Introduction: Depression is a serious issue affecting healthcare workers and is a leading cause of disability for both genders. Furthermore, it is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, responsible for ...Introduction: Depression is a serious issue affecting healthcare workers and is a leading cause of disability for both genders. Furthermore, it is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, responsible for 4.4 percent of global disability. An estimated 350 million people are currently living with depression worldwide. Objectives: to estimate the prevalence of depression among healthcare workers in Khartoum State in 2022 and determine the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Khartoum State, Sudan, in 2022 using a self-administered electronic questionnaire. Depression was screened using the self-reporting questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages were used to display the data. Odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval were estimated using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine associations between depression and related factors. Results: A total of 341 valid responses were received, with a mean age of 33.91. The overall prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 > 8) was 258 (75.6%). The prevalence was significantly associated with marital status (single and divorced), occupation (psychologist), and working department (Emergency Department), showing a p-value of Conclusion: Depression is a serious mental health disorder that affects all people, including healthcare workers, and is a growing problem in Sudan. To address this, healthcare organizations must implement policies and strategies to reduce inequality and protect healthcare workers. A multidisciplinary approach that includes mental health professionals, the Ministry of Health, and universities is needed to prioritize mental health issues and ensure quality care and the overall well-being of both healthcare workers and patients.展开更多
BACKGROUND Health care workers treating coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients experience burnout and stress due to overwork and poor working conditions.AIM To investigate the work experiences of frontline health ...BACKGROUND Health care workers treating coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients experience burnout and stress due to overwork and poor working conditions.AIM To investigate the work experiences of frontline health care workers in Wuhan city and Qinghai province,China,during the COVID-19 outbreak.METHODS In this cross-sectional descriptive study,a self-reported questionnaire was designed to evaluate work experiences of medical staff throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.A total of 178 health care workers responded to the questionnaire between February 19 and 29,2020.Higher questionnaire dimensional score confirmed dimensional advantage.RESULTS Of all dimensions evaluated by this questionnaire,the occupational value dimension had the highest mean score of 2.61(0.59),followed by the support/security dimension score of 2.30(0.74).Occupational protection scored lowest at 1.44(0.75),followed by work environment at 1.97(0.81).The social relationships dimension had an intermediate score of 2.06(0.80).Significant differences in working conditions were observed across hospital departments,with the fever ward scoring lowest.Total scores also differed significantly across workplaces;the fever outpatient department scored lowest(P<0.01).This phenomenon was likely due to the fact that work in the fever outpatient department,where many patients present to hospital,necessitates constant contact with a large number of individuals with insufficient provision of resources(such as protective equipment and social support).Medical workers in the fever outpatient department were burdened with a fear of COVID-19 infection and a lower sense of professional value as compared to workers in other hospital departments.Medical staff in Wuhan worked longer hours(P<0.01)as compared to elsewhere.The mean support/security dimension score was higher for tertiary hospital as compared to secondary hospital medical staff as well as for Wuhan area as compared to Qinghai region staff(P<0.01).Staff in Wuhan had a lower mean work environment score as compared to staff in Qinghai(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Medical staff treating COVID-19 patients in China report poor occupational experiences strongly affected by work environment,occupational protection and social relationships.Health care managers must address the occupational needs of medical staff by ensuring a supportive and safe work environment.展开更多
<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Introduction:</span></b><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Hands...<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Introduction:</span></b><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Hands of health care workers play an important part in infection transmission in a healthcare setting infections. Even though it is a simple and effective procedure, it is many times ignored by the health care workers (HCWs) due to lack of knowledge and interest, time constraints, skin irritation, understaffing, etc. There are no specific drugs and vaccines available for COVID-19 pandemic management, so as control measures, hand hygiene is an essential measure. It will be helpful even for the second wave preparedness. So this study was planned for analysis of barriers and practices of hand hygiene among health care workers which determine the adherence of hand hygiene in medical practice. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> This was a cross-sectional study designed during COVID-19 pandemic management to analyze the barriers and knowledge, attitude and practices in health care workers for hand hygiene. Semi-structured questionnaires based study based on previous experience of seasonal flu outbreak was make to know barriers as well as to analyze the knowledge, attitude and practices of Health care workers. 215 participants were enrolled who were doctors, resident doctors, nurses, lab technicians, ward boys and food distributors. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The “Barriers” related questions’ analysis showed that hand hygiene facilities, with the supply of soap, hand rub, basins with adequate as well as clean water, are available at various places in the Hospital. In knowledge related questions, major gaps are found in 5 moments of hand hygiene and regarding aspects of alcohol-based hand-rub. Majority HCWs show a good attitude towards questions that hand hygiene is an important thing to do along with other works</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> they feel frustrated when others or they themselves omit hand hygiene. But the attitude toward hand hygiene when hands are not visibly soiled and when working with gloved hand showed a wrong attitude. There is a major gap in practices of hand hygiene. The majority feel hand hygiene is difficult due to work pressure, sometimes they forgot, they feel it difficult to adhere due to more steps during an emergency. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Hand hygiene is an essential part of COVID-19 pandemic management. Less compliance was observed due to a lack of knowledge and awareness. Such ignorance leads to an increase in Hospital-acquired infection. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>:</strong> Good preparedness by Government and Institute for supplying adequate hand hygiene facilities in the work area for health care workers. But there were few gaps found in knowledge and attitude-related questionnaires and major gaps in practices were found which should be corrected by repeated training, awareness programs, demonstrations for hand hygiene and hands-on training. Conducting Periodic Webinar can be the most useful, convenient and safe method to provide training during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span>展开更多
<b>Introduction:</b> The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted concern about the compatibility of IPC guidelines with health care workers, their working practices and behaviours. These guidelines can be di...<b>Introduction:</b> The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted concern about the compatibility of IPC guidelines with health care workers, their working practices and behaviours. These guidelines can be difficult and time-consuming to adhere to in practice. By identifying barriers and facilitators to IPC guideline adherence, especially using personal protective equipment (PPE), we can identify focussed strategies that will support health care workers to undertake the IPC measures needed at such a critical time in health care internationally. <b>Material & Methods:</b> This was a cross-sectional study designed during the COVID-19 pandemic management in the South Gujarat region, to analyse the knowledge, attitude and practices of health care workers about their usage of personal protective equipment. A semi-structured questionnaire-based study was prepared, deriving pointers from our previous experience of seasonal flu outbreaks. 225 participants enrolled who were doctors, resident doctors, nurses, lab technicians, ward boys and food distributors. <b>Result:</b> Analysis of the barriers-related questions show good preparedness by the medical institution. Overall we found good knowledge, attitude and practice related to PPE during COVID-19 pandemic management. There are few gaps found in the knowledge of donning of PPE (p-0.0075), N-95 mask related knowledge (p-0.01) and the attitude that PPE use causes discomfort while nursing patients (0.0001).展开更多
Viral hepatitis B and C infections are among the leading cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of knowledge and awareness in the general population as in health care settings may enhance the propagation of these ...Viral hepatitis B and C infections are among the leading cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of knowledge and awareness in the general population as in health care settings may enhance the propagation of these diseases. We aimed at determining the prevalence of HBV and HCV in Ebola survivors and health care workers (HCWs) of the Makeni town in Sierra Leone. We conducted a cross-sectional study during the last 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Makeni among Ebola survivors (N = 68) and 81 Health care workers from Holy Spirit hospital and Loreto clinic, two health care facilities in Makeni district. Serological markers of HBV (HBs Ag, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc Ab) and anti-HCV antibodies detection were done using ELISA techniques. The positive detection rates for HBs Ag, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc antibodies in Ebola survivors were 23.53% (16/68), 32.35% (22/68) and 88.89% (16/18) respectively. Survivors with a current HBV infection had a positive rate of 38.89% (7/18) and 16.66% (3/18) of them were considered immune due to past HBV infection. HCV prevalence was 26.47% (18/68) and about 10.29% (7/68) were HBV/HCV co-infected. The positive detection rates of HBsAg, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc Ab were 37.07% (30/81), 33.33% (27/81) and 30.86% (25/81) respectively in health care workers. We observed that 4.94% (4/81) of the HCWs were currently infected with HBV. Participants considered as immune due to past infection represented 23.47% (19/81) and those immune due to vaccination represented 2.47% (2/81). The prevalence of HCV infection among health staff was 2.47% (2/81) with 1.23% (1/81) being HBV/HCV co-infection. Our findings showed that viral hepatitis infection is a burden for Sierra Leone government. There is an urgent need to develop and implement strategies that could improve population immunization against HBV and vulgarization of HCV treatment programs.展开更多
Background & objectives: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been declared by World Health Organization as a global pandemic disease in March 2020. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is frequent complication of...Background & objectives: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been declared by World Health Organization as a global pandemic disease in March 2020. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is frequent complication of COVID-19 disease. Tracheostomy is needed in cases of prolonged mechanical ventilation (7 - 10 days) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Tracheostomies are highly aerosol generating procedures, Otorhinolaryngologists and Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at high risk of virus exposure. The aim of this review is to evaluate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during tracheostomy procedure, and to review the practical recommendation and scope of the timing to reduce risk of transmission to HCW. Methods: PubMed database was searched between April 2020 to Jan 2021 using the terms “Tracheostomy AND COVID-19 AND Health Care Workers”. All the articles that shared the same aim were screened which resulted in 243 references without duplicates. The title and abstract screening excluded further 202 studies. Eventually 9 full-text studies were included. Results: Five hundred and two COVID-19 patients underwent tracheostomies during the study period. Sixty-three percent of the procedure were done through open technique, while 37% of them were done through percutaneous technique. Seventy-eight percent of them used full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 44.4% used Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR). Negative Pressure Rooms (NPR) were used in 67%. Conclusion: The studies showed similar negative results on HCW infection despite much variance in using PPE. However, there should be global unified recommendations and guidelines regarding tracheostomies in COVID-19 patients to prevent future HCW infection.展开更多
BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) constitute a high-risk population of HBV infection. There are limited data on the efficacy of vaccination in HCWs in India. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of indigenous ...BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) constitute a high-risk population of HBV infection. There are limited data on the efficacy of vaccination in HCWs in India. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of indigenous recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, Shanvac-B, in HCWs. METHODS: In 597 HCWs screened before the vaccination, 216 (36.2%) showed the presence of at least one of the markers of HBV/HCV infection. Of the remaining 381 (63.8%) HCWs who were considered for vaccination, only 153 (age 18-45 years; 48 males and 105 females) were available for final assessment. These HCWs received 20 μg of vaccine at 0, 1 and 6 months. They were asked for the reactogenicity and monitored for the seroprotective efficacy of the vaccination. Anti-HBs titres were measured after vaccination at 1, 2 and 7 months. The presence of anti-HBs titers equal to 1 MIU/ml was considered as seroconversion and that of titres greater than 10 MIU/ml as seroprotection. RESULTS: After vaccination, 32 males (67%) and 76 females (72%) showed seroconvertion; finally 12 (25%) of the males and 47 (45%) of the females were seroprotected. Seroprotection at 2 and 7 months was more dominant in the females than in the males (96% vs. 56%, P=0.001, 100% vs. 85%, P=0.0001), respectively. Geometric mean titres of anti-HBs after vaccination were also higher in the females than in the males (257±19.7 vs. 29±1.88 MIU/ml, P=0.01, 1802±35.2 vs. 306±13.6 MIU/ml, P≤0.05, 6465±72 vs. 2142±73.6 MIU/ml, P<0.05). Seven male HCWs showed unsatisfactory response, non-response (n=3, 6%) and hypo-response (≤10 MIU/ml, n=4, 8%) at the end of vaccination. Smoking and alcoholism were significantly correlated with unsatisfactory response. No significant adverse effects of vaccination were observed in any HCW.CONCLUSIONS: The presence of HBsAg in HCWs indicates that a high proportion of HCWs are infected with HBV and HCV in India. Recombinant indigenous vaccine Shanvac-B is highly efficacious in HCWs, and its immunogenicity is significantly higher in females than in males. However, prevaccination screening of HCWs is strongly recommended in India.展开更多
Background: Worldwide data shows that the stigma and discrimination for AIDS patients by health care providers have a negative impact on its epidemic. It discourages people from seeking care or being tested for HIV, t...Background: Worldwide data shows that the stigma and discrimination for AIDS patients by health care providers have a negative impact on its epidemic. It discourages people from seeking care or being tested for HIV, thus reducing access to HIV/AIDS prevention. The study aims to evaluate the knowledge of the HCWs (health care workers) in King Abdulaziz Medical City about human immunodeficiency virus infection and their attitudes when?they encounter HIV/AIDS patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed to collect data using self-administered structured questionnaire from 90 health care workers. It was distributed among HCWs in different wards in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh in August 2014. Results: The study included a total number of 90 heath care workers, of which 31 were physicians and 59 were nurses. Around 81 (90%) of HCWs knew the causative agent for AIDS. Only 22 (24%) of HCWs knew the level of risk of HIV transmission following needle stick injury. Most of HCWs 66 (73%) knew that sexual practice was the most common mode of transmission. Around 27 (87%) of physicians and 33 (56%) of nurses were able to answer that antiretroviral therapy had the ability to control HIV-infection. In addition, 9 (10%) of HCWs believed that AIDS was curable. Conclusion: It was obvious from our study that there was some amount of general information and knowledge with our HCWs. However, an educational campaign will try to increase the level of awareness and clear any misconception or misleading theories about HIV infection with our health care workers.展开更多
<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background:</strong> The outbreak of COVID-19 has continued to threaten the existence of the human race. The novelty and unstable epidemiologic pa...<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background:</strong> The outbreak of COVID-19 has continued to threaten the existence of the human race. The novelty and unstable epidemiologic pattern of the virus had generated so much concern among the global health experts. These concerns were found to be escalated among the frontline health care workers to the extent of impeding the timeliness of the response activities. To slow down the spread of the already established community transmission through the surveillance activities, the concern of the health workers at the community level needs to be addressed. Therefore, this study assessed the concern about COVID-19 pandemic among primary health workers in Oyo State, Nigeria. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was an online cross-sectional survey conducted among primary health care workers in Oyo State between March and April 2020. Using a two-stage sampling technique, we recruited 284 respondents. A semi-structured questionnaire linked to the Google form was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25;bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square and binary logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of health workers’ concern at 5% level of significance. <strong>Results:</strong> The mean age of respondents was 45.0 ± 9.0 years. The proportion of the respondents who had good knowledge of COVID-19 was 52.5%. In the domains of concern, 66.9%, 53.2%, 51.4%, and 46.5% of the respondents expressed government-related, self-satisfaction related, work-related and social-status related concerns respectively. Male respondents were less likely to express concern about COVID-19 compared with their female counterparts (aOR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.20 - 0.76). Nurses/midwives (aOR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.05 - 0.85) had lesser likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19 while middle staff (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.18 - 5.39) and income earner of ≥N200,000 (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.34 - 3.92) had higher likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The study highlights an average knowledge of COVID-19 among the respondents. Government-related and self-satisfaction related concerns were expressed by the majority of the Primary Health Care (PHC) workers. Now that the second wave of COVID-19 is moving with much more fatality across much of Africa, including Nigeria, it is therefore imperative to address these concerns through a holistic policy that addresses the welfare, safety and capacity building of the health care workers (HCWs).</span>展开更多
AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) ...AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) during the Hajj.METHODS An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was distributed among HCWs and trainees who worked or volunteered at the Hajj 2015-2017 through their line managers, or by visiting their hospitals and healthcare centres in Makkah and Mina. Overseas HCWs who accompanied the pilgrims or those who work in foreign Hajj medical missions were excluded. Pearson's χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables and odds ratio(OR) was calculated by "risk estimate" statistics along with 95% confidence interval(95%CI).RESULTS A total of 138 respondents aged 20 to 59(median 25.6) years with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1 participated in the survey. Only 11.6%(16/138) participants reported receiving all three vaccines, 15.2%(21/138) did not receive any vaccine, 76.1%(105/138) received meningococcal, 68.1%(94/138) influenza and 13.8%(19/138) pneumococcal vaccine. Females were more likely to receive a vaccine than males(OR 3.6, 95%CI: 1.0-12.7, P < 0.05). Willingness to follow health authority's recommendation was the main reason for receipt of vaccine(78.8%) while believing that they were up-to-date with vaccination(39.8%) was the prime reason for non-receipt. CONCLUSION Some HCWs at Hajj miss out the compulsory and highly recommended vaccines; lack of awareness is a key barrier and authority's advice is an important motivator. Health education followed by stringent measures may be required to improve their vaccination rate.展开更多
Introduction: The rate of latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) in health care workers (HCWs) is higher than that in non-HCWs. We studied to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of LTBIs and the acceptance rat...Introduction: The rate of latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) in health care workers (HCWs) is higher than that in non-HCWs. We studied to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of LTBIs and the acceptance rate for treatment of LTBI among HCWs in South Korea, a country with an intermediate tuberculosis (TB) burden. Methodology: LTBI screening was conducted for HCWs at a tertiary and a secondary hospital from April 2017 to August 2017. This was a retrospective study included all HCWs who underwent LTBI examination. HCWs were classified by the degree of risk into four groups, based on two factors: possibility of exposure to TB, and impact on patients at the time of TB onset in the HCWs. The interferon-gamma release assay was used for the diagnosis of LTBI. Results: A total of 1326 HCWs were included;they comprised 801 HCWs from a tertiary hospital and 525 from a secondary hospital. A total of 235 (17.7%) HCWs were diagnosed with LTBIs. According to risk classification, there was no significant difference (P = 0.24). In multivariate analysis, age was the only independent risk factor (P Conclusions: HCWs did not show any significant difference in the rate of LTBI by the degree of risk, and age was the independent risk factor. LTBI screening should be conducted for all HCWs regardless of risk classification.展开更多
Global prevalence of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in women of 20 - 49 years was estimated to be 16.9% and affecting 21.4 million live births, in 2013, 90% of which occurred in developing countries. The cornerstone of a...Global prevalence of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in women of 20 - 49 years was estimated to be 16.9% and affecting 21.4 million live births, in 2013, 90% of which occurred in developing countries. The cornerstone of anti-diabetic therapy is diet, physical activity and medications. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive design using key informant interviews from August 2016 to November 2016 to explore challenges of adherence to anti-diabetic therapy in pregnant women with diabetes at a central hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the respective local and national ethical review boards. All participants gave verbal and written informed consent. A sample of eight key informants directly involved in the care of pregnant women with diabetes was purposively selected for key informant interviews. Key informants should have worked with diabetic pregnant women for at least one year. Sample size was determined by data saturation. Interviews followed a semi structured questionnaire that had sections on the burden of diabetes in pregnancy, challenges of adherence, challenges in management and possible solutions to challenges faced. All interviews were conducted in a private room. Detailed notes were taken during the interviews which were also being audiotaped. Trustworthiness was achieved by observing credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. Thematic analysis was done. Thematic analysis was done manually. The stages of data analysis followed were data organization, familiarization, transcription, coding, developing a thematic framework, indexing, displaying and reporting. Major themes identified were barriers and facilitators of adherence to anti-diabetic therapy. Categories under barriers were financial barriers, lack of health education, lack of trained personnel, shortage of staff and lack of collaboration among practitioners. Categories under facilitators of adherence were subsidization of care, formal training of professionals, promoting collaboration and establishment of a unit dedicated to the care of pregnant women with diabetes. Barriers and solutions identified should be utilized to develop frameworks to promote adherence to anti-diabetic therapy incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes.展开更多
Introduction: Benue State of Nigeria has a high morbidity and mortality among individuals from HIV/AIDS. HBV is common among people who are at risk of/or living with HIV since both are transmitted in the same ways and...Introduction: Benue State of Nigeria has a high morbidity and mortality among individuals from HIV/AIDS. HBV is common among people who are at risk of/or living with HIV since both are transmitted in the same ways and in the presence of co-infection, there is increased risk for serious life threatening liver and other health complications. This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of HBV and HIV infections among Health Care Workers (HCWs) in some health care centers in the state. Materials and Methods: A total of 255 randomly collected blood specimen of consenting HCWs from some health care centers located in Benue State were screened by ELISA for Hepatitis B virus markers. Antibodies to HIV 1and 2 were detected in sera using Determine (Alero, Japan) and Stat Pak (USA) test strips. Other information was obtained through administration of structured questionnaire and data generated were analyzed using Chi square (χ2) test. Results: Of the 255 sampled individuals, 221 (86.7%) showed serological evidence of exposure to HBV markers, some through natural infection (21.6%) and others (23.9%) through vaccination;10.6% of the exposed were currently infected, while 30.6% were indeterminate. HIV antibodies were in 43 (16.9%) while 6 (2.4%) had both HBV and HIV infections. HIV significantly (P = 0.027) increased with increasing years of professional service in the health sector, similar to needle stick injury (P = 0.000) in this study. Both HBV and HIV were significantly higher (P = 0.025, P = 0.000 respectively) in individuals with history of previous surgery. Conclusion: Therefore, HBV and HIV infections are common among HCWs in Benue State. Hence, there is need to scale up vaccination coverage for HBV and upgrade the medical facilities especially in rural health care centers as well as intensification of programmes targeting safety and prevention for precautions.展开更多
Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are constantly at risk of exposure to viral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aim at demonstrating the results of...Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are constantly at risk of exposure to viral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aim at demonstrating the results of a three-year period of a surveillance program in Iran with the prospective follow-up of HCWs exposed to blood-borne viruses. HCWs who had experienced an occupational exposure to HBV, HCV or HIV from September 2005 to 2008 were enrolled in the study. Age, gender, route of exposure, type of fluid, type of virus, job, department, working shift, work experience, wearing gloves when exposed, history of HBV vaccination and the serum level of anti HBs antibody were recorded for all participants through an individual interview. Serum samples were taken from both HCWs and the sources of exposure and were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were gathered through questionnaires completed by a nurse under the supervision of a specialist of infectious diseases. In this study, 100 HCWs who were occupationally exposed to HIV, HCV or HBV were included. Most exposures had occurred among nurses (35%), followed by residents (29%), interns (18%), housekeepers (7%), the lab staff (6%), and specialists (5%). Most of the exposures had occurred in emergency (21%) and surgical (20%) wards. The most common route of exposure was percutaneous injuries (77%) and the most common cases had contacted with needles and angiocaths (71.1%) during injection or opening vein routes (21%). Establishing a surveillance system for registering the occurrence of occupational hazardous exposures, performing prophylactic measures and following up the exposed is a necessity in hospitals so that the number of exposures and occupational diseases among the HCWs can be decreased.展开更多
Background: Control of blindness in children is one of the priorities of VISION 2020. Early detection of children needing eye services is essential to achieve maximum visual recovery. Even though training primary (com...Background: Control of blindness in children is one of the priorities of VISION 2020. Early detection of children needing eye services is essential to achieve maximum visual recovery. Even though training primary (community) Health care workers (PHC) should play an important role in early identification of children, it is not known how many of these workers leave after being trained, and whether those who remain continuing identifying children in the long term. The objectives of the study were to determine the attrition of primary health workers over a 3-year period after training, and to assess their knowledge and skills on cataract in children in southern Malawi. Methods: This was a cohort study that followed primary health care workers (health surveillance assistants) over a 3-year period from 2008 to 2011 and reassessed their attrition rates, knowledge and skills on cataract in children. Results: Among the 59 HSAs that were originally trained in 2008, 54 (92%) were interviewed and were found to be still working in the health sector. Knowledge regarding cataract blindness in children remained constant over the 3-year period, however, only two HSAs had reported identifying and referring children. Conclusion: Despite attrition among primary health care workers being low, only a few actually identify cataract children in the communities after being trained. Other innovative ways are needed to identify prevalent and incident cases in Malawi, as the use of HSAs is unlikely to be successful in addressing blindness in children.展开更多
BACKGROUND For decades and before the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,for health care workers(HCWs)burnout can be experienced as an upsetting confrontation with their self and the result of a complex a mult...BACKGROUND For decades and before the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,for health care workers(HCWs)burnout can be experienced as an upsetting confrontation with their self and the result of a complex a multifactorial process interacting with environmental and personal features.AIM To literature review and meta-analysis was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of burnout and work-related stress in health care workers around the world during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS We performed a database search of Embase,Google Scholar and PubMed from June to October 2020.We analysed burnout risk factors and protective factors in included studies published in peer-reviewed journals as of January 2020,studying a HCW population during the first COVID-19 wave without any geographic restrictions.Furthermore,we performed a meta-analysis to determine overall burnout levels.We studied the main risk factors and protective factors related to burnout and stress at the individual,institutional and regional levels.RESULTS Forty-one studies were included in our final review sample.Most were crosssectional,observational studies with data collection windows during the first wave of the COVID-19 surge.Of those forty-one,twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis.Of the 27907 health care professionals who participated in the reviewed studies,70.4%were women,and two-thirds were either married or living together.The most represented age category was 31-45 years,at 41.5%.Approximately half of the sample comprised nurses(47.6%),and 44.4%were working in COVID-19 wards(intensive care unit,emergency room and dedicated internal medicine wards).Indeed,exposure to the virus was not a leading factor for burnout.Our meta-analytic estimate of burnout prevalence in the HCW population for a sample of 6784 individuals was 30.05%.CONCLUSION There was a significant prevalence of burnout in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic,and some of the associated risk factors could be targeted for intervention,both at the individual and organizational levels.Nevertheless,COVID-19 exposure was not a leading factor for burnout,as burnout levels were not notably higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.展开更多
Background: COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020. Many pieces of research have been published on the virus’s pattern and transmission routes, and a few studies have been...Background: COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020. Many pieces of research have been published on the virus’s pattern and transmission routes, and a few studies have been published on its psychological repercussions for the general public and health care workers in particular. We aimed in this study to figure out the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of health care workers in the Jazan region and compare it to non-health care workers. Results: There were 221 participants in this study conducted in the Jazan region KSA, during the first part of 2022. 117 participants were non-HCWs (Health Care Workers) and 104 participants were HCWs. 31.7% of HCWs had high score of PTSD symptoms which may suppress their immunity, PTSD was a clinical concern in 12.5%, 6.7% had probable PTSD, and 49% had no PTSD. The average PTSD score in HCWs was 26.14. In contrast, the great majority of non-HCWs (69.2%) had no PTSD;PTSD was a clinical concern in 16.2%, 11.1% had a score indicating PTSD had the potential for immunosuppression, and 3.4% had probable PTSD. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect just those who were infected with the virus, nor was it restricted to the mental health of those afflicted;rather, the influence expanded until it reached the general public and, in particular, those who had contact with patients, such as health care workers. As a result, mental health investigation, follow-up, and therapy are required to preserve the mental health of health care workers as well as the general population.展开更多
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common (2.26 million new cases and 685,000 deaths). In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranked the first among females in 2014, accounting for...Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common (2.26 million new cases and 685,000 deaths). In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranked the first among females in 2014, accounting for 15.9% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals and 28.7% of all cancers reported among females of all ages. Early detection of breast cancer could decrease the risks, have a better prognosis, and have better outcomes/more successful treatments. Prevalence of breast cancer reached more than 25% of all diagnosed cancer in the kingdom among women. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge and performance of women attending primary care centers about breast self-examination and mammogram screening for prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Abha city primary healthcare centers, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research Method: cross sectional design was conducted by using questionnaire, which was distributed to primary care center nurses. The collected data was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25. Results: The study found that participants had poor awareness and knowledge about breast self-examination, risk factors for breast cancer, and trends and practices in early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusion and Recommendations: It recommends increasing awareness campaigns and providing educational programs to improve knowledge and practices.展开更多
Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) ...Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for each United Nations member state to reach by 2030. Each member state is required to reach by 2022, 2025 and 2030 at least 60%, 80% and 100%, respectively of basic level of service of the five elements which are water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate and document the current state of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services in all lower-level health care facilities in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania as of July 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 99 public dispensaries in the Dar es Salaam region’s five councils: Ubungo, Kigamboni, Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities, and Ilala City. The interviewee form and observational checklists were both digitalized using the Kobo tool software. The respondents were health care facility in-charges or nurse in-charges. Data were downloaded, validated, and imported to Stata version 15 for analysis. Results: The basic WASH level per JMP is far below the target in 2022. Each member state by 2022 is required to reach at least 60% of the basic level of service of each element. We found a low coverage of basic WASH in the 99 dispensaries included in this study. The basic WASH coverage was met in only 10 (10.1%) of the dispensaries, while the remaining 89 (89.9%) dispensaries fall on limited WASH services. Conclusion: This study revealed lower coverage of basic WASH services in dispensaries. An urgent need is required to improve the status of WASH in all the dispensaries and facilitate the provision of quality health care services, patient safety and reduce health care associated infections.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Depression is a serious issue affecting healthcare workers and is a leading cause of disability for both genders. Furthermore, it is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, responsible for 4.4 percent of global disability. An estimated 350 million people are currently living with depression worldwide. Objectives: to estimate the prevalence of depression among healthcare workers in Khartoum State in 2022 and determine the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare workers in Khartoum State, Sudan, in 2022 using a self-administered electronic questionnaire. Depression was screened using the self-reporting questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages were used to display the data. Odds ratios (ORs) with a 95% confidence interval were estimated using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine associations between depression and related factors. Results: A total of 341 valid responses were received, with a mean age of 33.91. The overall prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 > 8) was 258 (75.6%). The prevalence was significantly associated with marital status (single and divorced), occupation (psychologist), and working department (Emergency Department), showing a p-value of Conclusion: Depression is a serious mental health disorder that affects all people, including healthcare workers, and is a growing problem in Sudan. To address this, healthcare organizations must implement policies and strategies to reduce inequality and protect healthcare workers. A multidisciplinary approach that includes mental health professionals, the Ministry of Health, and universities is needed to prioritize mental health issues and ensure quality care and the overall well-being of both healthcare workers and patients.
基金Supported by the Qinghai Province Science and Technology Department Project,No.2020-SF-154.
文摘BACKGROUND Health care workers treating coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)patients experience burnout and stress due to overwork and poor working conditions.AIM To investigate the work experiences of frontline health care workers in Wuhan city and Qinghai province,China,during the COVID-19 outbreak.METHODS In this cross-sectional descriptive study,a self-reported questionnaire was designed to evaluate work experiences of medical staff throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.A total of 178 health care workers responded to the questionnaire between February 19 and 29,2020.Higher questionnaire dimensional score confirmed dimensional advantage.RESULTS Of all dimensions evaluated by this questionnaire,the occupational value dimension had the highest mean score of 2.61(0.59),followed by the support/security dimension score of 2.30(0.74).Occupational protection scored lowest at 1.44(0.75),followed by work environment at 1.97(0.81).The social relationships dimension had an intermediate score of 2.06(0.80).Significant differences in working conditions were observed across hospital departments,with the fever ward scoring lowest.Total scores also differed significantly across workplaces;the fever outpatient department scored lowest(P<0.01).This phenomenon was likely due to the fact that work in the fever outpatient department,where many patients present to hospital,necessitates constant contact with a large number of individuals with insufficient provision of resources(such as protective equipment and social support).Medical workers in the fever outpatient department were burdened with a fear of COVID-19 infection and a lower sense of professional value as compared to workers in other hospital departments.Medical staff in Wuhan worked longer hours(P<0.01)as compared to elsewhere.The mean support/security dimension score was higher for tertiary hospital as compared to secondary hospital medical staff as well as for Wuhan area as compared to Qinghai region staff(P<0.01).Staff in Wuhan had a lower mean work environment score as compared to staff in Qinghai(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Medical staff treating COVID-19 patients in China report poor occupational experiences strongly affected by work environment,occupational protection and social relationships.Health care managers must address the occupational needs of medical staff by ensuring a supportive and safe work environment.
文摘<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Introduction:</span></b><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Hands of health care workers play an important part in infection transmission in a healthcare setting infections. Even though it is a simple and effective procedure, it is many times ignored by the health care workers (HCWs) due to lack of knowledge and interest, time constraints, skin irritation, understaffing, etc. There are no specific drugs and vaccines available for COVID-19 pandemic management, so as control measures, hand hygiene is an essential measure. It will be helpful even for the second wave preparedness. So this study was planned for analysis of barriers and practices of hand hygiene among health care workers which determine the adherence of hand hygiene in medical practice. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Methods:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> This was a cross-sectional study designed during COVID-19 pandemic management to analyze the barriers and knowledge, attitude and practices in health care workers for hand hygiene. Semi-structured questionnaires based study based on previous experience of seasonal flu outbreak was make to know barriers as well as to analyze the knowledge, attitude and practices of Health care workers. 215 participants were enrolled who were doctors, resident doctors, nurses, lab technicians, ward boys and food distributors. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> The “Barriers” related questions’ analysis showed that hand hygiene facilities, with the supply of soap, hand rub, basins with adequate as well as clean water, are available at various places in the Hospital. In knowledge related questions, major gaps are found in 5 moments of hand hygiene and regarding aspects of alcohol-based hand-rub. Majority HCWs show a good attitude towards questions that hand hygiene is an important thing to do along with other works</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> they feel frustrated when others or they themselves omit hand hygiene. But the attitude toward hand hygiene when hands are not visibly soiled and when working with gloved hand showed a wrong attitude. There is a major gap in practices of hand hygiene. The majority feel hand hygiene is difficult due to work pressure, sometimes they forgot, they feel it difficult to adhere due to more steps during an emergency. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Discussion:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Hand hygiene is an essential part of COVID-19 pandemic management. Less compliance was observed due to a lack of knowledge and awareness. Such ignorance leads to an increase in Hospital-acquired infection. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>:</strong> Good preparedness by Government and Institute for supplying adequate hand hygiene facilities in the work area for health care workers. But there were few gaps found in knowledge and attitude-related questionnaires and major gaps in practices were found which should be corrected by repeated training, awareness programs, demonstrations for hand hygiene and hands-on training. Conducting Periodic Webinar can be the most useful, convenient and safe method to provide training during the COVID-19 pandemic.</span></span>
文摘<b>Introduction:</b> The recent COVID-19 pandemic has prompted concern about the compatibility of IPC guidelines with health care workers, their working practices and behaviours. These guidelines can be difficult and time-consuming to adhere to in practice. By identifying barriers and facilitators to IPC guideline adherence, especially using personal protective equipment (PPE), we can identify focussed strategies that will support health care workers to undertake the IPC measures needed at such a critical time in health care internationally. <b>Material & Methods:</b> This was a cross-sectional study designed during the COVID-19 pandemic management in the South Gujarat region, to analyse the knowledge, attitude and practices of health care workers about their usage of personal protective equipment. A semi-structured questionnaire-based study was prepared, deriving pointers from our previous experience of seasonal flu outbreaks. 225 participants enrolled who were doctors, resident doctors, nurses, lab technicians, ward boys and food distributors. <b>Result:</b> Analysis of the barriers-related questions show good preparedness by the medical institution. Overall we found good knowledge, attitude and practice related to PPE during COVID-19 pandemic management. There are few gaps found in the knowledge of donning of PPE (p-0.0075), N-95 mask related knowledge (p-0.01) and the attitude that PPE use causes discomfort while nursing patients (0.0001).
文摘Viral hepatitis B and C infections are among the leading cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lack of knowledge and awareness in the general population as in health care settings may enhance the propagation of these diseases. We aimed at determining the prevalence of HBV and HCV in Ebola survivors and health care workers (HCWs) of the Makeni town in Sierra Leone. We conducted a cross-sectional study during the last 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in Makeni among Ebola survivors (N = 68) and 81 Health care workers from Holy Spirit hospital and Loreto clinic, two health care facilities in Makeni district. Serological markers of HBV (HBs Ag, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc Ab) and anti-HCV antibodies detection were done using ELISA techniques. The positive detection rates for HBs Ag, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc antibodies in Ebola survivors were 23.53% (16/68), 32.35% (22/68) and 88.89% (16/18) respectively. Survivors with a current HBV infection had a positive rate of 38.89% (7/18) and 16.66% (3/18) of them were considered immune due to past HBV infection. HCV prevalence was 26.47% (18/68) and about 10.29% (7/68) were HBV/HCV co-infected. The positive detection rates of HBsAg, anti-HBs Ab and anti-HBc Ab were 37.07% (30/81), 33.33% (27/81) and 30.86% (25/81) respectively in health care workers. We observed that 4.94% (4/81) of the HCWs were currently infected with HBV. Participants considered as immune due to past infection represented 23.47% (19/81) and those immune due to vaccination represented 2.47% (2/81). The prevalence of HCV infection among health staff was 2.47% (2/81) with 1.23% (1/81) being HBV/HCV co-infection. Our findings showed that viral hepatitis infection is a burden for Sierra Leone government. There is an urgent need to develop and implement strategies that could improve population immunization against HBV and vulgarization of HCV treatment programs.
文摘Background & objectives: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has been declared by World Health Organization as a global pandemic disease in March 2020. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is frequent complication of COVID-19 disease. Tracheostomy is needed in cases of prolonged mechanical ventilation (7 - 10 days) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Tracheostomies are highly aerosol generating procedures, Otorhinolaryngologists and Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at high risk of virus exposure. The aim of this review is to evaluate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 during tracheostomy procedure, and to review the practical recommendation and scope of the timing to reduce risk of transmission to HCW. Methods: PubMed database was searched between April 2020 to Jan 2021 using the terms “Tracheostomy AND COVID-19 AND Health Care Workers”. All the articles that shared the same aim were screened which resulted in 243 references without duplicates. The title and abstract screening excluded further 202 studies. Eventually 9 full-text studies were included. Results: Five hundred and two COVID-19 patients underwent tracheostomies during the study period. Sixty-three percent of the procedure were done through open technique, while 37% of them were done through percutaneous technique. Seventy-eight percent of them used full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and 44.4% used Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR). Negative Pressure Rooms (NPR) were used in 67%. Conclusion: The studies showed similar negative results on HCW infection despite much variance in using PPE. However, there should be global unified recommendations and guidelines regarding tracheostomies in COVID-19 patients to prevent future HCW infection.
基金supported by a grant from Shanta Biotec,Hyderabad,India
文摘BACKGROUND: Health care workers (HCWs) constitute a high-risk population of HBV infection. There are limited data on the efficacy of vaccination in HCWs in India. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of indigenous recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, Shanvac-B, in HCWs. METHODS: In 597 HCWs screened before the vaccination, 216 (36.2%) showed the presence of at least one of the markers of HBV/HCV infection. Of the remaining 381 (63.8%) HCWs who were considered for vaccination, only 153 (age 18-45 years; 48 males and 105 females) were available for final assessment. These HCWs received 20 μg of vaccine at 0, 1 and 6 months. They were asked for the reactogenicity and monitored for the seroprotective efficacy of the vaccination. Anti-HBs titres were measured after vaccination at 1, 2 and 7 months. The presence of anti-HBs titers equal to 1 MIU/ml was considered as seroconversion and that of titres greater than 10 MIU/ml as seroprotection. RESULTS: After vaccination, 32 males (67%) and 76 females (72%) showed seroconvertion; finally 12 (25%) of the males and 47 (45%) of the females were seroprotected. Seroprotection at 2 and 7 months was more dominant in the females than in the males (96% vs. 56%, P=0.001, 100% vs. 85%, P=0.0001), respectively. Geometric mean titres of anti-HBs after vaccination were also higher in the females than in the males (257±19.7 vs. 29±1.88 MIU/ml, P=0.01, 1802±35.2 vs. 306±13.6 MIU/ml, P≤0.05, 6465±72 vs. 2142±73.6 MIU/ml, P<0.05). Seven male HCWs showed unsatisfactory response, non-response (n=3, 6%) and hypo-response (≤10 MIU/ml, n=4, 8%) at the end of vaccination. Smoking and alcoholism were significantly correlated with unsatisfactory response. No significant adverse effects of vaccination were observed in any HCW.CONCLUSIONS: The presence of HBsAg in HCWs indicates that a high proportion of HCWs are infected with HBV and HCV in India. Recombinant indigenous vaccine Shanvac-B is highly efficacious in HCWs, and its immunogenicity is significantly higher in females than in males. However, prevaccination screening of HCWs is strongly recommended in India.
文摘Background: Worldwide data shows that the stigma and discrimination for AIDS patients by health care providers have a negative impact on its epidemic. It discourages people from seeking care or being tested for HIV, thus reducing access to HIV/AIDS prevention. The study aims to evaluate the knowledge of the HCWs (health care workers) in King Abdulaziz Medical City about human immunodeficiency virus infection and their attitudes when?they encounter HIV/AIDS patients. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was designed to collect data using self-administered structured questionnaire from 90 health care workers. It was distributed among HCWs in different wards in King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh in August 2014. Results: The study included a total number of 90 heath care workers, of which 31 were physicians and 59 were nurses. Around 81 (90%) of HCWs knew the causative agent for AIDS. Only 22 (24%) of HCWs knew the level of risk of HIV transmission following needle stick injury. Most of HCWs 66 (73%) knew that sexual practice was the most common mode of transmission. Around 27 (87%) of physicians and 33 (56%) of nurses were able to answer that antiretroviral therapy had the ability to control HIV-infection. In addition, 9 (10%) of HCWs believed that AIDS was curable. Conclusion: It was obvious from our study that there was some amount of general information and knowledge with our HCWs. However, an educational campaign will try to increase the level of awareness and clear any misconception or misleading theories about HIV infection with our health care workers.
文摘<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background:</strong> The outbreak of COVID-19 has continued to threaten the existence of the human race. The novelty and unstable epidemiologic pattern of the virus had generated so much concern among the global health experts. These concerns were found to be escalated among the frontline health care workers to the extent of impeding the timeliness of the response activities. To slow down the spread of the already established community transmission through the surveillance activities, the concern of the health workers at the community level needs to be addressed. Therefore, this study assessed the concern about COVID-19 pandemic among primary health workers in Oyo State, Nigeria. <strong>Methods:</strong> This was an online cross-sectional survey conducted among primary health care workers in Oyo State between March and April 2020. Using a two-stage sampling technique, we recruited 284 respondents. A semi-structured questionnaire linked to the Google form was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25;bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square and binary logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of health workers’ concern at 5% level of significance. <strong>Results:</strong> The mean age of respondents was 45.0 ± 9.0 years. The proportion of the respondents who had good knowledge of COVID-19 was 52.5%. In the domains of concern, 66.9%, 53.2%, 51.4%, and 46.5% of the respondents expressed government-related, self-satisfaction related, work-related and social-status related concerns respectively. Male respondents were less likely to express concern about COVID-19 compared with their female counterparts (aOR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.20 - 0.76). Nurses/midwives (aOR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.05 - 0.85) had lesser likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19 while middle staff (aOR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.18 - 5.39) and income earner of ≥N200,000 (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI = 1.34 - 3.92) had higher likelihood of expressing concern about COVID-19. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The study highlights an average knowledge of COVID-19 among the respondents. Government-related and self-satisfaction related concerns were expressed by the majority of the Primary Health Care (PHC) workers. Now that the second wave of COVID-19 is moving with much more fatality across much of Africa, including Nigeria, it is therefore imperative to address these concerns through a holistic policy that addresses the welfare, safety and capacity building of the health care workers (HCWs).</span>
文摘AIM To evaluate the uptake of a mandatory meningococcal, a highly recommended influenza, and an optional pneumococcal vaccine, and to explore the key factors affecting vaccination rate among health care workers(HCWs) during the Hajj.METHODS An anonymous cross-sectional online survey was distributed among HCWs and trainees who worked or volunteered at the Hajj 2015-2017 through their line managers, or by visiting their hospitals and healthcare centres in Makkah and Mina. Overseas HCWs who accompanied the pilgrims or those who work in foreign Hajj medical missions were excluded. Pearson's χ2 test was used to compare categorical variables and odds ratio(OR) was calculated by "risk estimate" statistics along with 95% confidence interval(95%CI).RESULTS A total of 138 respondents aged 20 to 59(median 25.6) years with a male to female ratio of 2.5:1 participated in the survey. Only 11.6%(16/138) participants reported receiving all three vaccines, 15.2%(21/138) did not receive any vaccine, 76.1%(105/138) received meningococcal, 68.1%(94/138) influenza and 13.8%(19/138) pneumococcal vaccine. Females were more likely to receive a vaccine than males(OR 3.6, 95%CI: 1.0-12.7, P < 0.05). Willingness to follow health authority's recommendation was the main reason for receipt of vaccine(78.8%) while believing that they were up-to-date with vaccination(39.8%) was the prime reason for non-receipt. CONCLUSION Some HCWs at Hajj miss out the compulsory and highly recommended vaccines; lack of awareness is a key barrier and authority's advice is an important motivator. Health education followed by stringent measures may be required to improve their vaccination rate.
文摘Introduction: The rate of latent tuberculosis infections (LTBIs) in health care workers (HCWs) is higher than that in non-HCWs. We studied to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of LTBIs and the acceptance rate for treatment of LTBI among HCWs in South Korea, a country with an intermediate tuberculosis (TB) burden. Methodology: LTBI screening was conducted for HCWs at a tertiary and a secondary hospital from April 2017 to August 2017. This was a retrospective study included all HCWs who underwent LTBI examination. HCWs were classified by the degree of risk into four groups, based on two factors: possibility of exposure to TB, and impact on patients at the time of TB onset in the HCWs. The interferon-gamma release assay was used for the diagnosis of LTBI. Results: A total of 1326 HCWs were included;they comprised 801 HCWs from a tertiary hospital and 525 from a secondary hospital. A total of 235 (17.7%) HCWs were diagnosed with LTBIs. According to risk classification, there was no significant difference (P = 0.24). In multivariate analysis, age was the only independent risk factor (P Conclusions: HCWs did not show any significant difference in the rate of LTBI by the degree of risk, and age was the independent risk factor. LTBI screening should be conducted for all HCWs regardless of risk classification.
文摘Global prevalence of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in women of 20 - 49 years was estimated to be 16.9% and affecting 21.4 million live births, in 2013, 90% of which occurred in developing countries. The cornerstone of anti-diabetic therapy is diet, physical activity and medications. The study utilized a qualitative descriptive design using key informant interviews from August 2016 to November 2016 to explore challenges of adherence to anti-diabetic therapy in pregnant women with diabetes at a central hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the respective local and national ethical review boards. All participants gave verbal and written informed consent. A sample of eight key informants directly involved in the care of pregnant women with diabetes was purposively selected for key informant interviews. Key informants should have worked with diabetic pregnant women for at least one year. Sample size was determined by data saturation. Interviews followed a semi structured questionnaire that had sections on the burden of diabetes in pregnancy, challenges of adherence, challenges in management and possible solutions to challenges faced. All interviews were conducted in a private room. Detailed notes were taken during the interviews which were also being audiotaped. Trustworthiness was achieved by observing credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. Thematic analysis was done. Thematic analysis was done manually. The stages of data analysis followed were data organization, familiarization, transcription, coding, developing a thematic framework, indexing, displaying and reporting. Major themes identified were barriers and facilitators of adherence to anti-diabetic therapy. Categories under barriers were financial barriers, lack of health education, lack of trained personnel, shortage of staff and lack of collaboration among practitioners. Categories under facilitators of adherence were subsidization of care, formal training of professionals, promoting collaboration and establishment of a unit dedicated to the care of pregnant women with diabetes. Barriers and solutions identified should be utilized to develop frameworks to promote adherence to anti-diabetic therapy incidence of adverse perinatal outcomes.
文摘Introduction: Benue State of Nigeria has a high morbidity and mortality among individuals from HIV/AIDS. HBV is common among people who are at risk of/or living with HIV since both are transmitted in the same ways and in the presence of co-infection, there is increased risk for serious life threatening liver and other health complications. This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of HBV and HIV infections among Health Care Workers (HCWs) in some health care centers in the state. Materials and Methods: A total of 255 randomly collected blood specimen of consenting HCWs from some health care centers located in Benue State were screened by ELISA for Hepatitis B virus markers. Antibodies to HIV 1and 2 were detected in sera using Determine (Alero, Japan) and Stat Pak (USA) test strips. Other information was obtained through administration of structured questionnaire and data generated were analyzed using Chi square (χ2) test. Results: Of the 255 sampled individuals, 221 (86.7%) showed serological evidence of exposure to HBV markers, some through natural infection (21.6%) and others (23.9%) through vaccination;10.6% of the exposed were currently infected, while 30.6% were indeterminate. HIV antibodies were in 43 (16.9%) while 6 (2.4%) had both HBV and HIV infections. HIV significantly (P = 0.027) increased with increasing years of professional service in the health sector, similar to needle stick injury (P = 0.000) in this study. Both HBV and HIV were significantly higher (P = 0.025, P = 0.000 respectively) in individuals with history of previous surgery. Conclusion: Therefore, HBV and HIV infections are common among HCWs in Benue State. Hence, there is need to scale up vaccination coverage for HBV and upgrade the medical facilities especially in rural health care centers as well as intensification of programmes targeting safety and prevention for precautions.
文摘Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are constantly at risk of exposure to viral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), human immune deficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). We aim at demonstrating the results of a three-year period of a surveillance program in Iran with the prospective follow-up of HCWs exposed to blood-borne viruses. HCWs who had experienced an occupational exposure to HBV, HCV or HIV from September 2005 to 2008 were enrolled in the study. Age, gender, route of exposure, type of fluid, type of virus, job, department, working shift, work experience, wearing gloves when exposed, history of HBV vaccination and the serum level of anti HBs antibody were recorded for all participants through an individual interview. Serum samples were taken from both HCWs and the sources of exposure and were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were gathered through questionnaires completed by a nurse under the supervision of a specialist of infectious diseases. In this study, 100 HCWs who were occupationally exposed to HIV, HCV or HBV were included. Most exposures had occurred among nurses (35%), followed by residents (29%), interns (18%), housekeepers (7%), the lab staff (6%), and specialists (5%). Most of the exposures had occurred in emergency (21%) and surgical (20%) wards. The most common route of exposure was percutaneous injuries (77%) and the most common cases had contacted with needles and angiocaths (71.1%) during injection or opening vein routes (21%). Establishing a surveillance system for registering the occurrence of occupational hazardous exposures, performing prophylactic measures and following up the exposed is a necessity in hospitals so that the number of exposures and occupational diseases among the HCWs can be decreased.
文摘Background: Control of blindness in children is one of the priorities of VISION 2020. Early detection of children needing eye services is essential to achieve maximum visual recovery. Even though training primary (community) Health care workers (PHC) should play an important role in early identification of children, it is not known how many of these workers leave after being trained, and whether those who remain continuing identifying children in the long term. The objectives of the study were to determine the attrition of primary health workers over a 3-year period after training, and to assess their knowledge and skills on cataract in children in southern Malawi. Methods: This was a cohort study that followed primary health care workers (health surveillance assistants) over a 3-year period from 2008 to 2011 and reassessed their attrition rates, knowledge and skills on cataract in children. Results: Among the 59 HSAs that were originally trained in 2008, 54 (92%) were interviewed and were found to be still working in the health sector. Knowledge regarding cataract blindness in children remained constant over the 3-year period, however, only two HSAs had reported identifying and referring children. Conclusion: Despite attrition among primary health care workers being low, only a few actually identify cataract children in the communities after being trained. Other innovative ways are needed to identify prevalent and incident cases in Malawi, as the use of HSAs is unlikely to be successful in addressing blindness in children.
文摘BACKGROUND For decades and before the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,for health care workers(HCWs)burnout can be experienced as an upsetting confrontation with their self and the result of a complex a multifactorial process interacting with environmental and personal features.AIM To literature review and meta-analysis was to obtain a comprehensive understanding of burnout and work-related stress in health care workers around the world during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.METHODS We performed a database search of Embase,Google Scholar and PubMed from June to October 2020.We analysed burnout risk factors and protective factors in included studies published in peer-reviewed journals as of January 2020,studying a HCW population during the first COVID-19 wave without any geographic restrictions.Furthermore,we performed a meta-analysis to determine overall burnout levels.We studied the main risk factors and protective factors related to burnout and stress at the individual,institutional and regional levels.RESULTS Forty-one studies were included in our final review sample.Most were crosssectional,observational studies with data collection windows during the first wave of the COVID-19 surge.Of those forty-one,twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis.Of the 27907 health care professionals who participated in the reviewed studies,70.4%were women,and two-thirds were either married or living together.The most represented age category was 31-45 years,at 41.5%.Approximately half of the sample comprised nurses(47.6%),and 44.4%were working in COVID-19 wards(intensive care unit,emergency room and dedicated internal medicine wards).Indeed,exposure to the virus was not a leading factor for burnout.Our meta-analytic estimate of burnout prevalence in the HCW population for a sample of 6784 individuals was 30.05%.CONCLUSION There was a significant prevalence of burnout in HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic,and some of the associated risk factors could be targeted for intervention,both at the individual and organizational levels.Nevertheless,COVID-19 exposure was not a leading factor for burnout,as burnout levels were not notably higher than pre-COVID-19 levels.
文摘Background: COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020. Many pieces of research have been published on the virus’s pattern and transmission routes, and a few studies have been published on its psychological repercussions for the general public and health care workers in particular. We aimed in this study to figure out the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of health care workers in the Jazan region and compare it to non-health care workers. Results: There were 221 participants in this study conducted in the Jazan region KSA, during the first part of 2022. 117 participants were non-HCWs (Health Care Workers) and 104 participants were HCWs. 31.7% of HCWs had high score of PTSD symptoms which may suppress their immunity, PTSD was a clinical concern in 12.5%, 6.7% had probable PTSD, and 49% had no PTSD. The average PTSD score in HCWs was 26.14. In contrast, the great majority of non-HCWs (69.2%) had no PTSD;PTSD was a clinical concern in 16.2%, 11.1% had a score indicating PTSD had the potential for immunosuppression, and 3.4% had probable PTSD. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic did not affect just those who were infected with the virus, nor was it restricted to the mental health of those afflicted;rather, the influence expanded until it reached the general public and, in particular, those who had contact with patients, such as health care workers. As a result, mental health investigation, follow-up, and therapy are required to preserve the mental health of health care workers as well as the general population.
文摘Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with breast cancer being the most common (2.26 million new cases and 685,000 deaths). In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer ranked the first among females in 2014, accounting for 15.9% of all cancers reported among Saudi nationals and 28.7% of all cancers reported among females of all ages. Early detection of breast cancer could decrease the risks, have a better prognosis, and have better outcomes/more successful treatments. Prevalence of breast cancer reached more than 25% of all diagnosed cancer in the kingdom among women. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge and performance of women attending primary care centers about breast self-examination and mammogram screening for prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Abha city primary healthcare centers, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Research Method: cross sectional design was conducted by using questionnaire, which was distributed to primary care center nurses. The collected data was statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 25. Results: The study found that participants had poor awareness and knowledge about breast self-examination, risk factors for breast cancer, and trends and practices in early diagnosis of breast cancer. Conclusion and Recommendations: It recommends increasing awareness campaigns and providing educational programs to improve knowledge and practices.
文摘Background: Improving Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in health care settings is a critical prerequisite for achieving national health goals and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for each United Nations member state to reach by 2030. Each member state is required to reach by 2022, 2025 and 2030 at least 60%, 80% and 100%, respectively of basic level of service of the five elements which are water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate and document the current state of basic water, sanitation, and hygiene services in all lower-level health care facilities in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania as of July 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 99 public dispensaries in the Dar es Salaam region’s five councils: Ubungo, Kigamboni, Kinondoni and Temeke Municipalities, and Ilala City. The interviewee form and observational checklists were both digitalized using the Kobo tool software. The respondents were health care facility in-charges or nurse in-charges. Data were downloaded, validated, and imported to Stata version 15 for analysis. Results: The basic WASH level per JMP is far below the target in 2022. Each member state by 2022 is required to reach at least 60% of the basic level of service of each element. We found a low coverage of basic WASH in the 99 dispensaries included in this study. The basic WASH coverage was met in only 10 (10.1%) of the dispensaries, while the remaining 89 (89.9%) dispensaries fall on limited WASH services. Conclusion: This study revealed lower coverage of basic WASH services in dispensaries. An urgent need is required to improve the status of WASH in all the dispensaries and facilitate the provision of quality health care services, patient safety and reduce health care associated infections.
