Wearing Of Protective Equipment Research Articles

Recognition algorithm for laboratory protective equipment based on improved YOLOv7

In the university laboratory environment, it is not uncommon for individual laboratory personnel to be inadequately aware of laboratory safety standards and to fail to wear protective equipment (helmets, goggles, masks) in accordance with the prescribed norms. Manual inspection is costly and prone to leakage, and there is an urgent need to develop an efficient and intelligent detection technology. Video surveillance of laboratory protective equipment reveals that these items possess the characteristics of small targets. In light of this, a laboratory protective equipment recognition method based on the improved YOLOv7 algorithm is proposed. The Global Attention Mechanism (GAM) is introduced into the Efficient Layer Aggregation Network (ELAN) structure to construct an ELAN-G module that takes both global and local features into account. The Normalized Gaussian Wasserstein Distance (NWD) metric is introduced to replace the Complete Intersection over Union (CIoU), which improves the network's ability to detect small targets of protective equipment under experimental complex scenarios. In order to evaluate the robustness of the studied algorithm and to address the current lack of personal protective Equipment (PPE) datasets, a laboratory protective equipment dataset was constructed based on multidimensionality for the detection experiments of the algorithm. The experimental results demonstrated that the improved model achieved a mAP value of 84.2 %, representing a 2.3 % improvement compared to the original model, a 5 % improvement in the detection rate, and a 2 % improvement in the Micro-F1 score. In comparison to the prevailing algorithms, the accuracy of the studied algorithm has been markedly enhanced. The approach addresses the challenge of the challenging detection of small targets of protective equipment in complex scenarios in laboratories, and plays a pivotal role in perfecting laboratory safety management system.

Management practices that promote preventive measures compliance: A comparative analysis between hospital healthcare workers and teachers

Frontline workers were at significant risk during the COVID-19 pandemic; as a result, several recommendations were implemented to protect the health and safety of frontline professions. Despite guidelines issued by the relevant authorities, several observations have emerged that workplaces do not always implement the wearing of personal protective equipment and compliance with other preventive measures. This study investigates healthcare workers and teachers’ compliance with these measures in Quebec, Canada. Specifically, this study aims to examine the application of preventive measures among hospital healthcare workers and elementary and high school teachers, identify the factors associated with the application of preventive measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and understand the differences in the dynamics of applying preventive measures in hospitals and educational institutions. This study is based on a proposed new model for preventive measure compliance, which classifies the factors that could influence the dependent variable of compliance with preventive measures into three variables: organizational context, organizational incentives, and individual social responsibility. Data were collected using an observational cross-sectional design through an online questionnaire survey of teachers and hospital healthcare workers in Canada. The results highlight that the three variables can impact the application of preventive practices; however, these variables did not intervene in the same manner in hospitals and educational institutions. Indeed, the results show that management practices differ in the two sectors of activity, with practices being more favorable for hospital healthcare workers.

Knowledge, attitude, and wearing of personal protective equipment among dental hygienists in regions during the COVID-19 era

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the knowledge, attitude, and wearing of four types of personal protective equipment among dental hygienists based on to the COVID-19 infection control guidelines and to provide basic data on the need to wear these equipment by dental hygienists in dental medical institutions. Methods: Between March 31 and April 26, 2022, 285 dental hygienists working at dental institutions in Busan and Gyeongsang Provinces participated in the study. Results: The higher the knowledge on personal protective equipment, the higher the glove-wearing rate; and the higher the attitude toward personal protective equipment, the higher the KF94 mask-wearing rate. Furthermore, the higher the rate of wearing face shields, the higher the rate of wearing gloves and full-body protective suits; and the higher the rate of wearing gloves, the higher the rate of wearing a full-body protective suit. Conclusions: To prevent cross-infection by dental hygienists in dental medical institutions, it is necessary to have the four types of personal protective equipment at all times and to strengthen comprehensive education on these equipment.

IJCM_319A: A Cross-sectional study on prevalence of work-related skin diseases among construction workers in Chengalpattu district

Background: A variety of activities in construction site such as mason, painting, welding, cement mixing, concrete mixing, may eventually lead to exposures that can subject the construction workers as most vulnerable group to develop occupational skin diseases. Objective: To determine the prevalence of occupational skin diseases among construction workers in Chengalpattu district. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 301 construction workers in construction sites at Chengalpattu district of Tamil Nadu state over a period of two months (October 2022 to November 2022). Data collection was done using a interviewer administered semi-structured questionnaire and statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS 21 version and p value of <0.05. Results: Among the respondents 40.9% (123) construction workers found to be suffering from skin diseases like pruritis (14%), dryskin(13%), fissures (6.3%), blisters (5.6%), redness (2%), Among them highest prevalence of occupational skin disease was seen in cement mixing worker (13%) and mason (13%)followed by mason helper (12%) and concrete worker (3%). Work related skin diseases were found to be associated with nature of work (p <0.05). Conclusion: The health problems among construction workers are one of the areas of public health concern in the country which is usually unnoticed as they are being under unorganized sectors. Thus, proper wearing of Personal protective equipment, providing a supportive workplace environment and reinforcement messages will have a favourable impact on the work productivity as well as ensuring a good health for those workers.

Detection of Safety Signs Using Computer Vision Based on Deep Learning

Safety signs serve as an important information carrier for safety standards and rule constraints. Detecting safety signs in mines is essential for automatically early warning of unsafe behaviors and the wearing of protective equipment while using computer vision techniques to realize advanced safety in the AI and IoT era. This work aims to propose an improved YOLOV4-tiny safety signs detection model applying deep learning to detect safety signs in mines. The dataset employed in this study was derived from coal mines and analogous environments, comprising a total of ten types of safety signs. It was partitioned into training, validation, and test sets following a distribution ratio of (training set + validation set) to test set = 9:1, with the training set to validation set ratio also set at 9:1. Then the attention mechanism ECANet was introduced into the model, which strengthened the network’s learning of places that need attention. Moreover, the Soft-NMS algorithm was used to retain more correct prediction frames and optimize the detection model to further improve the detection accuracy. The Focal Loss function was introduced to alleviate the problem of category imbalance in one-stage safety signs detection. Experimental results indicate that the proposed model achieved a detection precision of 97.76%, which is 7.55% and 9.23% higher than the YOLOV4-tiny and Faster RCNN algorithms, respectively. Besides, the model performed better in the generalization because it avoided the over-fitting phenomenon that occurred in the YOLOV4-tiny and the Faster RCNN. Moreover, the advantages of the improved model were more prominent when detecting small target areas and targets under dim conditions in coal mines. This work is beneficial for the intelligent early warning system with surveillance cameras in coal mines.

Prevalence and determinants of evidence of silicosis and impaired lung function among small scale tanzanite miners and the peri-mining community in northern Tanzania.

Limited data among miners in Tanzania suggests prevalence of silicosis, obstructive lung disease and restrictive lung disease to be around 1.6%, 1.9% and 8.8% respectively. Our study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with silicosis and impaired lung function among tanzanite mining community in northern Tanzania. We conducted a cross-sectional study, involving 330 miners and 330 peri-mining community members in Mererani mines. Silicosis was defined based on study participants' history of exposure to mining dust and digital chest radiological findings with reference to the 2011 ILO classification of pneumoconiosis. Impaired lung function was determined by spirometry using American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society recommended system 3. Association between evidence of silicosis/impaired lung function and presumed risk factors were determined using binary logistic regression analyses. The study found that 99/330 (30.0%) of miners had silicosis. Total of 65 (9.8%) participants had impaired lung function, of whom 29 (4.4%) had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 32 (4.8%) had restrictive lung disease and 4 (0.6%) had both obstructive and restrictive lung diseases. Unexpectedly, miners who have worked for more than 10years and those worked for 6 to 10 years had 64% (aOR 0.34, CI = 0.17-0.67, p = 0.002) and 48% (aOR 0.52, CI = 0.30-0.89, p = 0.018) lower odds of having silicosis respectively compared those worked for up to 5 years. Participants with more than 10 years of work duration had more than 3-times higher odds of impaired lung function compared to those who had worked for up to 5 years (aOR 3.11, CI = 1.53-6.34, p<0.002). We found a concerningly high prevalence of silicosis despite short durations of exposure to occupational silica dust. Immediate dust control measures including deployment of wet drilling, wearing of personal protective equipment and regular monitoring of dust exposure need to be enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Authority-Tanzania.

A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF SURGICAL SMOKE INHALATION, ITS HAZARDS AND PREVENTION AMONG PAEDIATRIC SURGICAL RESIDENTS IN PAKISTAN

Background: For thousands of years human beings have been using heat as a source of ligature and to treat the wound either it’s from the trauma or fought in the wars. In 1854 an imminent surgeon Albrecht Theodor Middendorf published a paper on the application of electrocautery in surgical operations. The objective of the study was to analyze the hazards of surgical smoke inhalation in Paediatric Surgery residents and to create awareness of its signs and symptoms, risk factors and utilizing preventive measures. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted involving all the Paediatric Surgery residents enrolled on a supervised training program in Pakistan between 1st July 2022 to 30th June 2023 at all the tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Their socio-demographic, academic data, signs and symptoms and risk factors were calculated. Data was analyzed with descriptive and comparative analysis using SPSS. A Pearson contingency coefficient is used to determine the association between categorical variables. Results: Our study included all the Paediatric Surgery residents in Pakistan n=155 over a span of one year starting from July 1st 2022 to June 30th 2023. N=75 (48.4%) were males and n=80 (52.6%) were female residents. Their mean age was 29.5 years±4 (SD). 41% of the residents were from Khyber Teaching Hospital, 32% from Children’s Hospital, 14% from National Institute of Child Health Karachi, 9.8% from Children’s Hospital Islamabad (PIMS) and 5.2% from Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. N=135 (87.1%) of the residents used electrocautery while performing the surgery (p=0.006). N=121 (78.1%) were aware of its hazards (p=0.341). 90% think they are at an increased risk (p=0.032). Most of them (84.6%) wear a surgical mask while only (64%) wear protective equipment (p=0.321). Think they are at an increased risk of cancers (83.9%) (p=0.002) and should be screened (93.7%) (p=0.343). Conclusion: Paediatric surgery residents are at an increased risk of surgical smoke inhalation, pointing to the emerging need to adopt protective measures by creating awareness, and utilizing health safety checklists and smoke evacuation mechanisms in operation rooms. All residents should seek knowledge on the subject and use personal protective equipment for less harmful effects on their health.

Comparison of acetylcholinesterase among employees based on job positions and personal protective equipment in fuel station.

The purpose of this study was to compare the levels of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) among employees based on job positions and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) in fuel station areas. The sample group consisted of 200 people sorted into various groups, including (i) Inside fuel dispenser area (I-FDA) group consisting of 100 employees for refueling, cashier, and loading fuel into storage tanks, and (ii) Outside fuel dispenser area (O-FDA) group, consisting of 100 employees working in convenience stores, food stores, coffee shops, and offices, as well as general staff and car washers. Data were collected using interview questionnaires and blood samples were analyzed for AChE activity. The results showed that the I-FDA group had a significantly lower mean of serum AChE (7.38±1.73 U/ml) than the O-FDA group (7.85±1.49 U/ml) (p<0.05). The I-FDA group had a 2.43 times higher risk of abnormal serum AChE than the O-FDA group (OR=2.43, 95%CI=1.05-5.60). When considering the risk factors for job positions, it was found that refueling and cashier positions had lower AChE activity levels than those who did not (p<0.05). In the part, employees for food sales in a closed building and those wearing PPE masks had significantly higher AChE activity levels than those who did not or who wore them (p<0.05). Based on the aforementioned, employers at fuel stations should strictly determine the appropriate measures for wearing a PPE mask. Further, employees should be provided accommodation away from oil supply or enclosed buildings during breaks to reduce the effects on the neurotransmitter.

Does the COVID-19 Pandemic Have an Impact on Compassion Fatigue among Midwives?

Professional health services have been key in the recovery of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health professionals have been in a great effort to meet the care needs of patients despite experiencing a high emotional burden for reasons such as unknown treatment of the disease, high contagiousness, changing working systems, increased workload, and the need to wear protective equipment. The unknown effects of the virus on the health of mothers and babies increased the concerns of midwives helping families in the core of society, which are the most intimate areas, regarding the risk of infection. Midwives had to manage an exhausting process similar to the one experienced by nurses, when they continued providing secondary health services such as immunization, antenatal care, and follow-ups. They are among the health professionals forced to work under highly adverse conditions, such as increased duties and responsibilities in the pandemic, and cancellation of leaves. It is reported that midwives, who are forced to work outside their field of duty due to the pandemic, are highly likely to experience compassion fatigue and to have a low level of life quality as well as professional belonging. Qualitative studies conducted with midwives working in the delivery room reported that midwives in delivery rooms experience compassion fatigue, adopt the concept of compassion fatigue, come up with their own solutions or receive psychological support to deal with compassion fatigue, and that they suggested that psychological support needs be provided by the state. As a result, many mothers and pregnant women lost their lives in this ongoing pandemic process. Alike, many health professionals lost their lives due to the epidemic. Midwives are one of these health professionals. The feeling of helplessness at the beginning of the pandemic, the unknowns about its treatment made the working conditions even more difficult. Considering these, it is reasonable to argue that midwives have been likely to experience compassion fatigue.

Depressive Symptoms and Associated Factors among Employees in Public Utility Places of Zhejiang Province, China

Depression has been known to adversely influence the working performance of employees. However, compared with physical health, few studies have reported the prevalence of depressive symptoms among employees in workplaces. This study aimed to investigate the current situation and the relationships among the prevalence of depressive symptoms, physical health, social–psychological factors, working conditions, environmental perception, and workplace performance of employees in public utility places in Zhejiang Province, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the fourth quarter of 2019. A total of 1232 individuals responded to the survey. Six types of information—sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, psychosocial factors, four groups of physical symptoms, working performance, and depressive symptoms—were collected. Logistic regression analysis was performed. The survey results showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms among employees in public utility places in Zhejiang Province was 17.9%. Perceptions of a poor work environment, poor interpersonal relationships, an unfulfilling life, and frequent ocular and general uncomfortable symptoms were associated with a higher risk of depressive symptoms. Strong work ability, fulfilment in life, and taking the initiative to wear or use protective equipment at work were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms. The results of this study will provide valuable guidance for the scientific intervention for depressive symptoms among public utility place employees in the future.

Health systems appraisal of the response to antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries in relation to COVID-19: Application of the WHO building blocks.

COVID-19 has inflicted both beneficial and damaging effects on health systems responding to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Data shows that the positive impacts of the pandemic (including enhanced hygiene, mask wearing and widespread use of personal protective equipment), are likely to have been overshadowed by the negative effects: emerging AMR pathogens and mechanisms; further outbreaks and geographic spread of AMR to non-endemic countries; rising infections from multidrug-resistant pathogen; an overall higher burden of AMR. The multisectoral complexities of AMR and the totality of health systems challenge our ability to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on country responses to AMR. In this analysis, we synthesise international evidence characterising the role of the pandemic on the six key building blocks of health systems in responding to AMR across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We apply systems thinking within and between the building blocks to contextualise the impact of one pandemic on another.

Rare Presentation of Chromoblastomycosis Due to Multiple Simultaneous Inoculations: A Case Report

Chronic infectious, granulomatous and suppurative dermatosis, classified among the subcutaneous mycoses, prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions and caused by the traumatic implantation of dematiaceous fungal species, where the presence of muriform bodies is an expression of the causal agent in the grafted tissue, are characteristic of chromoblastomycosis. Considered the second implantation mycosis in the world, it manifests itself with slow and progressive growth lesions of exophytic and verrucous plaques and black dots on the surface. The disease is considered a neglected and occupational disease, which occurs mainly among agricultural workers, coconut and babassu harvesters, lumberjacks, and traders of agricultural products. It is important to highlight that people at risk of contracting chromoblastomycosis work in tropical countries, where the temperature can be above 40 °C in summer, and generally refuse to wear protective equipment during the day (shoes, gloves, clothes, etc.), although they know that this type of prophylactic measure can prevent different types of diseases. These vulnerable people often live in low-income countries and sometimes live far from medical services and, once infected, do not seek medical attention. We report below an exuberant and unusual case due to multiple simultaneous inoculations on the back after the patient suffered an accidental fall while working on his farm. The diagnosis was established by direct mycological examination, histopathological examination, culture, microculture, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis that identified the agent of the Fonsecaea pedrosoi.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on self-efficacy in Assistant Psychologists in the UK

Background/Aims/ObjectivesA novel coronavirus (Covid-19) was discovered in December 2019 (WHO, 2020). This meant changes in working for psychological staff, such as increased remote working, wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE), and taking on different tasks out of their job remit (Coetzer &amp; Bichard, 2020). The potential for Assistant Psychologists (APs) to work in unfamiliar areas raised concerns regarding their self-efficacy. The present study investigated general levels of self-efficacy within APs during Covid-19, and whether it affected specific job roles (BPS, 2020a).Methodology/MethodsA novel survey with 15 items relating to self-efficacy was completed online by 124 Assistant Psychologists via a self-selected sample.Results/FindingThere were 87 participants (70 per cent) who remained in their usual role and 37 (30 per cent) deployed into other roles with a psychological focus. Overall, self-efficacy reduced across groups, as well as an individual tasks such as completing psychological assessments, delivering prescribed short-term interventions, and facilitating groups (p = &lt;.005). Neither group reported significant changes in their self-efficacy for engaging in research, audit, or service evaluation, or creating training resources (p = &gt;.05). APs who were deployed had a significant reduction in self-efficacy for facilitating reflective spaces (p = .005) but those who continued in their usual role did not (p = .341).Discussion/ConclusionSelf-efficacy for direct clinical work (e.g. interventions) was negatively affected by Covid-19 in APs, whereas indirect clinical work (e.g. research/audit/service evaluation) was not. This suggests that supervisors of APs should be aware that self-efficacy is likely to decrease concerning future waves of Covid-19, regardless of being deployed or not.

Strengthening Urban Informal Trading and Improving the Health of Vendors: An Integrated Management Model.

Within the urban areas, especially the central business districts, informal trading is growing in large numbers, and the informal vendor's health is also at risk. Despite various frameworks developed for this industry, there are few guidance and implementation strategies on how to accomplish better-managed informal trading, mostly one that entails better occupational settings. The goal of the proposed model is to improve the working conditions for informal vendors in South Africa by redesigning the current informal trading management approach, thus ensuring a healthy workplace. An evidence-based approach was used to inform the development of this model. This paper outlines the current challenges of informal vendors in urban areas as per the quantitative health risk assessment study that was conducted in 16 markets amongst 617 informal food vendors in the inner city of Johannesburg, South Africa. The study investigated the respiratory health caused by air pollution and associated risk factors. Findings revealed a lack of infrastructure and higher exposure to air pollution, resulting in respiratory ill-health amongst outdoor vendors as compared to indoor vendors. The vendors were more exposed to particulate matter pollution in the spring and winter seasons as compared to the autumn and summer seasons. Furthermore, the upper respiratory symptoms were statistically significant to the type of work location (indoor/outdoor), type of cooking fuel, duration of work, frequency of hand hygiene, and wearing of protective equipment. An informal vendors' integrated management model that encompasses a specific informal food vendor's directorate was developed with five main components: the reviewing of informal vendors' legislation, the restructuring of designated vending or trading sites, space allocation and occupancy, vendors' training and skills development, and the sustainability of vending sites and vendors' health. The status revealed the legislation fragmentation of the informal vendors' activities. The goal of this informal vendors' "healthy workplace management model" is to inform government responses to the current challenges of the informal vendors' sector, as well as to guide policies and actions to reduce ill-health in the industry and to avoid disruptions to informal food supply chains, which are critical in the food sector. This model is explained well and documented for easier implementation in local governments. This paper contributes to the extant literature on street vendors and future management strategies of this trade.

Working conditions and health risks of operators in the application of pesticides based on mancozeb on high horticultural crops

Introduction. The increased interest in viticulture in Russia makes mancozeb-based fungicides in demand. Safety and health of operators during application pesticides is a major concern in agricultural activities. Materials and methods. Field studies to determine the exposure of various formulations of mancozeb in the air of the working area and on the skin of the operators during airblast spraying of orchards were carried out. Margin of safety by exposure (KBtotal) and by absorbed dose (KBabs) were conducted. Exposure assessment included the determination of its probability. Results. Wettable powders compared with water-dispersible granules show a fivefold increase in the average concentrations of mancozeb found in the air of the work area and almost a threefold increase in the skin. Exposure and absorbed dose risk rates for wettable powders are three times higher than for water-dispersible granules. For one of the drugs, the total risk was higher than the tolerable risk. The probability distribution vector of possible danger states for the operator after the sixth hour of work shows the probability of an unacceptable state as the highest. Limitations. The scopes of the study were determined by studying the behaviour of mancozeb in the formulations of the wettable powder and water-dispersible granules during airblast spraying of orchards. Conclusion. For health safety purposes, mancozeb-based preparations should be used in compliance with the regulations and safety measures. Operators, who handle and apply pesticides in orchards, should be forcing to wear protective garments and personal protective equipment. The choice of water-dispersible granules formulation is preferable. Don’t exceed the application rate and spraying time.

Surgical Smoke Inhalation, Its Hazards And Prevention Among Paediatric Surgery Residents In Pakistan.

For thousands of years human beings have been using heat as a source of ligature and to treat the wound either it's from the trauma or fought in the wars. In 1854 an imminent surgeon Albrecht Theodor Middendorf published a paper on the application of electrocautery in surgical operations. The objective of the present study was to analyze the hazards of surgical smoke inhalation in Paediatric Surgery residents and to create awareness of its signs and symptoms, risk factors and utilizing preventive measures. A Cross-sectional study was conducted involving all the Paediatric Surgery residents enrolled on a supervised training program in Pakistan between 1st July 2022 to 30th June 2023 at all the tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Their socio-demographic, academic data, signs and symptoms and risk factors were calculated. Data was analyzed with descriptive and comparative analysis using SPSS. A Pearson contingency coefficient is used to determine the association between categorical variables. Our study included all the Paediatric Surgery residents in Pakistan n=155 over one year starting from July 1st 2022 to June 30th 2023. N=75 (48.4%) were males and n=80 (52.6%) were female residents. Their mean age was 29.5 years±4 (SD). 41% of the residents were from Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, 32% from The Children's Hospital Lahore, 14% from National Institute of Child Health Karachi, 9.8% from The Children's Hospital Islamabad (PIMS) and 5.2% from Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. N=135 (87.1%) of the residents used electrocautery while performing the surgery (p=0.006). N=121 (78.1%) were aware of its hazards (p=0.341). 90% think they are at an increased risk (p=0.032). Most of them (84.6%) wear a surgical mask while only (64%) wear protective equipment (p=0.321). Think they are at an increased risk of cancers (83.9%) (p=0.002) and should be screened (93.7%) (p=0.343). Paediatric Surgery residents are at an increased risk of surgical smoke inhalation, pointing to the emerging need to adopt protective measures by creating awareness, and utilizing health safety checklists and smoke evacuation mechanisms in operation rooms. All residents should seek knowledge on the subject and use personal protective equipment for less harmful effects on their health.

Incidence of facial pressure injuries in health-care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

To evaluate the incidence of facial pressure injuries in health-care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in a meta-analysis. Related studies were obtained through electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Chinese Scientific Journal (VIP) China Biomedical Literature service systems (CBM) and Wanfang Data (from inception to 27 November 2021). The pooled incidence and the 95% confidence interval of facial pressure injuries were calculated with Review Manager v5.4 software. Overall, 16 studies with 14 430 health-care professionals were included. Pooled results showed that the pooled incidence of facial pressure injury in health-care professionals was 58.8% (95% CI: 49.0%-68.7%; p < 0.01). The results of the subgroup analysis showed that the incidence of facial pressure injury in these staff was high, and predominantly stage I pressure injury, in the following cases: in health-care professionals who wore personal protective equipment for longer than 4 h, in those without any training experience, and on the nose. Administrators and researchers should pay attention to preventing facial pressure injury related to the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) by ensuring all health-care professionals receive training and by limiting prolongedperiods of use.

Effect of Workplace Security on Employee Performance at Vihiga County Referral Hospital

The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of workplace security on employee performance at Vihiga County Referral Hospital. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study targeted employees of Vihiga County Referral Hospital which comprise of administration (15), technical staff (157) and subordinate staff (136). Therefore, the target population was 308 employees. The researcher obtained the sample size using Yamane formulae (1967) to arrive at 174 respondents. The study employed stratified and simple random sampling techniques. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample of the other employees. Stratified sampling was used to achieve desired representation from various subgroups in the population. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect the primary data. Data was then analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.&nbsp; The presentation of the findings was done by frequency distribution tables and diagrams, pie charts, and bar graphs. The study findings revealed that workplace security has a positive and significant effect on employee performance. Hospital management should involve their employees in staff capacity building training to increase the staff employability and hence increase the feeling of employees feeling secure. Staff are required to wear protective cloth, use equipment and tools provided for their work, and report any contravention of the law by management. Keywords: Workplace, Security, Employee, Performance, Hospital

Strategies in Preventing the Transmission of Covid-19 a Quarantine, Isolation, Lockdown, Tracing, Testing and Treatment (3T) : Literature review

SARS -Cov-2 is the seventh member of the coronavirus family that can infect humans after the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). This disease first occurred in Wuhan, a province in Hubei China. The virus is endemic throughout the world and was categorized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). This virus can spread through direct contact, droplets due to coughing or sneezing, and even through air or airborne spreading according to the latest findings. The purpose of this literature review was to conduct a review about the government strategy of various countries in dealing with COVID-19. The method used was a search using PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest databases with the PICO search question development technique based on the " COVID-19" and "Pandemic" and "lockdown" keywords. The results of the literature search found five publications between the years 2010 to 2020 that provided, full text and open access, in addition the results of the literature review confirmed various efforts have been made by the governments in various countries considering the increasing number of sufferers. These could include social distancing and physical distancing, in which some countries even implemented lockdown to prevent the second waves of COVID-19, and specifically in Indonesia which implemented the large-scale social restrictions (LSSR). Based on this literature review findings. This virus can be prevented by regular hand washing, wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, avoid shaking hands and staying at home.

The study of the impact of the introduction of self-isolation and the mandatory wearing of personal protective equipment on oral hygiene

BACKGROUND: The availability of medical facilities, and as a result, the possibility of receiving medical care has decreased due to the announcement of quarantine in several countries. An untimely request for dental care entails a change in the CPI index (the sum of teeth on which caries, a filling or a tooth has been removed), resulting in partial or complete loss of teeth. The complete absence of teeth is accompanied by morphofunctional changes in all elements of the dental system, a significant decrease in chewing ability. Thus, the decrease in public attention to dental hygiene and treatment in dental clinics for examination and treatment negatively affected dental health.&#x0D; AIM: The aim is to assess the impact of the introduction of selfisolation and mandatory wearing of personal protective equipment on oral hygiene of students of higher educational institutions of Ryazan and the Ryazan region and foreign universities (universities).&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research materials were the results of a survey conducted among Russian students and students living outside the Russian Federation. A total of 397 students (English speakers mainly India, Egypt, Canada; French speakers mainly Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia), who were divided into several study groups. In total, 397 students took part in our study (42% were girls, 58% were young people), 123 of them were Russian-speaking students, 120 English-speaking students and 154 French-speaking students.&#x0D; RESULTS: A comparative assessment of the results of the study showed a positive state of oral hygiene in the majority of respondents, and there was an increase in interest in the use of additional personal hygiene products of the oral cavity (chewing gum, irrigators, rinses, single-stick brushes, toothpicks, etc.).&#x0D; CONCLUSION: In general, oral hygiene, being an integral part of daily care, was not forgotten during self-isolation. Students regularly brushed their teeth, used additional means, but, as the study showed, students went to the dentist less often due to compliance with the self-isolation regime.