Delayed healthcare seeking and prolonged illness in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-centre observational study.
BMJ Open
; 10(11): e040216, 2020 11 26.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-947828
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
To describe a cohort of self-isolating healthcare workers (HCWs) with presumed COVID-19.DESIGN:
A cross-sectional, single-centre study.SETTING:
A large, teaching hospital based in Central London with tertiary infection services.PARTICIPANTS:
236 HCWs completed a survey distributed by internal staff email bulletin. 167 were women and 65 men.MEASURES:
Information on symptomatology, exposures and health-seeking behaviour were collected from participants by self-report.RESULTS:
The 236 respondents reported illness compatible with COVID-19 and there was an increase in illness reporting during March 2020 Diagnostic swabs were not routinely performed. Cough (n=179, 75.8%), fever (n=138, 58.5%), breathlessness (n=84, 35.6%) were reported. Anosmia was reported in 42.2%. Fever generally settled within 1 week (n=110/138, 88%). Several respondents remained at home and did not seek formal medical attention despite reporting severe breathlessness and measuring hypoxia (n=5/9, 55.6%). 2 patients required hospital admission but recovered following oxygen therapy. 84 respondents (41.2%) required greater than the obligated 7 days off work and 9 required greater than 3 weeks off.CONCLUSION:
There was a significant increase in staff reporting illness compatible with possible COVID-19 during March 2020. Subsequent serology studies at the same hospital study site have confirmed sero-positivity for COVID-19 up to 45% by the end of April 2020 in frontline HCWs. The study revealed a concerning lack of healthcare seeking in respondents with significant red flag symptoms (severe breathlessness, hypoxia). This study also highlighted anosmia as a key symptom of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, prior to this symptom being more widely recognised as a feature of COVID-19.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Health Behavior
/
Health Personnel
/
Pandemics
/
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
/
Health Facilities
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
/
Young adult
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjopen-2020-040216
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