Healthcare Workers In Public Hospitals Research Articles

Determining the human resource factors influencing strikes among healthcare workers in public hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya

Determining the human resource factors influencing strikes among healthcare workers in public hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya

Compliance with infection prevention and control standard precautions and factors associated with noncompliance among healthcare workers working in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BackgroundStandard Precautions (SPs) are the minimal infection prevention and control (IPC) measures that apply to all patient care activities at all times, regardless of whether the patient has a suspected or proven disease, in any place where healthcare service is provided. These evidence-based practices protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from infection while preventing the spread of infectious agents among patients, visitors, and the environment.ObjectivesAssessed compliance of HCWs working in public hospitals in Addis Ababa to infection prevention and control SPs, and factors associated with noncompliance.MethodsIn a hospital-based cross-sectional study, 422 HCWs were recruited from nine public hospitals in Addis Ababa using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, entered into a computer using Epi data, and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The association between the independent and the outcome variables was investigated using logistic regression. Odd ratios with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used as measures of the strength of the association between the outcome and the explanatory variables. A p-value below 5% was considered an indicator of statistical significance.ResultsThe level of knowledge of HCWs about IPC and SPs was 51.9% and 36.49% of the respondents were compliant with SPs. Receiving IPC Training [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.81, 95% CI 1.06, 3.09], knowing SPs [AOR = 3.46, 95% CI = 1.83, 6.54], presence of a mechanism in the hospital to enforce the IPC practices [AOR = 1.71 95% CI = 1.01, 2.89], and availability of cleaning and disinfection chemicals in the hospital [AOR = 2.18, 95%CI = 1.15, 4.13] were significantly associated with the HCWs’ compliance with SPs.ConclusionCompliance with IPC standard precautions of HCWs in public hospitals of Addis Ababa is suboptimal. Working in medical units, less work experience, lack of training, poor knowledge, absence of a mechanism to enforce adherence, and inadequate resources are independent predictors for non-compliance of the HCWs.

Work-Life Conflict and Health Care Delivery: Perspectives of Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

Healthcare workers are life savers. Their contributions to development are highly valued. However, given the nature of their job, it has become a hurdle managing paid-work and social life. Informed by the spillover and boundary theories, we examined how healthcare workers manage their paid work and their social lives leading to an influence on healthcare delivery in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. This was a quantitative study where a survey protocol was used to elicit data from 112 healthcare workers. The study found that female healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict more than their male counterparts. Both junior and senior healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict given the demands of their work. Younger healthcare workers expressed higher work-life conflict while the married juggled between these two domains because of extra responsibilities. The study concluded that paid work has interfered with the social lives of healthcare workers due to rigid work schedules, just as the lack of logistics and modern technology at the health facilities have foiled healthcare delivery. The study recommends that the Ministry of Health should resource social workers so that they can render adequate support to healthcare workers to ease work-life conflict and enhance healthcare delivery.

Factors associated to influenza vaccination among hospital’s healthcare workers in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, Spain 2021–2022

Influenza vaccination (IV) aims primarily to protect high-risk groups against severe influenza-associated disease and death. It is recommended in Spain for high-risk groups, including Healthcare workers (HCWs). However, vaccination uptake has been consistently below desirable levels. The objective of this study were to evaluate influenza vaccination coverage using data from the regional vaccination registry, during 2021–2022 season, among HCWs in public hospitals in Autonomous Community of Madrid (CAM) and to explore factors associated with influenza vaccination. We conducted a cross-sectional study using administrative data retrieved from the Regional Department of Health data repositories. A multilevel logistic regression model was designed to estimate Level 1 (individual) and Level 2 (contextual) variables that are associated with HCẂs vaccination. The study population was HCWs from 25 public hospitals in CAM who were active during the period of the influenza 2021–2022 vaccination campaign. The global influenza vaccination coverage (IVC) was 52.1 %. All study Level 1 variables were significantly associated with vaccine uptake. Greater IVC is associated with individual characteristics: female (OR1.14; 95 %CI 1.09–1.19), older age 59–69 years old (OR1.72; 95 %CI 1.60–1.84), born in Spain, medical staff, more than one high-risk condition (OR1.24; 95 %CI 1.10–1.40; respectively) and vaccinated in two previous campaigns (OR25.64; 95 %CI 24.27–27.09). IVC was highest among HCWs celiac disease (65.5 %) followed by diabetes mellitus (65.1 %) and chronic inflammatory disease (64.3 %). The hospital where the study subject worked also showed an effect on the vaccination uptake, although Level 2 variable (hospital complexity) was not positively associated. IVC in HCWs remains suboptimal. These findings may prove useful to tailor strategies to reach specific groups. It is recommended to delve into the identification of factors associated with the HCWs workplace that may have a positive impact on IV.

Whole-Genome Sequencing-Based Screening of MRSA in Patients and Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals in Benin.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) constitutes a serious public health concern, with a considerable impact on patients' health, and substantial healthcare costs. In this study, patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) from six public hospitals in Benin were screened for MRSA. Strains were identified as MRSA using conventional microbiological methods in Benin, and confirmed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry in Belgium. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used on the confirmed MRSA isolates, to characterize their genomic content and study their relatedness. Amongst the 305 isolates (304 wound swabs and 61 nasal swabs) that were collected from patients and HCWs, we detected 32 and 15 cases of MRSA, respectively. From this collection, 27 high-quality WGS datasets were obtained, which carried numerous genes and mutations associated with antimicrobial resistance. The mecA gene was detected in all the sequenced isolates. These isolates were assigned to five sequence types (STs), with ST8 (55.56%, n = 15/27), ST152 (18.52%, n = 5/27), and ST121 (18.52%, n = 5/27) being the most common. These 27 isolates carried multiple virulence genes, including the genes encoding the Panton-Valentine leukocidin toxin (48.15%, n = 13/27), and the tst gene (29.63%, n = 8/27), associated with toxic shock syndrome. This study highlights the need to implement a multimodal strategy for reducing the risk of the cross-transmission of MRSA in hospitals.

Hand hygiene compliance and associated factors among healthcare workers in selected tertiary-care hospitals in Bangladesh

Hand hygiene (HH) is a fundamental element of patient safety. Adherence to HH among healthcare workers (HCWs) varies greatly depending on a range of factors, including risk perceptions, institutional culture, auditing mechanisms, and availability of HH supplies. This study aimed to evaluate HH compliance and associated factors among HCWs in selected tertiary-care hospitals in Bangladesh. During September 2020 to May 2021, we conducted non-participatory observations at 10 tertiary-care hospitals using the WHO's '5-moments for hand hygiene tool' to record HH compliance among physicians, nurses and cleaning staff. We also performed semi-structured interviews to determine the key barriers to complying with HH. We observed 14,668 hand hygiene opportunities. The overall HH compliance was 25.3%, the highest among nurses (28.5%), and the lowest among cleaning staff (9.9%). HCWs in public hospitals had significantly higher odds of complying with HH practices than those in private hospitals (adjusted odds ratio: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.55-1.93). The odds of performing HH after touching a patient were 3.36 times higher compared with before touching a patient (95% CI: 2.90-3.90). The reported key barriers to performing HH were insufficient supplies (57.9%), skin reactions (26.3%), workload (26.3%) and lack of facilities (22.7%). Overall, observed HH supplies were available in 81.7% of wards for physicians and 95.1% of wards for nurses, however, no designated HH facilities were found for the cleaning staff. HH compliance among HCWs fell significantly short of the standard for safe patient care. Inadequate HH supplies demonstrate a lack of prioritizing, promoting and investing in infection prevention and control.

METER (Mental health emergency response) program: Findings of psychological impact status and factors associated with depression, anxiety and stress among healthcare workers in public hospital in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the greatest challenge of the new millennium. Most healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced unprecedented levels of workload since the pandemic. This study aims to identify the prevalence and factors of depression, anxiety and stress among HCWs in Malaysian healthcare facilities in the midst of the pandemic due to the SARs-CoV-2. An emergency response programme on mental health was conducted from June to September 2020. A standardized data collection form was distributed among the HCWs in the government hospital in Klang Valley. The form contained basic demographic information and the self-reported Malay version of the Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (BM DASS-21). Of the1,300 staff who attended the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Covid-19 (MHPSS COVID-19) programme, 996 staff (21.6% male, 78.4% female) completed the online survey (response rate: 76.6%). Result showed that staff aged above 40 years old were almost two times more likely to have anxiety (AOR = 1.632; 95% CI = 1.141-2.334, p:0.007) and depression (AOR = 1.637; 95% CI = 1.1.06-2.423, p:0.014) as compared to staff who were less than 40 years old. Those who had direct involvement with COVID-19 patients were likely to suffer stress (AOR = 0.596; 95% CI = 0.418-0.849, p:0.004), anxiety (AOR = 0.706; 95% Ci = 0.503-0.990, p:0.044) and depression (AOR = 0.630; 95% Ci = 0.427-0.928, p:0.019). HCWs with stress (AOR = 0.638; 95% CI of 0.476-0.856, p = 0.003), anxiety (AOR = 0.720; 95% CI 0.542-0.958, p = 0.024) and depression (AOR = 0.657; 95% CI 0.480-0.901, p = 0.009) showed less confidence to treat critically ill patients and need psychological help during outbreak. This study showed the importance of psychosocial support to reduce psychological distress among HCWs when working or coping during the COVID-19 pandemic or outbreak.

Observational assessment of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in public hospitals of Northeastern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study examined the magnitude and predictors of hand hygiene compliance among 325 healthcare workers in three public hospitals of Northeastern Ethiopia using standardized observational tool. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was computed to identify factors associated with non-compliance. The overall proportion of observed hand hygiene non-compliance was 41.8% (95%CI: 36.6–48.1). Having <5 years of work experience (AOR = 1.5; 95%CI: 1.2–2.5), absence of hand washing soap (AOR = 3.1; 95%CI: 2.3–5.4), work overload (AOR = 2.5; 95%CI: 1.9–4.1), pipe water supply interruption (AOR = 2.8; 95%CI: 2.1–4.9), lack of hand hygiene training (AOR = 3.1; 95%CI: 2.2–4.4), and absence of infection prevention committee (AOR = 2.1; 95%CI: 1.5–4.9) were determinant factors for hand hygiene non-compliance. Therefore, regional health bureau and hospitals’ managers should work towards the provision of regular hand hygiene trainings, uninterrupted piped water supply, hand washing soap, and establishment of functional infection prevention committee. Moreover, healthcare workers should be also committed to comply with hand hygiene.

Major Factors affecting Health and Safety of Healthcare Workers During Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Healthcare workers around the world are at risk of contracting an infectious disease including the recent Coronavirus Disease 19 epidemic which had a profound effect, especially on hospitals and health workers. However, at the national level in Ethiopia, there is a lack of data on the current state of health and safety of health care professionals. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the status and the health and safety of healthcare workers in public hospitals in the continued COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the status of health and safety of healthcare workers and associated factors, at selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa in the continued Coronavirus Disease 19 pandemic. Methodology: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted From January 1 to January 30, 2022, for 360 participants. A simple random technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected using self-administered questioners and entered into EPI info version 3.1 before being exported to SPSS Software (version 23) for analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify significant variables and control confounding factors. The strength of the association was measured using an adjusted odds ratio with a 95 percent confidence interval at a 5% level of significance. A P-value &lt; 0.05 indicated a significant relationship between factors. Result: Out of a total of 360 study participants, 73.6% (95%Confidence Interval [CI]=68.9–78.3) had good occupational health and safety status. Work experiences(Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =1.8, 95%Confidence Interval[CI]=1.12–3.2), Availability of Proper facemasks, (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =3, 95%Confidence Interval[CI]: 1.7–5.2), availability of disinfectants (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =2, 95%Confidence Interval[CI]=1.11–3.7), availability of water and handwashing facilities (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] =2, 95%Confidence Interval[CI]=1.1–3.4), training on health and safety (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR]=1.8, 95%Confidence Interval[CI]=1.13–3.2) were significantly associated with health and safety status of health care workers. Conclusion: The findings indicated that health and safety status was generally good in the study area. Availability of personal protective equipment, availability of water and handwashing facilities, availability of cleaning and disinfectants, and provision of health and safety training were predictors favoring good OHS status for health professionals. Ministry of Health and specific policy makers should formulate health and safety policy and monitoring and evaluation health and safety in HCF should be implemented

Antibiotic resistance pattern of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli from mobile phones of healthcare workers in public hospitals in Ghana.

Introductionmobile phone plays an essential role in the lives of healthcare professionals in hospitals as far as communication is concerned. However, it can also serve as a source of nosocomial infections. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Escherichia coli isolated from mobile phones used by healthcare staff working in three public hospitals in Ghana.Methodsin total, 220 swab samples were collected from 110 mobile phones of healthcare workers at a referral and two public tertiary hospitals in Ghana. Direct spreading of swab samples on agar plates was done. MacConkey agar and Baird Parker agar were used to isolate E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute´s guidelines were followed for susceptibility testing, and S. aureus strains resistant to cefoxitin were considered to be MRSA. All E. coli and MRSA isolates were tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics using European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) 2018 guidelines with its breakpoints. Obtained qualitative data were analyzed by using Microsoft Excel.Resultsof 110 mobile phones, 78 (70.9%) and 4 (3.6%) were colonized with S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. From the 78 S. aureus isolates, 22 (28%) isolates were MRSA. Fifty percent (50%) (11/22) of the MRSA isolates were multi-drug resistant, of which one isolate was resistant to all antibiotics tested. E. coli isolates had 100 resistances to both ceftriaxone and ceftazidime.Conclusionmobile phones used by healthcare workers in hospitals frequently harbor E. coli, S. aureus, MRSA and may be sources of hospital-associated infections.

Prevention Practice of COVID-19 Using Personal Protective Equipment and Hand Hygiene Among Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals of South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia.

Objective: The use of personal protective equipment and hand hygiene are often the most recommended line of defense against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of compliance and associated factors of personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization and hand hygiene practice among healthcare workers in public hospitals of South Wollo Zone, Northeastern Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 489 healthcare workers in public hospitals of South Wollo Zone, Northeastern Ethiopia from June 15 to July 30, 2021. Proportional sample size allocation to each selected hospital followed by simple random sampling techniques were used to select the study participants using human resource records from each hospital. A pre-tested and structured self-administered questionnaire with WHO's standardized hand hygiene and PPE utilization observational checklist were used to collect data. Bivariate and multivariable analyses with 95% CI and p-value < 0.05 were employed to identify the associated factors of personal protective equipment utilization.Results: About 32 and 22.3% of healthcare workers were compliant with personal protective equipment utilization and hand hygiene practice, respectively. Feedback for safety (AOR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.26–3.35), training on COVID-19 prevention (AOR = 3.43; 95% CI: 2.01–5.86), and perception to infection risk (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.18–3.33) were significant factors of good compliance with personal protective equipment utilization.Conclusion: The magnitude of good compliance with personal protective equipment utilization and hand hygiene was low. Interventions to promote personal protective equipment utilization and hand hygiene should focus on feedback for safety, training on COVID-19 prevention, and perception of infection risk.

Hong Kong healthcare workers’ coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) concerns: infection control, recognition and staff wellbeing, duty arrangements

Background: Appropriate human resources interventions to address healthcare workers’ concerns are key to maintaining confidence and morale of staff to combat a pandemic in any healthcare system. The objectives of this study are to analyze concerns of healthcare workers in public hospitals during the initial 3 months, throughout which the Hong Kong Hospital Authority implemented multiple measures to address staff needs.

Practice and Factors Associated with Informed Consenting Process for Major Surgical Procedures Among Health-Care Workers, South Eastern Ethiopia.

BackgroundMedical malpractice, poor patient outcome and medical suits among health-care workers result from improper consenting practices. Therefore, this study aimed to assess practice and factors associated with the informed consenting process for major surgical procedures among health-care workers in public hospitals of Bale Zone, South Eastern Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 9 to 24, 2020, among all nurses, midwives, doctors (general physicians, surgeons, gynecologists), emergency surgery officers, anesthetists) who were working at Bale Zone public hospitals during the study period. A self-administered pretested questionnaire was employed. Variables with a p-value of less than 0.25 (age group, sex, educational profession, working unit, work experience, adequate content of consent form, training on informed consent, policy/regulation in institution, administrative support, average number of patient cared per shift, time spent for consent process, knowledge, attitude) at 95% confidence interval in the binary logistic regression analysis were considered for multivariable regression model to control for possible confounding effect.ResultsOf the total sample size (639 health-care workers), 621 (97.2%) were included in this study, of which 311 (50.1%, 95% CI: 46.1–53.8) practiced proper informed consent during major surgical procedures. Being age above 35 (AOR: 3.032, 95% CI: 1.148–8.010), male (AOR: 1.607, 95% CI: 1.047–2.465), above 10 years of working experience (AOR: 2.339, 95% CI: 1.104–4.955), adequate content of consent form (AOR: 2.785, 95% CI: 1.772–4.377), having training on informed consent (AOR: 2.305, 95% CI: 1.204–4.414), spending more time (>30minutes) for consent process (AOR: 3.014, 95% CI: 1.095–8.298), having good knowledge (AOR: 1.808, 95% CI: 1.195–2.737) and favorable attitude (AOR: 2.188, 95% CI: 1.456–3.287) were significantly associated with good informed consent practice.ConclusionOnly half of health-care workers practiced good informed consent. Further emphasis needs to be given to improve consent practice.

COVID-19 outbreak in healthcare workers in hospitals in Trieste, North-east Italy

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, has rapidly become an increasing health concern worldwide [1]. During a pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the frontline [2]; they are at high risk of infection providing care for patients [3]; and they are subjected to long working hours, psychological distress and fatigue. In Trieste, a north-eastern Italian province with 234,493 inhabitants, 903 of 4216 HCWs in public hospitals reported contact with patients with COVID-19 between 1st March and 6th April 2020, and were followed-up to verify symptom onset.

Areas of Potential Improvement for Hospitals' Patient-Safety Culture in Western Ethiopia.

BackgroundPatient-safety culture is an important component of health-care quality and currentlyan issue of high concern globally. In Ethiopia, little is known about patient-safety culture in hospitals. We assessed the patient-safety culture and associated factors among health-care workers in public hospitals of East Wollega Zone, western Ethiopia.MethodsThis institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 health-care workers selected using simple random sampling from March 4 to March 29, 2019. A standardized measuring 12 patient safety–culture components was used for data collection. Data were cleaned and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analysis done using SPSS version 25 (IBM). Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Significance was set at 95% CI and p<0.05, and unstandardized β-coefficients were used to measure extent of association.ResultsThis study revealed that the level of patient-safety culture was 49.2% and patient safety culture–component scores ranged from 29.2% for nonpunitive responses to error to 77.9% for teamwork within a hospital unit. Age ≥45 years (β=13.642, CI: 5.324–21.959; p=0.001), 1–5 years’ experience at the current hospital (β=5.559, 95% CI 2.075–9.042; p=0.002), and working in general hospitals (β=11.988, 95% CI 7.233–16.743; p<0.001) and primary hospitals (β=6.408, 95% CI 2.192–10.624; p=0.003) were factors associated with better scores on patient-safety culture.ConclusionOverall scores for patient-safety culture were low. Improving the current state of patient safety in public hospitals would require tailored interventions to address low-scoring components, such as nonpunitive responses to error.

Violence against Health-Care Workers in Governmental Health Facilities in Arar City, Saudi Arabia.

Background Violence against health-care workers (HCWs) showed increasing worldwide concern. No previous studies addressed violence against HCWs in the Northern region, Saudi Arabia. Objectives To determine the prevalence of violence against HCWs in public hospitals and primary health-care centers in Arar city, KSA, and to identify its associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 352 HCWs in the Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities in Arar city from 1st October to 31st December 2018. Consented HCWs completed a structured self-administered questionnaire which was modified from the WHO questionnaire for violence. Results Out of 352 health-care workers, 171 (48.6%) reported exposure to violence during work in the past year. The verbal violence was the most common form experienced (83%). Physicians were the main exposed group (59%). Being non-Saudi HCWs, older with longer duration of experience, working in hospitals, working in the emergency room, and working in evening or night shifts were significantly associated with more exposure to violence. The unmet demand for the patient and deficient staff number were the leading reasons for aggression. Only 16.4% of assaulted HCWs reported the violent acts to the higher health affairs authority with the most frequent reasons for nonreporting were their perception that it was useless and their fear of negative consequences. Conclusions Violence against HCWs in Arar city, KSA, is a prevalent problem. Improving health security system and increasing staffing and their training on proper dealing with violence are highly recommended. Also, enforcing rules and regulations is an important demand to control and prevent violence against HCWs.

Job satisfaction and stress among healthcare workers in public hospitals in Qatar

This article explores predictors of job satisfaction and stress among clinicians and administrative staff at the public health sector in the State of Qatar. This is a rapidly growing sector, aiming for excellence in service, education and research. The vast majority of the staff are expatriates with different cultural backgrounds, and varying qualifications. After obtaining ethical approvals to conduct the study, the target population were asked to complete an anonymous online survey, that included sociodemographic data followed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) generic Job Stress questionnaire. Total number included in the analysis is 1260, female, married with children. Role ambiguity, conflict, skill underutilization and workload were associated with job dissatisfaction. Role and job future ambiguity were significantly associated with depression.

Tobacco and alcohol use among healthcare workers in three public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: Tobacco use is a risk factor for most of the leading causes of death in the world. Healthcare workers (HCWs) can play an important role in assisting patients to stop smoking, but this role is undermined if they themselves smoke. The study determined the prevalence of tobacco smoking and alcohol use among HCWs in public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 650 self-administered anonymous questionnaires (primary and secondary questionnaires) were administered to participants between December 2009 and June 2010. Six hundred and twenty primary questionnaires (on smoking) and 630 secondary questionnaires (on alcohol use) were returned, giving a response rate of 95% and 97% respectively. The Pearson chi-square test was used to test for statistical significance. Results: Eleven per cent of the participants were current smokers and 7.1% former smokers, while 27% of neversmokers were constantly exposed to second-hand smoke. Males were 13 times more likely to smoke than their female counterparts (P < 0.001). Never-smokers more frequently counselled their smoking patients to quit compared to former and current smokers (47.5%, 39.5% and 25.8% respectively). Alcohol use problems were reported by 22% of participants (P < 0.001). Current smokers were six times more likely to drink excessively than never-smokers (P < 0.001) and males were ten times more likely than females to drink excessively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The smoking rate among HCWs is still high, although lower than the national average of 21.4%. A large number of participants reported exposure to second-hand smoke and alcohol use problems. Less than half of the HCWs counselled smoking patients to quit smoking.

Acceptance and uptake of voluntary HIV testing among healthcare workers in a South African public hospital

AbstractBackground: Healthcare workers are seen as being at the centre of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) management. They are also at risk of HIV infection from occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens during their daily work activities. Although many studies on HIV/AIDS and its management have been carried out globally, only a few address HIV counselling and testing among healthcare workers. The aim of this study is to determine factors associated with the acceptance and uptake of voluntary HIV testing among healthcare workers in a public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.Method: A cross-sectional quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among healthcare workers in a public hospital, by means of self-administered questionnaires. Written informed consent was obtained from each participant prior to participation in the study.Results: A response rate of 239 (59.4%) was achieved from a targeted population of 402 healthcare workers. Of the 239 participants, 20...

Willingness of Hong Kong healthcare workers to accept pre-pandemic influenza vaccination at different WHO alert levels: two questionnaire surveys

Objective To assess the acceptability of pre-pandemic influenza vaccination among healthcare workers in public hospitals in Hong Kong and the effect of escalation in the World Health Organization’s alert level...