Prevention and control of novel coronavirus pneumonia in non-government primary medical institutions / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To understand the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)prevention and control work and the problems and difficulties faced by non-government primary medical institutions in China during the epidemic period.Methods:A survey on the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)prevention and control work of non-government primary medical institutions was conducted on April 14 to 21, 2020 with the self-designed questionnaire. The questionnaire contained three parts the first part was basic information of medical staff in non-government primary medical institutions, including position and institutional information; the second part was the status quo of non-government primary medical institutions participating in the prevention and control of COVID-19, including the specific work and difficulties faced by the responders during the epidemic period; and the third part was the prevention and control effect of COVID-19 in the responders′ institutions, including whether there were confirmed cases and infected medical staff. An online invitation was issued among the members of General Practice Branch of Chinese Non-government Medical Institution Association. The invited participants included the heads, general practitioners and other medical personnel of the non-government primary medical institutions the invited participants voluntarily scanned the online two-dimensional code to fill in.Results:A total of 761 individuals in primary health institutions from 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China participated in the survey. There were 290 (38.1%) men and 471 (61.9%) women with age of 40(32, 48) years; 83.0% (632/761) had worked for more than 5 years; 33.8% (257/761) owned primary professional titles and 33.0% (251/761) owned intermediate titles. Among all participants 28.5% (217/761) were general practitioners, 26.9% (205/761) were institutions/department managers, 14.6% (111/761) were specialists and 40.3% (307/761) were other related personnel. A total of 549 institutions continued to operate during the epidemic period and 96.5% (530/549) participated in the work related to the prevention and control of the epidemic, including prescreening and triage, health consultation, follow-up of suspected patients, donation, quarantine of suspected cases, follow-up of close contacts/discharged patients, diagnosis and treatment of patients with new coronavirus pneumonia. 44.7% (340/761) of respondents participated in the epidemic prevention as front-line staff and directly contacted patients/suspected patients, and 63.1% (480/761) participated in the epidemic prevention work of primary medical institutions, including clinical outpatient service, prescreening triage and screening. The working sites were not limited to the institutions, but also other sites including high-speed railway station. The 97.8% (744/761) responders expressed their willingness to participate in epidemic prevention work under the unified leadership and command of the state. The 63.9% (486/761) of the responders were worried about the lack of protective equipments and measures, and 90.4% (688/761) respondents showed that they needed medical supplies (protective equipment masks, goggles, protective gowns, etc.).Conclusion:The participation of non-government primary medical institutions and their staff in COVID-19 infection prevention and control is a key component of the epidemic prevention process.