ABSTRACT
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the spread of COVID-19 among healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic and to draw attention to the importance of the correct and effective use of personal protective equipment. Method(s): This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study. The research universe consisted of healthcare workers and administrative and technical personnel working at a university hospital who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic. The sample consisted of 100 healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID-19 and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected between 10 June-30 July 2020. The "Evaluation of the Transmission Status of Healthcare Workers Diagnosed with COVID-19 Questionnaire" questionnaire, which included questions about demographic and disease information, COVID-19 transmission, and personal protective equipment usage parameters, was used as the data collection tool. The questionnaire was filled face to face or by telephone calls by the researchers. Result(s): Of the participants, 41% stated that they had never worked in the COVID unit, 33% worked only on duty in the COVID unit, and 26% stated that they constantly worked in the COVID unit;32% had contact with a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. Regarding the use of personal protective equip-ment, 51% stated that they did not have any problems, and 52% stated that they had not received any training. Conclusion(s): Frontline healthcare workers can be infected during the pandemic. Inadequacies in the use of personal protective equipment, omissions, failure to carry out systematic training and practices, and neglecting the use of protective equipment in social environments increase the risk of transmission. Copyright © 2022, DOC Design and Informatics Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the spread of COVID-19 among healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic and to draw attention to the importance of the correct and effective use of personal protective equipment. Method(s): This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study. The research universe consisted of healthcare workers and administrative and technical personnel working at a university hospital who were diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic. The sample consisted of 100 healthcare workers diagnosed with COVID-19 and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected between 10 June-30 July 2020. The "Evaluation of the Transmission Status of Healthcare Workers Diagnosed with COVID-19 Questionnaire" questionnaire, which included questions about demographic and disease information, COVID-19 transmission, and personal protective equipment usage parameters, was used as the data collection tool. The questionnaire was filled face to face or by telephone calls by the researchers. Result(s): Of the participants, 41% stated that they had never worked in the COVID unit, 33% worked only on duty in the COVID unit, and 26% stated that they constantly worked in the COVID unit;32% had contact with a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last 14 days. Regarding the use of personal protective equip-ment, 51% stated that they did not have any problems, and 52% stated that they had not received any training. Conclusion(s): Frontline healthcare workers can be infected during the pandemic. Inadequacies in the use of personal protective equipment, omissions, failure to carry out systematic training and practices, and neglecting the use of protective equipment in social environments increase the risk of transmission. Copyright © 2022, DOC Design and Informatics Co. Ltd. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Epidemiology of nosocomial infections may show variability because of under-estimation of infection control measures (ICMs) in coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) outbreak. Aim: To investigate the Acinetobacter bacteremia outbreak developed in an intensive care unit (ICU) between March 20 to May 15, 2020, examine the risk factors, and re-evaluate ICM retrospectively. Material and Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted to determine the risk factors, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed for analysis of the outbreak, ICM practices were observed by a team, and infection control interventions were undertaken. Results: Acinetobacter bacteremia developed in 17 patients (21.5%) within 79 COVID-19 patients included in the study. The mean age of the bacteremic patients was 67.3 (SD = 14.82) years, and 82.4% of them were male; of these, 15 died, leading to 88.2% mortality. The bacteremia rate was higher compared with a 14-month period preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (17/79 versus 12/580 patients, respectively). PFGE revealed that the outbreak was polyclonal. On multi-variate analysis, the bacteremia development rate was 13.7 and 5.06 times higher with central venous catheter (CVC) use and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respectively. The mortality rate was higher in bacteremic patients (p = 0.0016). It was observed that ICMs were not followed completely, especially change of gloves and hand hygiene. Contamination of A. baumannii was observed in 38% of the gloves. Conclusion: COPD and CVC use were determined as risk factors for Acinetobacter bacteremia development, and failures in ICM may have led to cross-contamination of endemic A. baumannii. The outbreak could be controlled within 3 weeks of interventions.