The Grim Reality of Health System Uncovered with COVID-19 Pandemic in Nepal

With advent of community transmission of COVID-19 in Nepal, the number of cases continues to rise and poses threat to the fragile health system of our country. ‘Trace, isolate, test and treat’ is the strategy advocated by World Health Organization to fight against COVID-19. Despite the efforts for last nine months, Nepal lacks in some aspect of this strategy. Lack of prompt testing facilities and substandard quarantine and isolation centers, have led to mismanagement of cases. The panic regarding COVID-19, lack of adequate protective measures to healthcare workers in early stage of the pandemic, and nation-wise lockdown, has led to collateral damage in the form of increased morbidity and mortality due to non-COVID related illnesses. COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered the grim reality of the debilitated health system of our country. With mass influx of Nepali migrant workers, the epidemic is expected to grow exponentially. We need to understand that the health system of Nepal must be prepared to function to its maximum capacity in the coming days. Keywords: COVID-19; health; Nepal; pandemic

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The Utilization of Protective Face Masks among Polish Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic: Do We Pass the Exam?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18020841 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 841

Author(s):

Radomir Reszke ◽

Łukasz Matusiak ◽

Piotr K. Krajewski ◽

Marta Szepietowska ◽

Rafał Białynicki-Birula ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Medical Profession ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Internet Survey ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Who Criteria ◽

The Face ◽

Health Organization

Relevant personal protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic include face masks, possibly decreasing the risk of infection among the general population and healthcare workers (HCW) if utilized properly. The aim of the study was to assess whether different Polish HCW utilize face masks according to the 2020 World Health Organization guidance (WHO) criteria. This cross-sectional study included 1156 respondents who participated in an internet survey evaluating mask-related behaviors. All the WHO criteria were complied with by 1.4% of participants, regardless of medical profession, specialty or place of employment. HCW mostly adhered to criterion 1 (C1; strict covering of the face and mouth with the mask; 90.8%), C4 (washing/disinfecting the hands after touching/taking off the mask; 49%) and C3 (taking off the mask properly without touching the anterior surface; 43.4%), whereas C2 (avoidance of touching the mask with hands) was complied with least commonly (6.8%). HCW with mask-induced itch (31.6%) complied to C2 less often (odds ratio 0.53; p = 0.01). The study reveals that Polish HCW rarely adhere to all the 2020 WHO guidance criteria on the use of masks, whereas the adherence to particular criteria is variable and may be associated with the presence of skin-related conditions and other factors. Better compliance with the recommendations in the future is necessary to increase personal safety of HCW and prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

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Role of Personal Protective Measures in Prevention of COVID-19 Spread Among Physicians in Bangladesh: a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Comparative Study

SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine ◽

10.1007/s42399-020-00471-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (10) ◽

pp. 1733-1739 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Md. Musab Khalil ◽

Md Mashiul Alam ◽

Mostafa Kamal Arefin ◽

Mamunur Rashid Chowdhury ◽

Muhammad Rezeul Huq ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Study ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Baseline Information ◽

Health Organization ◽

Risk Assessment And Management

Abstract This study aims to determine the role of personal protective measures in the prevention of COVID-19 spread among the physicians working at different health facilities in Bangladesh. This hospital-based cross-sectional comparative study was conducted from May to June 2020. A total of 98 COVID-19 positive physicians and 92 COVID-19 negative physicians (physicians with no symptoms of COVID-19 or who tested negative) were enrolled. The questionnaire was adapted from a tool developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for risk assessment and management of exposure of healthcare workers in the context of COVID-19. Data were collected from the respondents online using Google forms. There was no significant difference in baseline information between COVID-19 positive and COVID-19 negative physicians. The physicians, who were unaware of direct participation in COVID-19 patient care, had higher odds of being COVID-19 positive (OR = 4.018; CI: 1.532–10.535). Additionally, the physicians, who were unaware of the COVID-19 status while performing the aerosol-generated procedure (AGP), had a higher chance of being COVID-19 positive (OR = 2.522; CI: 1.020–6.233). Using face shields/goggles (OR = 0.437; CI:0.228–0.837) and regular decontamination of the patient’s surroundings (OR = 0.392; CI:0.176–0.873) while usual take care of patients and use of N95 masks while performing AGP (OR = 0.372; CI:0.159–0.873) had protective roles against COVID-19 among the physicians. The physicians who had reused the medical gown had two times more chances of being tested positive for COVID-19 than those who had not reused it (OR = 2.3; CI:1.251–4.259). The use of face shields/goggles and N95 masks and decontamination of the patient’s surroundings may give protection against COVID-19. Additionally, reusing medical gowns should be avoided as much as possible.

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SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in a Dental Practice in Spain: After the Outbreak

International Journal of Dentistry ◽

10.1155/2020/8828616 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-4 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shashi Dadlani

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Dental Practice ◽

Health Ministry ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Dental Practices ◽

Health Organization ◽

Spanish Health ◽

Dental Professionals

The World Health Organization declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, due to a virus named SARS-CoV-2 discovered in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Many countries have been hit hard including Spain, with the highest number of healthcare workers being infected (>50,000). A lack of personal protective equipment and protocols at the time of the outbreak led to many fatalities. Although few of these healthcare workers are dental professionals, this community required protective measures as well. Fortunately, there are no reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in dental practices. Dental professionals were advised only to treat dental emergencies, and such cases were screened via telephone to maintain social distancing. Nevertheless, new protocols and measures are needed as dental professionals return to normal practice after weeks of confinement in many countries. Relatively, few articles have discussed the management of dental practice during the SARS-CoV-2 with no known articles on postpandemic outbreak guidelines. Though some protocols and measures are the same, there are also many differences. Here, we describe protocols and measures for dental practice in Spain in accordance with the Spanish Health Ministry.

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Covid-19, Anxiety, and Hopelessness: Quality of Life among Healthcare Workers in Turkey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-501343/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Selda MERT ◽

Ayfer PEKER KARATOPRAK ◽

Yeliz DEMİRHAN ◽

Canan BAYDEMİR ◽

Berrin ÇETİNARSLAN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

World Health Organization Quality ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Health Related ◽

Health Organization

Abstract Object: To investigate the effect of anxiety and hopelessness on the quality of life of healthcare workers.Methods: This cross-sectional, online questionnaire-based study was conducted between August 31 - September 30, 2020, with 729 healthcare workers in Turkey. The Sociodemographic Information Form, the Turkish version of the Shorter Version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF-TR), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I) and the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) were used for data collection.Results: The study showed that hopelessness, the weekly working time, fatigue, and the workload experienced by healthcare workers negatively affected their quality of life, and those who needed knowledge on various issues to improve their skills had lower quality of life and higher anxiety and hopelessness levels. Conclusion: Protective measures should be taken for the health of healthcare workers against the adverse effects of the intense anxiety, hopelessness, and workload during the pandemic period. To achieve sustainable success in the provision of health services, healthcare workers must be psychologically healthy. Therefore, taking protective measures to improve the resilience of healthcare workers in all health-related areas should be a priority.

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viewpoint TIME TO RESTART: PROTOCOL OF RESUMPTION OF ACTIVITIES OF A DERMATOLOGICAL CLINIC OF A LEVEL II HOSPITAL IN THE COVID-19 ERA. (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.20732 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Federico Diotallevi ◽

Anna Campanati ◽

Giulia Radi ◽

Oriana Simonetti ◽

Emanuela Martina ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

New Wave ◽

Staff Members ◽

Level Ii ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization ◽

Spread Of Infection ◽

Hospital Wards ◽

Medical And Healthcare

UNSTRUCTURED Two months have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus, on March 11, 2020. Medical and healthcare workers have continued to be on the frontline to defeat this disease, however, continual changes are being made to their working habits which are proving to be difficult. Since the beginning of the pandemic, a major reorganisation of all hospital wards, including dermatological wards, has been carried out in order to make medical and nursing staff available in COVID wards and to prevent the spread of infection. These strategies, which were also adopted in our clinic, proved to be effective, as no staff members or patients were infected by the virus. Now, thanks to the global decrease in SARS-CovV2 infections, it is necessary to make dermatological wards accessible to patients again, but it is also essential to adopt specific protocols to avoid a new wave of infections.

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COVID-19 Vaccination Perception and Attitude among Healthcare Workers in Egypt

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501327211013303 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 215013272110133

Author(s):

Samar Fares ◽

Merihan M. Elmnyer ◽

Shimaa Sabry Mohamed ◽

Radwa Elsayed

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Study Groups ◽

World Health ◽

Vaccine Hesitancy ◽

Accurate Information ◽

P Value ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Vaccination Programs ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

Introduction COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, especially the frontline worriers. To get shielded through this war, the world is racing to reach and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination hesitancy is one of the significant obstacles to global health. Objectives This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude of healthcare workers in Egypt toward COVID-19 vaccines, acknowledge the determinants of their attitude, and the factors that could increase the acceptance of the vaccine. Methods an observational web-based anonymous survey was conducted on 385 Egyptian healthcare workers in different governorates. The questionnaire-based on Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Questions of the World Health Organization was available in Arabic and English languages and was tested for reliability. Results Regarding vaccination decision, 51% of the participants were undecided, 28% refused, and 21% accepted vaccination. Reasons for vaccine acceptance mainly were risks of COVID-19 (93%), safety (57.5%), and effectiveness (56.25%) of the vaccine. Simultaneously, the reasons for vaccine hesitancy were the absence of enough clinical trials (92.4%) and fear of side effects of the vaccine (91.4%). The leading factor that could increase vaccination acceptance among the participants was to get sufficient and accurate information about the available vaccines. The participants revealed a high mean level of concern for COVID-19 vaccines’ safety (3.8 of 5) that differs significantly among the different study groups ( P-value .002). Conclusion Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, only approximately 21% of Egyptian healthcare workers in our study accepted the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy represents a major barrier to implementing vaccination programs.

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The Mentor Mothers Program in the Department of Defense in Nigeria: An Evaluation of Healthcare Workers, Mentor Mothers, and Patients’ Experiences

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9030328 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 328

Author(s):

Josephine Moshe Ibu ◽

Euphemia Mbali Mhlongo

Keyword(s):

Department Of Defense ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Hiv Infections ◽

Health Facilities ◽

World Health ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Analysis Technique ◽

Hiv Awareness ◽

Health Organization

Nigeria contributes the highest to the global burden of HIV/AIDS and also accounts for the largest proportion of new vertically transmitted HIV infections among children. The Mentor Mothers program in the Nigerian Department of Defense was introduced in accordance with the World Health Organization and its implementing partner guidelines to curb the high incidence of vertically acquired HIV infections. Understanding the experiences of participants could serve as a gateway to evaluating the effectiveness of the program to better provide quality services within targeted health facilities. This qualitative study employed key informant interviews with six healthcare workers as well as two focus group discussions with six mentor mothers and six prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) patients in four selected hospitals in the Nigerian Department of Defense to explore their experiences of the Mentor Mothers program. A thematic analysis technique was used to analyze the collated data. As a result, four main themes emerged, with the program perceived by most participants as providing psychosocial support to the patients, a valuable educational resource for raising HIV awareness, a valuable resource for promoting exclusive breastfeeding and mitigating vertical transmission of the virus, and functioning as a link between patients and the healthcare system. The participants reported that the program had effectively decreased HIV infections in children, reduced child and maternal mortality, and supported the livelihood and development of women, families, and communities in and around the Nigerian Department of Defense health facilities.

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Occupational health risk among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic: actions to limit the risk

Journal of Egyptian Public Health Association ◽

10.1186/s42506-021-00076-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 96 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Eman Casper

Keyword(s):

Occupational Health ◽

Health Risk ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

World Health ◽

High Morbidity ◽

Wuhan City ◽

Coronavirus Infection ◽

Health Organization ◽

Respiratory Droplets ◽

Very High

AbstractThe World Health Organization declared coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic in March 2020. The infection with coronavirus started in Wuhan city, China, in December 2019. As of October 2020, the disease was reported in 235 countries. The coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease with high morbidity and mortality. As of February 2021, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally is 102,942,987 and 2,232,233 deaths according to WHO report. This infection is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) β-coronavirus. The infection is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets.Healthcare workers (HCWs) play an essential role at the front lines, providing care for patients infected with this highly transmittable disease. They are exposed to very high occupational health risk as they frequently contact the infective persons. In order to limit the number of infected cases and deaths among healthcare workers, it is crucial to have better awareness, optimistic attitude, efficient PPE, and adequate health practices about COVID-19.

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Has the COVID 19 Virus Changed Adherence to Hand Washing among Healthcare Workers?

Behavioral Sciences ◽

10.3390/bs11040053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 53

Author(s):

Rosalia Ragusa ◽

Marina Marranzano ◽

Alessandro Lombardo ◽

Rosalba Quattrocchi ◽

Maria Alessandra Bellia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hand Hygiene ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Hand Washing ◽

World Health ◽

Patient Contact ◽

Who Guidelines ◽

Descriptive Data ◽

Different Types ◽

Health Organization ◽

Hospital Wards

The aim of the study was to assess adherence to hand washing by healthcare workers (HCWs) and its variations over time in hospital wards. We wanted to check whether the pandemic had changed the behavior of HCWs. The study was conducted between 1 January 2015, and 31 December 2020. The HCWs were observed to assess their compliance with the Five Moments for Hand Hygiene. We described the percentage of adherence to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines stratified per year, per specialty areas, per different types of HCWs. We also observed the use of gloves. Descriptive data were reported as frequencies and percentages. We observed 13,494 hand hygiene opportunities. The majority of observations concerned nurses who were confirmed as the category most frequently involved with patients. Hospital’s global adherence to WHO guidelines did not change in the last six years. During the pandemic, the rate of adherence to the procedure increased significantly only in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). In 2020, the use of gloves increased in pre-patient contact. The hand-washing permanent monitoring confirmed that it is very difficult to obtain the respect of correct hand hygiene in all opportunities, despite the ongoing pandemic and the fear of contagion.

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Analysis of Separability of COVID-19 and Pneumonia in Chest X-ray Images by Means of Convolutional Neural Networks

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2020054031 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (1) ◽

pp. 31

Author(s):

Joaquim de Moura ◽

Lucía Ramos ◽

Plácido L. Vidal ◽

Jorge Novo ◽

Marcos Ortega

Keyword(s):

Neural Networks ◽

Convolutional Neural Networks ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Early Stage ◽

World Health ◽

Complete Analysis ◽

Screening Process ◽

X Ray ◽

Chest X Ray ◽

Health Organization

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a disease that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 11 March 2020, the coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. In this context, chest X-ray imaging has become a remarkably powerful tool for the identification of patients with COVID-19 infections at an early stage when clinical symptoms may be unspecific or sparse. In this work, we propose a complete analysis of separability of COVID-19 and pneumonia in chest X-ray images by means of Convolutional Neural Networks. Satisfactory results were obtained that demonstrated the suitability of the proposed system, improving the efficiency of the medical screening process in the healthcare systems.

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