tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
PLoS One
. 2021 Apr 14;16(4):e0249394.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249394. eCollection 2021.
Implementation of a COVID-19 surveillance programme for healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in an upper-middle-income country
Kim Sui Wan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Peter Seah Keng Tok[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kishwen Kanna Yoga Ratnam[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Nuraini Aziz[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marzuki Isahak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nik Daliana Nik Farid[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Noran Naqiah Hairi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sanjay Rampal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chiu-Wan Ng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohd Fauzy Samsudin[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vinura Venugopal[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Asyraf[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Narisa Hatun Damanhuri[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sanpagavalli Doraimuthu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Catherine Thamarai Arumugam[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Thaneswaran Marthammuthu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Fathhullah Azmie Nawawi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Faiz Baharudin[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Diane Woei Quan Chong[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vivek Jason Jayaraj[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Venna Magarita[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sasheela Ponnampalavanar[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Nazirah Hasnan[SUP] 3 5 [/SUP], Adeeba Kamarulzaman[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Mas Ayu Said[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Introduction: The reporting of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) mortality among healthcare workers highlights their vulnerability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Some low- and middle-income countries have highlighted the challenges with COVID-19 testing, such as inadequate capacity, untrained laboratory personnel, and inadequate funding. This article describes the components and implementation of a healthcare worker surveillance programme in a designated COVID-19 teaching hospital in Malaysia. In addition, the distribution and characteristics of healthcare workers placed under surveillance are described.
Material and methods: A COVID-19 healthcare worker surveillance programme was implemented in University Malaya Medical Centre. The programme involved four teams: contact tracing, risk assessment, surveillance and outbreak investigation. Daily symptom surveillance was conducted over fourteen days for healthcare workers who were assessed to have low-, moderate- and high-risk of contracting COVID-19. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted for data collected over 24 weeks, from the 6th of March 2020 to the 20th of August 2020.
Results: A total of 1,174 healthcare workers were placed under surveillance. The majority were females (71.6%), aged between 25 and 34 years old (64.7%), were nursing staff (46.9%) and had no comorbidities (88.8%). A total of 70.9% were categorised as low-risk, 25.7% were moderate-risk, and 3.4% were at high risk of contracting COVID-19. One-third (35.2%) were symptomatic, with the sore throat (23.6%), cough (19.8%) and fever (5.0%) being the most commonly reported symptoms. A total of 17 healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19, with a prevalence of 0.3% among all the healthcare workers. Risk category and presence of symptoms were associated with a positive COVID-19 test (p<0.001). Fever (p<0.001), cough (p = 0.003), shortness of breath (p = 0.015) and sore throat (p = 0.002) were associated with case positivity.
Conclusion: COVID-19 symptom surveillance and risk-based assessment have merits to be included in a healthcare worker surveillance programme to safeguard the health of the workforce.
. 2021 Apr 14;16(4):e0249394.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249394. eCollection 2021.
Implementation of a COVID-19 surveillance programme for healthcare workers in a teaching hospital in an upper-middle-income country
Kim Sui Wan[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Peter Seah Keng Tok[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Kishwen Kanna Yoga Ratnam[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Nuraini Aziz[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Marzuki Isahak[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Nik Daliana Nik Farid[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Noran Naqiah Hairi[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sanjay Rampal[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chiu-Wan Ng[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Mohd Fauzy Samsudin[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vinura Venugopal[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Mohammad Asyraf[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Narisa Hatun Damanhuri[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Sanpagavalli Doraimuthu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Catherine Thamarai Arumugam[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Thaneswaran Marthammuthu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Fathhullah Azmie Nawawi[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Faiz Baharudin[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP], Diane Woei Quan Chong[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Vivek Jason Jayaraj[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Venna Magarita[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Sasheela Ponnampalavanar[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Nazirah Hasnan[SUP] 3 5 [/SUP], Adeeba Kamarulzaman[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Mas Ayu Said[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 33852588
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249394
Abstract
Introduction: The reporting of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) mortality among healthcare workers highlights their vulnerability in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Some low- and middle-income countries have highlighted the challenges with COVID-19 testing, such as inadequate capacity, untrained laboratory personnel, and inadequate funding. This article describes the components and implementation of a healthcare worker surveillance programme in a designated COVID-19 teaching hospital in Malaysia. In addition, the distribution and characteristics of healthcare workers placed under surveillance are described.
Material and methods: A COVID-19 healthcare worker surveillance programme was implemented in University Malaya Medical Centre. The programme involved four teams: contact tracing, risk assessment, surveillance and outbreak investigation. Daily symptom surveillance was conducted over fourteen days for healthcare workers who were assessed to have low-, moderate- and high-risk of contracting COVID-19. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted for data collected over 24 weeks, from the 6th of March 2020 to the 20th of August 2020.
Results: A total of 1,174 healthcare workers were placed under surveillance. The majority were females (71.6%), aged between 25 and 34 years old (64.7%), were nursing staff (46.9%) and had no comorbidities (88.8%). A total of 70.9% were categorised as low-risk, 25.7% were moderate-risk, and 3.4% were at high risk of contracting COVID-19. One-third (35.2%) were symptomatic, with the sore throat (23.6%), cough (19.8%) and fever (5.0%) being the most commonly reported symptoms. A total of 17 healthcare workers tested positive for COVID-19, with a prevalence of 0.3% among all the healthcare workers. Risk category and presence of symptoms were associated with a positive COVID-19 test (p<0.001). Fever (p<0.001), cough (p = 0.003), shortness of breath (p = 0.015) and sore throat (p = 0.002) were associated with case positivity.
Conclusion: COVID-19 symptom surveillance and risk-based assessment have merits to be included in a healthcare worker surveillance programme to safeguard the health of the workforce.