T-test, ANOVA, chi-square test and regression model. The informed consent was taken from each participant. Result: Female (62%) participants were more than male (38%) participants. Mean age of the participants was 27.03±7.63 years. About the half participants were unmarried (55%) and studied up to bachelor’s degree (49%). The overall knowledge score found to be “medium level” with 77% reporting correct answers. The knowledge score was statistically different among age group, education level, marital status and occupational group of health care staff in this hospital by univariate analysis. The good attitudes and good practices were not related with knowledge score. The majority of the respondents (78%) had confidence on their attitude that “India can win the battle against COVID-19”. Only 86% participants wore masks while going out in the lock-down period and 79% participants had not visited any crowded place. Only 18% participants used traditional home remedies for flu like symptoms. In multivariate analysis, doctors were found with better knowledge score and attitude towards COVID-19 than other healthcare staff in this hospital. Conclusion: The two preventive practice (social isolation and mask use) and optimistic attitude towards COVID-19 of health care staff were not totally depended on COVID-19 related knowledge score. However, knowledge score was depended on marital status, educational background, age, occupation and place of residence. Government should emphasize more on COVID-19 related health education and health promotion programme at community level.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Burnout among Primary Health Care Staff and Its Predictors: A Study in Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 2249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zarei ◽  
Ahmadi ◽  
Sial ◽  
Hwang ◽  
Thu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Maslach Burnout Inventory ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
Communication Competencies

: Burnout, which is an emerging challenge in health systems, is very common among primary health care (PHC) workers. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of burnout among PHC workers, and its predictive factors, in a region in the west of Iran.In this cross-sectional study, all the health network staff (n = 539) were enrolled. The data collection instrument was the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which consists of 22 items and the three subscales of emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal achievement (PA). High scores in EE and DP and low scores in PA are indicative of high burnout. Logistic regression was used to determine the predictors of high burnout. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. The findings showed that 90.5% of the staff had high DP, 55.3% had high EE, and 98.9% had low PA scores. Also, 52.9% (277 people) of the staff suffered from high burnout. Single people (OR = 3.33), less experienced employees (OR = 9.09), people aged over 35 years (OR = 2.35), physicians (OR = 1.72), and staff with permanent employment (OR = 5.0) were more likely to suffer high levels of burnout. We conclude that burnout is a common problem in PHC workers. Less experienced, younger, single employees and physicians were more at risk of suffering from high burnout. Preventive measures, such as strengthening social skills, communication competencies, and coping strategies, and reduction of risk factors such as job stress, are suggested for reducing employees’ risk of burnout.

scholarly journals Awareness, attitude and practises of biomedical waste management amongst public health-care staff in Karnataka, India

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javeed Ahamed Golandaj ◽  
Karabasappa Gadigeppa Kallihal
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Enormous amount of biomedical wastes (BMW) produced everyday across the world. Management of BMW depends on adherence to protocol. BMW management at generation point, definitely, depends upon the awareness, attitudes and practises of health-care staff, the purpose of this study will assess the awareness, attitude and practise regarding different aspects of BMW. Design/methodology/approach An observational with appropriate checklists, and a cross-sectional study, involving questionnaires, was conducted during 7-24 January 2016. The existing system of BMW management, funds, resources, etc., knowledge, attitude and practises about BMW were assessed amongst 273 health-care workers in selected public health-care institutes of Karnataka. Findings Of 273 study participants, majority (54%) of them have not received any training pertaining to BMW. The results showed a poor level of knowledge and awareness of BMW management amongst health-care personnel. Merely, 43% of the participants correctly knew the categorization of BMW and its disposal in proper colour-coded bins/bags. Awareness is very poor amongst the lower age group, male participants, lab-technicians/pharmacists and supporting staff. Doctors were good at theoretical knowledge such as rules, legislation and public-health importance of BMW management than the practical aspects such as categorization and colour-coding. Further, the attitude of health-care staff is favourable about BMW. Immunization for hepatitis-B was very poor amongst waste handlers (43%). Originality/value As the awareness and practise regarding BMW management were poor across different health-care staff there is a need to conduct periodic training and regular monitoring with special focus on the proper use of personal protective equipment. Further, precautionary immunization should be provided, especially waste handlers and sanitary workers.

scholarly journals Slime layer formation and the prevalence of mecA and aap genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (01) ◽  
pp. 034-040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Reza Pourmand ◽  
Zahra Abdossamadi ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Salari ◽  
Mostafa Hosseini
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Staff ◽  
Health Care Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Slime Production ◽  
Slime Layer ◽  
Resistance Patterns ◽  
Hospital Acquired

Introduction: Staphylococcus epidermidis strains are frequently associated with catheter-related infection, acute bacteremia, and hospital-acquired infection. Some isolates produce an extracellular matrix called slime that may make them more resistant to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns, the prevalence of slime production, and the distribution of genes (mecA and aap, respectively) associated with these phenotypes in S. epidermidis nasal isolates from health-care personnel. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 163 nasal swabs from health-care staff (one swab per subject). S. epidermidis isolates were tested for slime production on congo red agar and antibiotic resistance. PCR-based screening for mecA and aap genes was performed upon the extracted DNA of S. epidermidis isolates. Results: A total of 99 S. epidermidis strains were cultured from 58.9% of the study participants (n = 96). Of these strains, 34 (34.3%) isolates produced slime. A significant relation between slime production and resistance to penicillin 32(94%) , oxacillin 30(88%),, tetracycline 20(59%), erythromycin 27(79%), and clindamycin 26(77%) was found. Respectively, 95.8% and 94.8% of all isolates were PCR-positive for mecA and aap, but only 59.8% of mecA+ strains were oxacillin-resistant and 37.3% of aap+ strains were slime producers. Conclusions: The surveillance of nasal colonization with slime-forming oxacillin-resistant S. epidermidis in health-care workers might be helpful in breaking the epidemiological chain of hospital-acquired infections.

scholarly journals A study on the knowledge, attitude & perspectives of final year students of bachelor of pharmacy programme in Malaysian Universities towards the implementation of the separation of drug prescribing & dispensing activity in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (SPL1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santhanathan S Rajendram ◽  
Muhamad Danial Muhamad Hamdan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
The Government ◽  
Care System

Dispensing separation in Malaysia has been a widely discussed topic among the medical fraternity. It is a highly sensitive topic as it involves both professional and economic considerations for doctors, pharmacists, and the general public. There has been no decision made thus far but the discussion is ongoing, making a study on this topic very relevant. The subjects of this study, final year students of Bachelor of Pharmacy Programme in Malaysian universities, are chosen to reflect their awareness, preparedness, and knowledge on dispensing separation, which will affect their future in the pharmacy profession. The study was conducted among all 20 Public and Private Institutions of Higher Learning recognized by the Pharmacy Board, Malaysia. This was a cross-sectional study design, and data was collected using a convenience sampling method. The research instrument was an online questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire covers the demographic information about the respondent, like name, age, gender, and institution. The second part covers the knowledge, awareness and perspectives of respondents towards the implementation of the separation of prescribing and dispensing activities in Malaysia. The final part of the survey focuses on suggestions or problems arising. There were 126 respondents to the survey, way above the 96 respondents needed to make the survey valid. The majority of them are aware of and understand the dispensing separation. Most of them agree that the government should legalize the dispensing separation activities as they believe pharmacists are more knowledgeable and better equipped to dispense drugs. The majority of them believe by implementing dispensing separation, the health care system will be better optimized, and the service will be better. They also believe that patients can accept and adapt to the role of the pharmacist in dispensing medication. The majority of them also agree that the price of medicine will be lowered by the implementation of dispensing separation. Based on the study, these students who are future pharmacists are very knowledgeable on the dispensing separation issue. They believe strongly that the implementation of dispensing separation in Malaysia will bring more beneficial changes to the health care system. The patients will also benefit from this. With such a positive attitude, the implementation of dispensing separation in Malaysia could be imminent  

scholarly journals Clinical evaluation of mark induced dermatitis on health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Sushma I. ◽  
Nivin Simon ◽  
A. J. S. Pravin ◽  
M. K. Padmaprasad ◽  
M. Vijayabharathi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Clinical Evaluation ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background: </strong>Mask induced dermatitis is common among health care workers now because of the obligatory use of facemask for a longer period during COVID-19, the clinical features vary. Very few studies could be conducted due to the COVID induced constraints. Studies regarding reactions to face masks in health workers published to date are limited and hence we decided to do this study. The objective of this study was to find out the clinical presentations of mask induced dermatitis due to long term use of facemask on healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> A cross sectional study was conducted among 40 healthcare workers attend our OPD with face mask for 6 months. After getting informed written consent clinical evaluation was made by history and dermatologic examination.<strong></strong></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Total 40 health care professionals between the age group of 21-50 years (17 females and 23 males) came to our OPD with complaints of itching and dryness with signs of erythema, scaling, papules for 6 months duration. Out of them, 15 (37.5%) patients had exacerbation of pre-existing dermatoses like atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, chronic urticaria, acne. 10 patients (25%) had irritant contact dermatitis 7 patients (17.5%) had sweat-induced dermatitis, 4 patients (10%) had dermatitis due to sponge strip at the nasal bridge, 4 patients (10%) had dermatitis due to vehement use of ear loop involving retroauricular region.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> This study showed that wearing face masks results in the development and aggravation of other skin diseases due to various causes. Itch can induce scratching and thus lead to inappropriate use of face masks, which could compromise their function.</p>

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Related to COVID-19 Among Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-sectional Study.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amina M. Al Marzouqi ◽  
Michael E. Otim ◽  
Heba H. Hijazi ◽  
Leena S. Kehail ◽  
Ramsha A. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Objectives: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global health pandemic that continues to have an impact on many aspects of everyday life. This study investigates the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 among healthcare workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This study uses a cross-sectional study design. The original data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via a Google Forms link. Participants were healthcare workers currently working in the UAE healthcare facilities and recruited using snowball sampling. The questionnaire collected information on demographic variables and COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practice.Results: In total, the sample of 107 healthcare workers completed the survey. About 92% of the participants worked in public institutions, 87% were from Dubai, and 673% were female. The majority were aged 31–40 years (34.6%), and 43% were radiographers. 66.4% held bachelor’s degrees and Indian nationalities were (28%) and the Philippinos were (28%). Most (90.7%) participants knew the absence of fever did not mean that the virus could not transmit from an infected person, and 84.1% agreed that wearing general medical masks prevented one from contracting COVID-19. However, only 36.4% strongly believed that wearing a well-fitting face mask was effective. In addition, only 15.9% reported confidently managing patients with symptoms of COVID-19, and 54.2% reported that they were afraid of contracting the virus from patients. Almost half of the participants avoided patients who had symptoms of COVID-19. Conclusion: Overall, healthcare workers’ COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices for healthcare workers in UAE healthcare facilities was very high. However, we found gaps in awareness regarding the spread of the pandemic. Our study recommends that providing healthcare workers with education programs and counseling services would help increase their confidence in treating patients with COVID-19.

scholarly journals Healthcare Workers Preparedness for COVID-19 Pandemic in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: A Cross-sectional Survey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osaid Alser ◽  
Heba Alghoul ◽  
Zahra Alkhateeb ◽  
Ayah Hamdan ◽  
Loai Albarqouni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Occupied Palestinian Territory ◽  
Governmental Institutions ◽  
Palestinian Territory

Abstract Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic threatens to overwhelm the capacity of a vulnerable healthcare system in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Sufficient training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in managing COVID-19 and the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential in allowing oPt to mount a credible response to the crisis.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated online questionnaire between March 30, 2020 and April 12, 2020. Primary outcomes were availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness in oPt for COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary outcome was regional and hospital differences in oPt in terms of availability of PPE and HCWs preparedness.Results: Of 138 respondents, only 38 HCWs (27.5%) always had access to facemasks and 15 (10.9%) for isolation gowns. Most HCWs did not find eye protection (n=128, 92.8%), N95 respirators (n=132, 95.7%), and face shields (n=127, 92%) always available. Compared to HCWs in West Bank, those in the Gaza Strip were significantly less likely to have access to alcohol sanitizers (p=0.03) and gloves (p <0.001). On average, governmental hospitals were significantly less likely to have all appropriate PPE than non-governmental institutions (p = 0.001). Only 16 (11.6%) surveyed felt confident in dealing with a potential COVID-19 case, 57 (41.3%) having received any COVID-19-related training, and 57 (41.3%) not having a local hospital protocol. Conclusion: HCWs in oPt are underprepared and severely lacking adequate PPE provision. The lack of PPE provision will exacerbate spread of COVID-19 and deepen the crisis, whilst putting HCWs at risk.

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