Hospital Preparedness Research Articles

Analysis of cardiopulmonary resuscitation outcomes among critically ill patients at a university hospital, Kafr-El-Sheikh Governorate

Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a vital intervention in managing critically ill patients experiencing cardiac arrest (CA). Understanding the factors influencing CPR outcomes is crucial for optimizing resuscitation strategies and improving patients’ survival rates. Aim To analyze the outcome of CPR among critically ill patients. Research questions To fulfill the aim of this study, four research questions were formulated. Design A descriptive exploratory research design was used. Setting Three ICUs affiliated to a university hospital in Kafr-El-Sheikh, Egypt. Sample A purposive sample that included 69 CA patients for 7 months, and a convenience sample of 97 members of the emergency response team working at the above-mentioned setting. Tools Three tools were formulated. Results The highest age category (31.9%) of CA patients was of 61–70 years. Over 7 months, the frequency of CA among critically ill patients was 7.61%. Regarding ICUs’ preparedness, institutional factors affecting emergency readiness had an unsatisfactory practice level (mean±SD=17.04±2.10), and crash cart preparedness was at mean±SD=30.42±4.32. The study showed unsatisfactory practice levels related to International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation 2020 guidelines for total advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) performance with a mean score and SD of 87.81±18.19. Patient outcomes showed a 10.1% overall survival rate at ICU discharge, 82.6% experiencing return of spontaneous circulation, and 89.9% experiencing brain death. Clinical high-risk scores against National Early Warning Score 2 were 98.2 and 88.2% on the first and last days, respectively. Poor cerebral performance category outcome scores were found at 96.5 and 88% on the first and last days, respectively. However, there were insignificant statistical correlations (P>0.05) between different patients’ outcomes and total adult ACLS role during CA based on International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation guidelines 2020. Conclusion CA among critically ill patients creates a significant burden for healthcare facilities and continues to be associated with a high mortality rate. The institutional factors affecting CPR outcomes among CA patients concerning preparedness level have a significant influence on survival. Conversely, the majority of resuscitated patients experienced return of spontaneous circulation, indicating successful initial efforts with severe neurological disability. Recommendations Hospital preparedness for CA situations has to be severely considered through implementing and regularly reviewing institutional policies and ensuring the availability and functionality of necessary resources. Update regular continuous educational programs toward enhancing the performance of emergency response team focusing on ACLS guidelines. Replication of this study on a larger probability sample from different geographical locations in Egypt is recommended.

Development and update of hospital disaster preparedness and response plan of 25 hub hospitals of Nepal – process documentation

Hospital disaster preparation involves creating systems and processes to enhance a hospital's readiness for emergencies. The first step in crisis management is having a disaster management strategy, mandated by international agreements like the Sendai Framework. The 2015 Nepal earthquake highlighted hospitals' capacity concerns, leading to the inclusion of hub and satellite hospitals in disaster plans. Later, infectious disease management and lessons from COVID-19 were incorporated. The disaster plans for Nepal's 25 hub hospitals, collaborating with Health Emergency Operation Center (HEOC) and Provincial Health Emergency Center (PHEOC), were updated. Workshops aimed to empower participants to own hospital plans. The Hospital Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan (HDPRP) addresses preparedness, response, and recovery, including COVID-19 management. Developed through testing, the HDPRP, along with workshops and engagement strategies, bolsters hospitals' disaster response capabilities.

Mpox Virus: Control of In-Hospital Occupational Transmission Experience from a Tertiary Level Hospital in Milan, Italy.

Mpox has caused a global outbreak since May 2022, particularly affecting people belonging to key populations, but cases among healthcare providers have been reported. The aim of this work is to present the experience of the Infectious Diseases Unit of San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy with respect to infection control and prevention of mpox occupational transmission. Between May-November 2022, 140 individuals were diagnosed with mpox and six required hospitalization. Overall, 12 medical doctors and 22 nurses provided care to people with mpox. A hospital policy aimed at controlling viral transmission was implemented in May 2022. Protective equipment was used for all healthcare providers. One accidental puncture occurred with a scalpel contaminated with blood from a mpox viremic individual (mpox plasma cycle threshold = 36); no mpox related symptoms were observed and mpox testing ruled out transmission. Six months following exposure, neutralizing antibodies were not detectable, ruling out contagion. Overall, we observed no mpox transmission among healthcare workers, despite the number of visits and procedures performed, including bodily-fluids sampling, and even following puncture with contaminated blood. Hospital preparedness for the management of new infectious disease outbreaks, with rapid implementation of policies aimed at controlling infection, is paramount to avoid occupational transmission.

Understanding Importance of “Golden hour” in Obstetric Emergencies -Common Observations and Suggestions

Obstetric emergencies occur suddenly and at times unexpectedly, posing risk of serious maternal morbidity or mortality. The common life-threatening obstetric emergencies include accidental haemorrhage, postpartum haemorrhage, eclampsia, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, retained placenta and inversion of uterus. These emergency conditions are responsible for large percentages of cases, who in turn develop serious maternal morbidity or mortality. The outcome of these conditions depends primarily on certain factors. Place of delivery or occurrence of emergency. Time lapse between occurrence of the emergency and admission to tertiary care hospital, readiness of the referral hospital to manage emergencies, time spent in decision making, stabilizing or preparing patients for surgical interventions, availability of required quantity of blood and its components and availability of competent expert team at the health facility.

CASE REPORT: OVERCROWDED DI RUANG IGD RUMAH SAKIT RUJUKAN COVID SELAMA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

The number of confirmed and suspected cases is still increasing as a result of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19). Hospital readiness in dealing with this pandemic is very much needed, especially in terms of human resources. Health workers in hospitals, especially doctors, nurses and ambulance workers, are more likely to be infected than other groups. This study aims to report cases of the Covid-19 referral hospital in Yogyakarta, where a few months after the determination of cases of exposure to health workers in the emergency room which resulted in overcrowding, several actions have been taken by temporarily closing the emergency room and transferring nursing staff to the emergency room. To overcome this, it can be done by accelerating services in the emergency room, increasing the ability of the triage team, procuring alternative units, increasing access and coordination between the community sector and hospitals. Transferring patients from the appropriate ED at the right time as well as creating more inpatient beds and building larger EDs is possible

Determine Hospital Management Priority Strategies from the Results of Measuring Hospital Readiness in Indonesia

WHO publishes an interim guideline on the Rapid Hospital Readiness Checklist. Countries can use the guidelines to help determine hospital capacity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and identify gaps and key areas that require development/investment actions to maintain hospital quality. This study is to analyze the readiness of hospitals in Indonesia from the results of filling out the Hospital Readiness Checklist uploaded on the mutufasyankes.kemkes.go.id application of the Indonesian Ministry of Health. This study used a quantitative approach by utilizing secondary data taken by researchers from the application. The Rapid Hospital Readiness Checklist consists of 12 components that can be measured as a percentage achievement of each component. Data collection from the mutufasyankes.kemkes.go.id application was obtained by a total of 618 hospitals from 3081 registered hospitals in Indonesia that filled and uploaded on the application until April 30, 2023. A total of 618 hospitals reported Hospital Readiness from 12 existing components, the average achievement per component of 618 hospitals was 88%. The 12th component (Infection Prevention and Control Component) has the highest percentage (94%) and the 10th component (Occupational Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Component has the lowest percentage (77%). Looking at the average results of the profit web picture as a visual illustration of Hospital Readiness measurements in 618 hospitals in Indonesia, it is said that hospitals in Indonesia in terms of the Infection Prevention and Control component are said to be good and for the components of Occupational Health, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support from hospitals need to be followed up again. So that the condition of hospitals in Indonesia at the lowest component of Hospital Readiness during the pandemic can be said to be unprepared. Therefore, the results of Hospital Readiness measurements in Indonesia can be used to determine priority strategies for hospital management by maximizing the Hospital Occupational Health and Safety (K3RS) program so that healthy Indonesian health workers are realized.

Gambaran Budaya Kerja Organisasi Terhadap Adaptasi Rekam Medis Elektronik dalam Pelayanan Kesehatan di Rumah Sakit

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) have become a vital system aimed at enhancing the efficiency of patient data management in hospitals. EMR is not just an innovation but a necessity that all healthcare services in Indonesia must adhere to, aligning with the targets set forth in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). In this context, several supportive factors play a pivotal role in EMR implementation, including organizational work culture, human resources, infrastructure, governance, and leadership. This research aimed to provide insight into hospital preparedness in the context of organizational work culture to ensure the smoother implementation of EMR. The research employed a quantitative approach with descriptive analysis. The research subjects were medical record personnel working in hospitals, with data collected from 15 hospitals of various types in the East Java region. The results of this study highlight several critical aspects of organizational work culture that influence EMR implementation, including training, socialization, mentoring, commitment, support from medical record personnel, and an understanding of how technology can enhance service quality. Nevertheless, the research also identified a prevailing perception that EMR is merely an Information Technology project, which could act as a potential hindrance to successful implementation. This research served as a reminder to hospitals about the importance of paying attention to these aspects as part of comprehensive preparations for EMR implementation. Consequently, it is anticipated that EMR implementation can proceed more efficiently and effectively, delivering greater benefits to patients and overall healthcare service delivery.

Hospital preparedness for COVID-19 in Indonesia.

As a disaster-prone country, hospital preparedness in dealing with disasters in Indonesia is essential. This research, therefore, focuses specifically on hospital preparedness for COVID-19 in Indonesia, which is important given the indication that the pandemic will last for the foreseeable future. During March to September 2022, a cross-sectional approach and a quantitative study was conducted in accordance with the research objective to assess hospital preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic. This research shows the level of readiness based on the 12 components of the rapid hospital readiness checklist for COVID-19 published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Evaluators from 11 hospitals in four provinces in Indonesia (Capital Special Region of Jakarta, West Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, and North Sumatra) filled out the form in the COVID-19 Hospital Preparedness Information system, which was developed to assess the level of hospital readiness. The results show that hospitals in Capital Special Region of Jakarta and Special Region of Yogyakarta have adequate level (≥ 80%). Meanwhile, the readiness level of hospitals in West Java and North Sumatra varies from adequate level (≥ 80%), moderate level (50% - 79%), to not ready level (≤ 50%). The findings and the methods adopted in this research are valuable for policymakers and health professionals to have a holistic view of hospital preparedness for COVID-19 in Indonesia so that resources can be allocated more effectively to improve readiness.

“It’s a proactive intervention instead of a reactive one”: measuring facilitators and barriers regarding readiness to implement a treatment program for infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome

BackgroundManaging Abstinence in Newborns (MAiN) is an evidence-based, cost-saving approach to caring for infants at risk of developing neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). MAiN provides medication management in combination with education and is being implemented in hospitals across South Carolina (SC). This expansion of MAiN throughout the state includes educational training for providers on managing NOWS symptomology and evaluation support for data collection and analysis. This evaluation assessed the readiness of hospitals to implement MAiN by identifying potential barriers and facilitators to early program adoption.MethodsWe used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Framework (CFIR) to guide the evaluation. As part of the ongoing evaluation of MAiN implementation, brief, structured interviews were conducted with healthcare providers (n = 82) at seven hospitals between 2019 and 2022 to learn more about perceived barriers and facilitators to implementation readiness. Two coders independently reviewed all transcripts and used deductive thematic analysis to code qualitative data using Atlas.ti Web using the established CFIR codebook.ResultsWe identified barriers and facilitators to implementing MAiN in all five CFIR domains. Providers identified MAiN as an evidence-based, patient-centered model with the flexibility to adapt to patients’ complex needs. Specific champions, external support, alignment with providers’ personal motivation, and an adaptable implementation climate were identified as facilitators for implementation readiness. Barriers included a lack of consistent communication among hospital providers, minimal community resources to support patients and families after discharge, and a lack of provider buy-in early in implementation.ConclusionsKey barriers and facilitators of MAiN implementation readiness were identified at seven participating hospitals throughout SC. Communication, staff and hospital culture and climate, and internal and external resource were all reported as essential to implementation. These findings could inform the MAiN program expansion in hospitals across SC.

Assessing the Hospitals’ Preparedness Against COVID-19: A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach

Background: COVID-19 pandemic, the different mutations of the virus, and the emergence of different variants requires that hospitals upgrade their levels of preparedness in managing the crisis. This study aims to provide a method for assessing the level of hospitals’ preparedness in dealing with such situations.
 Methods: In the initial stage, effective criteria for assessing hospital preparedness were identified through literature review. Following that, the Delphi method was used to obtain the perspectives of 40 experts from the healthcare system in order to validate the criteria. Then, the SWARA (Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) technique was applied to determine the weights of the criteria. Through MABAC (Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison) technique, the preparedness of 10 selected hospitals in Tehran was assessed. Finally, using sensitivity analysis, the robustness and reliability of the proposed method were examined.
 Results: Results indicated that personnel, their education and work experience, medical equipment, and the emergency networks were critical factors in determining the level of hospital preparedness against COVID-19. Out of the 10 selected hospitals, the Imam Khomeini Hospital was found to have the highest level of preparedness.
 Conclusion: This is the first study which recommends a simple and effective tool for assessing the level of preparedness through the hybrid MCDM (Multi-Criteria Decision Making) approach. This tool facilitates the proper allocation of budgets and other resources in strengthening the preparedness of hospitals in handling the situation

Data-Driven Modeling and Analysis for COVID-19 Pandemic Hospital Beds Planning

The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenges for the US healthcare system, and the critical care settings are heavily impacted by the pressures of caring for COVID-19 patients. However, hospital pandemic preparedness has been hampered by a lack of disease specific planning guidelines. In this paper, we proposed a holistic modeling and analysis approach, with a system dynamics model to predict COVID-19 cases and a discrete-event simulation to evaluate hospital bed utilization, to support the hospital planning decisions. Our model was trained using the public data from the JHU Coronavirus Resource Center and was validated using historical patient census data from the University of Florida Health Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL and public data from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Various experiments were conducted to investigate different control measures and the variants of the virus and their impact on the disease transmission, and subsequently, the hospital planning needs. Our proposed approach can be tailored to a given hospital setting of interest and is also generalizable to other hospitals to tackle the pandemic planning challenge. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Note to Practitioners</i> —We proposed a holistic modeling and analysis approach to support hospital preparedness and resource planning during the COVID-19 pandemic. To capture the highly dynamic pandemic environment, we developed a numerical method to estimate <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R_0$</tex-math> </inline-formula> , the effective basic reproductive rate, and used the most recent estimated data series of daily <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R_0$</tex-math> </inline-formula> to project the change in <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R_0$</tex-math> </inline-formula> in a short-term forecast window. The prediction of the daily confirmed cases in that forecast window were then obtained based on recursively solving the system dynamics model, and was validated to be very close to the real confirmed cases from the public record. This data-driven approach allows us to gain a systematic understanding of the common trends across different states and regions, and to evaluate the effect of the control measures like the stay-at-home order and the impact of the virus variants on the disease transmission behavior. Furthermore, the dynamic prediction allows us to evaluate the hospital resource needs during different stages of the pandemic. The insights obtained through this effort shed light on the impact of interventions (e.g., vaccines and control measures) on the hospital preparedness to support appropriate hospital resource allocation.

Assessing Hospital Safety Index in the Iranian Hospitals

Background: Hospital preparedness for accidents and disasters is vital in maintaining and promoting community health. However, the country’s hospitals are not well prepared for disasters. The hospital safety index (HSI) was 42% in Iranian hospitals in 2014. This study aims to investigate the HSI in Iranian hospitals in 2020 and to provide solutions to improve it. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed for the country’s hospitals. The results recorded in the Farsi version of the hospital safety index (FHSI) software in 2020 were used. Hospital teams used the FHSI checklist (151 options) in three areas of structural, non-structural, and functional safety to assess the hospital and register in the FHSI system. The registered results of the hospitals were collected based on the medical universities of the country. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 604 hospitals registered safety index information in the system. The mean score of the HSI of the country’s hospitals was 60.84. A total of 130 hospitals (21.5%) had low safety levels, 418 hospitals (69%) had moderate safety levels, and 56 hospitals (9.2%) had high safety levels against disasters. The mean scores were in structural safety (57.20), non-structural (65.24), and functional safety (63.36). Hamedan (76.81) and Kerman (75.61) Provinces had the highest score, and Yazd (53.74), and Lorestan (57.31) Provinces had the lowest score in the country. Conclusion: The HSI against disasters in 2020 compared to 2014 has reached 6 out of 10 and we have about a 41.5% increase in safety (from 43 to 60.84). However, the HSI is moderate. Strengthening the safety and resilience of hospitals, improving the safety of medical equipment, improving the knowledge and skills of managers in the scientific development of preparedness, response and recovery programs, funding and support of crisis programs, attention to security programs, pollution, and evacuation are among the solutions of development and enhancement of hospital preparedness against disasters.

A novel kernel principal component analysis with application disaster preparedness of hospital: interval-valued Fermatean fuzzy set approach

A novel kernel principal component analysis with application disaster preparedness of hospital: interval-valued Fermatean fuzzy set approach

Building resilient hospital information technology services through organizational learning: Lessons in CIO leadership during an international systemic crisis in the United States and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic was an international systemic crisis which required an unprecedented response to quickly drive the digital transformation of hospitals and health care systems to support high quality health care while adhering to contagion management protocols. ObjectiveTo identify and assess the best practices during the COVID-19 pandemic by Chief Information Officers (CIOs) about how to build resilient healthcare IT (HIT) to improve pandemic preparedness and response across global settings and to develop recommendations for future pandemics. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative, interview-based study to sample CIOs in hospitals. We interviewed 16 CIOs from hospitals and health systems in the United States and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. We used in-depth interviews to capture their perspectives of the preparedness of hospitals’ information technology departments for the pandemic and how they lead their IT department out of the pandemic. ResultsResults showed that healthcare CIOs were ambidextrous IT leaders who built resilient HIT by rapidly improving existing digital business practices and creating innovative IT solutions. Ambidextrous IT leadership involved exploiting existing IT resources as well as exploring and innovating for continuous growth. IT resiliency focused on four inter-related capabilities: ambidextrous leadership, governance, innovation and learning, and HIT infrastructure. ConclusionsWe propose conceptual frameworks to guide the development of healthcare IT resilience and highlight the importance of organizational learning as an integral component of HIT resiliency.

Are trauma surgeons prepared? A survey of trauma surgeons’ disaster preparedness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveUS trauma centers (TCs) must remain prepared for mass casualty incidents (MCIs). However, trauma surgeons may lack formal MCI training. The recent COVID-19 pandemic drove multiple patient surges, overloaded Emergency...

DESIGN OF CIRCULATION HOSPITAL SERVICE IN THE NEW NORMAL ERA

Health care buildings are experiencing extreme challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, the high global death rate due to the pandemic has forced hospitals to make changes and improve health service strategies to minimize the impact of transmission and hospital readiness in dealing with other infectious diseases. The design of this service circulation design is expected to be able to improve the quality of service to the community and users related to the ideal, thorough, thorough, fast, precise and correct service excellence principles. Using analytical methods, data sources were obtained through studies on hospital building planning with a separate circulation system, government regulations related to infectious diseases, and the shortcomings of the previous hospital building circulation system, the conclusion resulted in a building circulation design planning that has 3 zoning (red, yellow, red zones). and green) by providing differentiation in circulation related to the function of each room, the classification of visitors and the flow of patients in and out, to improve hospital services and safety against unpredictable conditions in the future such as the current pandemic era.

Hospital disaster preparedness in the Netherlands

IntroductionDespite having a good health care system, recent studies show that the Netherlands scores low on hospital disaster preparedness. A possible reason could be that there is a Dutch framework based on self-evaluation and intercollegiate evaluation but no formal set of requirements for hospital disaster preparedness plans. Study ObjectiveEvaluation of disaster preparedness of hospitals in the Netherlands by using the WHO Hospital Emergency Response Checklist to systematically assess the quality, strengths, and weaknesses of Dutch hospital disaster preparedness plans. MethodsHospital crisis coordinators sent their most recent disaster hospital plan and crisis plan. Two researchers independently studied and scored the content of the received plans according to the WHO Checklist. Overall scores per hospital and key components were calculated based on the number of points assigned to each priority action. ResultsTwenty hospitals (29% of all Dutch hospitals) participated in the study and scored between 33 and 97 out of 184 points. Twelve hospitals scored ‘insufficient’, eight scored ‘unacceptable’ according to WHO cutoff points. No hospital scored ‘effective’. The key components command and control, triage, and communication scored highest. Logistics and supply management, human resources, and continuity of essential services scored low. An unexpected finding was a large variety in configuration of the studied plans. ConclusionNone of the participating hospitals reached an effective preparedness score. Issues that received attention in response to previous disasters scored well on the WHO Checklist. Components that were not addressed in the Dutch evaluation framework for crisis management scored low.

Factors influencing hospital preparedness and resilience for emerging infectious diseases: a systematic review

Hospitals have crucial roles during an outbreak of emerging infectious diseases. They are expected to manage the surge of patients while continuing essential health services. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence hospital disaster preparedness and resilience in facing emerging infectious disease threats. A systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) method. International electronic databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, and SAGE, were investigated for the research studies that were published between 2001 and 2022 in English-language. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined to extract factors or indicators influencing hospital disaster preparedness and resilience encounter emerging infectious diseases. For the initial 672 articles, we identified 16 articles that specifically addressed the aims of this review and formed the basis of the intended analysis. Seven factors influence hospital preparedness, with human resources and crisis management being the most important. The hospital’s resilience has 18 factors that are classified according to the disaster phase. Hospital resilience is concerned with all phases of a disaster (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), not just operational management during a disaster (as is preparedness).

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Workers: Infection Sources, Awareness and Commitment to relevant Safety Guidelines

COVID-19 virus disease is an infectious disease caused by SARS-Cov-2 virus, as the diagnostic imaging department play a remarkable role in detecting and diagnosing of COVID-19 in early stages, therefore, medical imaging workers should be aware of infection control guidelines to prevent the transmission of the disease. A cross-sectional descriptive study survey design was conducted from July 15, 2020 to September 15, 2020, in diagnostic imaging departments in Palestine, aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging workers; in terms of infection sources, awareness and commitment to relevant safety guidelines. From a 205 valid responses, there was 54.5% governmental, 27.2% private, and 18.3% from NGOs sector. Female were 26.8% and 81.9% holding BA degree, about 41.2% are less than five years of experience. 36.1% had a previous positive COVID-19 result, of them there was 61.6% due to nosocomial infection. Only 63.2% were confidence of their hospital preparedness for COVID-19, 65.1% felt that their department is capable of dealing with COVID-19 patients, 43.3% revealed that they had training on handling COVID-19 patients, 58.7% reported that selfreading was their source of information about COVID-19, inadequate training or knowledge about hand hygiene and proper use of PPE was noted. Our findings emphasize the vital need of expanded COVID-19 pandemic training for medical imaging workers, as well as related protective measures

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Medical Imaging Workers: Infection Sources, Awareness and Commitment to relevant Safety Guidelines

COVID-19 virus disease is an infectious disease caused by SARS-Cov-2 virus, as the diagnostic imaging department play a remarkable role in detecting and diagnosing of COVID-19 in early stages, therefore, medical imaging workers should be aware of infection control guidelines to prevent the transmission of the disease. A cross-sectional descriptive study survey design was conducted from July 15, 2020 to September 15, 2020, in diagnostic imaging departments in Palestine, aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on medical imaging workers; in terms of infection sources, awareness and commitment to relevant safety guidelines. From a 205 valid responses, there was 54.5% governmental, 27.2% private, and 18.3% from NGOs sector. Female were 26.8% and 81.9% holding BA degree, about 41.2% are less than five years of experience. 36.1% had a previous positive COVID-19 result, of them there was 61.6% due to nosocomial infection. Only 63.2% were confidence of their hospital preparedness for COVID-19, 65.1% felt that their department is capable of dealing with COVID-19 patients, 43.3% revealed that they had training on handling COVID-19 patients, 58.7% reported that selfreading was their source of information about COVID-19, inadequate training or knowledge about hand hygiene and proper use of PPE was noted. Our findings emphasize the vital need of expanded COVID-19 pandemic training for medical imaging workers, as well as related protective measures