Black fungus or mucormycosis: a cross-sectional knowledge assessment among the Bangladeshi health care workers during COVID-19 pandemic

‘Black fungus’ or ‘Mucormycosis’ is an emerging public health concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rise of black fungus cases here in Bangladesh among the COVID-19 infected persons has been raised reasonable alarming conditions among health care workers along with the general people. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate black fungus knowledge of Bangladeshi health care workers aiming the issue could be managed readily by the health care systems. A cross-sectional study was carried out among the Bangladeshi health care workers from May 25, 2021, to June 5, 2021. As COVID-19 restriction existed countrywide, data were collected via a semi-structured online questionnaire by following convenient and snowball sampling methods. The main outcome variable of this study was the black fungus knowledge score; was measured by a six items’ questionnaire. The other studied variables included socio-demographic, workplace, COVID-19, and health-related information of the respondents. The t-test and one-way ANOVA test were performed to investigate the association between the black fungus knowledge score and the studied variables. This study found 422 responses from the health care workers of Bangladesh. Among the respondents, nearly half of them (45.26%) were doctors (n= 191); where the nurses (n=161) were 38.15%, and other health care workers (n=70) were 16.59%. This study found that the black fungus knowledge mean scores of health care workers were significantly associated with seniority (p=0.001), gender (p-value = 0.012), profession (p <0.001), death of friends and family members due to COVID-19 (p=0.049), and, etc. Moreover, the gender, income, job type, and marital status of the respondents were also found to be significantly associated with the mean scores of several items of the black fungus knowledge questionnaire. Proper knowledge of health care workers regarding any emerging public health issues is considered as a sine qua non-indicator of implementing the health care system readily. This study emphasized the black fungus knowledge of the health care workers along with other associated factors. The study's findings could help the policymakers to mitigate the mucormycosis and other infectious diseases emergencies in the post-COVID-19 situation, where the wave of the pandemic was surging continuously.

Download Full-text

KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF POSSIBLE AYURVEDIC, SIDDHA AND HOMEOPATHIC REGIMENS AGAINST NOVEL CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

International Journal of Ayurveda and Pharma Research ◽

10.47070/ijapr.v9i3.1792 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 48-54

Author(s):

Premnath Parvathy ◽

V S. Aiswariya ◽

P. Abinaya ◽

Thomas Aiswarya ◽

B. Hariharasudan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

P Value ◽

Main Stream ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Corona Virus ◽

Care Workers ◽

Knowledge And Practice

Background: In the light of the pandemic COVID 19, world’s attention has turned to the immune system and body’s defense force. Identification of the level of epidemic preparedness and understanding of Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Siddha regimens among health care workers is required to utilize their services in main stream health care effectively. Aim: The aim of this study to access the knowledge and practices of possible Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Siddha regimens during novel corona virus pandemic. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken among the health care workers with the help of 15 close ended questions. The one out of six-knowledge question were scored and analysed to identify differences with sociodemographic variables (age and occupation). Response to the three out of five questions on practices were analysed to Identify the differences, differing significantly in both knowledge and practice score. Result: Out of 286 responses, knowledge score significantly differed with age (P-value 0.04) and occupation (P-value 0.01). Practice scores significantly differed with age (P-value 0.01) and occupation (P-value 0.00). Our study shows that 70% of study population is aware of the medicinal properties of Neem, Tulsi and Ashwagandha against COVID 19 and 65% strongly believes the immune boosting effect of Vitamin C and 77% include citrus fruits in their diet. Conclusion: Adopting prophylactic and therapeutic strategies on the basis of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Siddha are useful to the mankind in fighting against the COVID 19.

Download Full-text

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.

Download Full-text

Knowledge, Practice, and Perception of Barriers Regarding COVID‑19 among Egyptian Health care Workers

10.51429/ejmm30321 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 163-171

Author(s):

Mohamed A. Sakr ◽

Asmaa Y. Sharfeldin, ◽

Ayman A. Sakr ◽

Zeinab A. Kasemy

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Social Networking Sites ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Good Practice ◽

Care Facility ◽

Attitude Score ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was characterized as the etiology for a cluster of pneumonia cases that spread rapidly, causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. By April 2021, more than 2,996,791 deaths were reported globally. Proper updated infection control protocol for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) must be provided to every health care facility. Objectives: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, perception of barriers, and practices among Egyptian health care workers (HCWs) regarding COVID-19 disease. Methodology: A cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire through a link shared on social networking sites was conducted on 480 HCWs from different regions in Egypt. Results: This assessment included a sample of 480 HCWs. The total knowledge score was (19.95±2.4). Satisfactory knowledge was reported among 60%. Total attitude score was (18.1±3.7) with positive attitude being reported among 23.3%. Total practice score was (10.6±1.1) and good practice was reported among 89.2%. Conclusion: There were satisfactory knowledge and practice with a low positive attitude regarding COVID19 which requires more efforts to improve precautionary measures and training programs in hospitals.

Download Full-text

Needle Stick Injuries among Health Care Workers in AL-Madinah AL-Munawara Governmental Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Global Journal of Health Science ◽

10.5539/gjhs.v13n11p35 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 35

Author(s):

Omar Audah Albeladi ◽

Sami saeed Almudaraa ◽

Asma Awwad Alqusibri ◽

Nader Moneer Alqerafi ◽

Yazeed Saeed Alsenani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Average Score ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Needle Stick ◽

Care Workers ◽

Needle Stick Injuries

BACKGROUND: Needle stick injuries are a dangerous occupational hazard that threatens health care workers with serious consequences in many cases. Because of inadequate reporting of these incidents, the true magnitude of the problem is unknown. The study’s aim was to investigate the epidemiology of needle stick injuries (NSIs) among health care workers in Al Madinah Al Munawara, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A representative sample of health care workers (n=268) were randomly selected from emergency departments of three general hospitals in Al Madinah Al Munawara for a cross-sectional study, and 219 responded to a predesigned questionnaire reflecting exposure to NSI, reporting, post-exposure reactions, and knowledge about NSIs. RESULTS: Almost one third of the participating medical professionals 70 (32%) had been exposed to stick injury during work. One half of the needles (52.9%) were blood stained. Nurses are significantly more likely to have stick injury (38.6%) followed by physicians (30.4%) if compared to laboratory technicians (13.9%) at the p-value of less than 0.05. The main purposes during injuries were drawing blood sample 33 (47.1%), injection 31 (44.3%) and suturing 23 (32.9%). Almost all injured personnel (97.1%) cleaned the injury site immediately and thoroughly. Out of the injured personnel, 50 (71.4%) reported the incident to authorities. A significantly higher proportion of physicians (91.3%) achieved above average score if compared to both lab technicians (72.2%) and nurses (76.3%) at the p-value of less than 0.05. CONCLUSION: Occupational needle stick injuries are fairly common among health care workers at Al Madinah Al Munawara’s governmental hospitals. In hospitals, deliberate efforts should be made to ensure adherence to safety guidelines governing needle stick injuries.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 Fear Among Health Care Workers (HCW) and Non-HCW in IGMC, Shimla: An Online Questionnaire-Based Prospective Study

Recent Advances in Biology and Medicine ◽

10.18639/rabm.2021.1520804 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Girish K Sharma ◽

Pamposh Raina ◽

Kailash C Barwal ◽

Manjeet Kumar ◽

Vineet Kumar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Care Professionals ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Web Based ◽

Care Workers ◽

Fear And Anxiety

The unremitting COVID-19 pandemic is evoking anxiety, fear, panic, and socio-occupational stress among human population all around the globe. This cross-sectional study was planned to assess the fear and anxiety because of COVID-19 pandemic among health care professionals, patients, and general public in IGMC, Shimla. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted in month of December 2020. COVID-19 fear questionnaire was used to assess fear among participants. A total of 162 responses were received. Ninety-five (41.35%) respondents were males and 67(58.64%) were females. Average total score of COVID-19 fear based on questionnaire was 17.71 among the participants. The majority of respondents 67(41.4%) were afraid of COVID-19, 53(32.7%) were neutral, whereas 42 (25.9%) were not afraid of COVID-19. Sixty-two (38.3%) responders were uncomfortable thinking about COVID-19, whereas, 67(41.4%) were not uncomfortable. Only 22 (13.6%) participants felt their hands clammy when they thought of COVID-19, 78 (48.15%) respondents were afraid of losing their life, 78 (48.15%) respondents disagreed with the question of being nervous or anxious to hear news and stories of COVID-19. Thirteen (8%) participants were informed of sleeplessness, and 22 (13.5%) reported palpitations due to COVID-19 fear. COVID-19 fear was evident in 65.15% of all males and 55.8% of all females’ respondents, respectively. Seventy percent of participants of age more than 40 years were afraid of COVID-19, whereas only 54.83% participants of less than 40 years had COVID-19 fear. COVID-19 fear was more evident among non-HCW (74.42%) as compared to HCW in whom it was seen in 53.03% participants. Rampaging Pandemic has ingrained fear and anxiety among non-HCW as well as health care workers. But undeterred by COVID-19 fear, majority of participants didn’t fear death and didn’t have other effects of fear. Despite (can be used) surging pandemic when fear of COVID-19 is soaring, HCW and non-HCW could work, think, and live.

Download Full-text

Analysis of COVID-19 Prevention Practices on Health Care Workers in Three Hospitals in Palembang

Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan Masyarakat ◽

10.26553/jikm.2021.12.3.205-216 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 205-216

Author(s):

Tamarakha Yumna ◽

Nur Alam Fajar ◽

Rico Januar Sitorus

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Influencing Factor ◽

Good Practice ◽

Negative Attitude ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Care Workers

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global concern. In this case, Health Care Workers (HCW) are at the front lines in dealing with the pandemic as they provide diagnosis, care, and treatment. However, their duties have directly placed them at the most at risk of infection. Mitigation and risk reduction are crucial for safeguarding HCWs' health as it prevents the spread of COVID-19. This research aimed to find out the practice of COVID-19 prevention and the correlation among practice and knowledge, attitudes, and personality traits of HCW in Palembang. A cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2021 on 255 HCW who have direct contact with patients. The number of respondents per hospital is taken proportionally according to the portion of HCW in each selected hospital. The instrument consisted of demographic variables, knowledge, attitudes, and practices. It proves that it is reliable with Cronbach's alpha value of 0.7. The researchers used descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression. Overall, 65.2% of participants had good knowledge, 60% had a positive attitude, and 53.3% had good practice. Education (p-value 0.022) and attitude (p-value 0.000) of HCW were all influencing factor in practice. HCW who have a negative attitude are 5.413 times more to have bad practices than those who have a positive attitude (p-value<0.001;PR=5.413). However, training for HCW and further research are recommended to analyze the availability of personal protective equipment, adequate facilities, hospital policies, or other factors that can influence and motivate the practice of HCW.

Download Full-text

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Related to COVID-19 Prevention among Health Care Workers in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health ◽

10.9734/ijtdh/2020/v41i2330417 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 44-61

Author(s):

Oche M. Oche ◽

Habibullah Adamu ◽

Musa Yahaya ◽

Ismail A. Raji ◽

Hudu Garba Illo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Workforce ◽

Work Experience ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

P Value ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Care Workers ◽

Appropriate Practices

Aims: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices related to coronavirus pandemic among health care workers in Sokoto metropolis of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Study Design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Sokoto metropolis, northwest Nigeria between July and October 2020 Methodology: Four hundred and twenty-seven respondents were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected manually using a self-administered questionnaire entered into the computer for analysis using IBM SPSS version 25 for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and frequencies of the various variables were tabulated. Results: The mean age was 35.16+- 9.25 years, with those aged 30-39 years constituting 38% of the respondents. There were 53.2% males, 47.3% nurses, and 27.2% doctors, and 71.6% of the respondents were from tertiary health institutions, out of which 42% had 1-5 years of work experience. Up to 99% were aware of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), and overall, 78.2% had good knowledge, and 91% of all the respondents had positive attitudes towards the pandemic (p-value 0.001). Overall, 68.4% of the health workforce had appropriate practices towards preventing COVID-19, and 83% were willing to be posted to isolation centers with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE). Conclusion: The study demonstrated significant awareness and knowledge of COVID-19 amongst the health workforce in Sokoto with significant positive attitudes towards the pandemic and appropriate practices towards preventing the pandemic and willingness to work in isolation centers to support the prevention of the pandemic.

Download Full-text

Workplace Violence in the Health Sector in Turkey: A National Study

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260515591976 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (15) ◽

pp. 2345-2365 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Tevfik Pinar ◽

Cengizhan Acikel ◽

Gul Pinar ◽

Erdem Karabulut ◽

Meral Saygun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Workplace Violence ◽

World Health ◽

Health Concern ◽

National Study ◽

Cluster Sampling ◽

International Labor Organization ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Care Workers

Violence in the workplace is an increasing occupational health concern worldwide. Health care workers are at high risk of assault. To develop, monitor, and manage prevention policies, baseline data should be available. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the current extent of workplace violence nationwide in Turkey. The study population of 12.944 health care workers was a stratified sample of all health care workers (612,639) in the country. A probabilistic sampling was made on the basis of the “multistage stratified random cluster sampling method.” This study was conducted by a structured questionnaire in a face-to-face interview. The questionnaire items were adapted and translated into Turkish based on questionnaires of International Labor Organization, International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization, and Public Services International. The percentage of health care workers who experienced workplace violence in Turkey in the previous 12 months was 44.7%. The types of violence included physical 6.8%, verbal 43.2%, mobbing (bullying) 2.4%, and sexual harassment 1%. Multivariate analysis showed that level of health care system, type of institution, gender, occupation, age, working hours, and shift work were independent risk factors for experiencing workplace violence ( p < .05). Our study indicates that the workplace violence among health care workers is a significant problem. The results of the study can serve as the basis for future analytical studies and for development of appropriate prevention efforts.

Download Full-text

COVID-19 vaccination and breakthrough infections among healthcare workers: an online survey

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20214284 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 5435

Author(s):

Ramesh Masthi ◽

Gowri Hebbar

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Online Survey ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Appropriate Behavior ◽

Frontline Workers ◽

Care Workers

Background: COVID-19 vaccinations were started in India among health care workers in January, 2021. These vaccinations provide protective immunity against the infection but may not completely exclude the possibility of contracting the infection. The objective was to assess the risk of contracting COVID-19 disease following vaccination; to describe the adherence to COVID appropriate behavior by vaccinated individuals.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. The subjects selected were health care workers, medical students and other frontline workers. The sample size was 393. The risk of COVID-19 following vaccination was assessed against various factors like age, type of vaccination, status of vaccination, pre-existing comorbidities etc.Results: Out of the 393 vaccinated subjects, 57 (14.5%) acquired COVID-19 breakthrough infection. Majority of these individuals (75.4%) experienced mild symptoms. All vaccinated individuals were protected from severe COVID-19 disease. Most vaccinated individuals continued to strictly adhere to COVID appropriate behavior i.e., masks (97.0% and 98.0%), sanitized hands (93.0% and 98.0%) and maintain social distanced (91.6% and 86%) in both fully and partially vaccinated groups following vaccination.Conclusions: One tenth of the subjects were infected with COVID-19 following vaccination. Most experienced mild symptoms and risk of severe disease was significantly reduced. There was no significant association between the type of vaccine administered and risk of infection.

Download Full-text

PENGARUH PERSEPSI TENTANG IDENTITAS PROFESI TERHADAP SIKAP INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION TENAGA KESEHATAN DI PUSKESMAS

Smart Medical Journal ◽

10.13057/smj.v2i2.35199 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 104

Author(s):

ETI PONCORINI PAMUNGKASARI ◽

SRI ANGGRAINI PARWATININGSIH

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Professional Identity ◽

Health Center ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Interprofessional Collaboration ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public Health Center ◽

Care Workers

ABSTRAKPendahuluan: Kolaborasi tenaga medis merupakan hal yang penting dalam mengupayakan peningkatan kualitas pelayanan kesehatan. WHO menyampaikan bahwa kolaborasi akan memperkuat sistem kesehatan. Studi tentang kolaborasi tenaga medis di Indonesia terutama tentang tenaga medis Puskesmas masih sangat terbatas.Metode: Studi ini merupakan bagian dari pengabdian masyarakat, dengan pendekatan cross sectional. Lokasi yang digunakan adalah Puskesmas Banyuanyar dan Puskesmas Kratonan, mewakili Puskesmas di kawasan pedesaan dan perkotaan. Tenaga kesehatan yang mengikuti kegiatan ini sebanyak 37 orang. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah kuesioner persepsi tentang identitas profesi, dan kuesioner sikap tentang interprofessional collaboration. Data yang didapatkan dianalisis statistik dengan uji regresi linier ganda.Hasil: Setiap peningkatan satu skor persepsi tentang identitas profesi akan meningkatkan sikap interprofessional collaboration sebesar 1,07; dan signifikan secara statistik (p = 0,001), setiap peningkatan satu tahun lama kerja akan menurunkan sikap interprofessional collaboration, namun tidak signifikan secara statistik (p=0,31). Persepsi tentang identitas profesi dan lama kerja bersama-sama mempengaruhi sikap interprofessional collaboration sebesar 31 %, sisanya sebesar 69 % dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain yang tidak diteliti, model regresi ganda fit dengan p=0,001.Kesimpulan: Persepsi tenaga kesehatan tentang identitas profesi mempengaruhi sikap tentang identitas profesi. Perlu memperkuat persepsi tenaga kesehatan tentang identitas profesi.Kata Kunci: kolaborasi; puskesmas; tenaga medis; identitas profesi ABSTRACTIntroduction: Collaboration of health care workers is important in order to improve the quality of health services. WHO states that collaboration will strengthen the health system. Studies on collaboration of health care workers in Indonesia, especially on public health center workers, are still very limited.Methods: This study was part of community service, with a cross sectional study approach. The locations used are Puskesmas Banyuanyar and Puskesmas Kratonan, representing public health center in rural and urban areas. There were 37 health workers who participated in this activity. The instrument used was a perception of professional identity, and attitudes about interprofessional collaboration. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using the multiple linear regression.Results: Every increase of one perception score about professional identity would increase interprofessional collaboration attitude by 1.07, statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001), every increase of one year of work would decrease interprofessional collaboration attitude, but not statistically significant (p = - 0.31). Perceptions of professional identity and length of work together affect interprofessional collaboration attitude by 31%, the remaining 69% is influenced by other factors not examined, the multiple fit regression model with p = 0.001.Conclusion: Health workers' perceptions about professional identity influence attitudes about professional identity. There is a need to strengthen the perception of health workers about professional identity. Keywords: collaboration; public health center; health care workers; professional identity

Download Full-text