Impact of COVID-19 on Czech Dentistry: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Preliminary Study among Dentists in the Czech Republic

This work evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Czech dentistry from March 2020 to March 2021. The assessment was based on questionnaires filled out by 3674 Czech dentists representing 42.6% of practicing dentists in the country. During March–May, 2020 (the first COVID-19 wave), 90.7% of dental practices remained open; however, only 22.8% of the practices continued to operate with no changes, 46.5% had fewer patients, 21.4% treated only acute cases, and 3.8% were closed. During September 2020–May 2021 (the second wave of COVID-19), 96.1% of dental practices remained open, 60.8% operated with no changes, 34.5% had fewer patients, 0.8% treated only acute cases, and 0.5% were closed. The reasons leading to the closure of Czech dental practices during the whole pandemic were a shortage of personal protective equipment (50.5%), a COVID-19 outbreak in the workplace (24.5%), fear of a possible self-infection (24.0%), and quarantine (20.5%). The time range of Czech dental practices closure during the whole pandemic was: 1–2 weeks (49.9%), 2–4 weeks (21.2%), and >1 month (0.8%). The greatest professional difficulties of Czech dentists during the pandemic were crisis operating management (55%), health safety and hygiene concerns (21%), shortage of personal protective equipment (21%), and difficulty working with the protective equipment (15%). In addition, 47.3% of dentists also observed a declining interest in preventive dental care, and 16.9% of them observed worse oral care of patients. These results show that despite the lack of protective equipment, dental care was maintained throughout the pandemic. Additionally, the pandemic negatively affected the patients’ approach to dental care, indicating a deterioration in oral health as a possible delayed outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Impact of enhanced personal protective equipment on the physical and mental well-being of healthcare workers during COVID-19

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139150 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. postgradmedj-2020-139150 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ramanathan Swaminathan ◽

Bimantha Perera Mukundadura ◽

Shashi Prasad

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact ◽

Mental Well Being

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the use of enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE) in healthcare workers in patient-facing roles. We describe the impact on the physical and mental well-being of healthcare professionals who use enhanced PPE consistently.MethodsWe conducted a single-centre, cross-sectional study among healthcare professionals who use enhanced PPE. A web-based questionnaire was disseminated to evaluate the effects on individuals’ physical and mental well-being. Physical and mental impact was assessed through a visual analogue scale.ResultsProspective analysis of the views of 72 respondents is reported. 63.9% were women and 36.1% were men. Physical impact included exhaustion, headache, skin changes, breathlessness and a negative impact on vision. Communication difficulties, somnolence, negative impact on overall performance and difficulties in using surgical instrumentation were reported.ConclusionOur study demonstrates the undeniable negative impact on the front-line healthcare workers using enhanced PPE and lays the ground for larger multicentric assessments given for it to potentially be the norm for the foreseeable future.

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IMPACT OF A SINGLE TUTORIAL SESSION ON THE TECHNIQUE OF USING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS

Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal ◽

10.51253/pafmj.v70i6.4440 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (6) ◽

pp. 1765-70

Author(s):

Jamal Azfar Khan ◽

Asif Ali ◽

Farzana Muneer

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Health Workers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Tutorial Session ◽

Care Workers ◽

Surgical Masks ◽

The Impact

Objective: To determine the impact of a single tutorial session on the technique of donning and doffing the personal protective equipment by health care workers. Study Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: CMH Landi Kotal Cantt, from 1st March 2020 to 10th June 2020. Patients and Methods: The study was conducted on 62 health workers, working in CMH Landi Kotal Cantt. They were asked to demonstrate donning and doffing surgical masks, gowns and gloves and the steps were evaluated as per a standardized checklist. Then, the participants were given a single tutorial of the donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment. They were asked to demonstrate their technique of personal protective equipment use one week, one month and three months after the tutorial. Any improvement was recorded in the checklist used earlier. Results: The correct donning and doffing technique of personal protective equipment were demonstrated by 22 and 14 participants respectively before the tutorial. When evaluated one week after the tutorial, this number increased to 48 and 38 respectively, showing significant improvement (p<0.05). The technique of personal protective equipment use deteriorated significantly one month of the tutorial and deteriorated further after three months (p<0.05). The most common fault while donning and doffing the equipment was the incorrect donning sequence, and self-contamination while taking off the gloves, respectively. Conclusion: A single tutorial session results in significant improvement in the technique of using personal protective equipment by health care workers but the effect is lost over time.

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Analisis Kepatuhan Penggunaan Alat Pelindung Diri (APD) Pada Peserta Pelatihan Keterampilan Tukang dan Pekerja Konstruksi

Arsir ◽

10.32502/arsir.v5i1.3362 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Ramadisu Mafra ◽

Riduan Riduan ◽

Zulfikri Zulfikri

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Skills Training ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Field Observations ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Surveillance Camera ◽

Work Habits ◽

Years Of Service ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

The Impact

Compliance of personal protective equipment (PPE) uses without the impact of the consequences is a reflection of a good workforce. This compliance is thought to be influenced by various factors, such as knowledge, attitudes, years of service, comfort, suitability of PPE and type of work and availability. The phenomenon of non-compliance cannot be ignored, and is evident from several previous studies. This study aims to measure the level of compliance, reasons and factors that influence it. Involving 80 participants who participated in builder skills training. Collecting data using K3 logbook, surveillance camera recordings and field observations, the data were processed by cross sectional analysis to see causality and choreation. The results showed that the level of compliance using PPE correctly was 82.92% on average. The average level of compliance with individual behavior is 66.25%. Non-compliance with the use of PPE safety helmet 29.00%, cotton glove 19.38%, safety vest 16.25% and safety boot 3.44%, with reasons of forgetting 33.85%, PPE is considered to be disturbing 26.67%, feeling uncomfortable 26.15% and the attitude of feeling that they will not be harmed by 13.33%, which is influenced by the factors of unsafe work habits without PPE, years of service, the harmony of PPE types and work, and there is no relationship between knowledge and compliance with the use of PPE. Repetitive non-compliance did by 30,00% participants.

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Medical Interns and COVID-19: results of national research

Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira ◽

10.1590/1806-9282.66.6.812 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (6) ◽

pp. 812-817 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Maria M. C. Carrascosa ◽

Tercio de Campos ◽

Jéssica E. Sampaio ◽

Rafaella R. F. Souza ◽

Vitória L. Ribeiro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Chi Square ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Public And Private ◽

The Face ◽

Ease Of Access ◽

The Impact

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE Assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical students’ internships in public and private institutions in Brasil, in addition to estimating the quality of the measures taken by their respective Universities in the face of the problem and the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative analysis study carried out with 317 students undergoing medical internship from March 31, 2020, to April 12, 2020. The survey was conducted through an online questionnaire using the SurveyMonkey tool with 20 questions. Interns from the fourth to the sixth year of medical schools in the country were randomly included in the study through a survey sent by Whatsapp application. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-Square, considering p <0.05 as significant. RESULTS Four main topics were identified in the research: student demographic data; how classes and courses are being taught; the use and ease of access to personal protective equipment and the students’ fears and perspectives for the future. CONCLUSION The study clarified that although half of the students still have some degree of content and, in their majority, they are satisfied, there is still a lot of difficulty in obtaining personal protective equipment, which prevents students from returning safely to their internships.

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SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Health Care Workers: Cross-sectional Analysis of an Otolaryngology Unit

Otolaryngology ◽

10.1177/0194599820932162 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 163 (4) ◽

pp. 671-672 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Alberto Paderno ◽

Milena Fior ◽

Giulia Berretti ◽

Alberto Schreiber ◽

Alberto Grammatica ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Risk Of Infection ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Staff Members ◽

Care Workers ◽

Sectional Analysis ◽

The Impact

The restart of routine in- and outpatient activity in the COVID-19 postepidemic peak needs to be carefully planned in light of specific patterns of viral diffusion. We evaluated SARS-CoV-2 serology in the entire personnel of a COVID-19-free otolaryngology department in a highly affected area. The aim was to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 positivity among staff to clarify the impact of different risk factors for infection. The entire staff of the otolaryngology unit was tested for SARS-CoV-2 serology. Symptomatic staff members were tested with nasal/pharyngeal swabs. All answered a survey focused on the number of in- and extrahospital positive contacts and type of activities in the unit. Five (9%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The only variable associated with a higher risk of infection was the number of extrahospital contacts without personal protective equipment ( P = .008). Our study shows that in non-COVID-19 departments, the use of adequate personal protective equipment leads to low rates of infection among health care workers. The prevalent risk of infection was related to extrahospital contact.

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The Impact of Inpatient Telemedicine on Personal Protective Equipment Savings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.28845 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Reem Halabi ◽

Geoffrey Smith ◽

Marc Sylwestrzak ◽

Brian Clay ◽

Christopher A Longhurst ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Medical Center ◽

Academic Medical Center ◽

Working Environment ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Academic Medical ◽

Telemedicine Technology ◽

The Impact

UNSTRUCTURED With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and shortage of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), hospitals implemented inpatient telemedicine measures to ensure operational readiness and a safe working environment for clinicians. The utility and sustainability of inpatient telemedicine initiatives need to be evaluated as the number of COVID-19 inpatients is expected to continue declining. In this viewpoint, we describe the use of a rapidly deployed inpatient telemedicine workflow at a large academic medical center and discuss the potential impact on PPE savings. In early 2020, videoconferencing software was installed on patient bedside iPads at two academic medical center teaching hospitals. An internal website allowed providers to initiate video calls with patients in any patient room with an activated iPad, including both COVID-19 and non–COVID-19 patients. Patients were encouraged to use telemedicine technology to connect with loved ones via native apps or videoconferencing software. We evaluated the use of telemedicine technology on patients’ bedside iPads by monitoring traffic to the internal website. Between May 2020 and March 2021, there were a total of 1240 active users of the Video Visits website (mean 112.7, SD 49.0 connection events per month). Of these, 133 (10.7%) connections were made. Patients initiated 63 (47.4%) video calls with family or friends and sent 37 (27.8%) emails with videoconference connection instructions. Providers initiated a total of 33 (24.8%) video calls with the majority of calls initiated in August (n=22, 67%). There was a low level of adoption of inpatient telemedicine capability by providers and patients. With sufficient availability of PPE, inpatient providers did not find a frequent need to use the bedside telemedicine technology, despite a high census of patients with COVID-19. Compared to providers, patients used videoconferencing capabilities more frequently in September and October 2020. We did not find savings of PPE associated with the use of inpatient telemedicine.

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Relationship between Spraying Technique and Use of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) With Anemia Farmers in Juhar Ginting Sadanioga Village, Karo Regency in 2018

Britain International of Exact Sciences (BIoEx) Journal ◽

10.33258/bioex.v2i1.177 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 430-435

Author(s):

Imelda Yuristi ◽

Nurmaini ◽

Albiner Siagian

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Pesticide Exposure ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Total Sample ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Organophosphate Pesticide ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Long Time ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Being poisoned by pesticide used for farming becomes public health’s problem. One of the poisoning sources is organophosphate pesticide. The impact of poisoning due to pesticides is anemia. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between spraying techniques, and the use of PPE (personal protective equipment), with anemia farmers in Juhar Ginting Sadanioga Village, Karo Regency in 2018. The research method used was cross sectional in Juhar Ginting Sadanioga Village, Karo Regency with a total sample of 61 people obtained by Simple Random Sampling. Data were obtained through interviews with questionnaires and examination of hemoglobin levels using a portable hemoglobin meter. The study found that spraying techniques were not good (p = 0.033), and the use of PPE was not good (p = 0.025) relationship with anemia. It’s suggested to farmers should pay more attention to the direction of the wind, long time spraying/ day, spraying doses, and in the use of PPE that meets the requirements to reduce the risk of pesticide exposure.

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The Global Impact of COVID-19 on Craniomaxillofacial Surgeons: A Follow-Up Survey After One Year

Craniomaxillofacial Trauma & Reconstruction ◽

10.1177/19433875211057877 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 194338752110578

Author(s):

Tevfik Cicek ◽

Justin van der Tas ◽

Thomas Dodson ◽

Daniel Buchbinder ◽

Stefano Fusetti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Elective Surgery ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Predictor Variable ◽

Vaccination Status ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Impact

Study Design Comparative cross-sectional. The Objective To measure the impact that COrona VIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has had on craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgeons after 1 year and compare it with 2020 data by ( 1) measuring access to adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), ( 2) performance of elective surgery, and ( 3) the vaccination status. This should be investigated because most CMF surgeons felt that hospitals did not provide them with adequate PPE. Methods The investigators surveyed the international AO CMF membership using a 30-item online questionnaire and compared it to a previous study. The primary predictor variable was year of survey administration. Primary outcome variables were availability of adequate personal protective equipment (adequate/inadequate), performance of elective surgery (yes/no), and vaccination status (fully vaccinated/partly vaccinated/not vaccinated). Descriptive and analytic statistics were computed. Binary logistic regression models were created to measure the association between year and PPE availability. Statistical significance level was set at P < .05. Results The sample was composed of 523 surgeons (2% response rate). Most surgeons reported access to adequate PPE (74.6%). The most adequate PPE was offered in Europe (87.8%) with the least offered in Africa (45.5%). Surgeons in 2021 were more likely to report adequate PPE compared to 2020 (OR 3.74, 95% CI [2.59–4.39]). Most of the respondents resumed elective surgery (79.5% vs 13.3% in 2020) and were fully vaccinated (59.1%). Conclusion Most CMF surgeons now have access to adequate PPE, resumed elective surgery, and are either fully or partly vaccinated. Future studies should investigate the long-term impact of the fast-evolving COVID-19 pandemic on CMF surgeons.

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Assessment of perceived compliance and barriers to Personal Protective Equipment use among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic’s second wave surge: “walk to talk” cross-sectional correlational study

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness ◽

10.1017/dmp.2021.289 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-24

Author(s):

Eman F. Badran ◽

Samiha Jarrah ◽

Rami Masadeh ◽

Alhanoof Al hammad ◽

Rana Al Shimi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family Member ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Direct Contact ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Emergency Situation ◽

Acquisition Training ◽

Perceived Barriers ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Second Wave

Abstract Introduction: Due of their near closeness to COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers (HCWs) have a great desire to utilize proper personal protective equipment (PPEs). Aim: Investigating HCWs’ perceptions of PPE compliance and barriers, as well as influencing factors, in order to develop methods to combat the rise in their infection rates. Methodology: During the ‘second wave’ surge, a cross-sectional correlational analysis was conducted over a one-month period. It consists of HCWs from various hospital sectors that admit COVID-19 patients using an online self-administered predesigned tool. Results: Of the 285 recruited participants, 36.1% had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. Around 71% received training on PPEs use. The perceived compliance was good for (PPEs) usage (mean 2.60 ± 1.10). A significant higher compliance level was correlated with previous diagnosis with COVID-19, working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19, and having a direct contact with a family member older than 45 years old (p<0.01). The main perceived barriers to the use of PPEs were: unavailability of full PPEs (35%), interference with their ability to provide patient care (29%), not enough time to comply with the rigors of PPEs (23.2%), and working in emergency situation (22.5%). With regards to perceived barriers those working with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who reported having a direct contact with a family member older than 45 years old showed significantly higher level of barriers. Conclusion: A series of measures, including prioritization of PPE acquisition, training, and monitoring to guarantee appropriate resources for IPC, are necessary to reduce transmission.

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The Relationship Between Perception About Personal Protective Usage and The Incidence of Dermatitis in Tanning Industrial Workers Sukaregang Garut

Asian Community Health Nursing Research ◽

10.29253/achnr.2019.1116 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Umar Sumarna ◽

Witdiawati Witdiawati ◽

Iwan Suhendar

Keyword(s):

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Health Workers ◽

P Value ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Potential Hazard ◽

Industrial Workers ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Study Objective ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Background: Personal protective equipment is required for workers with potential hazards. The potential hazard is found in the Tanneries Industry Sukaregang Garut because this industry uses a lot of materials that are harmful to health. However, since most workers have a negative perception of the use of personal protective equipment, the impact is that the workers have many health problems, including the incidence of occupational dermatitis which became the focus of this study. Objective: This study aims to determine the relationship between perceptions about the use of personal protective equipment with the incidence of dermatitis on the industrial workers Tanning of Sukaregang Garut. This study used a cross-sectional design with 139 workers as samples. The data were analyzed using the Chi-Square test. Results: The results showed a significant relationship between the two variables with a p-value of 0.014 and Odds Ratio of 2.517. Conclusions: It can be concluded that the negative perceptions on the use of personal protective equipment would increase the risk of dermatitis cases in the work. The author's recommended solution is the health workers should counsel the workers continuously on the importance of using personal protective equipment in the workplace so that eventually all workers have positive perceptions.

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