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Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals worked under critical care conditions and had to adapt quickly to extreme work situations. They were confronted with several occupational stressors. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms among healthcare personnel at Farhat Hached Hospital in Sousse during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among care staff at the Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse over a 3-month period during the 4th wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using a questionnaire covering socio-professional and medical data. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.23 software. Results: Our study included 326 health professionals from the CHU Farhat Hached. The mean age of our population was 36.38 ±10.19 years. The sex ratio was 0.23. Most healthcare staff were married (61.3%) and had dependent children (60.4%). Nurses were the most represented at 32.2%, followed by health technicians (22.7%) and medical residents (18.4%). Average job tenure was 10.62±10.69 years, with extremes ranging from 1 to 39 years. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder was 32.5%. Paramedics were more likely to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms (OR=2.3 (IC95%: 1.4-3.8), p=0.001). Leisure activities were protective factors against post-traumatic stress symptoms (OR=0.4 (IC95%: 0.2-0.8), p=0.018). The multivariate analytical study revealed that being a paramedic and having a personal history of COVID19 infection were independently associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of healthcare personnel. Lessons learned from this pandemic should help in the development of context-specific strategies to support healthcare workers and promote the protection of their mental health. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A conflict arises when one or more individuals, groups or organizations disagree, creating internal or external tensions that can cause damage. This is particularly serious in operating theatres, where decisions involving life or death are common. Indeed, in this particular context, the multiplicity of stakeholders, the divergence of opinions and decisions related to patient care, the frequency of critical situations, stress and the limitation of resources are established causes of disagreement and tension. Objectives: To identify factors associated with the alteration of conflict management quality among anesthesia and resuscitation technicians (ART). Methods: This is an observational, multicenter, cross-sectional and analytical study, enrolling all ART exercising at the two teaching hospitals of Sousse (Tunisia) over a two month period(March 1, 2022 to April 30, 2022). Conflict management was assessed using the Conflict Handling Style Scale. Results: Our study involved 50 participants, only eight of whom reported having had previous training in communication and conflict management. Conflicts in the hospital were rated frequent to very frequent by 58% of participants. Task conflicts were the most reported (74%). The main causes of conflict were lack of leadership (60%), unequal distribution of tasks (42%) and workload (28%). The main repercussions of the conflicts were the delay in patients care (60%), therapeutic errors (42%), and the cancellation or postponement of some acts (34%). The main factors associated with impaired conflict management abilities were age<40 years (p=0,03), tobacco consumption (p=0,001), and number of dependent children<2 p<10-3). Conclusions: In light of our results, it would be useful and urgent to develop the soft skills of our human resources, particularly in terms of communication and conflict management. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The mental health of flight crews is of paramount importance. Due to the demanding nature of their work, crew members are subject to various stress factors such as irregular working hours, time differences, operational demands and high passenger safety responsibilities. Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the mental health of Tunisian flight crews working for a private airline. Methods: This is an exhaustive cross-sectional study which included all flight crews working for a private airline in Tunisia who consulted the occupational medicine and pathology department at the Farhad Hached University Hospital in Sousse as part of their periodic check-up. Data collection was based on a pre-established questionnaire which included socio-demographic data, lifestyle habits and professional data. The DASS21 questionnaire was used to assess depression, anxiety and stress. Results: Our study included 160 participants. The median age was 42 years with a female predominance. More than half were smokers (58.8%). Alcohol was consumed by 41.3% of flight crews. The vast majority drank coffee (84.4%). With regard to professional data, 71.3% were flight attendants. The median length of service was 15 years. The majority of participants had operated a medium-haul flight (< 5 hours) during the last month (65%). The majority of participants (85.6%) had a normal depression score. Almost a third of the participants (28.5%) had anxiety scores ranging from mild in 24 to extremely severe in one patient. The majority of flight crews had a normal stress score (90%). After multivariate analysis, unmarried marital status, working more than 2 days a week and stress were factors independently associated with anxiety. Conclusions: Work-related psychosocial risks can have a major impact on workers' mental health. It is therefore essential to take these risks into account and put in place preventive measures to protect workers' mental health and promote their well-being at work. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic was originally of a magnitude exceeding that of previous epidemics, placing a heavy burden on healthcare systems in general and healthcare professionals in particular. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthcare professionals at Farhat Hached Hospital in Sousse during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify associated risk factors. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among healthcare professionals practicing in the Farhat Hached Hospital of Sousse, which took place during the period extending between August and November 2021. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), were used to assess depression and anxiety respectively. Results: Our study included 326 healthcare professionals from the Farhat Hached University Hospital. The mean age of our population was 36.38 ±10.19 years, with a clear female predominance of 81.3%. The prevalences of depression and anxiety were 46% and 35.3% respectively. Female gender and being a paramedical staff were risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, professional seniority of over 5 years was statistically significantly associated with anxiety. Sporting activity was inversely associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. The multi-variate analytical study revealed that the practice of leisure activities other than sport was a protective factor against the occurrence of depressive symptomatology in healthcare professionals, while current smoking and the practice of a sporting activity were inversely associated with the occurrence of anxious symptomatology. Conclusions: These findings underline the need for specific prevention strategies to reduce these symptoms and help healthcare professionals maintain their mental health. This will help to guarantee the quality and efficiency of work in the medical environment, to better control the pandemic. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, respiratory expression of SARS-CoV-2 infection was the most worrying one. Later, other symptoms appeared to be more disturbing such as neurological and psychiatric manifestations, which may be due to direct or indirect effects of this virus on the central nervous system. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of neuropsychological manifestations of covid-19 in healthcareworkers and to identify their risk factors. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological study, carried out in the teaching hospitals of Farhat Hached and Sahloul of Sousse. All healthcareworkers, having tested positive for SARS-COV 2 during the period from 01/09/2020 to 28/02/2021 were enrolled. The collection of socio-professional and medical data was based on a pre-established synoptic form completed during an interview with the participants. Results: A total of 953 COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 40.1 ± 10.5 years, with a sex ratio of 0.32. In our sample, 37.9% of patients had comorbidities such as psychiatric history (4.9%) and neurological history (2.4%). The prevalence of neuropsychological manifestations of covid-19 was 72.6%. The main neuropsychological manifestations were headache (50.3%), anosmia (40.7%), dysgeusia (29.9%), sleep disturbances (0.5%), dizziness (1, 2%) and paresthesia (0.3%). Neuropsychological symptoms of long covid were dominated by memory impairment (10.7%), anosmia (8.5%), headache (7.3%), dizziness (3.4%) and sleep disturbances (3.1%). The occurrence of neuropsychological manifestations was significantly associated with age (OR=1.6; p<10-3), male gender (OR= 0.57; p=0.03), smoking (OR=1.7; p=0.033), history of hypertension (OR=1.6; p=0.038), history of diabetes (OR=2.4; p<10-3) and hospitalization (OR=4.03 ; p<10-3). Conclusions: The high prevalence of neuropsychological manifestations underlines the importance of studying their pathogenesis in order to better adapt their therapeutic protocols. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Empathy plays an important role in everyday human relationships. It is the ability to put oneself in the place of others, to represent what they think and feel. In healthcare settings, several studies have highlighted its positive effects on patients in terms of physical and psychological well-being. Objectives: Evaluate empathy among caregivers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted over a 1- month -period and enrolling nursing staff working at Farhat Hached Academic hospital. Empathy was assessed using the Jefferson Scale of physician's empathy (JSPE) scale. Results: A total of 92 caregivers were enrolled in this study. The average age was 40.41 years with a sex ratio of 0.95. The most represented category was nurses (64.1%) with an average seniority of 17.2 years. The average empathy score was 98.4. Scores above half were reported in 69.5% of cases. The presence of empathy was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.002). Conclusions: Empathy is a key point in the patient-caregiver relationship. Thus, the nursing staff must be aware of this concept in order to improve the quality of care. Disclosure of Interest: None Declared [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: polysensitization is often defined as sensitization to three or more contact allergens. The objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of polysensitization to allergens patch test and to analyze the factors associated with allergen polysensitization of the European Standard Battery in comparison with cases of oligosensitization., Methods: this is a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study that included all patients who had undergone patch tests at the Department of Dermato-Allergology of the Department of Occupational Medicine of University Hospital Center Farhat Hached in Sousse spread over 10 years from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018., Results: in total, we collected 464 cases of contact dermatitis during the study period. The average age of patients was 38.93 ± 12.52 years with a slight female predominance (52.8% of cases). Among all the patients who consulted during the study period (832 patients), 133 patients had positive reactions to 3 or more allergens 16% of patients. Concerning, the associations of the most frequently noted allergens were those of triplet (chromium, cobalt, and nickel) in 15 patients and triplet (mercaptobenzothiazole, thiuram mix, and IPPD) in 7 cases. The predictive factors of polysensitivity were the personal history of leg ulcers; the site of the lesions in the thorax and the erythematous squamous and dyshidrotic appearance of the lesions., Conclusion: this phenomenon is frequent polysensitization, and close collaboration between dermatologists and occupational physicians to prevent this type of multiple allergies through better management of personal and also professional risk factors., Competing Interests: Les auteurs ne déclarent aucun conflit d'intérêts., (Copyright: Noura Belhadj et al.)

Introduction: Several clinical and epidemiological data point to a possible link between smoking exposure and contact dermatitis (CD)., Aims: To identify the clinical and epidemiological differences of CD in smoking and non-smoking subjects, and to determine the influence of smoking on the allergological profile of CD., Methods: Retrospective descriptive study who consulted the Department of Occupational Medicine and Occupational Pathology of the Farhat Hached University Hospital of Sousse (Tunisia) during a period of 8 years for exploration of CD and who were tested with the European Standard Battery (ESB)., Results: A total of 767 patients were enrolled during the study period, 40% of whom were smokers. The group of smokers was characterized by a male predominance (p=10-3) and a greater professional seniority compared to non-smokers (p=0.01). Personal history of atopy was predominant in non-smokers (p=0.02). Among the ESB allergens, there was a significant association between smoking and CD due to metals (chromium, cobalt) and conservatives. After binary logistic regression, the variables associated with smoking exposure were male gender (OR=12.12 ; 95% CI=[6.07 - 24.21]; p=10-3), Kathon CG allergy (OR=3.69 ; 95% CI=[1.24 - 10.81]; p=0.018), and right hand involvement (OR= 2.83; 95% CI=[1.29 - 6.17]; p=0.005)., Conclusion: Our study revealed an effect of smoking on the clinical and allergological characteristics of CD.

Introduction: This study aims to identify the epidemiological and occupational characteristics of patients with occupational asthma (OA) and to assess their clinical evolution and occupational outcomes., Methods: We carried out a descriptive epidemiological study over a period of five years (from 2012 to 2016) about the OA cases in the private sector reported in the Tunisian region of Zaghouan., Results: All in all, 165 OA cases were reported during the study period, representing an annual incidence of 733.3 cases per 1,000,000 workers in the private sector. Our study population was composed predominantly (85.5%) of women, whose mean age was 41.5±6.8years. More than three quarters of the affected persons were working in the automobile industry, and most illnesses (77%) were attributable to isocyanates. The mean time to onset of the respiratory symptoms was longer for low molecular weight agents (13.6±3.1years) compared to high molecular weight agents (12.0±3.9years) (P=0.0006). The majority of OA cases (66.7%) lost their jobs. Job loss was significantly more frequent among asthmatic women and workers with OA due to isocyanates. Among the 62 cases of OA for whom risk factors were eliminated, 45 nonetheless remained symptomatic., Conclusion: Effective prevention strategies involving the various actors need to be implemented in work environments so as to reduce the frequency and the medico-legal repercussions of a disabling condition., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a real global health crisis. Its clinical presentation has evolved over time with an increasing number of symptoms. Olfactory dysfunction (OD) has recently been recognized as a frequent symptom relevant to screening for COVID-19, especially in pauci-asymptomatic forms. However, the underlying mechanisms of OD are not yet fully understood., Aim: To determine the prevalence of OD in healthcare workers with SARS-CoV-2 and to identify its associated factors., Methods: This is a cross-sectional, analytical study, carried out during a period of six months and including all healthcare workers at Farhat Hached Academic Hospital (Tunisia) who were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by PCR, RAT, or chest CT scan., Results: A total of 474 healthcare workers were included, representing a participation rate of 85.4%. The mean age was 41.02±10.67 years with a sex ratio of 0.2. The distribution of this population by department noted that it was mainly maternity (13.9%). The most presented workstation was nursing (31.4%). OD represented 39.2% of the reasons for consultation. Hospitalization was indicated in 16 patients (3.4%). The average duration of hospitalization was 8.87 ± 7.8 days. The average time off work was 17.04 ± 11.6 days. OD persisted for more than 90 days in 35 patients (7.4%). After multiple binary logistic regression, OD was statistically associated with female gender (p =0.001; OR 95% CI: 2.46 [1.4-4.2]) and blue-collar occupational category (p =0.002; OR IC95%:3.1 [1.5-6.5]). A significant association was also noted between OD and professional seniority and absence from work duration (p =0.019; OR 95% CI: 0.97 [0.95-0.99] and p =0.03; OR 95% CI: 0.97 [0.95-0.99]) respectively., Conclusion: OD is common in COVID-19 patients. The identification of its associated factors may contribute to enhancing the understanding of its mechanism and drive therapeutic options., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)