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Rapid Detection Test for COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers and the Role of Personal Protective Equipment.

Authors :
Hajiabdolbaghi M
Aryannejad A
Tabary M
Farhangi P
Abdollahi A
Ghaderkhani S
Amini M
Kimyaee E
Ranjbar A
Salehi M
Ghiasvand F
Meidani M
Hasannezhad M
Mohammadnejad E
Hadipour M
Araghi F
Mashinchi B
Seifi A
Source :
Archives of Iranian medicine [Arch Iran Med] 2022 Feb 01; Vol. 25 (2), pp. 91-97. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Feb 01.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Background: In this study, we assessed the prevalence of positive rapid detection test (RDT) among healthcare workers (HCWs) and evaluated the role of personal protective equipment (PPE) and knowledge of the pandemic.<br />Methods: In a cross-sectional study conducted between August 2020 and October 2020 in a tertiary referral center (Tehran, Iran), we enrolled 117 physicians, nurses, and other HCWs (OHCWs)-aides, helpers, and medical waste handlers-regularly working in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) wards. The RDT kit was utilized to reveal recent infection; data on demographics, PPE use and availability, and knowledge of the pandemic was collected through pre-defined questionnaires.<br />Results: Overall, 24.8% (95% CI: 16.8-32.7%) of HCWs had positive RDTs. The more PPE was available and used, the less the chance of positive RDT was (OR: 0.63 [0.44-0.91], P = 0.014 and 0.63 [0.41-0.96], P = 0.030). The same was true for the knowledge of prevention and adhering to preventive rules (OR: 0.44 [0.24-0.81], P = 0.008 and 0.47 [0.25-0.89], P = 0.020). OHCWs had the highest prevalence of positive RDT, while they had more shifts per month, less accessibility to PPE, and less knowledge of the pandemic than physicians.<br />Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that HCWs should have a thorough knowledge of the pandemic along with using PPE properly and rationally. Furthermore, adhering to preventive regulations plays a crucial role in HCWs' safety. It is also noteworthy that shifts should be arranged logically to manage exposures, with a special attention being paid to OHCWs.<br /> (2022 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1735-3947
Volume :
25
Issue :
2
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Archives of Iranian medicine
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
35429945
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.34172/aim.2022.15