Usage Of Protective Equipment Research Articles

Challenges Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic: Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Disaster Management Perspectives.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unique challenges to pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) departments. The purpose of this study was to identify these challenges and ascertain how centers overcame barriers in creating solutions to continue to provide high-quality care and keep their workforce safe during the early pandemic. This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with physicians in leadership positions who have disaster or emergency management experience. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. Interviews were recorded and transcribed electronically. Themes and codes were extracted from the transcripts by 2 independent coders. Constant comparison analysis was performed until thematic saturation was achieved. Member-checking was completed to ensure trustworthiness. Fourteen PEM-trained physicians participated in this study. Communication, leadership and planning, clinical practice, and personal adaptations were the principal themes identified. Recommendations elicited include improving communication strategies; increasing emergency department (ED) representation within hospital-wide incident command; preparing for a surge and accepting adult patients; personal protective equipment supply and usage; developing testing strategies; and adaptations individuals made to their practice to keep themselves and their families safe. By sharing COVID-19 experiences and offering solutions to commonly encountered problems, pediatric EDs may be better prepared for future pandemics.

Investigation of the problems experienced by perioperative nurses due to the use of personal protective equipment and their attitudes towards caregiving roles

AimThis study aims to investigate the problems experienced by perioperative nurses due to the use of personal protective equipment and their attitudes towards caregiving roles. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted with 175 volunteer nurses working in surgical clinics across Turkey between March–June 2021. Data were collected online with a personal information form, an information form regarding the personal protective equipment usage times of nurses and the problems experienced, and the Attitude Scale for Nurses in Caregiving Roles. ResultsIt was found that 98.3% of nurses had problems with personal protective equipment (excluding gloves); 97.7% of them had problems with sterile or non-sterile gloves, and 65.7% of them stated that pressure injuries developed due to personal protective equipment. It was determined that the rate of nurses considering leaving the profession today is higher than before the outbreak. The Attitude Scale for Nurses in Caregiving Roles obtained a mean score of 65.83 ± 9.41. Those who did not intend to leave the nursing profession had higher scale mean scores than those who thought to leave. ConclusionIt was determined that perioperative nurses experienced skin problems due to the use of personal protective equipment and most of them developed pressure injuries, nearly half of them considered leaving the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic, and considering leaving the profession adversely affected their caregiver roles. According to the results of this study, it is recommended that attempts should be made to develop strategies to prevent skin problems and pressure injuries in perioperative nurses.

The Management of Medium Hazard Potential at Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd (Glue Production)

All industrial activities that use, store, produce, and transport hazardous chemicals in the workplace are required to control hazardous chemical to prevent occupational accidents and work-related diseases. Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd is a company engaged in the manufacturing industry that produces wood glue, paper glue, packaging, PVAc white glue, and hotmelt adhesive. In its working activities, Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd has a risks and hazards impact that requires medium hazard potential management. This research is a descriptive study that was conducted objectively to determine the control of medium hazard potential in Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd. The objective of this research is to find out the actual conditions in the field compared to the compatibility of the laws and regulations. Hazard identification, risk assessment and control at Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd were carried out using the HIRARC method. The level of risk dominating the work activities in this company was categorized as medium risk. Technical activities, design, construction, chemical material selection, as well as operation and maintenance of installations at Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd have been performed in accordance to the company regulations. Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd has several employees development activities, such as waste management and handling training and socialization, personal protective equipment usage socialization, fire fighting socialization, and internal briefings that have been carried out for several times. There are existed emergency response plan and procedures such as evacuation routes and assembly points signs, as well as provide fire extinguishers and first aid kits. There are no safe work procedure implemented at Trimitra Sejati Jaya Ltd yet, it only oriented on the existed Quality Management System

Comparison of Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 Rapid Molecular Assay to Allplex 2019-nCoV and VIASURE SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Nasal Swabs

BACKGROUND: Readily available, accurate, and rapid diagnostic technologies are of high priority to contain emerging and re-emerging pandemics and to properly allocate personal protective equipment usage and preventing nosocomial spread with subsequent community transmission. Detection of positive 2019-nCoV nucleic acids by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR)-based assays remains the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnostics. However, these assays take an average over 3–5 h to generate results and the PCR tests require certified laboratories, expensive equipment, and trained technicians to operate. Therefore, there is an urgent need for rapid point of care molecular tests that can be readily used in a healthcare setting that generates reliable results within few hours. Those tests should provide reliable results in the setting to facilitate the diagnosis and rapid decision-making. AIM: The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Abbott ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 compared to two gold standard assays (Allplex 2019- nCoV and VIASURE SARS-CoV-2) and to detect the relation between viral load and the sensitivity of ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 assay. METHODS: A total of 86 and 42 nasopharyngeal swabs collected from patients attending the Reference Laboratory of Egyptian University Hospitals during the period from January 2022 to May 2022, were tested by our reference methods of RT-PCR for COVID-19 detection; VIASURE kit and Allplex kits, respectively. Corresponding dry nasal swabs were collected from the same patients for ID NOW SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA) detection assay. RESULTS: As regards the results of the 86 nasopharyngeal swabs tested by both VIASURE kit and ID NOW, there was a good agreement between both methods (95%) (kappa = 0.924), where the ID NOW method was not able to detect three COVID-19-positive samples (3/86, 5.1%). ID NOW exhibited specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 94.9%, respectively. As for comparing results of ID NOW with Allplex kit, the results of the 42 nasopharyngeal swabs tested by both tests revealed good agreement between both methods (kappa = 0.908). In comparison with Allplex kit, ID NOW exhibited specificity and sensitivity of 90% and 100%, respectively. Regarding the relation between the viral load detected by VIASURE kit and results of the ID NOW test, we found that ID NOW showed a sensitivity of 82.35% in samples with low viral load (CT > 30), while for samples with intermediate (CT: 20–30) and high (CT < 20) viral loads, sensitivity was 100%. CONCLUSION: ID NOW assay in our study exhibited a high diagnostic performance when evaluated with the gold standard RT-PCR methods. Our study further substantiates the high sensitivity of ID NOW in the presence of intermediate and high viral loads detected by molecular RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2 testing. Its analytical performances, combined with the very short 13 min reactional time and the friendly device-guided handling procedure, constitute an additional advantage of ID NOW COVID-19 for setting up a rapid diagnosis within the clinical laboratories and for timely identification of outbreaks allowing for aggressive contact tracing and containment.

Public Interest, Risk, Trust, and Personal Protective Equipment Purchase and Usage: Face Masks Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This analysis considers public interest in COVID-19-related issues as well as individuals’ risk perception and trust in society in their demand for face masks during the pandemic. Through a national survey, we examine demand during both the outbreak and the recovery stage of the pandemic and differentiate demand into purchasing and usage. The examination allows us to observe the evolvement of demand over time and stockpiling. We find that public interest and risk perception had a more significant association with mask demand during the outbreak stage, and trust was more connected with mask demand during the recovery stage. While stocking was evident in both stages, consumers were much less price sensitive in the outbreak stage. Overall, the relationship between most factors and mask demand was smaller in the recovery stage. Our research is useful for policymakers to assess the creation and termination of temporary legislation to help manage the value chain of personal protective equipment during a major public health crisis.

Factors Associated with the Prevalence of External Compression Headache Attributed to Personal Protection Equipment Usage

Personal protective equipment (PPE) in the COVID-19 pandemic era is essential for healthcare workers to decrease the risk of infection. The PPE, such as N95 masks and goggles, can trigger external-compression headache (ECH). This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the prevalence of ECH attributed to PPE usage. It was an analytic-observational study with a cross-sectional design conducted at Dr. M. Djamil Hospital Padang in May 2020. The subjects were healthcare workers (doctors and nurses) who used level 3 PPE for a minimum of 4 hours. The diagnosis of ECH was determined by the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) 3rd edition criteria. The Headache Screening Questionnaire (HSQ) determined the pre-existing primary headaches. The association between variables was analyzed using chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 113 healthcare workers participated in this study, consisting of 46 (40.7%) males and 67 (59.3%) females. The median age was 30 (23–46) years. ECH occurred in 102 (90.3%) respondents. Pre-existing primary headaches were present in 79 (69.9%) respondents, including migraine in 28 (23.6%) and tension-type headaches (TTH) in 46 (40.7%) respondents. The frontalis (69%) and temporalis (50.4%) were the most affected muscles. In this study, the significant factor associated with ECH was pre-existing primary headache (p=0.001, OR=7.795). There was a significant association between the pre-existing TTH (p=0.022) and ECH. There was a non-significant association between pre-existing migraine and ECH (p=0.284). In conclusion, the pre-existing primary headache was associated with the prevalence of ECH attributed to PPE usage.

An embedded toolset for human activity monitoring in critical environments

In many working and recreational activities, there are scenarios where both individual and collective safety have to be constantly checked and properly signaled, as occurring in dangerous workplaces or during pandemic events like the recent COVID-19 disease. From wearing personal protective equipment to filling physical spaces with an adequate number of people, it is clear that a possibly automatic solution would help to check compliance with the established rules. Based on an off-the-shelf compact and low-cost hardware, we present a deployed real use-case embedded system capable of perceiving people’s behavior and aggregations and supervising the appliance of a set of rules relying on a configurable plug-in framework. Working on indoor and outdoor environments, we show that our implementation of counting people aggregations, measuring their reciprocal physical distances, and checking the proper usage of protective equipment is an effective yet open framework for monitoring human activities in critical conditions.

Türkiye’de bir üçüncü basamak hastanede sağlık çalışanlarında SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalansı

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the previous four months (March-July 2020) SARS-CoV-2 infection rate, seroprevalence and the variables affecting these in HCWs in a university hospital. Methods: The present study is a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study on HCWs working in a tertiary hospital during the first stage (March-July 2020) of the outbreak in Turkey. The presence of IgM and IgG antibodies against the spike structure of the virus was investigated by the chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLIA) method using the commercial antibody kit (COV2T, Siemens®, Tarrytown, NY, US). Participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, health status, lifestyle, risky occupational and social and personal protective equipment (PPE) usage were independent variables of the study. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used in univariate analyzes, and accepted type 1 error value was 0.05. The analyzes were made using the SPSS 23.0 package program. Results: 1177 out of a total of 1702 health workers participated in the study. Participation rate was 69.1% . The mean age of the study group was 35.3 ± 9.8 and 62.7% were females. SARS-CoV-2 infection rate detected by nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT-PCR) or antibody test (Elisa) was (18/1177) 1.5%; The seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 1.01%. 17% of the entire SARS-CoV-2 cases were asymptomatic. The highest infection prevalence was significantly higher in auxiliary health workers (3.7%) compared to other groups. The presence of symptoms HCW’s and their family members that did not exist before in the last 15 days, being overweight or obese and consulting as contacted person in survelliance unit were significantly related to having SARS-CoV-2 infection (p

The Evaluation of Personal Protective Equipment Usage Habit of Mining Employees Using Structural Equation Modeling

BackgroundIn occupational studies, it is a known situation that technical and organizational attempts are used to prevent occupational accidents. Especially in the mining sector, if these attempts cannot prevent occupational accidents, personal protective equipment (PPE) becomes a necessity. Thus, in this study, the main objective is to examine the effects of the variables on the use of PPE and identify important factors. MethodsA questionnaire was implemented and structural equation modeling was conducted to ascertain the significant factors affecting the PPE use of mining employees. The model includes the factors that ergonomics, the efficiency of PPE and employee training, and PPE usage habit. ResultsThe results indicate that ergonomics and employee training have no significant effect (p > 0.05) on the use of PPE. The efficiency of PPE has a statistically meaningful effect (p < 0.05) on the use of PPE. Various variables have been evaluated in previous studies. However, none of them examined the variables simultaneously. ConclusionThe developed model in the study enables to better focus on ergonomics and employee training in the PPE usage. The effectiveness of a PPE makes its use unavoidable. Emphasizing PPE effectiveness in OHS training and even showing them in practice will increase employees’ PPE usage. The fact that a PPE with high effectiveness is also ergonomic means that it will be used at high rates by the employee.

Burnout among nurses working in COVID-19 pandemic

Nurses are at high risk of burnout because of the characteristic of their work that expends most of the time in delivering care to the patients. This study aimed to describe burnout among nurses working during corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using nurses' demographic characteristics. This observational cross-sectional study involved 149 nurses from some hospitals and public health centers in Semarang using an online questionnaire from May 1 to June 15, 2020. Primary data were collected using Maslach Burnout Inventory including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. The study showed that 63.6% of nurses in the COVID-19 unit were at high levels of emotional exhaustion, 56.3% of them were at high levels of depersonalization, and 46.7% of them are at high levels of reduced personal accomplishment. Education was the only demographic factor that was significantly related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (p&amp;lt;0.05) with a weak correlation. The work environment and the reduced anxiety-related factors were not significantly correlated with the reduced personal accomplishment with a very weak correlation, while the nurses’ unit was significantly correlated with depersonalization (p&amp;lt;0.05) with a very weak correlation. The results found that burnout develops among nurses due to the work environment-related factors such as the unit of work, corona-infected patients, personal protective equipment usage, and the specific characteristics of the workplace. Nurses’ characteristics affect their ability to manage the workload even in a pandemic. Nurses need optimal supports to build their self-efficacy. The organizational efforts play an important role in strengthening nurses to prevent burnout.

Work-Related Health and Safety Challenges of Rice Irrigation Farmworkers

Workers in the agricultural sector face several work-related health and safety challenges, similar to what workers in other high-risk sectors experience. However, there is a dearth of research efforts in the informal agricultural sector regarding the health and safety of farmworkers. The present paper explored the common work-related health and safety challenges that rice farmworkers in major irrigation schemes in southern Ghana experienced. The paper also explored the attitude and extent of personal protective equipment usage among rice farmworkers. Data were obtained from 11 key informants selected from three irrigation schemes and transcribed verbatim for analysis. Analysis of the data involved theoretical thematic analysis of Braun and Clarke. The analysis showed that rice farmworkers experienced several work-related health issues, injuries, and disorders, including cutlass injuries, lower back disorders, and malaria. It was also observed that the farmers were not using appropriate personal protective equipment. The implications of the findings were discussed and practical recommendations were made to help improve the safety and well-being of rice farmworkers.

Headaches and the use of personal protective equipment in the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Headaches associated with personal protective equipment were reported in health-care workers in previous epidemiological studies. National web-based survey advertised by the Portuguese Headache Society and National Headache and Migraine patient´s organization between September-December 2020 screening for personal protective equipment usage pattern, pre-existing and de novo headaches after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its relation to personal protective equipment use. Of 5064 participants, 90.6% (4562/5034) were women, mean age was 37.2 ± 11 years. Most questions had a completion rate above 87% (non-completion rate ranging from 0-12.7%). Twenty percent were health-care professionals (993/5046). Surgical and cloth masks were the most common personal protective equipment type, whereas protective eyewear and FFP2/FFP3 masks were mostly used by health-care professionals. About 97% (1814/1870) of migraine and headache participants reported aggravation of pre-existing headaches with personal protective equipment use, and 56% (2476/4420) had de novo headaches. Participants with de novo headaches had a higher frequency of pre-existing migraine (1118/1226, 91.2% vs 1408/1600, 88%, P = .042), and wore personal protective equipment for longer periods of time (7 ± 2 h 42 vs 6 ± 2 h 54 min per day, P < .001). In multivariate analysis longer mean duration of personal protective equipment use (OR of 1.1, 95% CI 1-1.2) and previous migraine (OR of 1.2, 95% CI 1-1.4) were predictors of developing de novo headaches. Almost all participants with pre-existing headache reported worsening of their headaches, and more than half of the study population developed de novo headaches following personal protective equipment use. Duration of personal protective equipment usage and pre-existing migraine were the strongest predictors of de novo headaches.

The rationalization of personal protective equipment usage and the solution of its limitation during COVID-19 era

Covid-19 pandemic is a global burden health problem caused by Coronavirus. The disease can be transmitted swiftly by droplets after sneezing, coughing, or holding stuff (droplet contaminated). The contagion is eased by bad habit like does not wash hand after touching others or stuff. To date, data says that The Covid-19 morbidity rate is still highest in a densely populated place. Even though several mechanisms in the community have been done to prevent the spreading of this disease, but the spread is still relatively high and needs medical treatment intervention in the health care system especially in the hospital.1 Moreover, the daily hospital treatment of Covid-19 patients’ needs appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect and to minimalize the risk of infection to health workers.

Survey on Health and Safety Concerns of Laboratory Animal Workers in the Philippines

Occupational health and safety are important aspects of the workplace. This study was carried out to identify the common occupational health and safety concerns of laboratory animal workers (LAWs) in the Philippines. Specifically, it aims to describe the frequency of encounters with the different health and safety concerns plus the encounters based on the workers’ demographic profiles, animal contact, and the frequency of personal protective equipment (PPE) usage at work. An online survey questionnaire was developed and confidentially administered to the respondents via email through the Philippine Association for Laboratory Animal Science (PALAS). A total of 44 responses met the research inclusion criteria. The three most common health and safety concerns encountered by LAWs at work were animal-related injuries (34/44, 77.3%), sharp-related injuries (30/44, 68.2%), and allergy from animals (23/44, 52.3%). These were consistent regardless of the workers’ age, gender, job title, years of work experience with laboratory animals, animal contact, and frequency of PPE usage at work. A high rate of experiencing animal-related injuries was observed even with the frequent use of available PPE. With this, the study revealed that LAWs in the Philippines are exposed to different health and safety concerns present at work. Moreover, the study showed the need to evaluate further the current practices and ensure implementation of additional safety measures to lessen the occurrence of these concerns and protect the health and safety of the workers.

Infection control, hand hygiene practice and PPE use among phoniatricians and ENT specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic, a UEP survey

BackgroundCaring for our patients while taking care of our own safety as well as theirs is a major concern during the current pandemic. Therefore, many societies developed guidance documents to educate clinicians about the required precautions. This study aims to assess personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, hand hygiene practice and infection control training among phoniatricians and otolaryngologists during the pandemic. An online survey was administered during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020. Data collected included PPE availability, infection control training, adopted infection control precautions, hand hygiene practice, and use of different PPE elements as well as adherence to its use during potential aerosol generating procedures.ResultsBased on their country of residences, eligible 154 participants were grouped into 4 groups and their responses were compared.ConclusionFollowing the suggested recommendations, while adequate for some precautions, was still not satisfactory. Certain defects that are specific to particular groups had also been identified.

Occupational Health Hazards among Large-Scale Gold Mineworkers in Ghana

Introduction: The mining industry ranks among the most hazardous occupations globally owing to the high prevalence of workplace accidents. To better protect workers in the industry, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of risk factors, common illnesses and provision of PPE. Objective: This study examined the prevalence and underlying risk factors to work-related injuries, common illnesses, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) usage among mineworkers in two large-scale mining companies in Ghana that consented to participation. Methodology: Two hundred mineworkers were selected through stratified sampling in these companies using a semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test and binomial logistic regression were employed to determine the relationship between the incidence of occupational injury and selected risk factors using R studio. Results: The results showed that more than a tenth (16%; n = 31) of mineworkers had sustained physical injuries since being employed—mostly lacerations (53%). Out of those injured, (85%; n = 22) reportedly sustain an injury annually. A little more than half (57%; n = 112) of the mineworkers work for more than 40 hours per week. Injuries were significantly associated with the type of profession at the mine (p = 0.04; χ2 = 4.3)—Technicians and Mechanics were more likely to be injured. Although not statistically significant, working for more than 40 hours/week doubled the odds of being injured at the workplace (aOR = 1.77; 95% CI: -0.27 - 1.48). The topmost illnesses among mineworkers were musculoskeletal pains (MSPs) [53%] and headaches (35%). About two-thirds (65%) had all the needed PPEs for their work. Safety goggles were the predominant PPE reportedly lacking among the mineworkers (16%; n = 31). Conclusion: There is a need for targeted training/intervention programmes and adoption of assistive ergonomic devices to protect mineworkers.

COVID 19 Pandemic and biomedical waste management practices in healthcare system.

The whole world was shaken with the pandemic of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in end of the year 2019. Due to its novel origin, it was required to follow all precautions possible. Dealing with the massive amount of infectious healthcare waste became an enormous challenge. This review identifies the impacts of the pandemic on biomedical waste management. This systematic review was made by using keywords “biomedical waste” and “COVID 19” in open access databases like PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholers etc. 2124 articles downloaded and 765 found duplicate and 634 not related to the topic. after scrutiny with inclusion criteria 102 articles were considered to analyze the practices related to biomedical waste management during pandemic using PRISMA guideline.. The COVID-19 waste segregation, collection, storage, transportation, and disposal are a big challenge with all stakeholders. In order to control the virus spread, strict monitoring of the complete waste management cycle is required. Adoption of appropriate guidelines is paramount to worker safety and containment of infection. Sustainable recycling methods are needed to deal with the ever-increasing plastic waste resulting from mandatory personal protective equipment (PPE) usage. The situation also demands a rethinking of the healthcare system. Overall, there was an increase in BMW generation, and municipal waste had increased globally. Pandemic preparedness requires a global public health strategy and long-term investments. This will be vital for making a robust community capable enough to fight against any public health pressures in the future, as well as the pandemic tremors. Systematized efforts from all stakeholders, at all levels, not only refines epidemic preparation but also helps to attain a sustainable development of health for a healthier future.

Covid-19 and maxillo-facial fractures: A comprehensive retrospective cohort study on the analysis of costs in COVID-19 era

Background/Aim: Maxillofacial trauma management has also undergone a change starting from December 2019 due to the emergence of a new viral infection, later called COVID-19, and then a pandemic mandating new medical protocols. This retrospective cohort study aimed to explain the changes in medical costs and underlying causes of cases with maxillofacial bone fractures during the COVID-19 period, based on the lack of focus on cost analyses on this subject in previous studies. Methods: Patients who were operated on for maxillofacial trauma in our clinic before and during the COVID-19 outbreak were retrospectively analyzed in terms of sex, age, etiology, personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, treatment methods, and total costs. Statistical analyses were carried out for any significant changes. Results: A total of 78 patients of which 38 were operated on before whereas 40 were operated on during the COVID-19 outbreak, were included in this study. Accordingly, 24 patients of the pre-COVID-19 group and 37 patients of the post-COVID-19 group were admitted from Emergency Department (ED), which included all the first wave patients (n=21). In the pre-COVID-19 group, a total of 220 screws and 58 plates were used for 22 IRFs. The total LoH of the patients was 180 days. In the post-COVID-19 group, 274 screws and 70 plates were used for 24 IRFs. The total LoH of the patients was 185 days. A total of 156 PPE including N95 masks and extra operation shirts were used. The pre-COVID-19 group’s treatment costs were calculated as USD 320.3 per patient. Post-COVID-19 group’s treatment costs were calculated as USD 496.68 per patient. Conclusion: The statistical evaluations revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in differences due to the introduction of PCR tests applied for each patient and the PPE used for the precautions taken for the COVID-19 infections. On the other hand, there were no changes in the number of the use of plates, screws, and in the length of hospitalization. It can be argued that this outcome has led to no necessary changes in the treatment protocols in terms of costs.

Profile of health care workers infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection in a central district in Kerala with focus on infection control practices.

There were reports of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection cases among health-care workers from all around the world. We did a cross sectional study among 533 COVID19 affected health-care workers. About 87.43% of participants were involved in duties not directly related to COVID-19 management. About 19.6% contracted the disease from their colleagues. About 15% of the affected health-care workers had at least one comorbidity and diabetes mellitus was the most common (5%). 57% of participants presented with fever followed by body ache in 40%. Only 0.4% of the participants needed ventilator support during treatment. 36% of the participants reported household transmission from them. Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) usage and functioning infection control committee in their hospital were reported by most of the participants. The study points towards the need of adequate PPE use in the nonCOVID settings and the need for periodical assessment of infection control practices.

Mental health symptoms in Australian general practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

General practitioners (GPs) play a central role during the COVID-19 pandemic, and yet awareness of their mental health is limited. A nationwide online survey of self-identified frontline healthcare workers was conducted between 27 August and 23 October 2020. Participants were recruited through health and professional organisations, colleges, universities, government contacts, and media. A subset of the findings on GPs and hospital medical staff (HMS) was used for this study. Of 9518 responses, there were 389 (4%) GPs and 1966 (21%) HMS. Compared with HMS, GPs received significantly less training on personal protective equipment usage or care for COVID-19 patients, and less support or communication within their workplace. GPs were significantly more concerned about household income, disease transmission to family and being blamed by colleagues if they became infected, all of which were associated with worse psychological outcomes. Significantly more GPs reported burnout, and experienced moderate-to-severe emotional exhaustion than HMS. Both groups used similar coping strategies, except fewer GPs than HMS used digital health applications or increased alcohol consumption. Less than 25% of either group sought professional help. GPs are vital in our healthcare systems, yet face unique workplace challenges and mental health stressors during the pandemic. Targeted workplace and psychological support is essential to protect wellbeing among the primary care workforce.