Prevalence of testing and coronavirus-19 among nurses in the pandemic.

Gilmara Holanda Da Cunha,Francisco Vagnaldo Fechine,Marina Soares Monteiro Fontenele,Lavna Albuquerque Moreira,Larissa Rodrigues Siqueira,Ane Kelly Lima Ramalho

doi:10.1590/0034-7167-2021-0365

Gilmara Holanda Da Cunha, Francisco Vagnaldo Fechine + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2021-0365

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Abstract

To determine the prevalence of testing and COVID-19 among nurses during the pandemic in the State of Ceará. A cross-sectional study with 379 nurses, through a network sampling technique, using a sociodemographic, labor, and clinical questionnaire. The study performed a descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of testing and COVID-19 were, respectively, 63.3% and 25.0%. The most common symptoms were anosmia, ageusia, and myalgia. There was inadequate use of personal protective equipment due to material shortage. The odds ratio for COVID-19 was higher in those with children, people with diabetes, from the capital, with more than two jobs, in hospital and emergency room, and from the frontline. In the multivariate logistic regression, nurses with children (p=0.011), diabetics (p=0.018) and frontline (p<0.001) had more chances for COVID-19. Expanded testing, ongoing in-service education, and adequate personal protective equipment are needed to improve nurses' work.

Highlights

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global economic slowdown, the collapse of the health system in some countries, and has negatively interfered with people’s physical and mental health[1]
Health professionals are the ones who have the most contact with COVID-19 patients, as they are involved in diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation
The mean age of the 379 nurses was 36 years (SD: ± 9.3), and most were less than 45 years old (314; 82.8%)

Summary

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global economic slowdown, the collapse of the health system in some countries, and has negatively interfered with people’s physical and mental health[1]. In January 2021, Brazil was the third country in the world in the number of COVID-19 cases (8,075,998), behind only India [10,450,284] and the United States of America [22,192,842](2). Examinations, and non-emergency procedures gave way to the care of patients with COVID-19, changing the regular health follow-up of others and the work routine of health professionals[4]. In this critical situation, health professionals are the ones who have the most contact with COVID-19 patients, as they are involved in diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Nurses have high exposure to the virus because their work involves direct care to patients, and specific protocols are needed in health institutions to reduce the risk of infection during interactions with patients[5]

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Discussion

Conclusion