Preparedness of Health Care Workers and Medical Students in University Hospital in Krakow for COVID-19 Pandemic within the CRACoV Project.

Barbara Żółtowska,Katarzyna Szczerbińska,Wojciech Sydor,Ilona Barańska,Estera Jachowicz,Piotr B Heczko,Jadwiga Wójkowska-Mach,Krzysztof Mydel,Anna Różańska

doi:10.3390/jcm10163487

Abstract

Backgrounds Health care workers’ (HCWs) knowledge of and compliance with personal protective procedures is a key for patients’ and personnel safety. The aim of this study was to assess which factors are associated with higher self-evaluations of training on infection prevention and control (IPC) and higher self-assessment of IPC practices used by HCWs regarding COVID-19 in University Hospital in Krakow, Poland, in January 2021. Material and methods This was an online survey on the preparedness for COVID-19 epidemic of medical/non-medical staff and medical students. Questions included in the survey concerned participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, hospital staff involvement in the training, knowledge about the hand hygiene, and adherence to IPC measures. Knowledge and Performance Index (K&PI) based on selected questions was constructed for to reflect both subjective (self-evaluation) of preparedness and objective IPC knowledge and skills of HCWs participated in the IPC training. Results A total of 1412 health care workers, including 129 medical students, participated in the study. The largest group, 53.6%, was made up of nurses and paramedics. Age of respondents significantly correlated with knowledge of IPC and with K&PI. The mean age of workers with high K&PI was 42.39 ± 12.53, and among those with low, 39.71 ± 13.10, p < 0.001. 51% UHK workers participated in IPC training, but 11.3% of physicians, 28.8% of other HCWs, and 55.8% of students did not know the IPC standard precaution. Most participants, 72.3%, felt that they had received sufficient training; however, 45.8% of students declined this. There was no correlation between self-reported preparedness and the K&PI, indicating that self-reported preparedness was inadequate for knowledge and skills. Nurses and paramedics assessed their knowledge most accurately. Participants with low K&PI and high subjective evaluation constituted a substantial group in all categories. Students least often overestimated (23.8%) and most often (9.6%) underestimated their knowledge and skills. Conclusions Our study revealed inadequate IPC practice, especially as it refers to the training programme. We confirmed the urgent need of including theory and practice of IPC in curricula of health professions’ training in order to provide students with knowledge and skills necessary not only for future pandemic situations but also for everyday work.

Highlights

The ability for hospitals to safely provide care to COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization while maintaining other essential medical services during and after a pandemic, defined as preparedness, is critical for the health of both patients and hospital staff
This study aimed at assessing the knowledge and preparedness of health professionals regarding COVID-19 in University Hospital in Krakow in the beginning of 2021, after the big wave of COVID-19 in Poland in November 2020, when the biggest 14-day rate of reported COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population was 877
Participation in specific training in the care COVID-19 patients and infection prevention and control (IPC) training in a remote format mode with practice components impacted preparedness scores among staff (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.03–4.35; and odds ratio (OR), 2.8; 95% CI, 1.87–4.10, respectively), but there was no correlation between selfevaluation of preparedness and the Knowledge and Performance Index (K&PI) (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.98–2.09; p = 0.066), indicating that self-evaluation of preparedness was inadequate for knowledge and skills (Table 3)

Summary

Introduction

The ability for hospitals to safely provide care to COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization while maintaining other essential medical services during and after a pandemic, defined as preparedness, is critical for the health of both patients and hospital staff This definition recognizes that what constitutes “appropriate care”, and the criteria for hospital admission may well change during a pandemic. Hospitals should focus their initial preparedness efforts on limiting the nosocomial spread of the virus to protect the health care workers (HCW) and, maintain a hospital workforce [1]. In China, HCWs accounted for 19.60% of total infection cases of SARS, and in Vietnam, most of the probable

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