Seroprevalence of Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Among Health Care Workers at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Uttarakhand: A Retrospective Study.

Background The number of confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections is vastly underestimated. In this context, seroprevalence surveys are of utmost importance to assess the proportion of the population that has already developed antibodies against the virus and might potentially be protected against subsequent infection. Health care workers (HCWs) face a greater risk of developing SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the present retrospective study was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers at a tertiary care institute in Uttarakhand, India. Material and methods Data were gathered from hospital records of 704 healthcare workers admitted to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) unit and attended the COVID OPD of the tertiary care institute between July 15 to Aug 14, 2020. Result Out of the 704 recruited participants, 14 (1.99%) were seropositive for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The cumulative prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (presence of antibodies or past or current positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)) was 4.40%. Conclusion The present study shows a low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among health care workers. In addition, posting in COVID-19-positive areas was not associated with increased seropositivity. More studies are warranted to assess IgG/IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 among those HCWs who are exposed to COVID-19 patients.

Barriers faced by health-care workers in use of personal protective equipment during COVID pandemic at tertiary care hospital Uttarakhand, India: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: To reduce the likelihood of transmission of infection to health-care workers (HCWs), personal protective equipment is used. However, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) increases the risk of heat stress and loss of dexterity, leads to poor compliance to PPE. To address the issues of poor compliance to PPE, it was necessary to gain a deeper understanding about the factors that influence compliance. Thus this qualitative study was planned to explore barriers faced by HCWs while using PPE during a pandemic situation in a tertiary care hospital, Uttarakhand, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A exploratory qualitative study was undertaken among health care workers involved in the care of COVID patients. FGDs were done and an unstructured interview guide with open-ended questions was used which helped to explore the factors which can be potential barriers to the HCWs while working wearing PPE. RESULTS: Organizational and individual factors acting as barriers such as unavailability of essential personal protective equipment, a disharmonious work environment, lack of comfort, inadequate size, and quality of PPE were identified as the major barriers in the present study. CONCLUSION: Future efforts to optimize PPE use should focus on to adequate supplies both in quality and quantity can help in avoidance of such barriers. Resources should be prioritized with the needs of the HCWs in the times of pandemic. Regular training and feedbacks are necessary for the satisfaction of HCWs and improving PPE compliance.

Expectations of healthcare personnel from infection prevention and control services for preparedness of healthcare organisation in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During infectious outbreaks like COVID-19, it is essential that every healthcare personnel (HCP) strictly adheres to infection prevention and control (IPC) policies. To boost IPC measures, training to reinforce preventive practices, which are pertinent to needs and encompass the expectations of the HCP, is indispensable. Thus, these expectations of the HCP should be explored. METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive survey, we used convenience sampling technique to ask the participants to list their expectations on of covid-19 IPC training paper based forms. Using the category construction approach, we organised the expectations and grouped the participants on the basis of their work and place of work to analyse the association using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Many participants expected to learn about the use of PPE and masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, cleaning and disinfection, basic precautions for personal protection during the training. Expectations also included various administrative queries, sample collection and clinical skills for diagnosis and management. There was significant association of many categories of expectations with the nature and place of work in the hospital. CONCLUSION: When planning IPC training, these expectations of the HCP may be carefully addressed. Information about causative agent, transmission and clinical aspects may will give a contextual meaning to IPC training. Some important preventive measures, which few participants expected to learn must be analysed in detail to understand the attitude of the HCP towards them. Efforts to appraise the HCP for the importance of these measures and promoting its practice may play a vital role to curb the spread of infectious diseases.

Impact of Video Modules-Based Training on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Cleaning and Disinfection Among Housekeeping Staff at a Tertiary Care Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Aim To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice toward cleaning and disinfection among housekeeping (HK) staff amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods A quasi-experimental was undertaken among HK staff at a tertiary care hospital. A 30-item structured questionnaire was used in the study, which consisted of questions pertaining to knowledge (11), attitude (8), and practice (11) toward cleaning and disinfection. Result One-hundred-two participants were included by convenient sampling, with mean age = 30-37 years. There was an improvement in pre-test and post-test knowledge (6.21 to 9.7) and practice score (9.97 to post-test 10.52). However, the attitude score did not show a significant change in the post-test score (p=0.964), showing that they were having a positive attitude toward the practices before training too.  Conclusion Improvement in the post-test score shows that periodic targeted training sessions on cleaning and disinfection among housekeeping staff help improve their knowledge, attitude, and practices toward infection prevention and control (IPC) during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus minimizing the spread of the virus in a hospital environment, reducing their apprehension, and preparing them to work in such pandemic situations.

Effectiveness of video modules in infection control trainings during COVID-19 pandemic: A quasi-experimental study in tertiary care institute.

BACKGROUND: Continuous pertinent trainings for infection prevention and control (IPC) measures are essential to ensure quality health-care services along with the safety of the health personnel. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the current study focusses on the utilization of explicated video modules training of all health-care personnel of the institute and assessment of the effectiveness of video training for IPC practices during COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study, one group pre- and posttest design, using Google Questionnaire forms was conducted at a tertiary care center. The training was assisted by trained tutors, and three in-house videos were demonstrated to the participants regarding specific IPC measures; "Do's and Don'ts;" "Hand hygiene and personal protective equipment's (PPE)" and "Environmental cleaning and disinfection." SPSS software version 23 (IBM Corp., N. Y., USA) was used for the analysis using the descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Fisher's t-test, ANOVA, and post hoc Tukey's test. RESULTS: The level of knowledge increased significantly by 16% in the posttest. Statistically significant association between the levels of knowledge in pretest as well as posttest scores and age (P < 0.001), designation (P < 0.001), and years of experience (P < 0.001) was identified. The participants were satisfied with the video-assisted trainings and willing to use videos for revision. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted training modules similar to this study may be utilized to enhance the knowledge of various cadres of health-care staff regarding IPC practices.