Effects of Preventive Health Interventions on COVID Positive Employees of Large Commercial Vehicle Manufacturing Company

ABSTRACT

Background: Post-COVID conditions are a wide range of new, returning, or ongoing health problems employees can experience more than four weeks after first being infected with the COVID-19 virus. Long term complications of COVID drastically affects the productivity of working population. Objective(s) A cluster of employees with COVID-19 infection were successively intervened at TATA Motors, Jamshedpur. We aimed to reduce the post COVID complications amongst infected employees thereby reducing the morbidity and improving the productivity at workplace. Method(s) Employees with COVID-19 (confirmed by RAT/ CBNAAT or RT-PCR) were retrospectively enrolled. Based on various international guidelines, Post COVID functional status Scale and Post-COVID Mental Stress Assessment Scale were developed and introduced amongst target population. Employees with poor functional status Scale score (with score 3 and 4) were undergone mandatory preventive health checks (including physical, systemic, radiology/pathology examination). Employees with high mental stress score (with score 15 and above) were undergone psychiatric evaluation. Follow up assessment was done after six months. Result(s) 590 employees who got diagnosed COVID Positive between March 11, 2021, and June 9, 2021, were retrospectively enrolled. Universal sampling method was used for subject selection. The cohort included 519 (88%) men and 71 (12%) women, and the mean age was 45 5 years. The mean number of employees with poor functional status score (score 3 and 4) was 48 (8.1%). The mean number of employees with moderate mental stress score (score 10 to 14) was 27 (4.5%) and severe mental stress score (score 15 to 19) was 11 (1.8%). Employees with history of hospitalization (for more than 3 days) predominantly got diagnosed with poor functional and mental stress score (46 out of total 158 hospitalizations). At the end of six months interventions, around 42 (87%) employees got migrated from poor score category to mild category. The prevalence of major chronic systemic illnesses (3 cases of chronic Cardiac disease, 2 cases of Chronic Respiratory issues and 2 cases of psychiatry illnesses) remained below national prevalence. Conclusion(s) Preventive health interventions are really effective in achieving the prevalence of Post COVID morbidities amongst employees below the average national prevalence. Repeated medical follow up after first and six months of infection ensured better physical and mental wellbeing of employees improving their productivity at workplace. .