Evaluation of Occupational Health and Infection Control Practices in Some Federal Medical Centers (FMCs) in Southern Nigeria

The hospital is a high risk environment for the transmission of infections to health care workers, visitors, patients and the surrounding community. Healthcare workers are exposed to a variety of hazards which predisposes these “indispensable carers” to various life threatening infections and diseases. This study is aimed at evaluating the occupational hygiene and infection control practices in Federal Medical Center (FMC) Owerri and FMC Yenayoa, both located within southern Nigeria. Descriptive cross sectional study using a structured questionnaire and walk-through safety checklist was employed. A total of 379 healthcare workers were selected through disproportionate stratified sampling from the two facilities. The questionnaires were self-administered and analyzed using SPSS Version 22.0. Frequencies, chi-square were computed and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predisposing factors to which health workers are exposed; 60.7% of respondents were male, dominant age group; 30 – 39yrs, nurses represented a larger proportion (34.8%) of healthcare workers in this study; 51.7% and 48.3% of respondents in FMC Yenagoa and FMC Owerri respectively had a good knowledge of hazards and controls. There was a significant difference with chi-square as, 9.710 p-Value <0.008. Good level of attitude was 44.7% in Owerri and 21.2% in Yenagoa, chi-square 18.295 p-Value <0.001. Overall level of occupational hygiene and infection control practices was poor in both facilities. Health care workers had a very high level of exposure to ergonomic hazards (88.9%) and biological hazards 47.6% in Owerri and 55.3% in Yenagoa. Nurses were 5 times more at risk of ergonomic hazards (95%CI) – 5.96 (2.19–16.24) p-Value < 0.001, while Medical Laboratory scientists were 5 times more at risk of chemical hazards (OR = 5.98, 95CI: 3.05–11.69, p-Value <0.001). The checklist revealed that both facilities were of imminent high risk category. Health care workers at FMC Yenagoa had higher exposures to all five categories of hazards than FMC Owerri. Working in FMC Owerri predisposes workers to higher health hazards than in FMC Yenagoa. There was better administrative controls including trainings and immunizations in FMC Yenagoa than in FMC Owerri.

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Exposure to Occupational-related Blood and Fluids Infections, Accidental Injuries and Precaution Practices among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Hospital in South-West, Nigeria

African Journal of Health, Nursing and Midwifery ◽

10.52589/ajhnm-zuhmcmeb ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 43-59

Author(s):

Adetoun A.O. ◽

Olanrewaju A.I. ◽

Temidayo O.A. ◽

Oluwasayo B.O.

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

Chi Square ◽

Usual Practice ◽

South West ◽

Care Workers ◽

Chi Square Test

Background and Aim: Healthcare workers are at risk of infections from blood-borne pathogens due to percutaneous injuries from sharps, mucous membrane and skin exposures to contaminated blood and bodily ﬂuids. The study, therefore, investigated exposure to occupational-related blood and fluids infections, accidental injuries and precaution practices among health care workers in a tertiary hospital in South-West, Nigeria. Methods: The study utilised a cross-sectional research design requiring a structured questionnaire to elicit data from medical doctors, nurses and laboratory scientists/technologists. Through the convenience sampling technique, 266 respondents were selected for the study. Non-parametric descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data with the level of significance of the chi-square test put at 5%. Results: The overwhelming majority (76%) of the health care workers at the hospital are of the female gender. The study found that the majority of the respondents (92%) were trained on infection control in the course of their career while virtually all of them (98%) had never contracted an occupational-related infection. Recapping of used needles accounted for 24.4% of activity that predisposed the workers to accidental injuries. Also, there was a significant association between the recapping of needles and the occurrence of accidental injuries (P.V. = 0.000). Meanwhile, the incidence of unreported injuries stood at 70.3% as all the reasons given were significant (P.V. = 0.000) using a one-sample chi-square test. Conclusion: It has been established that prevention practices like training in infection control, adherence to clear work procedures and guidelines, post-exposure prophylaxis and use of personal protective equipment were associated with contraction of occupational-related infections. Moreover, while recapping of used needles was a usual practice in the hospital, it was, however, associated with cases of accidental injuries among most health care workers. Unfortunately, most cases of injuries were unreported due to certain significant reasons.

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Nonspecific low back pain and associated factors in the professions of health care workers especially the physiotherapist

Journal of Clinical Review & Case Reports ◽

10.33140/jcrc.06.09.06 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (9) ◽

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Low Back Pain ◽

Back Pain ◽

High Risk ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Associated Factors ◽

P Value ◽

Low Back ◽

Care Workers

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is relatively a major cause of disability among the working population and has a significant socioeconomic impact. The study aims were to determine the prevalence and associated factors of low back pain among professions of health care workers especially the physiotherapist. Methods: A total of 225 participants (78,7%female, 21.3% male) among students of Professional and Scientific Master degree in University of Medicine, Faculty of Technical Medical Science and healthcare workers that working in the University and in the tertiary University Medical Center of Tirana "Mother Teresa" were involved to evaluate LBP for a period for more than two years (from Mars 2017 until to November 2019). A standardized Nordic questionnaire for the analysis of LBP symptoms and epidemiological risk factor data was used to collect information from our study participants. Results: Prevalence of LBP in healthcare workers was determined to be 87.5%. Female resulted to be 4.9 times in risk to have LBP compared to male for CI 95% (2.16-11.2) p value<0.001. The average age resulted to be 37 ± 5.9, where the minimum and maximum age were 21 and 55 years old respectively. The participants ≥51 years old were 14 times in high risk for LBP compared to other age groups for CI 95% (5.9-21.6) p value=0.001. It was observed that low back pain was most common among nurses (44.1%) p value<0.0001. Also risk factors such as job position, working condition, long standing and long sitting at desk, health status and also the physical activity demonstrated an association and increasing low back pain risk, p value in all these factors resulted less than 0.05. Conclusion:Our study demonstrated that the prevalence of LBP were higher and healthcare workers especially the nurses are among group with high risk of low back pain.

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A single-center study on impact of psychological intervention to acclimatize medical staffs who are serving COVID-19 disease patients, to continue hospital activities without any disruption

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20212013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 3048

Author(s):

Dhaval Dalal ◽

Kamalpriya Thiyagarajan ◽

Humeshwari Nipane ◽

Vijaykumar Gawali

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Anxiety Disorder ◽

Generalized Anxiety Disorder ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

P Value ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Chi Square ◽

Care Workers ◽

Chi Square Test

Background: COVID-19 has brought psychological disorders that affect health care workers and the general public. Hence it is important to have necessary counselling to address the psychological, social aspects of the pandemic to ensure psychological well-being of especially Health-care Workers and preserve their innate and acquired immunity.Methods: The study was planned as single centre retrospective study and conducted between April and June 2020 at dedicated COVID-19 hospital in India. Front-line HCWs more than 18 years, of any gender working in COVID-19 hospital and willing to participate for the study were enrolled in the study. Study included two questionnaires, generalized anxiety disorder scale, and socio-demographics and COVID-19 related awareness questionnaire. Measurements were taken pre and post the psychological counselling intervention.Results: As per generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) scale people suffering from moderate anxiety disorder dropped from 19% (pre counselling) to 5% (post counselling) and severe cases dropped from 14% (pre counseling) to 2% (post counseling), there was statistically significant difference observed due to psychological intervention in GAD scale (Chi square test-10.794, p value=3.67E-27). Socio demographics and COVID-19 related awareness questionnaire results were statistically significant (Chi square test-11.945, p value=6.91E-33).Conclusions: Counselling interventions based on scientific data offered in groups by investigator with an accurate knowledge of the COVID-19 and its manifestation increased the confidence of health care workers (HCWs) and reduced anxiety level. This was translated into the full availability of HCWs on the clinical study site, although medical services were disrupted while other hospitals were starving due to lack of staff.

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Knowledge and Compliance Toward Standard Precaution Among Health Care Workers at Bahria International Hospital Lahore, Pakistan

International Journal of Social Sciences and Management ◽

10.3126/ijssm.v7i1.27406 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 17-20

Author(s):

Humira Ather ◽

Asaf Khan ◽

Saima Shabnum

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

P Value ◽

Hospital Acquired Infection ◽

Standard Precaution ◽

Care Workers ◽

Knowledge And Practice ◽

Control Infection ◽

Hospital Acquired

Introduction: Standard precaution is a way to stop the spread of hospital acquired infection which may be in the form of blood, secretions, body waste, body fluids and mucous membrane that may contain contagious infectious agents. Healthcare workers are the persons who have the moral obligation to care for sick persons and improve their regaining health and attain excellent worth of treatment care. Therefore, health care providers should have proper knowledge and good practice to strictly adhere to standard precaution control infection. Aim: To determine the knowledge and compliance toward standard precaution among health care workers in Bahria international Hospital Lahore. Methodology: a descriptive cross sectional study design were used for this study with sample size of 180 participants which were randomly selected from the target population. Results: The association between knowledge and practice was assessed through chi square test with p value=0.05, after apply this test the p value found .000 which is significant association between knowledge and practice. Whereas regression test shows value of adjusted R² showing 60% (F=.141, p <.001) of variance caused by independent variable (knowledge) in dependent variable (practice). Hence, it is proved that there is a significant positive relationship between knowledge and practice. Conclusion: The current study concluded that adhering to standard precaution is very important for all health care workers to control hospital acquired infection. Study finding also show that majority of the healthcare workers have good knowledge regarding standard precautions but they have unsatisfactory compliance to prevent and control infection. Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. 7(1): 17-20

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HIV/AIDS occupational exposure and integrative care; knowledge, attitude, and skills of healthcare workers in Gansu Province, China

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20174211 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (10) ◽

pp. 3501

Author(s):

Leela S. Mundra ◽

Sadaf Aslam ◽

Juxia Zhang ◽

Han Lin ◽

Peng Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Occupational Exposure ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Gansu Province ◽

Composite Score ◽

Care Workers ◽

Level Of Knowledge ◽

Hiv Aids

Background: For HIV infected patients, distinct infectious disease hospitals currently exist in China, therefore, attitudes promoting separation within health care settings persist both in healthcare workers and community. The misinformation and fear of infection negatively affect Health Care Workers, (HCWs) attitudes towards caring for patients with HIV. However, the level of knowledge, attitudes, and skills (KAS) towards occupational exposure to HIV and post-exposure standards of care are unknown in Gansu, China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of health care workers regarding HIV occupational exposure and treatment. We analyzed findings in a total of 324 HCWs through a self-reported questionnaire. Results: HCWs with a higher than average KAS composite score compared to HCWs with a lower KAS score were more likely to be working clinically (p=0.0023), and had completed a university degree or above (p=0.0370). The univariate analysis model also showed additional factors that HCWs having a higher KAS composite score were significantly associated with being a physician (OR 9.22; p=0.045) and receiving formal infection control training (OR 4.20; p<0.0001). Conclusions: Our study provides considerable information on occupational exposure regarding HIV/AIDS in Gansu Province of China. A continuous education is necessary to increase the level of knowledge, attitude and skills of HCWs about the risk of infection at the workplace. With the adoption of standardized occupational exposure protocols and infection control programs, we should be able to reduce barriers of HIV care into general hospital facilities which in turn can modify their attitudes.

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Development of an Objective Risk Stratification Tool to facilitate workplace assessments of healthcare workers when dealing with the CoViD-19 pandemic

10.1101/2020.05.05.20091967 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W David Strain ◽

Janusz Jankowski ◽

Angharad Davies ◽

Peter MB English ◽

Ellis Friedman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

High Risk ◽

Risk Stratification ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

List Type ◽

Care Workers ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Objective Risk ◽

Risk Stratification Tool

SummaryHealthcare workers have a greater exposure to individuals with confirmed SARS-novel coronavirus 2, and thus a higher probability of contracting coronavirus disease (CoViD)-19, than the general population. Employers have a duty of care to minimise the risk for their employees. Several bodies including the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, NHS Employers, and Public Health England have published a requirement to perform risk assessments for all health care workers, however, with the absence of an objective risk stratification tool, comparing assessments between individuals is difficult if not impossible. Using published data, we explored the predictive role of basic demographics such as age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidities in order to establish an objective risk stratification tool that could help risk allocate duties to health care workers. We developed an objective risk stratification tool using a Caucasian female <50years of age with no comorbidities as a reference. Each point allocated to risk factors was associated with an approximate doubling in risk. This tool was then validated against the primary care-based analysis. This tool provides objective support for employers when determining which healthcare workers should be allocated to high-risk vs. lower risk patient facing clinical duties or to remote supportive roles.Strengths and limitations of this studyThere is an increased risk of mortality in the clinical workforce due to the effects of CoViD-19.This manuscript outlines a simple risk stratification tool that helps to quantify an individual’s biological riskThis will assist team leaders when allocating roles within clinical departments.This tool does not incorporate other external factors, such as high-risk household members or those at higher risk of mental health issues, that may require additional consideration when allocating clinical duties in an appropriate clinical domain.This population-based analysis did not explain for the very high risk observed in BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing. BAME healthcare workers suggesting there are other issues at play that require addressing.

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Serosurveillance of SARS CoV 2 among the healthcare workers of a tertiary care teaching institution in Central Kerala during the post lockdown phase

10.1101/2021.01.27.21250502 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Aboobacker Mohamed Rafi ◽

Maglin Monica Lisa Joseph Tomy ◽

Ronnie Thomas ◽

Chithra Valsan ◽

U G Unnikrishnan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

The United States ◽

P Value ◽

Antibody Testing ◽

Medical College ◽

Care Workers ◽

History Of

AbstractBackgroundKerala was the first state to have the confirmed case of COVID-19 in the country and it was first confirmed in Thrissur district on 30 January2020.Our institute being in the heart of the city had to take adequate measures to mitigate the spread and treat the required patients by keeping its staff safe & Healthy. The hallmark of COVID 19 infection is high infectivity, pre-symptomatic transmission and asymptomatic prevalence which could result in high cumulative numbers of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Kerala was the first state to confirm community transmission in July 2020.Health care workers being in the forefront in the war against COVID19 are very prone in acquiring the infection and are possible to be asymptomatic sources for cluster formation. Knowing the development of immunity as shown by the presence of anti COV2 antibodies in the population contributes to the epidemiological understanding of the disease. The intent of the study is to do an antibody testing in our hospital to find the serosurveillance of SARS CoV 2 among the healthcare workers in our hospital.AimTo estimate the seropositivity of SARS CoV 2 among the healthcare workers at Jubilee Mission Medical College and Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala, six months after revoking the lockdownMethodologyA cross sectional study among the health care workers of the medical college. Multistage Sampling was done with the hospital block as the first stage and departments as the second stage. In the final stage of sampling the test individuals were selected on a first come first served basis after the antibody test availability was declared open and free for all staff. A consent form and a Google form were given to all staff who volunteered for participating in the study. Each consented participant recruited into the investigation completed a questionnaire which covers details regarding demographics, exposure history, Residence & travel. Blood sample was collected and Anti-SARS COV2 IgG antibody testing which targets the Spike Protein 1(SP1) was done using the VITROS chemiluminescence platform (Orthoclinical diagnostics, USA). Sampling & testing ranged over a time frame from September 5th to December 15th, 2020ResultsJubilee Mission Medical College has 2785 working staff at the time of study. A total of 420 staff consented and their samples were tested. 37 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 antibody, yielding an overall prevalence of 8.75% (95% CI, 6.23–11.86). 86.5 % (32/37) of them were having a history of COVID-19 Antigen / RT PCR Positivity. We identified a statistically significant linear trend (p value =0.00001), between seropositivity and the degree of severity of COVID 19. Among the various factors which increase the risk of seroconversion, history of undergoing quarantine (p value < 0.001), contact with a confirmed case (p value = 0.002), contact with a caregiver for COVID 19 (p value =0.001) and history of Upper respiratory symptoms (p value =0.001), were found to be significantly associated with positive serology.ConclusionsThe overall seropositivity in the current study was found to be 8.75% which is comparable to seroprevalence studies conducted in the United States and Wuhan in China. The pattern of seropositivity across the different category of health workers observed in the present study showed a higher prevalence among nurses. This result is also in agreement with a recent published report from united states. Various measures advised by the national and state health authorities were adequately adhered to. Keeping track of the pattern of development of immunity in the community is part of understanding the illness and forecasting the spread. For the tested HCW, it will boost up morale by ending uncertainty. For the hospital administration it will help in decision making about relative focusing of interventions on patients in general and HCWs. By knowing the immunity status of HCWs, the Institution will be able to contribute authentically to the development of intervention strategies and guidelines from time to time, besides following the available guidelines. Being an educational institution, it is obligatory to train all the elements of care delivery to the future generation of health care workers. Getting experienced from a small but relevant sample was expected to facilitate larger community study envisaged in peripheral areas Jubilee served

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AWARENESS OF PREVENTION OF COVID-19 AMONG HEALTHCARE WORKERS IN KOLKATA

10.36106/ijsr/0522218 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 66-70

Author(s):

Suchismita Koley ◽

Indraneel Dasgupta

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Healthcare Setting ◽

Common Symptom ◽

Common People ◽

Care Workers ◽

Co Morbidity

Introduction: The recent corona virus infection is known as sars-cov-2 or covid-19. The infection rst started in the Wuhan province of China and gradually spread to other countries. On March 12th 2020 it was declared as pandemic by WHO. Extraordinary measures are being adopted to combat the formidable spread of the ongoing outbreak. Under such conditions, people's adherence to preventive measures is greatly affected by their awareness of the disease. Aim:To assess the knowledge of preventive measures of Covid-19 disease and its related infection control practices among healthcare workers to minimise the risk of transmission. Material and methods: This is an questionnaire based observational prospective survey on the awareness, knowledge and infection control practices related to Covid 19 infection in the healthcare setting and conducted from May 2020 to September 2020- to collect the data and October 2020 to January 2021 for thesis writing, statistical analysis, discussion and conclusion. This survey involves the doctors, nursing staffs, paramedical staffs, lab technicians and other people who helps in transporting the patients and the people who handles the biomedical wastes. Total 430 participants were taken. Result: Majority of the health care workers were answered that it is caused by virus (89.1%), the virus can spread from one person to another (89.4%), the virus can be prevented (90.4%), symptoms of the virus was not common cold (94.2%), it is not occurred at certain period of the year (84.7%) and the COVID-19 symptoms are worse with any Co morbidity (83.2%). Health care workers were answered that common symptom of this disease is headache (94.7%), Sore throat (91.6%), Vomiting (92.6%), Persistent cough (96.7%), Running nose(92.6%), Sneezing (95.1%), Muscle aches(93.0%), abdominal pain (93.0%), Fever (96.7%), Diarrhea (92.6%) and Feels tired (93.5%). Conclusion: This research was help common men to understand the intensity of infection and its symptoms and precaution. It will help out common people to be aware of the threatens level of virus in society and counsel him that it's with everyone, rather than only with him. We suggested that the knowledge of preventive measures of Covid-19 disease and its related infection control practices among healthcare workers to minimise the risk of transmission.

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Nasal and Hands Carriage Rate of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aure-us among Health Care Workers at Alwahda Hospital, Derna

AL-MUKHTAR JOURNAL OF SCIENCES ◽

10.54172/mjsc.v34i4.166 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 279-287

Author(s):

Hussain Y. H. Khnfar ◽

Dalal A. Thaood ◽

Ilham O. A. Abdraba ◽

Intesar N. Omran ◽

Guma M. K. Abdeldaim

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Diffusion Method ◽

Mannitol Salt Agar ◽

Methicillin Resistant ◽

Care Workers

Increasing incidence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a well-documented healthcare and community phenomenon of concern to medical and public health communities all over the world. One of the most important sources of MRSA infection in hospitals is health care workers (HCWs) through nasal or hands carriage. The aim of this study is to determine the rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among HCWs. A cross-sectional study involving 102 HCWs was conducted at Alwahda hospital, Derna. Nasal and hand swabs were collected and cultured on Mannitol Salt Agar. Gram staining was performed on mannitol fermenting colonies. Slide catalase and coagulase were performed to identify S. aureus. An oxacillin and cefoxitin susceptibility test was carried out on Muller Hinton agar using the modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: out of 102 healthcare workers, 46 (45.1%) carried S. aureus. The rate of methicillin resistance amongst all S. aureus isolates was 47.8 % (22/46) whereas 21.6 % (22/102) of all HCWs were identified as MRSA carriers. Nurses had the highest MRSA carriage with 53%, compared to other HCW. On the other hand, the highest rate of MRSA (75%) was seen in CCU workers followed by workers of pediatric and surgical wards (66%, 62% respectively). The high rate of nasal and hand MRSA carriage among healthcare workers, especially in high-risk wards, indicates the imperfection of infection control measures in our hospitals and the necessity to improve the infection control program.

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Management of ear, nose, and throat out patient department in COVID-19 pandemic, experience: a descriptive study

International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery ◽

10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20204620 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (11) ◽

pp. 1996

Author(s):

Shashidhar S. Suligavi ◽

Saif N. Saiyad ◽

Sangappa S. Doddamani ◽

Mallikarjun Patil ◽

Archana Mathri ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

High Risk ◽

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Workers ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Protective Measures ◽

Medical College ◽

Care Workers ◽

Protective Strategies

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a predilection for infecting the mucosa of the upper and lower airways. Otolaryngologists and supporting health care workers (HCWs) are particularly at high risk of becoming infected while treating patients as many in-office procedures and Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures (AGMP). Based on a review of the literature and various guidelines, recommendations are made to mitigate the risk to health care workers from becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 while providing clinical care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all elective and non-time sensitive Otolaryngology procedures should be deferred to mitigate the risk of transmission of infection to HCWs. Objective of the study was to describe outpatient presentations requiring otolaryngology consultation and provide recommendations for protective measures based on the experience of ENT department in S Nijalingappa Medical College.Methods: Personal protective equipment (PPE) use and infection control strategies implemented for ENT outpatients in S. N. Medical College, Bagalkot.Results: After implementation of infection control strategies for outpatient clinics, no health care workers were infected in the ENT OPD.Conclusion: Otolaryngologists play an indispensable role in the treatment of COVID-19 patients but, due to their work, are at high risk of exposure. Appropriate protective strategies can prevent infection to otolaryngologists.

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